GRUNGECAKE

Tag: London

  • Banksy’s latest mural at the Royal Courts of Justice faces swift removal

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    A striking new artwork by the elusive street artist Banksy has suddenly appeared on the exterior of London’s Royal Courts of Justice, only to be swiftly covered and slated for removal. The mural—revealed in early September 2025—depicts a judge in full wig and gown violently striking a protester who lies prone on the ground, clutching a blood-splattered placard.

    Although Banksy’s signature had not been found on the structure itself, the artist confirmed ownership by posting the mural on his Instagram account—a customary move to validate authenticity. Security personnel rapidly moved to obscure the image with black plastic sheets and metal barriers, whilst surveillance and guards ensured no photographs were taken.

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    Authorities cited the historic and protected status of the Royal Courts of Justice—one of the United Kingdom’s most iconic judicial buildings—as the reason for removal, stating they are “obliged to maintain its original character”. Media reports also noted that police have been notified, as the work has been registered as a case of criminal damage.

    Critics and commentators interpreted the powerful imagery as a comment on the UK government’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism, particularly following the arrest of nearly nine-hundred protesters supporting the group Palestine Action, which had recently been proscribed under terrorism legislation. Activist group Defend Our Juries praised the mural as a “powerful depiction of brutality” and a critique of state repression.

    Though its time in the open has been brief, the mural has ignited debate about freedom of expression, the tension between public art and heritage preservation, and the role of street art in political discourse. Whether the piece will be salvaged, archived, or permanently concealed remains uncertain—but its impact has already been made clear.

  • Drake to headline all three nights of Wireless Festival 2025 in London’s Finsbury Park

    PARYTNEXTDOOR, Summer Walker, Burna Boy, and Vybz Kartel have been announced as special guests.

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    In the morning, we received an email sharing the exciting news about Drake’s unprecedented headlining shows spanning three days in London at Wireless Festival’s twentieth-anniversary edition. The global superstar will perform three different set lists to give proper attention to his vast catalogue of genre-blending chart-topping hits! We haven’t been to a music festival all year, but we feel this one would be the one to go down in the books. When’s the last time you’ve seen something like this happen? Never, and that’s why it’s exhilarating in concept.

    If you are a fan of Big Boy’s Neighborhood show, you’ve probably heard about Tariq Cheriff’s interview. During the interview, the festival co-owner discussed wanting to book Drake as a headliner for Rolling Loud for many years without success. Surprisingly, Cheriff explained that he wanted to do something similar for Drake (like this Wireless Festival deal), but allegedly it wasn’t enticing enough according to his team. Explicitly, the founder shared that a European festival may steal the

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    “They were like, ‘You need to make it special.’ Well, alright, [let’s do] three nights of Drake. You [can] be the headliner for three nights”, Cherif said to Big Boy.

    “I heard a certain festival in Europe is about to steal our idea.”

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    Before then, Cheriff said, “I feel like Drake’s ducking us. I got no beef with Drake. I like Drake. I think he’s a great artist… We’ve been trying to book Drake forever. We even offered Drake three nights of Drake once.”

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