Your favourite artists in your front room? Live streaming rock, opera, ballet, classical music and warehouse raves? It's all available on a screen near you thanks to the flood of live streams that have popped-up to help us all through these challenging times, and raise funds for Covid-19 relief efforts.
The coronavirus pandemic has cancelled gigs, concerts, musicals, theatrical performances and club nights around the world, and forced people to stay home under lockdown, which has meant artists have had to get extra creative when it comes to finding an audience.
Whether it be musicians, bands, actors, opera singers or DJs, people are taking to the internet to live stream performances, concerts, DJ sets and even mini-festivals in an effort to fill the live entertainment void.
Below you'll find our weekly round-up of some of the best live streams and virtual concerts we've spotted, from regular performances, to one-off gigs. And, thanks to the wonders of live streams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Instagram, many of the shows will be available to watch long after the live version.
Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival moves online, with the community event turned world famous street party unable to take place as normal in West London. Access All Areas will be doing its best to recreate the vibe, with music, costumes, steel bands and more across a weekend of digital entertainment. The action starts at 6pm on Saturday 30th August, followed by two full days on Sunday and Monday.
View the Notting Hill Carnival Access All Areas website
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival goes virtual for its 63rd annual event, running from 25th to 27th September. The festival will stream on YouTube beginning at 8pm ET each day. A star-studded line-up includes Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall and Quincy Jones.
View the Virtual Monterey Jazz Festival website for more details
MTV Video Music Awards
The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards 2020 will be broadcast on Sunday 30th September at 8pm ET, live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Artists set to perform include Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. Don't say we didn't warn you.
The Record Club
Record Store Day UK, Official Charts and National Album Day have come together to launch The Record Club, a bi-monthly Facebook Live virtual club, taking place on every other Wednesday at 6.30pm (BST).
Hosted by Jess Iszatt (BBC Music Introducing/BBC Radio London) and live streamed simultaneously across the Record Store Day UK, Official Charts and National Album Day Facebook feeds, the idea is to order each Record Club album ahead of the broadcast, listen to the album in full, and then come to the live feed armed with questions.
View more details on the Record Store Day Facebook page
Royal Albert Home
The Royal Albert Hall – yes, the Royal Albert Hall – is hosting a series of Royal Albert Home performances over the coming days and weeks, which will see "artists sharing their work from their homes to yours". The free streaming programme already includes Rufus Wainwright, Peter Gregson, Brassed Off and many more, with plenty of performances still to come in August.
View the Royal Albert Home streaming programme
Head over to the Royal Albert Hall YouTube channel to watch
Radiohead
The band have been posting weekly classic concert videos to their YouTube channel, and while we have reached the end of these shows, they are still available to watch on YouTube. There are 12 At Home with Radiohead shows to enjoy.
View the concerts via the Radiohead channel on YouTube
Norah Jones
If you want to hear a soothing voice in these uncertain times, then you should head over to Norah Jones' Facebook page. Jones is still performing 'Live from the Living Room' on a regular basis. The streams are Thursdays at 10pm (BST), though there have been a few more impromptu performances, too.
View the live streams on Norah Jones' Facebook page
Boiler Room
One of the original names in live streaming is well-prepared for entertaining in isolation and has been quick to pull together a Streaming from Isolation series of broadcasts. Look out for regular live shows and classic sets from previous years. We can recommend Dixon's live stream, complete with mind-boggling visuals. There are a huge number of streams going live, so it's already a massive resource of live DJ sets and performances, including exclusive new shows from Job Jobse, Floating Points, Peggy Gou, Ellen Allien and more.
View the Boiler Room live streams on Facebook
Metallica
Rock Gods Metallica have launched a concert series, #MetallicaMondays, which will see the band stream a complete Metallica live show on the group's YouTube channel and on Facebook every week. They don't seem to always be Mondays, but either way you can catch a whole load of Metallica concerts on YouTube now...
Watch Metallica Mondays on YouTube
Neil Young
Neil Young is keeping it in the family with his Fireside Sessions - his wife will be filming while he gives a live concert from his living room, presumably by the fire. It looks like his dogs could feature heavily, too. Young is promising a "down-home production, a few songs, a little time together", which sounds good to us. Find out more via the Neil Young website, see link below, and watch back earlier shows.
Watch Neil Young Fireside Sessions on Neil Young Archives
National Theatre
It may not be music but it is a special treat we think is worth sharing. The National Theatre's #NationalTheatreAtHome delivered some of the best British theatre to YouTube throughout lockdown. It began with James Corden in One Man Two Guvnors on 2nd April and the archive now includes Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream and plenty of behind-the-scenes content and interviews. The regular shows have stopped but there is still plenty of video content to enjoy, with more programmes promised.
Watch National Theatre At Home on YouTube
Marc Rebillet
When it comes to staggeringly talented artists performing live on Instagram, Marc Rebillet is an old hand. You really should be following his impromptu live jams on Instagram already but his promise to up his game during the coronavirus crisis is all the more reason to check him out. More of a Twitch fan? He's signed up there too to deliver his Quarantine Streams...
Wiener Staatsoper
How about world class opera and ballet for free, from the comfort of your favourite chair? Vienna State Opera is now opening its livestream archives. Wiener Staatsoper will broadcast Live at Home recordings of previous opera and ballet performances daily via its streaming platform. Streams start at 5pm or 7pm (CET), which is line with the opera house's usual performances, and they will remain available for 24 hours.
View the Vienna State Opera Live at Home streams
Katherine Jenkins
Time for something a little more relaxing? Welsh mezzo-soprano singer Katherine Jenkins is bringing her crossover classical brand to your home with live Facebook performances every Saturday night from 6pm (BST). She's been broadcasting live for 15 weeks (not continuously, don't worry) and is still going strong...
View Katherine Jenkins live on Facebook
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