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The likes of Kasabian and Blur also performed at the pub

Before the most famous artists reached ultimate fame, they found their feet by performing at smaller venues. Names of artists today were once unknown people trying to make their way into the world of music.

They performed at smaller venues across the country, trying to gain a fandom. At one former bar in Cambridge, a number of now-famous artists once performed there. The former Boat Race pub in East Road was once a popular venue for live music performances.

Before it was the Boat Race, it had several different names. It was formerly known as the Waggon & Horses, and then The Falcon. The building dates back to 1827. It operated as The Boat Race until it closed in 2004. Today, it is still a live music venue known as The Six Six Bar.

When it was The Boat Race, it saw a number of well known acts perform there. Amongst them were Kasabian, Blur, Snow Patrol and Placebo. One of its most famous acts, who performed there in the 1990s were Britpop legends, Oasis. On May 11, 1994, as Oasis were just starting out, they performed one of the pub’s most famous gigs.

On this day, they performed songs that would become some of their biggest hits, including Live Forever, Supersonic and Cigarettes and Alcohol. They also performed The Beatles hit I Am A Walrus. The pub was popular with locals, and was praised it for “the sweat, the smoke and the atmosphere”.

The final band that played at the pub was The Broken Family Band. And to mark its closure, pub manager Stan, was given a card that was signed by locals and bands.

One hundred chefs gathered in London to make the world’s longest tiramisu.

The team of Italian cooks broke records with a dessert measuring 440.6 metres (1,445ft) at Chelsea Town Hall.

It was also more than 8cm tall and 15cm wide, according to Chef Carmelo Carnevale.

This smashed the previous longest tiramisu made by Milanese Galbani which spanned 273.5m (897ft).

To whip up this humongous sweet treat, chefs used a staggering 50,000 sponge fingers and more than 3,000 eggs, the BBC reported.

The Guinness World Record attempt was spearheaded by Mirko Ricci, who said the huge pudding was dedicated to the King and Queen.

It was topped with a golden crown and with the words ‘Grazie your majesty’, as well as the King’s personal monogram.

Ricci previously led a team that broke the tiramisu record in 2017.

He added that tiramisu is ‘the most incredible dessert that Italy has exported’.

Traditionally made with a mixture of egg yolks, mascarpone, cocoa powder and coffee soaked ‘ladyfinger’ sponge biscuits, the classic dessert is believed to have been invented in the 1960s.

Its exact origin is unknown but records suggest it was invented at Le Beccherie restaurant in Treviso, near Venice in 1969.

The name ‘tiramisu’ comes from the Italian tirami su, which loosely translates to ‘cheer me up’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Love Island winner Dani Dyer has told her followers she is in “agony” after a piercing went wrong and she has resorted to holding frozen peas up against her ear

Dani Dyer has been left in “so much pain” following a recent ear piercing. The former Love Island winner, 29, explained on Sunday afternoon that she once had her tragus pierced and decided to get the small piece cartilage of redone after realising how “pretty” the area can look with a stood in it.

But the star, who is the daughter of EastEnders legend Danny Dyer, has now taken to Instagram to ask her followers for advice after waking up in the middle of the night in “agony” and mistakenly took the piercing out, which has now left her potentially prone to infections.

Holding a bag of frozen peas up to her ear, she said: “Guys, I am in so much pain. So, years ago, I had my tragus pierced. I don’t know if it was sore but I took it out. Anyway, I thought ‘They look so pretty, let me get it re-pierced.’ and, absolutely fine, bit sore on the day but no issues.

READ MORE: ‘I’ve been piercing for 30 years and these are things clients should never do’READ MORE: Dani Dyer disgusted by dad Danny’s crude comments about sex with mum

“Last night, I woke up at four o’clock in the morning and my ear had another heartbeat. I have never been in so much pain with my ear.

“Then, I took the piercing out but I’ve looked online and it said I shouldn’t have done that because of like infection and stuff. I just thought I had to get it out. I’m in agony, I’ve been sitting here with peas. Has anyone else had this? It is so painful!”

Dani has endured a few painful injuries since her rise to fame on the ITV2 reality show and towards the end of last year, she had to miss out on competing on Strictly Come Dancing just before it was all set to take place after suffering a fall in rehearsals.

Fellow Love Island winner Amber Davies, who since her own time on the ITV2 programme has carved out an impressive career in musical theatre and currently starring in a touring production of Legally Blonde, served as her replacement and Dani subsequently had to endure a recovery period for her foot.

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At the time, she said: “It’s been a lazy.. emotional week I was so excited for this side of the year but it really hasn’t ended the way I wanted it too.. taking everyday as it comes whilst my annoying foot gets better!”

Prior to that, the TV star part in ITV2’s Survival of the Fittest shortly before she entered Love Island. But even then, she had to quit before she could show off her survival skills, as she dislocated her shoulder while zooming headfirst down a waterslide while filming a challenge.

The reality star was treated by the medics on site and later taken to the hospital, a day after she entered the show’s lodge in the wilderness. Unfortunately, producers said she wasn’t able to finish the show due to the injury.

Later speaking about the incident on Good Morning Britain, Dani said: “I tried to put it back in and carry on with the challenge, and it just got worse. It was so bad the pain, it was horrible.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

“I believe to stay up. If I stay here, it’s because I’m positive, now, because I’m a coach of Tottenham, Tottenham is not important on the pitch, if you are Tottenham or another team, the most important are the qualities of the players, and the human level of the players,” the Italian said.

An inquest heard Zara Afua Ampong-Appiah, 30, combed the internet looking for a lethal substance before taking her own life – as police probe five deaths linked to the “suicide kits”

A young psychologist took her own life after searching online for a substance used in so-called “suicide kits”, the Mirror can reveal.

Zara Afua Ampong-Appiah combed the internet looking for the lethal substance before she was found dead in her bed last year, an inquest heard. Scotland Yard detectives are now investigating at least FIVE deaths in the UK linked to an overseas “kit” seller.

An inquest was told Ms Ampong-Appiah, 30, had a promising career ahead of her and was a postgraduate research student of the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. However from February 2023 she struggled with her own mental health. She required time off work and needed medication for a combination of depression and anxiety, according to a statement from her GP.

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After her death in April [2025], police downloaded data from her digital devices and found repeated searches for a US-based pro-choice suicide website as well as a substance often used in so-called “suicide kits”. Ms Ampong-Appiah’s mother Elly Oppong, 66, said her daughter’s death “broke her heart”.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, she said: “No parent wants to go through this. There was absolutely no warning, nothing. She had friends and a supportive family and not one of us saw this coming.”

Ms Ampong-Appiah’s case is believed to be one of a number the Met Police are investigating in which lethal substances were brought online from abroad. A spokesperson for the force said “enquiries remain ongoing” in Ms Ampong-Appiah’s case. But the kits have been linked to a number of other cases.

Last year a post-mortem on Jane Louise Colechin, 44, revealed she died from the effects of the substance, according to an inquest. Her partner found her dead at her home in Forest Gate, Newham, on New Year’s Day 2025.

Ms Ampong-Appiah was described by her mother in a statement read at her inquest as a “very calm and likeable person” who “loved learning” and was “ambitious and loved her job.” She had been working as a talking therapist at Talk Changes, a free NHS service in East London for those aged 16 and over struggling with their mental health.

But unbeknown to her family, she was also struggling with her own and in February 2023 had visited her doctor’s surgery, Kingsmead Healthcare in east London, where she had been a patient since birth. She said she was feeling anxious and depressed but denied wanting to harm herself or others or having suicidal thoughts, the inquest heard.

Between then and June 2024 she was repeatedly signed off work and took several courses of the anti-depressant Citalopram. A statement read to East London Coroner’s Court by Det Sgt Tom Boow (CORR), of the Met Police, revealed that police were called out of concern for Ms Ampong-Appiah following intelligence that a substance may have been delivered to her address in Leytonstone, east London, from overseas.

After officers broke into the property on April 10, 2025, officers discovered Ms Ampong-Appiah dead in bed with early signs of decomposition. Two keys were found inside the room, which was locked from the inside and two windows were also secured.

No overseas purchases were found and there was no note left, the statement added. “No drugs or substances were apparent,” Det Sgt Boow said, adding that bins at the property were also searched. A notebook had been left open on a page with some scripture on it regarding death, he said.

Digital forensic technician Connor Tkacziw (CORR) looked at Ms Ampong-Appiah’s electronic devices. He found 44 recent mentions of suicide, 19 relating to the substance which caused her death, 35 relating to a pro-suicide website, study notes relating to suicide as well as Google searches.

Toxicology tests found Ms Ampong-Appiah had vastly elevated levels of two substances in her blood, one of which was 14,569 times the amount that should be found in a healthy person. Expert Amrita Ahluwalia said levels could be elevated in infectious diseases as well as from some food sources, but it was “unlikely”.

“It’s not possible to exclude infection as a contributory cause but it’s unlikely that they would provide these extremely high levels,” she said. Pathologist Dr Ashraf Ibrahim recorded the cause of death as toxicity from two forms of a chemical.

Ms Oppong, a retired cook, of Hackney, east London, said Ms Ampong-Appiah had not mentioned her poor mental health to family members. She queried whether GPs should be able to tell a mother or father if their child was struggling or prescribed anti-depressants, even if they are over 18.

She said: “They say the person is over 18 so it’s private. If the person is going through mental health problems, a mother or father should know, maybe that would help? It would have been easier if I knew she was struggling, we could have supported her. The last year hasn’t been easy but family and church are supporting me.”

Estimates suggest that hundreds of people in the UK may have died by ordering ‘suicide kits’ containing lethal substances from other countries. A growing number of UK deaths have also been linked to the same US pro-suicide website that Ms Ampong-Appiah visited.

The website is currently blocked for UK users although some say they have found a way around the block. In the UK, under the Suicide Act 1961, it is illegal to assist or encourage someone to end their life.

This includes ordering, supplying or importing ‘suicide kits’ or lethal substances into the UK from any other country. If this transaction happens online it is still considered illegal. The legality of specific substances depends on the substance. However in general purchasing substances that are intended for the purpose of self harm is a criminal offence in the UK.

It comes as Canadian chef Kenneth Law prepares to face trial following allegations he supplied people around the world with lethal substances used to end their lives. He was arrested in 2023 for aiding suicide and was later charged with 14 counts of first degree murder. So far he has been linked to 131 suicides worldwide with 97 of those thought to be in the UK. Law is currently awaiting trial due to start this month. There is no suggestion he is linked to the Met’s ongoing investigation.

As far back as 2021, Caroline Jones, Assistant Coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, wrote a Report to Prevent Future Deaths following the case of James Nowshadi, 23, whose death on April 1, 2020, was linked to the substance. Ms Jones said there should be national guidance available for dealing with the deaths, adding: “In my opinion, there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.”

Nadia Persaud, area coroner for East London, recorded a conclusion of suicide in Ms Ampong-Appiah’s case. She said: “Zara was found deceased at her home address and police attending found clear signs that life was extinct. The circumstances all suggest that Zara had taken a substance that had caused her death.

“Analysis of her devices showed a number of searches relating to suicide and a post mortem investigation revealed toxicity (relating to the chemical). Therefore the conclusion is that she died as a result of suicide.”

For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

But don’t worry there are still some sunny days to come

The stretch of glorious weather that has graced Ireland over the last week could end with showers raining down across the country later in the week, forecasters have warned.

The country has been enjoying sunshine and highs of 21C over the last few days, with more to come into next week, as daytime temperatures are forecast to hit the mid to high teens, with dry weather for the most part.

While Met Éireann forecasters said the weather would stay settled until later in the week, they added there could be a chance of clouds and showery rain spreading northwards over the country through Thursday.

Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather also warned of downpours towards the end of next week, but stressed there was uncertainty surrounding the current forecast. He wrote: “A risk of showers Thursday/Friday but a lot of uncertainty yet. If you have plans I wouldn’t panic just yet.”

Below is the Met Office weather forecast for the rest of the week

Monday:

A dry and bright start to the day with patchy cloud. A few showers may develop from late morning, these mostly light and clearing away through the afternoon. Maximum temperature 15C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Dry and settled throughout this period with a good deal of sunshine. Light winds at first but becoming breezier by Thursday and Friday on eastern coasts with showers possible.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

McFarlane continued: “Also, set-pieces is a massive part of their game. Tosin’s a great leader, a great character. I fully trust Jorrel, and Jorrel could have played in this game, as could Wesley Fofana, so you make decisions as a manager, and you hope you get them right, and I thought Tosin was exceptional today.”

Hello and welcome to all the live action form today’s FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Leeds at Wembley.

Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane is certain the prospect of reaching an FA Cup final will be motivation for his players following their woeful league run that led to Liam Rosenior’s sacking.

Five consecutive defeats with no goals scored is the club’s worst run since 1912 and Tuesday’s 3-0 hammering by Brighton proved the final straw for Rosenior, who was dismissed three months into a six-and-a-half-year contract.

Today’s semi-final against Leeds could not have come at a worse moment but McFarlane, who has been handed the reins until the end of the season, insisted the capitulation at the Amex Stadium – widely considered to have been the worst performance of the season – will not inhibit the team as they seek a return to Wembley in May.

“Really disappointing,” he said of Tuesday’s loss that prompted the hierarchy to remove the manager. “It was hard to watch that, hard to see that. To be dominated from minute one to minute 90. Brighton were very good but we were nowhere near our levels.

“Everything has been done that we possibly can to make sure the lads are as best prepared as they can be for what Leeds are going to throw at us and what we have to stand up to. I believe the players will be motivated to get to an FA Cup final.”

Chelsea’s run has seen them all but eliminated from contention to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The alarming nature of recent defeats, most significantly in losing 3-0 to Everton and Manchester City before collapsing on the south coast last week, was ultimately what prompted the club to remove Rosenior in order to prevent a disappointing season from further unravelling.

By the time Chelsea play against Nottingham Forest on May 4 it will have been two months since their last league goal, in a 4-1 win over Aston Villa.

The defeat to Brighton appeared to demonstrate that the players were no longer responding to the manager, and it is understood that there is an acceptance within the club that appointing a head coach with such limited experience was a mistake.

“Everyone at the club has to feel responsible, staff and players,” said McFarlane. “The players know that, the staff know that, we’ve all spoken.

“We know that the recent form has not been good enough and we’re going do absolutely everything we can, work as hard as we possibly can, to make sure we can put in a good performance.

“A lot of football is about momentum. We’ve had a bit of a losing streak and that can change with one positive result, one positive performance.”

Here are five of the latest planning decisions made by Durham County Council, made in areas like Castle Eden, Newton Aycliffe, Haswell, Byers Green, and Templetown:

Golf swing studio approved

A new golf swing studio cabin has been approved for Castle Eden and Peterlee Golf Club.

Planning permission for the structure was granted on April 23.

The club, situated at TS27 4SS, will now be able to proceed with the installation.

Backdated salon conversion permitted

A retrospective application has been approved for a business operating from a residential property in Newton Aycliffe.

Located at 8 Kemble Green North, the premises will officially function as a mixed-use site, combining residential accommodation with a hairdressing salon.

The decision also includes the conversion of an existing garage.

Care home conversion gets green light

Highfield House in Sycamore Terrace, Haswell, will be converted from a residential property into a care home.

The application, submitted in August, was approved on April 20.

School to become home

Listed building consent has been granted for the conversion of a former school building on Hagg Lane in Byers Green.

The site will be transformed into a single residential dwelling.

Plans include internal alterations to create a mezzanine floor, the installation of five rooflights, and the replacement of existing mortar.

Self-storage facility approved

Permission has been granted for the temporary use of land at Bessemer Court, Hownsgill Industrial Park in Templetown.

The site will now accommodate shipping containers for self-storage hire under Use Class B8 (Storage and Distribution).