Chilean musical heroes to play only UK date at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

ON Sunday, 15 October 2023, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall will play host to 1 of Latin America's most important musical exports; Illapu.

True Chilean emmisaries, Illapu has had a storied career, stretching back nearly 50 years. Formed in 1971, in Antofagasta (Northern Chile), by:- brothers Andrés, José Miguel, Jaime, and Roberto Márquez Bugueño; Illapu pioneered a style of music known as:- "folklore andino", and have been hailed as 1 of the most important Latin American bands with Andean roots.

Their seminal LP "Despedida Del Pueblo" (1976) saw them 1st achieve national acclaim with 1 of their most beloved songs:- "Candombe Para Jose." Upon returning home from a European tour in 1980, Illapu were accused of raising support against the Pinochet dictatorship and sent into exile, returning a decade later after living in France and Mexico. Their 1993 album:- "En Estos Dias" recorded soon after; includes:- 1 of the most popular Chilean songs of all time:- "Lejos Del Amor," and went on to become 1 of the country's highest selling albums.

Their name comes from the Quechua word meaning:- 'Lightning Bolt' and Illapu have continued their journey through Chile and the world, taking their traditional rhythms and magic sounds; alongside their distinctive voice; to every place they visit.

This sole UK date has been made possible by Liverpool's own:- 'LUMA CREATIONS,' and forms an integral part of this year's Chile 50 programme; marking the 50th Anniversary of the military coup in Chile which saw the death of the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, the murder of thousands of Chileans, and the forced exile of hundreds of thousands more. The leader of the coup, General Augusto Pinochet ruled Chile from:- 1973 to 1990 with an iron fist, overseeing concentration camps throughout the country and a litany of other human rights abuses.

In commemorating the 50 years and presenting 1 of Chile's most treasured exports, Luma Creations pay homage to all those who were lost and all those who fought and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Chilean refugees scattered across the globe.

Support on the night comes from Grupo Luma. Led by Chilean brothers Francisco and Oscar Carrasco who came to the UK in 1975 as exiles from the military dictatorship, Grupo Luma presents a beautiful mixture of Chilean and Latin American protest songs as well as original compositions that take the audience on a journey through Latin America. The band is a fusion of many genres, with powerful rhythms and melodies of struggle and solidarity.

Francisco and Oscar arrived in the UK as:- 11 and 14 years old, yet very quickly began their musical careers playing at solidarity events for:- Chile, South Africa, Palestine, the Miners, Dockers, and many more, and have continued their journey as artists for the people. They are joined by 4 wonderful UK musicians (Erik Bichard, Max Alder, Jonathan Raisin and Phil Hargreaves) who have travelled with them in many guises throughout their time in Liverpool. Grupo Luma has been touring the UK this year with the Chile 50 years show and have played to great acclaim at La Linea Festival, Migration Matters Festival and El Sueño Existe Festival, amongst many others.

Illapu play the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on:- Sunday, 15 October 2023. Tickets are available now from:- LiverpoolPhil.Com.

Merseyside Taxi drivers urged to join fight for fair pay against Uber rival Veezu

HUNDREDS of Merseyside Taxi drivers working for the Taxi operator Veezu could be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation after being denied holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage.

Law firm Leigh Day is currently acting on behalf of drivers working for Veezu, which owns Britannia Taxis which operates in:- Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Newton Le Willows, Earlestown, Widnes, Warrington and Wigan.

Veezu currently treats its drivers as self employed contractors, but drivers claim they should be treated as workers and given the appropriate workers' rights and protection under employment law.

Employment lawyers at Leigh Day argue that the way Veezu operates; including:- allocating drivers' jobs, fixing their rates and penalising them for declining jobs - means drivers qualify as workers.

The claim against Veezu is similar to Leigh Day's ongoing worker status claim against another Taxi company, Bolt. Given the similarities in how Bolt and Veezu drivers work, Leigh Day believes there is a strong case that Veezu drivers should be classified as workers and receive compensation for holiday pay and any shortfalls between their pay and the National Minimum Wage.

The legal action follows the success in the Supreme Court for Uber drivers, also represented by Leigh Day, who won a similar claim. The Court ruled that drivers working for Uber should be classified as workers and given workers' rights.

Veezu, which uses a similar business model to Uber, has taken over a number of local Taxi firms in towns and cities across England and Wales, many of which have their own smartphone booking app.

Veezu operates the following local Taxi brands across England and Wales:-

• Britannia Taxis (Knowsley, St Helens, Liverpool, Wigan, Warrington, Widnes, Sefton, Newton Le Willows and Earlestown)
   

• Amber Cars (Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Wetherby)
   

• City Taxis (Barnsley, Chesterfield, Derby, Dronfield, Rotherham, Sheffield)
   

• Excel Taxis (Sheffield)
   

• V Cars (Bath, Bristol, Swindon, Chippenham)
   

• SN1 Cars (Swindon)
   

• Dragon Taxis (Cardiff, Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan, Cwmbran, Pontypool, Newport)
   

• Go Carz (Wolverhampton, Telford, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Walsall, Dudley, Birmingham, Solihull)
   

• A2B Radio Cars (Birmingham, Solihull, Wolverhampton)
   

• ABC Taxis (Norwich, Norfolk)
   

• Panther Taxis (Cambridge)

If the claims against Veezu are successful, the company will only be legally required to compensate those who have brought a claim. Leigh Day is acting under a:- 'no win no fee' agreement, which means drivers do not pay anything unless their claim is successful.

Gabriel Morrison, solicitor in the employment team at Leigh Day, said:- "We strongly believe that Veezu drivers should be treated as workers for the company and given the appropriate rights and protection under employment law. As with other similar claims, we are confident that we will ultimately be able to help Veezu drivers achieve workers' rights. All Taxi and delivery companies using this type of business model should be aware that they cannot continue to short change their hard working drivers."

The claim is open to all drivers working for Veezu and its partner Taxi companies in the last 10 weeks. To join the claim drivers can visit:- LeighDay.Co.UK.