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Bad Company  

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Bad Company is a british hard rock band with strong blues influences. They rose to prominence in the mid 70s, but have a career, which spans over 4 decades. The band derived it’s name from a 70s Western film and are in many ways considered a supergroup.

Bad Company’s roots spread across 4 different bands. Two of it’s members Paul Rodgers (singer) and Simon Kirke (drummer) made up half of Free, the group’s guitarist Mick Ralphs was previously in Mott the Hoople and their bassist Boz Burrell was recruited from King Crimson. Their manger Peter Grant also managed Led Zeppelin, a group who is one of Bad Company’s greatest influences. Bad Company also drew inspiration from proto-metal bands like Steppenwolf as well as formative electric blues figures such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf; however, their sound was more akin to acts like Nazareth or Thin Lizzy.

The group formed in 1973 and shortly after signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song vanity label, making them the first group to do so. Their self-titled debut came out in 1974 and did exceptionally well in the market. It topped the US Billboard 200 and since it’s release has been certified platinum 5 times over, becoming the 46th best selling album of the 70s. The album also made a big impact in the UK, staying on the charts for 25 weeks peaking at No. 3.

This album boosted Bad Company into stardom and seemingly spawned a growth of creativity as they produced 3 more albums at a yearly rate. Their sophomore release “Straight Shooter” entered both the UK and US charts at No. 3, their 3rd album “Run With the Pack” peaked at No. 4 in the UK and No. 5 in the US and their 4th album “Burnin’ Sky” did significantly worse comparative to it predecessors but nevertheless entered the charts at an impressive No.15 in the US and No.17 in the UK.

The group’s 1979 album “Desolation Angeles” abandoned the hard edge sound and grit of their previous releases, swapping sharp distorted guitars for string arrangements and synthesizers. This marked the band’s return to chart domination as the album rose to No. 3 in the US and No. 10 in the UK.

Bad Company had a rough start in the 80s. They lost interest in touring and their longtime manager Peter Grant quit managing after the passing away of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. The group took a break from recording, but returned 3 years later with “Rough Diamonds”, which would be the last album they recorded together as the original lineup. Despite the audience’s anticipation of their return “Rough Diamonds” was the worst selling album the band had yet released.

Not long after this release, Rodgers and Burrell left the band. It was later revived by Ralphs and Kirke and featured a new lineup, featuring Ted Nugent’s vocalist Brian Howe. It took a while for the revisionary group to catch on. Their album “Fame & Fortune” was commercially unsuccessful, sporting a title that seemed to mock them. However they picked up momentum with their follow up album “Dangerous Age” and were back on track with their 1990 release “Holy Water”, which featured the top 20 hit “If You Need Someone”. Bad Compony’s success seemed to be on an exponential incline as their next album “Here Comes Trouble” reached platinum status and produced the hit “How About That”. A year later the band added bassist Rick Willis and rhythm guitarist Dave Coldwell.

After the group issued their live album “Best of Bad Company Live...What You Hear Is What You Get” they put out 2 more studio albums in the 90s: 1995s “Company of Strangers” and 1996s “Stories Told & Untold”.

Though Bad Company has not released any albums in the 2000s they continued touring, many dates alongside acts like David Lee Roth, Styx, Billy Squier, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Live reviews

In full disclosure both Joe Walsh and Bad Company are a little "before my time" by just a bit.

As I came up thru the 80's more so than the 70's heyday.

I'm very familiar with both Musicians/ Bands body of work but they were not necessarily ingrained in me as much let's say?

That being said. There is something about the music from that period that was/ is just "better"?

Better song writing, better hooks, better vibe, better musicianship in general etc etc... and though you may have heard "Jukebox Hero" or "Rocky Mountain way" a few hundred times on the Radio you still find yourself clapping and singing along when the opening chords strike like greeting an old friend!

The problem with Bands that have been around for damn near 40yrs (or longer) is that sometimes, they can turn into a mockery of themselves or some deranged "lounge Act" version.

Not the case with Joe Walsh who not only has put together a top notch back up Band, including among others long time Stevie Knicks guitarist Waddy Wachtel, but also is a very funny (if sometime incoherent) storyteller!

Hearing him intro "Rocky Mountain Way" as "a love song I was writing on a beach in Jamaica that went horribly wrong" and "that if I knew I would be playing this the rest of my life I wouldn't have finish it"! was comedic genius!

And He doesn't rest on his back catalog either with the fantastic "Analog Man" from his latest album fitting perfectly into his classic set without missing a beat.

throw in some James Gang gems like "Funk #49 & Walk Away" plus some Eagles in the form of

"Take it to the limit" (dedicated to the late Glen Frey) and "Life in the Fast Lane"

You got a pretty well rounded career spanning set.

And the man can still play guitar like nobodies business don't worry!

Bad Company was a bit tricky for me.

The show was solid and the sound was mixed very well and basically BAD Co. was a Radio hit machine so... the songs!

And everyone was on no question!

Simon Kirk is still a Monster drummer and pushes the songs forward the most live.

Paul Rodgers still has a great voice but I felt He was maybe holding back a bit here and there?

Todd Ronning who replaced original Bass Player Boz Burrell who passed away in 2006 does a fine job and was the most energetic on stage I thought.

Howard Reese has been with Bad Co since 2008 and does a fine job on Guitar.

Rich Robinson who is filling in for original guitarist Mick Ralphs due to medical issues is a great guitarist but really is not a "showman" and I think smiled twice all night?

On the face of it Bad Company gave a great performance but, for me anyway, I felt like they were maybe playing it a bit too safe? You could use the age excuse I guess but I have the feeling that really isn't it and I felt they could have turned it up one or two notches in the energy Dept is all (off night maybe).

All and all it was a great night out listening to classic rock songs from the Golden era of Rock N' Roll so... Money well spent.

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Well, I have seen BAD COMPANY last year @ the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino and no doubt about it that Paul Rodgers is one amazing singer and his band is truly remarkable. This is perhaps the third time I have seen a concert in an open setting. The only problem is that you have to walk half a mile to get to the venue. I ended up listening to 5 songs and almost did not make it for the bus that was to take me there was about to leave. From where I was dropped, here comes the walking a half mile that felt like it was a never ending one and to top it all, I forgot to bring with my lighter and had to ask people a favor if they had one. The weather was great and I was able to find the right spot to watch this awesome band. The highlight of them all is that when Paul introduced his grandchildren to all of us jam packed crowd. With that being said it reminded me of my grandchildren too. A great concert and I will never stop watching BAD COMPANY every time they are here in the desert. The lesson of this message is that if you are watching a concert in an open area like PGA, make sure you make it on time and give yourself an extra hour for parking and walking. More power to your music Paul and BAD COMPANY. Hope to see you again next year. God bless BAD COMPANY.

Check out Bad Company while you still can. Last year they celebrated their 40th anniversary tour and killed it. They dusted off a string of hits including 'Moving On', Feel Like Making Love', Can't Get Enough' and more. They have energy, their chops and can rock a crowd like back in the day. Paul Rogers' voice has earned its way into Rolling Stones' Top One Hundred Best Rock Vocalists, and for good reason. He still has and has always had a golden voice with an incredible dynamic range. Mick Ralph's guitar is as impressive as ever and Simon Kirke's drumming is as rock solid as the first downbeat of their debut album in 1974. The first band to be signed to Led Zeppelin's newly formed Swan Song Records, they were solid rockstars that came from Free and King Crimson and were out on a mission to get back to simpler more driving rock music. I love these guys!

Sad to say i didn't attend .Bad Company is my FAVORITE all time band ! And so i know they were Awesome as Always ! Being a Grandmother, my grandson had a appendicitis attack 2am Friday morning,so couldn't leave him . Gave 2 tickets away...ate the other 2.So only thing i can suggest...get Insurance on ur tickets ! My friend suggested it to me...but i said hell No...Nothing is keeping me from seeing Bad Company !!! Who wud have known...so my Suggestion...think about getting Insurance on ur Tickets...u Never no ....! I LOVE YOU BAD COMPANY TO THE MOON and Back!!!

I went to The Joint in Catoosa, Oklahoma on the 26th of October to see Bad Company. The venue was great and the show was FANTASTIC!!! Paul Rodgers sounds as good as he did the first time I saw them back in 1974. He sang all of their hits. It brought back so many memories. I would highly recommend to anyone to go see this show. It will be worth it.

Connie Allen

I took my brother hadn't sen a concert in a long time.. Yet alone be town town on the lake front.. We had the most amazing time the sound was amazing the music was hot on a nice cool lake front breeze.. Bad Compamy once again had my heart pounding.. Paul Rogers has the voice if a god!!!! Next stop hall of frame for that awesome man...

The show was so good, I just had to write another review. I enjoy going to concerts. And this one is right up there on top of my list. Paul Rogers still sounds exactly the same. This show is worth seeing again and again. Thank you Bad Company for making me feel young again. So many memories!

All I can say is wow! Bad Company is still amazing. Paul Rodgers is an exciting entertainer who has one of the best voices in rock n' roll. Simon Kirke plays the drums with power and passion and is a joy to watch perform.

Their 80 minutes set was full of non stop music and kept us on our feet the entire show.

I LOVE BAD COMPANY!!!!

I have seen A lot of concerts and this one was by far the best I had seen. Paul Rogers you are so multi talented and a voice of a King..

You as a band only get better and better. I seen them in Lincoln CA.

Thanks S.B.:)

Show started on time and they came out hot and rocking. The show was up tempo and the band sounded great. Paul’s voice was strong and awesome, music was spot on And fans were kept standing all night. Bad Company still tops for pure rock and roll.

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Bad Company is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 1 concert across 1 country in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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Is Bad Company Disbanding? Simon Kirke Hints at Band's Final Days

Is Bad Company ready to close the curtains?

After decades of performing as a band, Bad Company experienced ups and downs with its members that tested its longevity. Although the bandmates could still perform, they have not appeared on one stage again since their last performance at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on October 18, 2019.

Simon Kirke Reveals Bad Company's Status

In his interview on  "Bob Lefsetz" podcast , Simon Kirke opened up about Bad Company after receiving a question about whether the bad would ever perform again.

According to the drummer, he doubts it for several reasons, including Paul Rodgers and his health problems.

"They flew him out to New York and he came out with the fact that he has had some severe health problems in the last couple of years, a couple of strokes, quite a few mini strokes and heart troubles. And I honestly think that our, Bad Company's days are pretty much over," he continued.

Kirke himself is in good shape, but their other members do not have the same status.

Aside from Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs suffered a stroke in 2016. The only surviving original member has yet to recover from the medical issue.

The drummer gave an update and shared that Ralphs, who is currently in a nursing home in England, paralyzed his left side.

"So he's really, his health is not good and certainly his playing days are over. So you know, we had a good run and I think we're going to lay the old Bad Company to rest pretty soon," he went on.

READ ALSO:  Danny Elfman Responds to Abuse Lawsuit Filed By His Alleged Victim: 'False'

Paul Rodgers Has a Different Opinion

Before Kirke's statement, Rodgers spoke on  Sirius XM's Eddie Trunk  and shared that he does not think Bad Company would disband soon.

"I think there's still a lot of life there. We'll see. Give it time," he shared.

Bad Company's lead singer, Brian Howe, died on May 6, 2020 following a cardiac arrest. He also suffered a heart attack in 2017.

Meanwhile, Rodgers told "CBS Mornings" that he had two major strokes and 11 other minor strokes between 2016 and 2019, and the episodes almost derailed his career.

READ MORE:  Paul Rodgers' Music Career Almost Got Derailed Due to Shocking Health Issue: What Happened to Bad Company Rocker?  

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Is Bad Company Disbanding Or Not?

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Bad Company UK Reunion: Drum'n'Bass Pioneers Announce Two Shows in March

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Aerosmith Announce Rescheduled 2024, 2025 Peace Out Tour Dates

Watch: megadeth perform ‘peace sells…but who’s buying’ deep cut for the first time since 2014, system of a down and deftones announce joint u.s. concert, architects release new single, add more north american tour dates, deep purple announce 2024 tour with yes, watch: motionless in white rock wrestlemania during rhea ripley’s entrance, the struts announce 2024 north american tour, dream theater announce 40th anniversary tour, porno for pyros release new song “fingernail”, better lovers unleash new single “the flowering”, tony levin, adrian belew, steve vai, and danny carey announce king crimson tribute tour, heart add 31 new shows to 2024 royal flush tour, the black keys announce 2024 north american tour, review + photos: ace frehley gives capacity crowd a jolt at sony hall in new york city, st. vincent release new song with dave grohl, justin meldal-johnsen: 2024 tour announced, former anthrax bassist dan lilker joining band for upcoming tour dates, skid row, vocalist erik grönwall part ways: lzzy hale will fill in, twenty one pilots announce massive 2024 world tour, reveal new single “next semester”, godsmack are releasing one of their biggest albums on vinyl for the first time, sleeping with sirens announce 2024 tour.

BAD COMPANY AND LYNYRD SKYNYRD ANNOUNCE SECOND NORTH AMERICAN CO-HEADLINING TOUR

7/8 – Rama, ON – Casino Rama (Bad Company Only) 7/10 – Bangor, ME – Waterfront 7/12 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center 7/13 – Darien, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center 7/15 – Raleigh, NC – Walnut Creek Amphitheater 7/16 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Pavilion 7/18 – Philadelphia, PA – TBD 7/19 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live 7/22 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center 7/23 – Tinley Park, IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre 7/25 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre

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Bad Company Tour 2024: Rockin’ across the Nation

Bad Company Tour 2024 is set to continue, offering fans the chance to experience the legendary and influential rock band’s live performances in various locations. With a history of delivering powerful and captivating shows, the band’s upcoming tour promises an electrifying experience for rock music enthusiasts.

As the tour progresses, fans can look forward to witnessing the timeless classics and dynamic stage presence that have secured Bad Company’s status as one of the most esteemed acts in the world of rock music. Celebrating their enduring impact and musical legacy, the 2024 tour represents an opportunity for fans to immerse themselves in the iconic sound and energy that make Bad Company a beloved and enduring presence in the rock music landscape.

With a commitment to delivering exhilarating live performances, Bad Company’s upcoming tour is not to be missed by those seeking an unforgettable musical experience.

Rockin’ With The Legends

The iconic lineup revisited for the 2024 tour brings together the original members to recapture the magic of their legendary performances. Fans can expect an electrifying show featuring classic hits and deep cuts that have made Bad Company a staple of rock history. The tour promises to deliver an unforgettable experience for both longtime enthusiasts and new audiences alike.

Special guests and collaborations are anticipated to add an extra layer of excitement to the tour, offering unique renditions of beloved songs and the potential for unexpected surprises that will leave concert-goers talking for years to come. This dynamic interaction with other music icons will elevate the already stellar lineup to new heights.

A glance at the setlist evolution over the years reveals the band’s dedication to providing a fresh and engaging concert experience. As they revisit their greatest hits, revisions and additions to the setlist promise to keep each show feeling exciting and unpredictable, ensuring that no two performances are the same.

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Tour Logistics And Venues

Bad Company Tour 2024 will take fans on a journey to exclusive venues and historical stages across various destinations. The logistics of this tour involve careful planning and management of concert experiences post-COVID. As the band continues to perform and influence the world of rock music, fans can look forward to an unforgettable concert experience. Stay tuned for updates on tour tickets and upcoming shows.

Tickets And Merchandising

Breakdown of ticketing options: Bad Company’s 2024 tour offers various ticketing options, ranging from general admission to VIP packages. Fans can choose from different seating categories and perks, such as early access or exclusive merchandise.

Merch to remember: The tour will feature exclusive tour gear, providing fans with the opportunity to grab unique memorabilia and merchandise. From limited edition clothing items to collectible souvenirs, there will be something for every loyal fan to remember the experience.

VIP packages and fan experiences: For those seeking an enhanced experience, VIP packages offer exclusive perks such as meet and greet opportunities, backstage access, and premium seating. Fans can also opt for special fan experiences to create unforgettable memories during the tour.

Preparing For The Concert

Are you ready for the Bad Company Tour 2024? Here are some tips to help you prepare for a memorable concert experience. When it comes to the live show, expect electrifying performances of classic hits that will surely get the crowd on their feet. To ensure a smooth concert-going experience, arrive early to avoid long lines and secure a good spot. Moreover, consider connecting with other fans pre-show to share excitement and perhaps even make new friends. Remember to check for any updates on the concert venue and familiarize yourself with the surrounding area. Get ready to rock with Bad Company!

Media Coverage And Reviews

Bad Company Tour 2024 continues to garner significant media coverage and reviews. The critical reception and media buzz surrounding the tour have been overwhelmingly positive, with compelling comparisons being drawn with past tours.

Fan testimonials and highlights have contributed to the enthusiastic reception of the tour, further solidifying Bad Company’s status as a popular and influential band in the world of rock music.

Frequently Asked Questions Of Bad Company Tour 2024

Is bad company still touring 2023.

Yes, Bad Company is still touring in 2023 and remains popular and influential in the world of rock music.

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Yes, the Foo Fighters are expected to tour in 2024. Keep an eye out for updates.

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Yes, Journey is set to tour in 2024. Check their official website for tour dates.

Will The Eagles Tour Again In 2024?

There are currently no upcoming Eagles tours scheduled for 2024.

Bad Company’s influential legacy continues with their ongoing 2024 tour, captivating audiences with timeless rock classics. With a storied history and a dedicated fanbase, the band’s performances are a testament to their enduring impact on the music industry. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness Bad Company’s electrifying live show!

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Interview: Bad Company's Paul Rodgers Discusses Free Guitarist Paul Kossoff, The 40 Tour and New Material

Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company — both of whom are celebrating their 40th anniversaries in 2013 — recently teamed up for a co-headling US tour.

The 40 Tour, which kicked off June 20 in Auburn, Washington, draws to a close July 27 in Bethel, New York.

“The Skynyrds and I go back to the '70s and the days and nights at the Hyatt House on Sunset in L.A. aka the Riot House,” Rodgers said. ”In the '90s the band introduced me to my wife, Cynthia, and that’s why I am so damned happy and healthy these years.”

When we spoke to Rodgers before the tour, he was particularly thrilled to be catching up with his old friends. "It’s going to be an exceptional tour," he said. "It will be great to be back with my old bandmates playing these songs again.”

We recently caught up with Rodgers, who discussed the tour, his charities, Bad Company and much more. Check out our entire conversation below. For information on The 40 Tour, check out badcompany.com .

GUITAR WORLD: What can fans expect from Bad Company on this tour? Will there be any jams with the guys from Skynyrd?

Well, what I’m working on right now is our set list. I’m digging deeper into the songs we have available and I’m putting an exciting set together. I hope it’s exciting, anyway. We want to come out kicking! I think a set has to have light and shade and dynamics and certain elements — like a sense of intimacy at some point where the band and the audience come together. Where the crowd feels like they’re a part of what’s going on. We will put all of the elements together and hope for the best. I don’t know if we’ll be jamming with Skynyrd, though. We might have to be focusing on our individual sets. But in the past we’ve toured with other bands and they have came out and jammed with us, so who knows?

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Animal-themed charities are near and dear to your heart. Why is that, and how can fans help out with some of these causes?

My wife really is the instigator of that, and I enjoy it too. She loves all animals. She will not see an animal be mistreated. We were down in Memphis, where I was recording, and there was a stray dog she rescued and found a home for.

We are very involved in the Willows Sanctuary for Animals. They take all animals in — horses, pigs, sheep, anything unwanted. They recently had a lamb that was pulled out of a flooded river. We had heard they were in desperate trouble and they were about to close down due to their government funding being cut. So we stepped in and did a concert for them and raised a bunch of funds and kept them going. What’s cool is that they’ve now been approached by a company that makes windmill turbines; in exchange for putting some turbines on their property, they will now have all the funding that they will need. Brian May also is really helping out a great deal with the charity.

People can visit willowsanimals.com if they wish to help out. They can sponsor an animal or help in a number of ways.

Your new song, “With Our Love,” is doing well on radio. Can people expect more new material like this in the near future?

That’s great that it’s doing good. I haven’t checked, actually; I’ve been in Germany. But yes, that’s an example of one of the songs I’ve been working on with a friend of mine, Perry Margouleff, who has an analog studio in New York. We’ve been writing songs together for the past couple of years. He’s been sending demos and I’ve been dealing with the lyrics.

We’ve been going back and forth, and we had that track “With Our Love” pretty much finished. So we figured we’d finish it and put it out and we made it so that all the proceeds will go to the animal causes. So that song is in the vein of where we are at with that. We’ll hopefully be releasing something next year with that.

Here are a few questions from readers. Rich asks, "How did you come across [guitarist] Paul Kossoff? How did you approach your vocal delivery and manner of phrasing when playing with Kossoff specifically?"

Wow, that’s a great question. I met Paul Kossoff for the first time when I was playing in the back of a pub room in Finsbury Park in London in 1967. It was kind of a blues thing going on, and he came up and said, “I’d like to have a jam.” So he came up and jammed with me and I just loved his playing right from the start. We had been listening to the same people — Albert King, B.B. King and a lot of Elmore James. We had a love of the great blues players and we just naturally flowed together.

There was a kind of sense of breathing naturally with the music, and it was so great. When I would sing something, he would respond with the guitar and it was just such a natural chemistry. We decided we had to put a band together right there on the spot.

Jeanne asks, "If you could compare the music industry now with the way it was 20 years ago, what would you say are the biggest changes in terms of new bands trying to break out?

I think it’s always been tough for new bands. It might be tougher now. There are just so many people making music out there. I’ve always promoted the idea that everybody needs to make music. I think the more music there is in the world, the better, but it does make it highly competitive.

Something that comes to mind is that technology has completely exploded since we kicked off in the '70s. How it is now compared to then is beyond anything we could’ve dreamed up in our wildest imaginations. It has good and bad elements. One good thing is that the communication all around the world is fantastic. It’s great that we can instantly communicate. But one of the things in the studio that I find is that the industry is using too much technology. You can get to the point where you mix the balls out of the thing by overproducing it.

Now you can actually correct everything to an insane degree. Auto-tune things, you can correct wrong beats and all that, but a lot of the slightly out-of-tune and out-of-beat stuff can really be a part of the spirit of the music. A lot of those early blues records and soul records were pretty much live. It was what it was, and they had goofs and mistakes, but it still kept its charm. We have to remember to keep the feel. It’s so important.

It’s so tempting when you’re in the studio to fix a little teeny mistake, but when I listen back now to my early records, there are all kinds of goofs, and I think, “Holy smokes, how did we let that one go?” But no one ever complained. I never heard anyone say, “You made a mistake in the second bar on the second chorus” or whatever. As long as the feel was there and the overall sound touched people and moved them, that’s what we cared about. So we have to remember that the groove and the feel are so important.

Vykki asks, "What do you do to keep your voice in amazing shape? What’s the secret?

I just keep doing it. I enjoy what I do and I just try to stay vocally in shape by doing different things all the time. For instance, I just came back from Germany and I did a 20-show tour over there with a 50-piece orchestra. They orchestrated some of my songs; stuff like “Shooting Star," “Wishing Well" and “Feel Like Makin’ Love." It was very challenging and very interesting. So I do different things. I also went to Memphis and sang soul music recently — and, like, with Queen. Queen was very different; it keeps me fresh, excited and challenged. That’s a big part of it.

You’ve played with everyone, including Jeff Beck, Brian May, Jimmy Page, and more. Is there a particular guitarist you truly enjoyed working with? Someone with whom you feel you made your best work?

I enjoyed playing with Joe Bonamassa in New York. We did that for a DVD last year. He’s fantastic, a real blues guy.

I must say, though, that I’ve enjoyed working with everybody. Everybody’s been great, but I really loved being in Memphis recently playing with Al Green's band at the Royal studio. The studio hasn’t changed since the '60s. It’s still dusty around the edges and it’s still funky and has a really great sound. It’s almost like as the evening wears on, the place seems to warm up and the spirit seems to generate.

We were just laying tracks down left and right, everything from Sam & Dave tracks to Otis Redding tracks, the Temptations, etc. We focused on Stax records material, and I was in heaven. It was paradise because with these guys, you could snap your fingers and they could just play anything you could name and play it amazingly with the brass and everything! It felt great, like I was standing in Otis Redding’s shoes. So that is my current favorite thing [laughs].

What new artists out there, if any, would you really love to work with?

Adele. I love her. I think she has just got it going on. There’s a real great feel to what she does. I loved Amy Winehouse, too, I must say. I think as an artist and a singer she was awesome, absolutely fantastic. That’s what inspires me, is that there are people who can still really turn it up and make music that gets to you. Makes you stop in your tracks and say, “Wow." Makes you feel it.

Back in the day, did you have any idea Bad Company would have the impact they've had?

We did — and we didn’t. When we first started out, it was very organic. When we did the first album, we were just a bunch of guys writing songs and playing music we loved. We wanted to record it and get out and play. We were very fortunate that Peter Grant and Led Zeppelin took an interest in us. They got behind us and gave it to the world and everybody heard it.

We were pretty knocked out with the reaction we got, and it was the fact that it was very easy to identify with. We identified with it, it was real simple and we played it from the heart. I think people were receiving it in the heart too because our intentions were so clear.

After we did the first album, it was like, “Wow, what did we do again?" And then we tried to write the songs to live up to that to some extent, and I think we did. We came up with “Feel Like Makin’ Love," “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy,” and now we were established in a way. Now we had to deliver, so it was a different way of looking at it. “Simple Man” was a really cool song too. We were always very much true to ourselves in terms of the music. That was very key to the character of Bad Company.

Dave T. asks, "Who influenced you? Who are your favorite singers?"

I have so many! Otis Redding comes straight to mind, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Sam Moore, Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, Elmore James, B.B. King, Albert King, Wilson Pickett, Muddy Waters and so many blues and soul singers. Rod Stewart and Elton John are also great. I could go on and on.

The Live in Glasgow DVD looks incredible. What do you remember from that show; anything new or special?

It was a great tour throughout. We played in Newcastle the night before and it was absolutely wonderful. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. I wanted to take that show home and put it on the mantelpiece, it was so great. So was the Glasgow show. The vibe, the fans and the energy were incredible. And then I played in Chichester for the Willows Animal Sanctuary, and I played only Free songs. Free was very beloved in England, so it was very special also.

I heard you once worked with Paul McCartney. Is that true?

Not exactly. I’ve yet to meet Sir Paul, but I did do a song that they wanted to record, and it’s in the can. I did “Let Me Roll It." They called me up and asked, “Would you like to sing on this?” and I said, “Sure." I always liked that song, so I recorded it in Los Angeles. d I’m waiting to hear what’s happening with that, so we’ll see.

You’re considered one of the all-time best singers by guys like Eric Clapton, Ozzy Osbourne, Brian May, Paul Stanley, Sam Moore and more. What would you like to be remembered for?

For my music, I guess. For me it’s always been about the music. I’m not really a showbiz type of guy. Show is not really the thing for me. I admire people that it is part of their thing, but for me it’s all about the music. For me, the show is secondary. The connection you make with the audience is everything.

Dave Reffett is a Berklee College of Music graduate and has worked with some of the best players in rock and metal. He is an instructor at (and the head of) the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal department at The Real School of Music in the metro Boston area. He also is a master clinician and a highly-in-demand private guitar teacher. He teaches lessons in person and worldwide via Skype. As an artist and performer, he is working on some soon-to-be revealed high-profile projects with A-list players in rock and metal. In 2009, he formed the musical project Shredding The Envelope and released the critically acclaimed album The Call Of The Flames. Dave also is an official artist endorsee for companies like Seymour Duncan, Gibson, Eminence and Esoterik Guitars, which in 2011 released a Dave Reffett signature model guitar, the DR-1. Dave has worked in the past at Sanctuary Records and Virgin Records, where he promoting acts like The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Korn and Meat Loaf.

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Paul Rodgers

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Free Spirit - Paul Rodgers & The Music of Free Live at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Available Everywhere Now!!

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"We were four separate guys at the beginning of the afternoon, and by the end of the evening we were a band": Paul Rodgers on life with Free, Bad Company, The Firm and Queen

Paul Rodgers looks back at his life, times and solo career, ponders the tragedy of Paul Kossoff, and reveals that he owes his life to martial arts

'Yow!… all right, all right…’ It’s a timeless performance: Paul Rodgers with Free , playing All Right Now at the Isle of Wight Festival in the summer of 1970. As the band chop away at the riff, Rodgers strikes a pose, with one knee cocked and a hand outstretched, like he’s about to deliver one of Shakespeare’s sonnets rather than ‘ There she stood, in the street, smiling from her head to her feet .’ 

Rodgers sang into not one but two microphones that day. The doubling up was due to the requirements of the PA, but also magnified his image as a man whose voice couldn’t be contained by just one. Paul Rodgers launched a thousand imitators, but the man with the flawless delivery (whom his former bandmate Jimmy Page calls “the Sam Cooke of rock”) is a true original. 

Born on December 17, 1949, Rodgers was the son of a Middlesbrough docker, who ignored his father’s advice to “get a trade”, and instead fled to London to try his luck in the music business. Rodgers distilled his love of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Muddy Waters into the hits All Right Now and Wishing Well with the pioneering bluesrockers Free. 

When Free imploded in 1973, Rodgers formed Bad Company and broke America with the charttopping radio staples Can’t Get Enough, Feel Like Makin’ Love and Rock’n’roll Fantasy . Since then, he’s made solo and tribute albums, formed supergroup The Firm with Jimmy Page , and toured the world as guest vocalist with Queen . 

Midnight Rose is Rodgers’s first album of all-new songs since 2000, recorded with members of his solo group, released on the historic Sun Records label and produced by Bon Jovi/Metallica fixer Bob Rock and Rodgers’s wife Cynthia Kereluk. “Yes, she kicks me up the arse, in every respect,” offers her husband. 

New songs such as Living It Up and Highway Robber either celebrate the music of Rodgers’s youth or reference the outlaws and desperadoes of the Bad Company era, but reimagined through the eyes of their now 73-year-old writer. Resplendent in a blue Hawaiian-style shirt and baseball cap, Rodgers joins Classic Rock from a quiet corner of his home in British Columbia. “I live in the Okanagan Valley, but there’s enough English here for my tastes,” he says. 

While the 1970s were the era of excess and a “blur of fisticuffs”, the modern-day Rodgers exudes a Zen-like calm and talks an awful lot about peace and love. In fact, “fucking” becomes “effing” in some of his answers, even if a glint in his eye suggests the old tearaway is still in there. That voice, of course, is as familiar as ever.

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How does it feel to be on the legendary Sun Records? Is this something of a teenage dream come true?  

Who’d have thought it? When I was growing up it was home to Elvis Presley and all these other great artists. In my mind, though, there was never any possibility I would be on Sun Records. 

Sun has a great logo too . 

Yes, it’s like Harley-Davidson. It’s the HarleyDavidson of record labels. 

This is your first album of all-new songs since 2000’s Electric . What kept you?  

I had no intention of even making a new album. But covid brought everything to a screeching halt, and I was locked down with an acoustic guitar. I had nothing else to do but work on all the material I’d built up. After a while, I’m sitting there thinking: “I wonder if I can go in a studio…” 

Some of these songs sound like a love letter to America . 

Had I not heard American music – jazz, blues, soul and rock’n’roll – my life would have been vastly different. There likely wouldn’t have been Free or Bad Company. I owe a lot to the unique musicians who created that music. 

You did Straight Shooter with Bad Company, now there’s a song here called Photo Shooter . 

It’s about all the different places photographers find themselves, from fashion zones to war zones and places and spaces in between. Competing all the while for that prized front-page spot. I compare this to how life can be, always pushing, driving, to be the best, and I wonder: “What does it matter?

Let’s go back to the 1960s. Your teenage group The Roadrunners have moved from the Northeast to North London, and you were all living together. How bad did it get?  

We were The Roadrunners but we became the Wildflowers [in 1967], and were introduced to a drummer called Andy whose parents were on holiday and let us stay at his place. We were four teenagers unsupervised, and we ate everything in the fridge and turned the place into a wreck. But Koss [future Free guitarist Paul Kossoff ] lived around the corner and came over to jam with us.

What were your first impressions of Paul Kossoff?  

I liked Koss’s style. His playing and his humour. And I admired him because he had the longest, most beautiful hair – like a lion’s mane. He also had flared Levi’s, which you couldn’t buy in the stores. He bought two pairs of Levi’s every time and cut the sides out of one to put the ‘V’ in. I was like: “Wow, that’s so cool.” 

The Wildflowers split, but you stayed behind in London. Were you pushing and striving more than the others? 

My staying behind was what cemented mine and Koss’s relationship. When the other Wildflowers went back to Middlesbrough or did whatever they did, I was on my own with a load of wrecked equipment. I needed to reboot my career, as it were. I had four Shure SM57 microphones. I sold three, kept one and got myself a 50-watt Selmer amp. So I was back in business. 

What happened next?  

I joined a blues band called Brown Sugar, and was playing in a pub, when Koss showed up and asked to jam. He wanted me to join his band [Black Cat Bones], but I wanted us to start a new group. 

Take us back to Free’s first jam together: April 19, 1968, at the Nag’s Head in Battersea. 

That was where I met [bassist] Andy Fraser and Kirkie [drummer Simon Kirke] for the first time. [Rodgers’s mentor, British bluesman] Alexis Korner recommended Andy to us. We just played blues because everybody could play it straight away. Halfway through the day, we were doing Moonshine, one of the songs Koss and I had written together, and just at the point where it goes [sings] ‘ I-I-I-I-I-I sit here alone ’ Alexis walked in, sat down and said: “You sound like you’re a band now.” We were four separate guys at the beginning of the afternoon, and by the end of the evening we were a band.

Is it true that Island Records, who signed the new group, wanted to call you the Heavy Metal Kids?  

Yes. Alexis told us he used to have a band called Free At Last, so we liked the idea of ‘Free’. Then before we signed to Island Records, they said they wanted to call us the Heavy Metal Kids. I said: “No effing way we’re gonna do that,” even if it means losing the record deal. Andy wrote the names down and put them side by side on the mantelpiece, to see which looked best. We all looked at each other and went: “It’s got to be ‘Free’ hasn’t it?” 

Free didn’t stop during those early years, but you released two albums, Tons Of Sobs and Free , within seven months of each other in 1969 .

You know, I wasn’t even conscious of doing two albums in a year. Is that what we did? That title, Tons Of Sobs , was [producer] Guy Stevens’s idea. Guy was a wonderful lunatic. We did the album while we were touring: play four or five gigs, and stop and work on the album for a couple of days. But the studio was so busy you’d have another band sat outside and the conga player tapping on the glass, waiting to come in. 

Free’s single All Right Now reached Number Two in the UK in May 1970, and is still played regularly on the radio today. But Andy Fraser said he never liked Island boss/producer Chris Blackwell’s single edit of the track. How did you feel about it? 

I was going with the flow. I didn’t mind cutting it down, because we wanted to accommodate radio and TV, as long as it didn’t upset the integrity of the song. But we insisted on keeping the longer version on the album. I do remember Top Of The Pops sending a team to the studio, though, because when I sang: ‘ Let’s move before they raise the parking rate ’, they were convinced I really sang: ‘Let’s move before they raise the effing rate’ [laughs]. The engineers had to pull all the tracks down so it was just the vocal to convince them. 

After All Right Now and hit third album Fire And Water , Free’s audience changed. How did you feel about not being an underground blues band any more?  

Our audiences were always great. But, to be honest, this started the downward spiral. We’d been striving for success – like all bands – and suddenly we had it and… it kind of wasn’t so great. It was nice being an underground band, under the radar. I think I quite liked that. 

Free broke up in May 1971, but reunited in January 1972. What was going through your mind at that time?  

I didn’t want us to become a pop band. That’s what the record company wanted us to be. Free had toured America with Blind Faith , and it was really tough because we were so insignificant and we got kicked around. We suffered a lot because we didn’t have the correct management. I told everyone I didn’t want to go back to America again until we had the right management and we were ready. But they booked America anyway, and that’s when I split. At the time, I thought that was it – it was over.

It’s been said that Paul Kossoff took the break-up badly. Is that true?  

He did, and I feel kind of responsible because he deteriorated very sharply after Free split. I started another group called Peace, singing and playing guitar with a drummer called Mick Underwood and a bass player called Stewart MacDonald. We toured with Mott The Hoople , which is where I met [future Bad Company guitarist] Mick Ralphs, and the rest is history. 

Was this when you and Ralphs had the idea for Bad Company? 

Yes. Before the gigs, Mick and I would gravitate towards each other and go into the tuning room with all the amps and guitars. I had the song Rock Steady , and Mick had Ready For Love and Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love . I thought Ready For Love had everything – the lyrics, the chorus, the storyline… He’d already done it with Mott The Hoople, but I said it doesn’t matter, let’s do it again. 

But before then, Free reunited and had the Top Ten hit Wishing Well . 

So it wasn’t over yet. We had success with Wishing Well , but at that point Koss was hit hard. He was doing drugs in the studio and falling asleep in the middle of playing a solo. Man, we couldn’t be dealing with that. We tried, we really tried. I remember playing a show in Newcastle, and he went to his amp and couldn’t find the switch. I thought: “Oh gosh, what’s he taken?” The fans were saying: “Come on, Koss, you can do it.” But it was a real struggle. In the end I thought: “I’ve got to get out of this,” and I did.

What did you have in mind for Bad Company?  

Mick Ralphs came down to my cottage in the country, and I thought we were going to get a band together and he thought we were going to be a duo like the Everly Brothers [laughs]. It’s funny how bands can get together and not understand each other. 

Were Simon Kirke and (ex-King Crimson vocalist/bassist) Boz Burrell already involved? 

I didn’t take Kirkie with me from Free. Then he called the cottage and asked if he could come down, because we didn’t have a drummer. That worked out well. We wanted Alan Spenner to play bass because we’d seen him with Joe Cocker in the film from Woodstock. Alan was amazing, but turned up three days late, just wandered into the pub. We said: “Oh, we’d given up on you.” He goes: “Oh, I want it.” We said: “Oh, I don’t think so.” Which is a shame. 

I’d heard you weren’t sure about Boz Burrell.  

Mick loved Boz, but I was kind of on the fence about Boz, even years later. But when we did the song Bad Company , he played lead bass – and you need a bass player who’ll play a bit of lead too. My thing after Free was having a band that was really sharp and together and got it going on. 

How did Bad Company come to be managed by Led Zeppelin’s manager, Peter Grant? 

Clive Coulson [who became Bad Co’s tour and day-to-day manager] worked with Free before joining the Zeppelin team. Clive said: “Call Peter Grant , he’s interested.” Peter used to call Clive [pinches nose and makes a nasal Peter Grant voice] ‘Clivey’. But Peter was great. Everything was five stars, and everything was taken care of. We were spoiled rotten, to tell you the truth. 

In 1974, Bad Company made their US debut opening for the Edgar Winter Group, acting like bigger stars than the headliners, flying between states in a private jet and arriving at gigs in limousines.  

Oh yes [laughs]. We were catapulted into America, and Peter Grant put us right where Led Zeppelin were in terms of aeroplanes and limousines. We went into the arenas overnight.

So you were able to do with Bad Company what you hadn’t been with Free in America . 

America has always been accepting of the evolution of things – bands, companies, people. They were very accepting of Bad Company because we had the goods. But I knew what we needed in America too, because I’d watched Blind Faith from the side of the stage and seen Ginger Baker throwing his drumstick at the back of a policeman’s head, then pick up another and carry on [laughs]. Peter and Led Zeppelin had it all down – the American scene and all the business involved – and we benefited from that. 

Bad Company’s first three albums – Bad Company, Straight Shooter and Run With The Pack – were huge hits in the UK and the US. But did you ever worry about being in Zeppelin’s shadow? 

No. Honestly, I had no problem with being on [Zeppelin’s vanity label] Swan Song. I thought it was absolutely the bee’s knees. I used to go into the Swan Song office from time to time, down on the King’s Road opposite the World’s End pub, and I’d bump into Jimmy [Page] and Robert [Plant].

At the time, you and Robert Plant had that swaggering rock-god frontman thing off pat.  

Ha ha. He had more swagger. Robert was a good lad. Zeppelin were total gods. They were so big it was astronomical, but they were very down-to-earth and good to us. 

Robert Plant wiggled his arse more than you, but you’re being very modest here.  

Well, thank you, it’s nice of you to say. I just copied people like Otis Redding, Ray Charles – I loved Ray Charles’s Crying Time – Wilson Pickett, Stevie Marriott and Rod Stewart . Actually, Rod Stewart with the Jeff Beck Group doing Rock My Plimsoul on the Truth album.

After such a positive start, where did it begin going wrong with Bad Company?  

For the fourth album, Burnin’ Sky [1977], we came straight off a tour, where we’d been playing the hits, and were booked into a studio. We weren’t ready, we didn’t have the songs. Me and Mick decided that if we didn’t make a good enough album we wouldn’t even release it. 

What happened?  

We were recording in France [at Château d’Hérouville studios, aka the ‘Honky Chateau’]. We’d work during the week but take the weekend off, and I’d go to Paris and stay in a hotel. I thought if we’re making all this money I’m going to stay somewhere nice, because the studio was a bit rough. I just had the chorus for the title track – ‘ The sky is burnin’, I believe my soul’s on fire ’ – but I wrote the verses and chords one weekend and came back to the studio and said: “Okay, I’ve got one.” They put the red light on, and I had no lyrics at all, and just made it up on the spot. But it turned out to be a good song.

Did you seriously consider not releasing the album?  

No, that went by the by. The record company and the management wouldn’t let us not release it. But our energy was not what it should be. The wheels were turning and we just pressed on. We always pressed on. 

And you’re wearing your karate gear on the LP cover?  

Actually, it’s a happi [a traditional Japanese coat], like a dressing gown. I just liked the look of it. But Peter Grant did not like it at all. It was different, I suppose. 

But you were practising martial arts at this time. 

I certainly was. I did wado-ryu [a style of karate], which means the way of peace. Suzuki Sensei was a wonderful guy and I learned a lot from him. 

You also boxed. Is it true that you sparred with future super-featherweight world champion Cornelius Boza-Edwards? 

Yes – and [British boxing champion] John Conteh. I used to drive over to a gym in East London. It belonged to our security guy’s dad. All I remember about the sparring is a blizzard of fisticuffs. Those guys are so fast, you don’t even see it. You’d think: “I’m going to run away now because there’s no way I can get through that.” 

It’s the 1970s, the music business was awash with booze and cocaine, so was wado-ryu your healthy alternative?  

Yes. And I did all the above. Lots of cocaine, lots of booze, just lots of everything. Suzuki Sensei gave me a sense of discipline and I stopped taking cocaine. That’s why I am still alive today. I think Burnin’ Sky was the last time I did cocaine. But I used to have nightmares afterwards where I dreamed I’d taken some again.

That lifestyle change must have taken some discipline to maintain on tour.  

Yes. I took one of my karate teachers out on the road with me. We used to clear the furniture out of the hotel room so we’d have space. I never got very good at it, but I learned discipline, meditation and the importance of stretching. 

Did your abstinence drive a wedge between you and the rest of Bad Company?  

Yes. That was the beginning of the end, really, because they were still doing it. I don’t know if I’m talking out of turn here… But I used to say to them: “I’m not concerned with what you do. I’m only concerned with what I do. My peace of mind is my business, your peace of mind is yours. It’s fine with me.” But they were sneaking around doing it. I’d say: “Guys, you don’t have to sneak around.” But it did separate us. 

Bad Company’s next album, Desolation Angels , was bigger than Burnin’ Sky , but punk had happened in the UK. Were you aware that the music was changing?  

Yes. At that point we became dinosaurs in many people’s eyes, and we did not like that at all. I remember a review of [Bad Co’s 1979 single] Rock’N’Roll Fantasy that began: “The coffin opens… and out comes this music.” I was like: “Oh my god.” But I still do Rock’N’Roll Fantasy with my band even today. 

You parted ways with Bad Company after 1982’s Rough Diamonds and made a solo album, Cut Loose . What were you hoping for at the time?  

I stepped back from touring with Bad Company because it was getting too much. When John Bonham died [in September 1980], I thought something’s going to give with us too. People were dying, and dying so young from overdoing it. So I decided to make a record in the studio at my house on my own but not to go on the road.

Jimmy Page says that when you and he formed The Firm in 1984 you never intended to make more than two albums together.  

That’s right. What happened though is Jimmy came round and said: “What are you up to?” I played him some things. So we started to write songs together. But once you start writing songs together, that’s the nucleus of a band. 

What do you think of those albums, The Firm (1985) and Mean Business (1986), now?  

[Long pause] I haven’t listened to The Firm for a while, but I think some good things came out of it – Midnight Moonlight, Radioactive, Satisfaction Guaranteed , which I played for a long time with my solo band. 

You revived your solo career in the 1990s, one of the albums you made was the Grammy-nominated Muddy Waters Blues tribute record, you toured again with Bad Company… and then in 2005 you surprised everyone by joining up with Queen. 

It was a very interesting experience [laughs]. Bad Company and Queen were like separate entities in the seventies. I thought there was no connection whatsoever. Then when we played together and did We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions and All Right Now , I realised there was a connection. It was all classic rock. 

Before you played the first Queen + Paul Rodgers shows, you told one interviewer that you would not be wearing tights on stage, à la Freddie Mercury. 

Ha. And I didn’t!

Queen + Paul Rodgers toured the world, played arenas and even made an album (2008’s The Cosmos Rocks). How do you look back on that collaboration now?

It was a good time. But to start with, Brian [May] and Roger [Taylor] wanted to do a lot more Free and Bad Company songs because they were big fans. I said: “Look, the world has been waiting to hear you and your songs, so let’s keep it Queen-heavy.” So we only did a couple of mine: All Right Now, Feel Like Makin’ Love and Bad Company – and when Queen do Bad Company they know how to put on a show.

In what way?  

We used to do Bad Company with a lot of smoke and lights and me at a piano coming up on a riser from under the stage – all very dramatic. One night I was playing away, and realised the piano hadn’t reached the top of the stage. Instead, Brian had fallen down the pit and landed on top of the piano, but like a trooper, with his guitar neck unbroken and still in tune. The roadies jumped into the pit and dragged Brian out. I’m sat there thinking, “What the fuck do I do now?”

What do you make of Adam Lambert?  

I haven’t checked him out too much, but from what I’ve seen I think he’s a good match. I think he’s what they need. When I became a part of Queen I had a lot of respect for Freddie, but when I left I had even more, because I now know what he went through. 

Boz Burrell died in 2006, and Mick Ralphs suffered a life-changing stroke in 2016. Are you still in touch with Mick?  

We try and look after Mick from a distance across the Atlantic. We do what we can. I love Mick, he’s a beautiful guy. 

Could you see yourself going out on tour again? 

There are no plans. I’ve sort of retired from touring. And I didn’t mind being locked down, because it gave me the opportunity to sleep in my own bed. Three things I don’t like about touring: not sleeping, not getting enough pure oxygen, because there’s no air in the hotel room or the plane, and the lack of nutrition, because you’ve got to take what you can get, like a pizza at four o’clock in the morning. Now, at last, I’ve got peace [laughs]. 

This seems to be a theme in your life and music now.  

There’s a song on the new album, Living It Up , and it’s a long story told in three minutes about me being at home and searching for three things: my love of blues, soul and, of course, rock’n’roll, a “thank you” to the countries that gave me all that, and to find some peace of mind.

Paul Rodgers’ Midnight Rose is out now Sun Records.

Mark Blake is a music journalist and author. His work has appeared in The Times and The Daily Telegraph, and the magazines Q, Mojo, Classic Rock, Music Week and Prog. He is the author of Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, Is This the Real Life: The Untold Story of Queen, Magnifico! The A–Z Of Queen, Peter Grant, The Story Of Rock's Greatest Manager and Pretend You're in a War: The Who & The Sixties. 

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The average Briton is 61 when they pay off their mortgage - a drop of two years. Meanwhile, Spotify is raising prices again. Read about this and the rest of today's consumer and personal finance news in the Money blog, and leave a comment in the form below.

Thursday 11 April 2024 19:56, UK

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• Spotify to hike subscription price by up to £24 a year
• Minimum income for family visa rises by £10,000
• Italy mourns 'end of Italian waiters in London' as visa rule brought in
• Wendy's creating 400 jobs as part of UK expansion
• The age when the average Briton pays off their mortgage
• 'WTF is going on with the price of olive oil?'
• Could I build a home gym for less than my gym membership?
• Basically...  Tax codes
• Cheap Eats : Great British Menu legend shares ultimate toastie recipe

Ask a question or make a comment

Fake flights and caravans are the two most common items being sold by fraudsters in relation to travel, Lloyds Bank's research has found.

As Britons head online to book deals for the upcoming bank holidays and summer, they have been urged to "remain vigilant", with the average holiday scam victim being conned out of £765.

Amid rising flight costs post-COVID, people have been flocking to social media and other lesser-known websites to secure cheaper deals.

A food delivery company claims to have created an  "unshakeable bag" to avoid spillage in transit.

Bolt, which owns the Bolt Food delivery platform, said its design is based on gyroscope technology and will keep food stable "during the most abrupt movements".

In a post to its website, the firm said it would make the design available to its competitors as it is "too powerful to be owned by any one company".

"We believe everyone should enjoy a perfect meal, regardless of which app they order it from," it said.

Assaulting a shopworker is to be made a separate criminal offence after a government U-turn following pressure from campaigners.

The government previously said "more legislative change" was not needed to tackle the "intolerable violence and abuse" faced by shopworkers, arguing it did not think it was "required or will be most effective".

But Rishi Sunak is now set to announce his government will be amending the Criminal Justice Bill to bring in the new offence.

The drugmaker was on its knees when Sir Pascal Soriot took over in 2012. 

But under his leadership it now does just about everything the UK wants from a business - creating high value-added jobs and developing products that improve people's lives.

The FTSE 100's performance has lagged that of many of its peers, both in the United States and Europe, more or less since the Brexit vote in 2016.

That poor performance has reflected the poor valuation of many UK-listed companies - resulting in numerous foreign takeovers of UK businesses in recent months and years.

It has also led to a scarcity in the number of companies floating on the London Stock Exchange, most notably the  Cambridge-based chip designer ARM Holdings , which last year opted to list in the US instead.

The situation has alarmed the government, which has announced a number of reforms  aimed at raising the UK's attractiveness .

An imminent shareholder vote on Sir Pascal's pay makes a particularly interesting test case because few would dispute that he has been the most outstanding FTSE 100 chief executive of his generation.

This rise could take his potential earnings to £18.5m this year - which critics say is excessive.

Read my full piece here ...

England's average house price has risen by £103,000 over the last decade, while the average annual wage has risen by £7,734.

But some areas have seen homeownership affordability decline more than others... 

The London borough of Barking and Dagenham has seen the most significant fall, according to moving platform Getamover. 

The platform found the area has seen house prices more than double to £380,000 in the last 10 years - but wages have only risen by £2,182. 

Hillingdon in West London took the second spot, with the average property shooting up by £230,000 to £495,000, while the average income increased by just £143. 

While London remains the most unaffordable region, the East Midlands has also seen a notable fall. 

Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire ranked fifth in the table, with the average house price increasing by £129,000 and the median annual income growing by £2,644.   

Gedling ranks sixth among the areas of England where the affordability of buying a home has declined most. 

The Nottinghamshire region has seen house prices soar by 84.8% to £231,000, while the average income has risen by just 13.11% to £33,454. 

You can see how other areas fared in the table below...

Rishi Sunak's post-Brexit rules for foreign workers are getting tough press in Italy this week - with claims they could mark the end of Italian waiters in London.

April saw the minimum salary requirement for a skilled worker visa increase from £26,200 to £38,700 - a near 50% rise as the government tries to reduce immigration.

Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica published an article on its site headlined "Italians in London, the long goodbye" after the new rule was brought in this month.

There were an estimated 342,000 Italians living in the UK in 2021, according to the latest Office for National Statistics census data.

La Repubblica said the new rule change would lead to the "end of the story" of Italy's "ancient roots" in the capital, which was founded by the Romans in 43 AD.

Separately, Italian journalist Antonio Polito wrote in the Corriere della Sera newspaper that the new salary for skilled workers was "an amount that no young novice can realistically earn".

"Thus London gives up one of its great assets, the fact of being an offshore and cosmopolitan city," he said.

Mr Sunak's post-Brexit rule change has worried hospitality bosses who are still struggling to get to grips with a post-COVID reality and rising costs. 

Conor Sheridan, founder of Nory and Mad Egg restaurant chain, previously told the Money blog that roughly 14% of his 15,000 UK employee base were on working visas that could be affected.

Trade body UKHospitality also said the changes would "further shrink the talent pool that the entire economy will be recruiting from".

As the migration law came in, Home Secretary James Cleverly said it was "time to turn off the taps and end the flow of cheap workers from abroad".

"We are refocusing our immigration system to prioritise the brightest and best who have the skills our economy needs, while reducing overall numbers," he said.

Several of the UK's biggest supermarkets closed their gender pay gap in the last year - while Morrisons saw the biggest rise, figures show.

Ocado and Lidl reduced their gap by the largest amounts in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, while Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Co-op, Iceland and Waitrose owner John Lewis also saw a reduction.

The data comes from the government's gender pay gap service and states the difference in hourly rates of pay. 

In contrast to other big-name brands, Morrisons saw its mean pay gap widen to 12.5% from 7.6%. M&S also saw a slight increase from 12.5% to 12.6%.

The mean figure gives the best overall view of the gender pay gap but includes extreme values which could skew the average.

Of the 11 biggest UK supermarkets, Co-op has the largest pay gap with 13.2%, followed by M&S and Morrisons.

An M&S spokesperson said: "We're committed to driving equal opportunities and making M&S a great place to work for women. Encouragingly our median pay gap has decreased, and women now make up more than 50% of our UK store management population, but we know there is more to do. 

"We're making progress with the launch of new initiatives, talent programmes, and policies, including our flexible working offer – Worklife, a Job Share Finder, and our industry-leading family leave offer."

A spokesperson for Co-op said: "We are committed to treating our colleague member owners fairly, and this includes driving equitable outcomes for female colleagues. We've seen a significant reduction in our gender pay gap since we started to report data in 2017, and this year's data shows further progress towards closing it.

"It's important to reiterate that we don't pay people differently based on their gender at Co-op. The gender pay gap is caused by us having fewer females in leadership role, where salaries are higher.

"Our focus on improving representation remains, as we know this is one of the key drivers causing the gender pay gap. Today, 40% of our leadership population are female - this is not enough, which is why we’ve launched a series of development programmes and have a coaching and mentoring offer to support women with career progression.

"We know there’s still much to do in this space and will hold ourselves to account and continue to strive for gender equality."

Morrisons has also been contacted for comment.

Every Thursday we look at a different savings option, explain the pros and cons, and reveal the best deals on the market (see table below for that).  This week we're talking about the best notice accounts. Savings Champion founder Anna Bowes  says this...

As with the rest of the savings market, the top notice account rates have started to fall. However, there are stalwarts like the Investec 90-day notice account that are holding steady and as a result offering savers an opportunity to earn a little more, while not having to tie up their cash for too long.

A relatively unused aspect of the savings market, notice accounts offer a bit of a halfway house, with the best rates available generally paying more than the top easy access rates, but will more flexibility of access than a fixed term bond.

Just as it sounds, these savings accounts require you to give notice in order to access your money without a penalty. The usual notice period ranges from 30 to 120 days, although there are some accounts on the market that require six months or even a year's notice.

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire , business reporter

Another record month for Heathrow. Last month was the busiest ever March for the UK's biggest airport, the second record-breaking month in a row. 

It was also the busiest Easter weekend as Good Friday became the busiest ever direct departure day, when 118,000 people began their journey at the airport. 

It shows, despite cost of living pressures, lots of Britons were going on holiday.

More good news for Heathrow came earlier this week as planned strike action by 600 border force officers was called off to allow for negotiations in its dispute over working patterns. 

Oil prices are still high, hanging around $90. A barrel of Brent crude oil, the benchmark for oil prices, costs $90.66. The last time prices were this high was in the wake of the 7 October attacks and fears of conflict spreading throughout the Middle East. 

On the currency front, £1 buys $1.2538 and €1.1678.

How old is the average Briton when they buy their first home, or finish paying their mortgage, or retire?

These are some of the questions answered in a "Journeying Through Life" data dump from the Office for National Statistics.

Here are some of the key takeaways...

Home ownership - including the one life event that's happening earlier

People are buying homes later in life, perhaps unsurprisingly given how house prices have risen in the last decade or so.

In 2022, more than half of people owned their own home (either with a mortgage or outright) by the age of 36. 

That's a significant increase on 2004's figures - which showed the average age for home ownership was 32. 

This graph shows what proportion of people own homes at what age.

It isn't all doom and gloom on the homes front, however, with the age at which people own their home outright (ie mortgage paid off) dropping from 63 (in 2004) to 61 in 2020. 

This is pretty much the only life event happening earlier, however.

Retiring later

Again, this probably won't come as a huge surprise, but people are retiring later. 

The age where more than half of people were retired increased from 64 in 2011 to 66 in 2021. ​

There has been a bigger increase in average retirement age for women (from 61 years in 2011, to 66 years in 2021) than for men (from 65 in 2011 to 66 in 2021). 

The ONS says this is because the state pension age for women was increased from 60 to 66 during this time to match men.

Gender pay gap shrinking but still present

The latest data shows that men are still, on the whole, being paid more than women - although the gender pay gap is shown to be shrinking. 

For all employees, the gender pay gap was 14% in 2023 - compared with 20% in 2013.

Despite the gap shrinking, this graph shows that men's hourly wages are higher than women's at nearly all ages. 

The grey shaded area represents the pay gap. 

Another part of the data shows that males start work a touch earlier than women - with half of males in full-time employment by the age of 23 (compared with females at 24) in 2021. 

That data could be explained by the fact that more women attend university - some 319,000 females compared with 285,000 males in 2022.  

Moving out, marrying and having children

The age at which young people move out of their family homes is increasing, too.

In 2011, half of people were not living with their parents at the age of 21 - compared with 24 in 2022. 

More men live with their parents than women, with 61% of adults living at home in 2021 were male.

When it comes to having children, the average age at which women have their first baby has risen to 29.

That's up from an average of just 23 in 1970. 

And finally, marriage.

The median age at first marriage has been steadily increasing since the 1960s. 

For opposite sex couples married in 2020, the median age was 32 years for men and 30 years for women. For those entering into same-sex marriage, the median age was older, at 36 years for men and 32 years for women.

As well as getting married older, fewer people are getting married. In 2019, marriage rates had fallen to their lowest on record. For men, there were 18.6 marriages per 1,000 never-married men; for women, there were 17.2 marriages per 1,000 never-married women.

Spotify has announced it is hiking its subscription prices by up to £24 a year.

It is the second time in less than a year that the music streaming giant has increased its prices.

Here's how the prices will change...

Individual: £11.99 a month (up from £10.99 a month)  

Duo: £16.99 a month (up from £14.99 a month)  

Family: £19.99 a month (up from £17.99 a month) 

When will the change kick in?

The subscription price will change from May and if you are an existing customer Spotify will email you and give you one-month's notice of the change.

If you are on a free trial you will pay the old price for one month once your trial ends.

A Spotify spokesperson told Sky News: "So that we can keep innovating and delivering value to fans, the music industry, and creators on our platform, we occasionally update our prices. 

"We've begun communicating with existing subscribers in the UK to explain what this means for their account."

American burger chain Wendy's will be recruiting for over 400 job roles as part of its expansion across the UK.

The chain returned to the UK in 2021 after a 20-year break and has since opened just over 30 sites, including drive-throughs in Colchester, Peterborough, Derby and Brampton Hut.

But the chain, which was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969, plans to open a further nine sites this year in Liverpool, Middlesbrough, and a second location in Sheffield.

New locations will include Liverpool, Middlesbrough and a second site in Sheffield.

Wendy's franchisee GH Burgers will open a first restaurant in Wood Green, London, this year.

There will also be restaurants in Southend-on-Sea, Colchester, Cambridge and Newcastle.

Michael Clarke, UK managing director for the Wendy's Company, told The Caterer : "We've seen great momentum in building Wendy's fandom in the UK, and the love and excitement for this iconic brand grows stronger with each new restaurant opening."

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An Engineering Experiment to Cool the Earth

A new technology is attempting to brighten clouds and bounce some of the sun’s rays back into space..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Katrin Bennhold. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

After failing for decades to cut carbon emissions enough to stop the planet from dangerously overheating, scientists are increasingly looking at backup measures, some that would fight the warming by intervening in the climate itself. Today, my colleague Christopher Flavelle on the efforts to engineer our way out of the climate crisis.

It’s Friday, April 5.

So, Chris, you’ve been covering climate change for a while, but recently you’ve been focused on a very special project. Tell us about this.

Yeah, two things have been happening in climate change recently that are really important. Number one, records have been falling at alarming rates. Last year was, again, the hottest year on record. Much the world surpassed the important threshold of 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. So the world is getting warmer at an alarming rate.

At the same time, emissions aren’t falling. The message of the last generation has been, we need to cut emissions really to almost zero by the end of this century. And in fact, the reverse is happening. Emissions are continuing to rise.

At the same time, the number and characteristics of weather disasters have become really alarming. So the effects of that warming have become really clear. And it’s clear that the world is struggling to adapt to those effects.

So the other thing that’s happening at a high level is there’s more research and more consideration of OK, what if we can’t cut emissions fast enough? What if we’re going to have this really severe degree of warming? Can we do something else, maybe temporarily, to buffer those effects? And that’s led to this question of, what kinds of changes can we make deliberately to the atmosphere, to the environment that will maybe produce some sort of artificial cooling in the meantime?

So earlier this week I was able to watch, as scientists did, the first outdoor tests in the US on a technology that will aim to do just that. It’s called marine cloud brightening.

So what is this idea of brightening the clouds? Where did it originally come from?

So everyone I talked to pointed back to one really important moment in 1990 when a British physicist named John Latham was taking a hike in Wales with his young son. And they were looking out at the clouds over the Irish Sea.

And as Dr. Latham later told it, his son asked him, “Hey, why are clouds bright?” And Dr. Latham said, “Well, because they reflect sun right back in the sky.” And his son said, “So they’re like soggy mirrors.”

And Dr. Latham went on to write a letter in 1990 that was published in the Journal Nature, saying, you know what, if we can deliberately manipulate these clouds, maybe we can make them more reflective and actually counteract the effects of global warming. That was the inception point for this idea, and it led to decades of research culminating in this week’s test.

So the idea is if you can make clouds more reflective, you can reflect more of the sun’s heat back into space. So it won’t get trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere in the first place.

Exactly. That’s what they’re trying to do.

That’s a very simple, and at the same time, a very powerful idea. I love actually that they were hiking in Wales. That’s where I am right now, and we sure have a lot of clouds here, rain clouds. But tell me more about what you saw at the testing site.

So this Tuesday, a little after 7:00 in the morning, I pulled up in a parking lot on a dock at the edge of Alameda.

I’m standing at the gangplank to the USS Hornet, a decommissioned aircraft carrier in San Francisco Bay here for the first test in the US of a machine that was designed to try to brighten clouds, a way of maybe temporarily cooling the Earth.

And I made my way up one of the massive gangplanks and came in to find a cluster of some of the top atmospheric scientists in the world.

Have you met Sarah?

How do you do?

Hi, Rob. How are you?

Looking really excited. And they accompanied me out to the flight deck —

Here we are.

— of this aircraft carrier.

Pretty epic.

It’s pretty great.

Which was a bit like a party. They’d set up a little table on the side with some coffee and some sandwiches, and people were chatting and saying hi to each other. And I asked them why they were excited.

So I know a thousand of what you know, and I still find this exciting. You guys, walk me through. Is this like a big day for you or just like one more test?

No, this is a big day for me.

And they said this was actually a huge day in their research.

Just looking at it, going, yeah, this is the culmination of years of work, right?

Wow, and tell me about what exactly they were so excited about and what they were doing on the ship.

Yeah, the thing everyone was excited about was this machine set up at the far end of the flight deck of this aircraft carrier. It’s blue. It’s shiny. It looks a bit like a snow maker or maybe like a spotlight.

This machine is a sprayer. What it does is it sprays really, really, really small aerosol particles, in this case, smashed up sea salts, a long distance at just the right size and just the right volume. Because in theory, at some point, you could use this machine to change the size and number of the droplets in the clouds. You can make them brighter conceptually it’s possible. The question is, technologically, can we do it?

Yeah, the particles are coming out in a super concentrated there. So whatever’s coming out of that circle there is basically going to be huge by the time it gets to the cloud.

And so the goal with this test was they spent years building this sprayer that can use really high pressured air to smash salt particles into super small bits, about 1,700th the size of a human hair.

What they didn’t know, until this week, and they’re trying to find out right now, once you spray it, do those aerosols that are so finely tuned stay that size? In theory, they should.

What they don’t know is, things like wind and humidity and temperature could potentially cause them to coagulate, to regroup, which would throw the whole thing off. If the aerosols you’re shooting into clouds are too big, you can backfire the whole purpose. You can wreck what you’re trying to do because you make clouds less reflective, not more reflective.

So the whole goal of the experiment is, OK, can they make the spray just so, so that even in outdoor conditions, the aerosols that are so finely sized remain the size you want them to be. And that’s what they’re trying to find out.

And you watched the actual test of this. What did you see? What happened?

Those instruments are emitting a slight hum.

So operating the sprayer is not straightforward.

And they’re filling the tanks with the salt water that’ll be used to produce the mist.

There was somebody crouched on the control deck, the panel of instruments at the side of the sprayer. So I went over and tried to sit next to him and watch him as he turned a series of knobs and careful sequence.

OK. Yeah, everybody, we’re going to run some air. So the — ... We need two minutes here just to have power on this.

And after a series of tests to make sure the valves were clear —

OK, ear protection, please.

— finally the moment came, and he got an all clear over his walkie-talkie. And he turned on the water —

Water on, copy, over.

— and the air.

[COMPRESSOR ACTIVATING]

Since the sound of the compressor pushes pressurized air through the sprayer, it’s making a dull, throbbing sensation. You can feel it a little bit through the deck of the ship.

We all had ear protectors. And even with the ear protectors, it was really loud. And then you can almost feel the spray bursting out of this machine and watch it travel really hundreds of feet down the deck of the aircraft carrier.

OK, water off, fan off. Good job.

Awesome, guys, you’re done. Thank you. Excellent.

First test is done.

My first signal that things have gone well was I looked up when the spraying machine was turned off and saw some scientists high-fiving down the deck.

What’d you think?

It’s beautiful.

Is it what you thought it would be?

It’s better. And I’m optimistic that it will tell us a lot about what these things do. This made me really optimistic.

And the idea is to do several short bursts like that through the day?

And everyone seemed really excited that this thing they’d worked on for years was finally happening in this really important outdoor test.

OK, so it sounds like this test was a success.

Yeah, they stressed that they need a lot of time to really go over the results. They’ll be doing this test again and again in different weather conditions. But the initial reaction seemed positive. They seemed to think that the numbers they were getting were what they were hoping to see.

And so now the goal is, can they maintain the right size aerosols even in different conditions down the deck of this aircraft carrier? That’ll give them some confidence that if they decided one day to try and do this on the open ocean to actually brighten clouds, they’d have the ability to do it.

So, Chris, if all of this works, how and when do these researchers anticipate that this would actually be used?

Well, here’s a great example. In the month of February, a version of this testing was also happening in Australia, off the Coast of Australia, where researchers were testing whether marine cloud brightening could be used to cool the ocean just a little bit around the Great Barrier Reef.

Really high ocean temperatures are causing bleaching of that coral reef. The idea was, could they use marine cloud brightening to save some of those reefs from dying? And that’s probably a good idea of the fairly localized situation, where you could, in theory if you do it right, have a fairly quick degree of cooling that could maybe try to avert or mitigate something pretty acute like a heat wave or a stretch of warm weather that would kill coral. But the science is probably too new at this point to talk about the right situations to use it. Those conversations are all down the road as researchers look at these and other ideas for what they could do if things get really bad.

We’ll be right back.

So, Chris, when I think about solutions to climate change, it usually involves these very hard things we need to do, like, change the way we live, the way we drive, what we eat. We need these international treaties. We need carbon taxes regulation. There’s lots of hard stuff, and we haven’t gotten that far.

But here you’ve just told me about this technology that, if it ends up working, could actually help cool the planet without anyone needing to do any of these hard things. It sounds great.

It does sound great. Now, we’ve got to say, first of all that whenever anybody working on this stuff talks about it, the first thing they say is this is not an alternative to reducing emissions. This is looking for ways to buy time as we try to cut emissions. There’s no way to really deal with climate change that doesn’t entail burning less fossil fuel and quickly.

But yes, in addition to brightening clouds, there’s other ways to try to bounce more sunlight back into space and other ideas. My colleague David Gelles wrote the first piece in our series looking the idea of removing carbon dioxide directly from the air, reversing our past emissions.

Other ideas include finding ways to suck up more of the CO2 in the oceans. There’s even ideas that my colleague Cara Buckley covered of could we build a sort of a giant parasol way out in space that would reflect or scatter more of the sunlight and prevent some of that sunlight from even reaching the Earth in the first place?

So there’s a huge number of ideas that until very recently seemed just so bizarre and/or so expensive and/or so dangerous that they were hardly worth pursuing seriously. And what’s changed really quickly in the last really year or two is all of a sudden those ideas have switched from being too wild to spend much time on to being so important because the situation is so dire that we can’t not look at them. And that’s the pivot that my team has been trying to cover.

And what characterizes all these initiatives is that rather than reducing our own emissions, we’re now trying to intervene in the climate in a proactive way, engineering the climate in a way.

Yes, and you hear the phrase geoengineering to describe these ideas collectively. And what people who research this will stress is, we’re already geoengineering. For more than a century, we’ve been geoengineering in the sense of putting climate changing pollution into the atmosphere that’s caused the planet to change by trapping more heat in the atmosphere. So the question is, do we want to deliberately geoengineer in a way that will ease that pressure rather than just making it worse?

Of course, there some controversy attached to this. And there are some pretty valid concerns about what the consequences might be if we keep on pursuing these ideas.

And why are they controversial?

Well, the first concern that you hear is this idea of moral hazard, that if people come to think that there are ways of addressing climate change that don’t require them to change their lifestyle or sacrifice conveniences or change the kinds of cars they drive or how their power is generated that they will lose interest in those tough changes. And the momentum, such as it is, towards cutting emissions will fade even more. But we don’t know yet whether politicians or governments or companies or just people will misuse these ideas to try to shirk the harder work of reducing the amount of greenhouse gases we emit.

Another really important argument you hear is, OK, side effects. Do we really know what would happen if we tried these things? Marine cloud brightening is one of those situations where there are known unknowns and unknown unknowns, as they say.

The known unknowns are, well, what would happen to things like ocean circulation? What would happen to precipitation? What would happen to the effect on the amount of energy reaching the ocean? What would happen to the fisheries industry? We don’t really know, and researchers are trying to find out, what those effects might be.

Then there are the unknown unknowns. If you start deliberately changing the cloud system, well, what else might happen that we haven’t anticipated? Do you move the location of where rainfall happens? Do you perhaps upset the monsoon cycle in India? Do you change the ability to grow food in parts of the world?

So if you do this at a bigger scale, the consequences of those potential side effects get more and more severe. And I talked to environmentalists who said that’s a real concern. You just can’t model those risks. And you, to a degree, by pursuing this, have to accept that risk is real and almost roll the dice.

And I guess much like climate change, where you have a group of countries that is most responsible for CO2 emissions that have caused the global warming and then a whole other group of countries that are probably suffering the worst consequences, even though they haven’t contributed to those emissions nearly as much, you might see a situation where this kind of interference with the climate at the initiative of some countries, presumably the wealthy countries that have that technology, would then have unintended consequences in countries that have no control over this. So that’s tricky.

That’s right. And that takes us to a third category of concerns, which is, OK, let’s assume that things are bad enough, that collectively societies want to take those risks of those side effects. Well, then who chooses, who decides when we get to that point? Is there even a mechanism that would allow you to get informed consent from everybody who’d be affected?

And if these would affect everybody, it’s hard to imagine how you would build a governance mechanism that would allow you to say, before we push the button, are we sure everybody is OK with this? The only counter to all of these concerns is compared to what? And this is the point that researchers make.

OK, this is dangerous. OK, it presents challenges, but compared to what? Their point is, don’t compare it to a situation where everything’s fine. Compare it to a situation we’re actually in, where the trajectory of global warming is so serious and isn’t looking like it’ll get better any time soon. Well, compared to those risks, how do these risks compare?

And the question is, would you rather have a world of basically uncontrolled warming? And we have an idea of what that brings, wildfires and drought and sea level rise and storms and diseases. Is that better than some of these more perhaps controlled risks associated with deliberately tinkering with the environment?

So it’s almost like pick your poison. What sort of threats do you want to embrace? And that’s the overwhelming dilemma that we face with this technology.

In a way, what it makes me think, is that these crazy initiatives that we’ve been hearing about from you are yes, they’re testament to our failure in a way to combat climate change so far, because they’re such a last resort, really, such as an act of desperation. But at the same time, it seems like this urgency has actually unleashed a lot of energy and money to tackle the problem.

Yeah, and there’s good news in this. The good news is, the research we’re talking about demonstrates the really amazing capacity of scientists to come up with new ideas, develop new technologies, test them quickly, and at least build some options.

So if there’s any rays of hope around climate change, it’s that humanity’s capacity to innovate and find new ideas is almost endless. So the question is not, are we pursuing the wrong research ideas? The question is, can we find good ideas fast enough to avert the really serious consequences of climate change that we’re already facing?

Chris, I just remember that scientist we heard in the tape from your visit. And she was so excited. And she said that she was really optimistic. I wonder, how are you feeling?

I think the frustration that you’ll hear among climate reporters, and I’m in this group, is that most people seem not to appreciate the severity of the situation that we’re in. There seems to be a view that we’re dealing with this. People are buying electric cars, and we’re getting more solar power and wind power. And things are going the right way, and this will be OK.

Things are not going the right way. Not only are we on the wrong trajectory in terms of emissions, we are so far away from being on the right trajectory for emissions that it’s hard to imagine us cutting emissions globally at a rate anywhere near fast enough to avoid almost unbearable consequences of global warming. So that’s the downside.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Here’s the good news, though. I do think, and this again I think is a view among other climate reporters, the capacity of scientists and of companies to change track and to find new products and apply new ideas is really impressive. It just doesn’t feel like there’s a connection yet between the urgency of the situation and the way people and companies and governments are responding.

And so I guess if the question is, how I feel about this? I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of the researchers I come across in my job every day. What I don’t yet know about is whether or not society will move fast enough to adopt and apply those ideas before the conditions that we face from climate change become almost unbearable.

Well, Chris, on this cautiously optimistic note, thank you very much.

Here’s what else you need to know today. In a tense phone call with Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, President Biden called the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers this week unacceptable and threatened to condition future support for Israel on how it addresses concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It was the first time that Biden explicitly sought to leverage American aid to influence Israel’s conduct of the war against Hamas. But the White House stopped short of saying directly that the president would halt arms supplies or impose conditions on their use as some fellow Democrats have urged him to do.

And a centrist group called No Labels has abandoned its plans to run a presidential ticket in this year’s election after failing to recruit a candidate. The group, which last year said it raised $60 million, had planned to put forward what it called a bipartisan unity ticket in the event of a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump but in recent months suffered a string of rejections from prominent Republicans and Democrats who declined to run on its ticket.

Today’s episode was produced by Michael Simon Johnson, Eric Krupke, Luke Vander Ploeg and Rachelle Bonja. It was edited by Patricia Willens, contains original music by Rowan Niemisto, Elisheba Ittoop, and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

“The Daily” is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Yang, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, MJ Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schroeppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez, and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Special thanks to Lisa Tobin, Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, and Nina Lassam.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Katrin Bennhold. See you Monday.

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• April 5, 2024   •   29:11 An Engineering Experiment to Cool the Earth
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Hosted by Katrin Bennhold

Featuring Christopher Flavelle

Produced by Michael Simon Johnson ,  Eric Krupke ,  Luke Vander Ploeg and Rachelle Bonja

Edited by Patricia Willens

Original music by Rowan Niemisto ,  Elisheba Ittoop and Marion Lozano

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Decades of efforts to cut carbon emissions have failed to significantly slow the rate of global warming, so scientists are now turning to bolder approaches.

Christopher Flavelle, who writes about climate change for The Times, discusses efforts to engineer our way out of the climate crisis.

On today’s episode

Christopher Flavelle , who covers how the United States tries to adapt to the effects of climate change for The New York Times.

Background reading

Warming is getting worse. So they just tested a way to deflect the sun .

Can we engineer our way out of the climate crisis ?

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Katrin Bennhold is the Berlin bureau chief. A former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, she previously reported from London and Paris, covering a range of topics from the rise of populism to gender. More about Katrin Bennhold

Christopher Flavelle is a Times reporter who writes about how the United States is trying to adapt to the effects of climate change. More about Christopher Flavelle

Luke Vander Ploeg is a senior producer on “The Daily” and a reporter for the National Desk covering the Midwest. More about Luke Vander Ploeg

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