HFStival, a legendary US rock festival that took place in the 1990s and early 2000s, will return this September.

Launched by the alternative rock station WHFS in 1990, the festival hosted acts such as No Doubt, the Violent Femmes and the Ramones.

It was held at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. from 1993 to 2004; at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in 2005; and at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, in 2006. It was held again in 2010 and 2011 in commemoration of the now-defunct station’s legacy.

At its peak, the HFStival was the largest yearly music festival on the East Coast, drawing 55,000 to 90,000 people and selling out in a matter of hours.

“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business… so it made sense to bring back the festival”

Now, I.M.P., the parent company of DC’s historic 9:30 Club, is reviving HFStival after 13 years.

The one-stage event will take place on 21 September at Nationals Park featuring The Postal Service performing ‘Give Up’, Death Cab For Cutie performing ‘Transatlanticism’, Incubus, Bush, Garbage, Jimmy Eat World, Girl Talk, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter, and Lit.

“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business, selling more tickets than they ever came close to back in the day, so it all made sense to bring back the HFStival,” says Seth Hurwitz, owner of I.M.P., the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and The Atlantis and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion and Lincoln Theatre.

“This will be a show for everyone who went to HFStival in decades past and those who weren’t around to be a part of the scene.”

Tickets range between $150–475 (€140–442) and the festival will employ a “fan-friendly” lottery system, which is open from now until 16 June.

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AEG Presents is launching a new outdoor concert series at Warwick Castle in the UK, called The Castle Sessions.

The inaugural sessions comprise four concerts between 4–7 July, headlined by The Darkness, JLS, Craig David presents TS5 and Mika respectively. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Castle Sessions marks JLS’s return to the medieval castle 14 years after their 2010 concert there with Diana Vickers.

“Warwick Castle is such a unique setting and fans across the UK have shown their appetite for seeing the biggest acts in these special places,” say AEG promoters Chloe Pean and Rachel Lloyd in a joint statement.

“Fans across the UK have shown their appetite for seeing the biggest acts in these special places”

Liam Bartlett, general manager of Warwick Castle, adds: “We are so excited to welcome these artists to Warwick Castle as part of The Castle Sessions and hope that this event, along with others in 2024 will bring lots of new visitors into this magnificent town.”

Last year, Warwick Castle saw concerts from the likes of Gwen Stefani, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, UB40, Bastille, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Rag’n’Bone Man, Kaiser Chiefs and Will Young.

Meanwhile, AEG Presents has announced that The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie will co-headline Sunday 25 August at All Points East in London.

The show celebrates 20 years of their albums Give Up and Transatlanticism and marks The Postal Service’s first performance in London in a decade.

The two bands join previously announced headliners Loyle Carner (17 August) and LCD Soundsystem (23 August).

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Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top have become the latest acts to announce a co-headline tour, following in the footsteps of Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service, The Charlatans and Ride, Motley Crue and Def Leppard, and Suede and the Manic Street Preachers.

The bands’ Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour, produced by Live Nation, will hit 22 cities in North America next summer.

The tour kicks off on 21 July at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida, and continues with stops in Fort Worth, Phoenix, Chicago, and more before wrapping up in Camden, New Jersey at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion on 17 September.

The bands’ Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour, produced by Live Nation, will hit 22 cities in North America next summer

ZZ Top are represented by CAA worldwide (excluding Europe) while Lynyrd Skynyrd are repped by WME’s Greg Oswald in North America.

The newly announced tour buoys a growing trend of joint headline tours, especially among acts that share representation.

Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service share band member Ben Gibbard, as well as their agent for North America – Wasserman Music’s Trey Many.

The Charlatans and Ride also share their agent for North America, Wasserman’s Brad Owens, while Motley Crue and Def Leppard are both represented by Artist Group International for North America.

The latter bands’ co-headline run was 2022’s biggest North American stadium tour, with 1.3 million tickets sold.

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