Two dead after Thailand’s Wonderfruit Festival
At least two attendees of last weekend’s Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand have been reported dead, according to local reports.
Swiss national Guillaume Wyss, better known as Bangkok-based DJ Boogie G, was found unresponsive on the festival grounds on the morning of 16 December, with witnesses reporting that an associate attempted to wake him before resuscitation attempts from medics on the grounds failed.
Wyss, who played an early Friday morning set at the festival from midnight to 2 am, was taken to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital at 5 am and pronounced dead, according to Coconuts Bangkok.
“We’re devastated by the loss of our husband, father, son, brother and friend Guillaume Wyss aka Boogie G,” his wife Pich Wyss wrote on social media. “He was loved and he loved you all.”
A veteran in Bangkok’s underground music scene, Wyss was a founding partner of Preduce Skateboards and hosted a slew of popular nightlife events such as the long-running Nite Ride series at Studio Lam. Wyss founded party promoters Music Makes Me High and Qommon and also performed regularly at venues and events such as Tropic City and Transport.
“The investigations are underway to determine the cause of death”
Indonesian national Kimo Rusna, who opened Bali’s first wake park, was also pronounced dead after being brought to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital from the festival. His wife Dewa Sri Luce Rusna told the Coconuts Bangkok: “He died at hospital because of a heart attack. We are currently in grieving. Thank you so much for the attention.”
Deputy Station Chief Lt. Col. Anuchet Katsomboon told the publication that witnesses had reported seeing Rusna fall from the stands to the grounds at one of the festival venues, with preliminary investigations determining that the wakeboarder was under the influence of drugs or narcotics. An autopsy is underway.
Lt. Ying Siriyakorn of Chonburi’s Nong Prue police said today they were investigating one death and looking into reports of other fatalities.
“We are deeply saddened to have learnt that two attendees who fell ill at Friday’s night’s Wonderfruit passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and Pattaya Memorial Hospital,” spokesperson Muanprae Wannasri said in a statement. “The investigations are underway to determine the cause of death. Wonderfruit are working closely with the authorities to help with any queries.”
“Both cases had been very quickly brought to the attention of on-site medical staff, who assessed and treated the patients immediately, before they were taken by ambulance to the hospital,” the festival wrote.
The 7th edition of Wonderfruit Festival took place at The Fields at Siam Country Club in Pattaya between 15 and 18 December, and was attended by 25,000 people.
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Construction worker dies in fall after Psy concert
A construction worker has reportedly fallen to his death while dismantling the set for Psy’s Summer Swag concert in South Korea.
The man, who was in his 20s, died after falling 49ft while taking down a lighting tower at the Gangneung Stadium in Gangneung, Gangwon on Sunday afternoon (31 July). Psy had played the venue the night before.
According to Korea Joongang Daily, the victim, from Mongolia, was working under an outsourcing agency hired to construct stage structures.
Psy’s agency P Nation has issued a statement expressing its condolences.
“We will do our best to establish measures to prevent another accident like this from happening”
“We express our sincerest condolences to the worker who passed away after a sudden accident,” it says. “We also send our deepest condolences to the surviving family.
“We will do our best to establish measures to prevent another accident like this from happening, with a sense of responsibility.”
Last week, it was revealed that South Korean authorities are investigating claims that Psy’s water-spraying concerts could be contributing to the spread of Covid-19.
With Korea in the midst of a Covid spike, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said it had received reports from people claiming they have contracted coronavirus after attending the popular shows.
The Gangnam Style singer’s Summer Swag tour previously came under fire earlier this summer for allegedly wasting water during a nationwide drought.
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Man dies after New York concert backflip
A man has died after falling from a balcony at a Dead and Company concert in New York last Friday.
Drinks entrepreneur Ian Crystal, 46, fell up to 50’ (15m) onto concrete after allegedly attempting a backflip during an interval at the show, held at the 42,000-capacity Citi Field stadium on 20 August.
According to local media, Brooklyn resident Crystal was found unresponsive at the scene after hitting the ground headfirst.
Crystal (pictured) , who is thought to have jumped from a second-floor concourse, was pronounced dead at arrival at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Queens, the New York Post reports.
“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to all the attendee’s loved ones”
A driver outside the stadium said he saw the man later identified as Crystal “flip” before falling and slamming into the ground below, the Post adds.
Harold Kaufman, a spokesperson for the New York Mets, who play at Citi Field, told CNN the following day: “We are aware of a tragic incident which sadly resulted in a fatality last night. Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to all the attendee’s loved ones.”
Crystal was the CEO of Evolution Spirits, which produces Monkey Spiced Rum, and formerly worked with brands including Abolsut Vodka, Malibu Rum, and Stoli Vodka, collaborating with artists including Jay-Z, Swedish House Mafia and Ne-Yo.
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SA supreme court rejects appeal over concert death
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) of South Africa has rejected an appeal by one of the companies held responsible for a scaffolding tower collapse that killed one person at a Linkin Park show in South Africa in 2012.
In 2017, nearly five years after the death of 32-year-old Florentina Popa, Cape Town magistrate Ingrid Arntsen ruled that Vertex Scaffolding, Bothma Signs and Hirt & Carter – which constructed two large scaffolding towers at Cape Town Stadium and hung an advertisement for Lucozade between them – had been negligent and could be “causally linked” to Popa’s death, while Big Concerts, the promoter of the show, was found not to be responsible.
Popa died of blunt-force trauma after the tower fell on her in strong winds before Linkin Park show’s at the 58,309-seat stadium on 7 November 2012.
Arntsen said the companies should have foreseen that even moderate winds could have blown it over. “[W]inds with speeds of up to 15 metres per second were eminently foreseeable in Cape Town, and the towers could have been designed and constructed in such a way as to withstand the winds that were recorded on the day of the concert,” she said at the time.
“There is, in my view, no discernible material error of law … on which a review might be founded”
“It would appear, then, from all the evidence, that while the wind did come up and create problems, there was no real fear on the part of anyone in authority at the concert that the towers would blow over.”
Durban-based Hirt & Carter, which produces billboards and digital advertising, took the inquest’s findings to the Western Cape High Court, which dismissed the appeal, and then to the Supreme Court of appeal, which has upheld the high court’s ruling.
SCA judge Sulet Potterill, with four judges concurring, found that Arntsen “cannot be faulted for concluding that the death of the deceased was brought about by an act or omission that prima facie amounts to or involves an offence on the part of Hirt & Carter”, reports News24.
“It was premised on a finding of negligence on the part of Hirt & Carter. There is, in my view, no discernible material error of law by the magistrate of the kind on which a review might be founded. Indeed, I can find no error at all.”
Hirt & Carter’s appeal argued that the magistrate had erred when she found that it had omitted to supervise and manage the erection of the towers, which it said was the responsibility of a subcontractor (Bothma Signs).
In her judgment, Potterill disagreed, saying Arntsen “was correctly unpersuaded that the subcontracting of Bothma Signs and Vertex, against the facts of the case, could be relied on to exonerate Hirt & Carter.”
A further 19 people were injured in the accident, with 12 requiring hospitalisation.
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$33m settlement for Ghost Ship fire lawsuits
The city of Oakland has reached a $32.7 million settlement with the families of those killed by the tragic blaze at unlicensed music venue and artists’ collective Ghost Ship in 2016.
The fire, which was the worst structural disaster in northern California since the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, killed 36 people in total, most of whom were at Ghost Ship for an electronic music party.
The Oakland City Council has now authorised the settlements of lawsuits filed by the families of 32 victims.
“This was a horrific tragedy that deeply impacted every corner of our community,” reads a statement from the city attorney’s office. According to the statement, the city decided to settle because of the possible legal costs, and does not acknowledge any liability for the incident.
“This was a horrific tragedy that deeply impacted every corner of our community”
Prosecutors contend that Derick Almena, the master tenant on the warehouse lease, was criminally negligent when he converted and sublet the space as a residence for artists and an event venue.
Almena was charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, with a retrial – following an initial mistrial – scheduled for October. A co-defendant, Max Harris, was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter charges last year, while the building’s owner, Chor Ng, has not been charged with a crime.
The blaze, which was believed to have been caused by an electrical fire, echoed another tragic incident at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, the same year, which claimed the lives of 64 people.
Last year, prison sentences were handed out to 13 people in conjunction with the Colectiv fire, including the venue owners, pyrotechnic specialists and city officials.
Photo: Jim Heaphy/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) (cropped)
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Third Summer of Love? Illegal raves on the rise in UK
Thousands of Britons are believed to have attended illegal, non-socially distanced ‘quarantine raves’ on Friday and Saturday (12–13 June), prompting concerns of a spike in new Covid-19 infections.
In scenes that looked more like the late-80s heyday of acid house than the locked-down Britain of 2020, ravers defied restrictions on gatherings of more than six people to drink, dance and get far too close to one another at unlicensed parties in woodland near cities including Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Oxford and Lichfield, Staffordshire.
The largest parties were in Manchester, with an estimated 6,000 people believed to have attended two raves, in Daisy Nook Country Park and near Carrington, a village in Trafford, on Saturday night. The illegal events were roundly condemned after one person died of a suspected drug overdose in the country park, and two men were stabbed and a woman raped in Carrington.
Sacha Lord, founder of Parklife festival and Manchester’s night-time economy adviser, described those who attended as a “disgrace” who have put themselves and their loved ones at infection.
If you are one of the morons who attended one of the illegal raves in Partington and Daisy Nook last night, you are a disgrace. You’ve now put yourselves, your friends, your families and loved ones at risk. I’ve seen some of the footage. You aren’t clubbers. Just selfish idiots.
— Sacha Lord (@Sacha_Lord) June 14, 2020
Social media video from the Daisy Nook event appears to show revellers dancing and inhaling nitrous oxide, while a banner above the DJ booth is emblazoned ‘quarantine rave’:
“Gathering for an illegal rave at a local beauty spot is something that would be rightly condemned at any time, for the danger it places people in and the mess that is left for others to clean up,” says the leader of Oldham Council, Sean Fielding, “though for this to happen in the middle of a global coronavirus pandemic adds an entirely new dimension to how irresponsible and selfish this gathering was.
“Gathering in these numbers under these circumstances has put many more people at risk of harm than just those present.”
In Brookhay Woods, near Lichfield, one raver was arrested after spitting at a police officer, according to Staffordshire Police, while the event near Leeds forced road closures after partygoers left the area by walking along motorways.
“DIY alternatives are being organised by opportunists, using unscrupulous suppliers who are purely focused on financial gain with no regard for safety”
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), has called for those organising or supplying services to illegal raves to be blacklisted by the industry.
“Small house parties and raves have been bubbling under the surface of society for many years now, but the current situation under lockdown has intensified this, as young people search for alternatives and continue in a struggle to cope with the current restrictions on their lives due to the pandemic,” he says.
“The night-time economy and events sector provide safe spaces for young people to express themselves, but are currently unable to open, DIY alternatives are being organised by opportunists, using unscrupulous suppliers who are purely focused on financial gain, with no regard for the safety of those attending. The terrible incidents this weekend at an illegal rave in Manchester resulted in several serious incidents and the sad death of a young man from a drug overdose.
“The NTIA does not condone this kind of activity in any way, as this behaviour adds to an already challenging reputation for the night-time economy and events sector sector with regulators. Operators and suppliers breaking the law for profit and encouraging illegal raves should be blacklisted.
“Thousands of promoters and venues remain closed to save lives and the NHS [National Health Service], while struggling to maintain their businesses while a small minority are now running illegal events jeopardising the hard work and sacrifice of others.”
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Coronavirus forces end of Love Parade inquiry
A regional court in Germany has ordered a definitive end to the trial of the organisers of the 2010 Love Parade festival.
The current trial began in December 2017 after previous legal proceedings cleared the defendants – four employees of festival promoter Lopavent and six of the city of Duisburg, in North Rhine-Westphalia – of any wrongdoing.
While prosecutors said at the start of the trial they were confident of securing prosecutions, the impact of the coronavirus means that reaching a verdict before the ten-year statute of limitations expires in July would be impossible, Duisburg regional court ruled. The trial lasted 184 days, according to Deutsche Welle.
Twenty-one people died, and more than 650 were injured, on 24 July 2010 in a crush in a tunnel that served as the sole entrance to the long-running techno festival. Over a million people are said to have attended the 2010 event, which was held at a former goods yard in Duisburg with a capacity of around 250,000.
The victims included festivalgoers from Spain, Australia, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China and the Netherlands.
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Growing number of artists contract coronavirus
Updated 8/4/20: US folk and country singer John Prine has passed away due to complications from Covid-19, aged 73. Garnering praise from the likes of Johnny Cash and Roger Waters over the years, artists including Bruce Sprinsteen, Ron Sexsmith and Bonnie Raitt are among those to have paid tribute to the late singer.
As cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, continue to mount around the world, members of the live music community are among those falling ill.
Pink, whose Beautiful Trauma tour was the highest grossing of 2019, raking in $215.2 million, is among artists to have contracted coronavirus. The singer, who has now recovered, is donating $1m to support health care workers in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Other artists to have contracted the virus include English singer Marianne Faithfull, who is being treated in hospital, US singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, actor and DJ Idris Elba, producer Andrew Watt, rapper Slim Thug, rock artist Jackson Browne and Spanish opera singer Plácido Domingo.
‘Love Song’ singer Sara Bareilles recently revealed she had been ill with the virus, but is now fully recovered.
Tragically, the live music world has lost a number of great talents to coronavirus in recent weeks. Artists to have passed away from Covid-19 include Fountains of Wayne bassist and songwriter Adam Schlesinger, who died on 1 April, aged 52. Schlesinger’s achievements include co-writing Fountains of Wayne hits including ‘Stacy’s Mom’ and his soundtrack work on Crazy Ex Girlfriend, A Colbert Christmas and That Thing You Do!.
Tragically, the live music world has lost a number of great talents to coronavirus in recent weeks
US country music singer Joe Diffie, passed away on 29 March, aged 61, known for hits including ‘Bigger Than the Beatles’ and ‘John Deere Green’. Tributes have been paid to the late Diffie by country stars including Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley and Travis Tritt.
Singer and songwriter Alan Merrill, best remembered for co-writing the original ‘I Love Rock’n’Roll’, died over the weekend from Covid-19, aged 69. Artists including Meat Loaf and Joan Jett have paid tribute to the singer on social media.
The world of jazz has also lost some greats to coronavirus in recent days. Trumpeter Wallace Roney passed away on 31 March, aged 59. The Grammy-winning trumpeter played with the likes of Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman.
Jazz pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis Jr lost his life on 1 April, aged 85, due to complications caused by coronavirus. Four of Marsalis’ six sons are also prominent musicians, including trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist Branford Marsalis.
African jazz great Manu Dibango died on 24 March, from coronavirus, aged 86. The Cameroon-born saxophonist gained international fame with his 1972 song ‘Soul Makossa’.
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One killed in shooting outside Berlin’s Tempodrom
One has been killed and four others injured following a shooting outside Berlin music venue the Tempodrom, on Friday night (14 February).
The incident took place in the square in front of the 4,200-capacity venue around 11 p.m. on Friday, as a Turkish comedy show, Güldür Güldür, was taking place inside.
Berlin police posted the following statement: “According to initial findings, unknown assailants fired shots outside the building, causing one person to die and three others to be injured. The perpetrators are fleeing.”
It was later confirmed that a fourth person was injured.
Berlin’s public prosecutor’s office and the Berlin police are investigating the incident.
IQ has contacted the Tempodrom for comment.
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Two killed in Texas music venue shooting
Two people were killed and at least five injured in a shooting during a concert at the Ventura in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday night (19 January).
Police were called to the music venue at 8 p.m. last night, after a gunman opened fire inside the club. According to San Antonio police chief William McManus, the shooting occurred after an argument broke out in bar.
The concert, dubbed ‘Living the Dream’, featured multiple emerging acts and local musicians including Jonathan Tyler, Hoax and MikeNo$leep.
The shooting prompted a mixed reaction on the venue’s Facebook page, with some users defending the bar as “an excellent spot for up-and-coming musicians” and stating that similar issues had never occurred before. Others criticised the venue for a perceived lack of security enforcement.
A police search for the gunman is ongoing.
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