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Young Fathers to headline and curate 15k-cap gig

Edinburgh hip-hop group Young Fathers are set to headline and curate a huge all-day concert in Scotland.

The 15,000-capacity event will take place on 29 June at Stirling City Park, which is located between Glasgow and Edinburgh and within an hour’s travel time for 50% of Scotland’s population.

The summer show will see the Mercury Prize winners – who have also won the Scottish Album of the Year Award three times – play their biggest headline show in Scotland to date.

DF Concerts is set to promote the event, having already announced that its Summer Sessions concert series would take place in Stirling to coincide with the city’s 900th anniversary.

The 15,000-capacity event will take place on 29 June at Stirling City Park

Shows by Tom Jones, Shania Twait, James Arthur and Busted have been confirmed for City Park between 27 June and 2 July. The Summer Sessions will also take place in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Tickets for the Young Fathers all-dayer will go on sale this Wednesday (27 March), with additional acts to be announced.

Ahead of the 29 June concert, the trio will head to the US for a string of shows in April.

An official announcement from DF Concerts said: “Since the release of their now-legendary mixtapes, Tape One in 2011 and Tape Two in 2013, the latter of which gave Young Fathers their first of three Scottish Album of the Year gongs, the Edinburgh-based band have honed their categorically evasive hybrid sound.

“Young Fathers aren’t like any other live band. Blessed by multiple voices, an eye-popping approach to performance and a four-album-and-two-mixtape-deep catalogue, the radical Afro-Scottish hip-hop group are true game-changers, tearing up the rulebook for what live music can be. Teeming with ideas, with influences from every corner of the musical – and actual – world, the most exciting thing is wondering what Young Fathers will do next on stage.”

 

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Mogwai to headline, curate new UK festival

Scottish post-rock band Mogwai will headline and curate the new Big City Festival in their hometown of Glasgow this summer.

In partnership with local promoter Regular Music, the event will launch on 29 June at Queen’s Park, with 12 acts performing across two stages.

The bill includes seminal shoegaze group Slowdive, returning songwriter Nadine Shah, Neu! guru Michael Rother, and Scottish Album of the Year winner Kathryn Joseph.

Beak>, Michael Rother, bdrmm, Cloth, Elisabeth Elektra, Free Love, Goat Girl and Sacred Paws also feature on the lineup.

“It’s an honour to have so many brilliant artists join us for what promises to be a special day”

“We are proud to announce the inaugural Big City festival in Glasgow this June in partnership with Regular Music,” says Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite.

“It’s great for us to have this event in our hometown of Glasgow. It’s an honour to have so many brilliant artists join us for what promises to be a special day.”

In addition to live music, Big City Festival will feature a literary tent in association with White Rabbit Books and a “full selection of licenced bars and food trucks”.

Mogwai were formed in Glasgow in 1995. Along with Braithwaite, the band consists of Barry Burns, Dominic Aitchison and Martin Bulloch.

Last month, the quartet released a trailer for their new documentary If The Stars Had A Sound which follows their journey from inception to the present day.

 

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Celebrating 10 years of Glasgow’s OVO Hydro

Consistently recognised as one of the world’s busiest venues, the OVO Hydro in Glasgow has revolutionised Scotland’s live entertainment sector. Now, as the arena marks its tenth birthday, its promoter clients, suppliers, and staff acknowledge the £125m building as one of the greatest investments in Scotland’s history.

When Rod Stewart opened what OVO Hydro 2022 was then the SSE Hydro in Glasgow in September 2013, it marked a new era in arena-scale gig-going in the city that has changed the landscape both physically and culturally.

Designed on a Greek amphitheatre model by Fosters + Partners and built on the once neglected Queen’s Dock area of Glasgow that now forms the Scottish Event Campus, the £125 million arena’s spaceship-sized expanse has become the centrepiece of a trinity of neighbouring venues. The original Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre opened in 1985, with the Clyde Auditorium, better known as the Armadillo, following in 1997.

A full decade in the planning, disaster struck in June 2013 when a major fire broke out during construction. Despite the extensive damage, the arena opened just one month behind schedule.

Ten years on from that curtain-raising Rod Stewart show, and what is now the OVO Hydro has hosted more than 1,000 concerts and is on the map as one of the most successful concert venues in the world.

Up until 2019, when Aberdeen’s P&J Live venue opened, the 14,300-capacity Hydro was the largest entertainment venue in Scotland and the fifth largest in the UK. And to underscore the demand for live entertainment in Scotland, in 2019, the Hydro was the second busiest venue in the world (according to Pollstar’s annual numbers), with only New York’s Madison Square Garden getting bigger audiences than the 1m-plus per year the Hydro now regularly attracts.

“Since the Hydro opened, Glasgow is usually one of the key cities for artists to come to along with London, Manchester, and Birmingham. That has transformed everything”

With the likes of Fleetwood Mac, and Bruno Mars following Rod Stewart’s curtain-raising performance, the Hydro has gone on to host almost every major act in the world. This has included shows by Beyoncé, David Byrne, Billie Eilish, Kylie Minogue, and what turned out to be the last-ever appearance in Scotland by Prince.

Comedy shows such as the stage versions of Scottish TV sitcoms Still Game and Mrs Brown’s Boys have also graced the Hydro’s stage for multiple shows. The 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards was held at the Hydro, which was also used as a venue for that year’s Commonwealth Games. In 2021, the Hydro was also used for COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference that brought together one of the largest gatherings of world leaders to discuss environmental issues in a changing world.

While the Covid-induced lockdowns during 2020 and 2021 closed down live music across the world, the Hydro was co-opted as a vaccination centre. Once live music returned, the venue hit the ground running to sate a refreshed desire for large-scale events.

From Wee to Stoater
But what makes the OVO Hydro so special for artists and audiences alike? For Scotland-based promoters such as Geoff Ellis of DF Concerts and Mark Mackie of Regular Music, the Hydro filled a gap in the market that Glasgow audiences were crying out for.

“I guess the biggest thing with the Hydro is the fact that it’s available all year round,” says Ellis, “whereas previously, the SECC was only available for a few weeks at a time in-between everything else going on there. So, the Hydro has completely opened up the market.

“As a venue, the Hydro was long overdue for Glasgow, and its success hasn’t surprised anyone.”

“The fact that it’s a purpose-built entertainment venue makes the actual experience of going there a good one for fans, and that again has really transformed the market, with audiences coming, not just from Glasgow, but from all over Scotland and beyond. This has meant we can do a lot more shows in a venue that feels intimate because of the way it’s been built as an amphitheatre.”

Ellis continues, “I used to say our biggest competition for arena shows isn’t other promoters in Scotland, it’s other cities in the UK or the rest of Europe. Whereas now, since the Hydro opened, Glasgow is usually one of the key cities for artists to come to along with London, Manchester, and Birmingham. That has transformed everything.”

Mackie agrees. “People loved going to the Hydro right from the start,” he says. “There was no hesitancy from people wondering if it was any good or not. They embraced it right away. As a venue, the Hydro was long overdue for Glasgow, and its success hasn’t surprised anyone. We needed a custom-built arena and not an exhibition hall but something that was flexible, and which could work for everything.

“In the past, a lot of artists couldn’t come to Scotland because there was nowhere big enough for them to play, so Scotland would miss out on all the big tours, which doesn’t happen now. Audiences are proud of that, and everyone working at the Hydro is proud of that as well.”

“The fans really are the heart and soul of the venue, and I think you would struggle to find another audience who match the relentless energy and enthusiasm of the Glasgow crowd”

As Mackie notes, the Hydro has also enlivened its immediate neighbourhood beyond its sister venues. “My big regret is that we didn’t buy a restaurant nearby before it opened,” he jokes. “Because the presence of the Hydro has really brought that part of Glasgow to life with bars and restaurants, so that part of the city is really buzzy now, and that’s great to see. That’s how you judge the ongoing success of somewhere like the Hydro. Just ask any Glasgow taxi driver. They love it, too.”

Phil Bowdery of Live Nation comments, “When the Hydro first opened, it was as if the local community wore the venue as a badge. That made for a great honeymoon period in terms of ticket sales – and that has continued. People in Glasgow like going there, and there is very little in terms of shows that can’t play the Hydro.”

Matt Woolliscroft of SJM similarly points out the way the Hydro has “given Scotland a proper world-class destination venue. Glasgow would always find itself on a tour route as the SECC was always a satisfactory gig. But the Hydro is exceptional and was a very welcome development for arena-level touring.”

Such praise is music to the ears of the venue’s director of live entertainment, Debbie McWilliams. “The Hydro has earned its place amongst the best arenas in the world, and SEC’s expansion is far-reaching, positively impacting the wider economic interests of the city, with hotels, transport, and hospitality just a few of the sectors benefitting from the increased year-round footfall,” McWilliams tells IQ.

“Glasgow is a music city, and throughout its history has been renowned for its atmospheric music venues”

Regarding the need for the arena, McWilliams points out its place in Glasgow’s musical legacy. “Glasgow is a music city,” she says, “and throughout its history has been renowned for its atmospheric music venues. The legendary Apollo and Barrowlands put Glasgow on the world music stage, and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut plays a significant role in launching some of the biggest names in music touring today.

“[But the city] needed a venue with the technical capability and audience capacity to continue this legacy and attract the biggest artists in the world. The success of the Hydro affirms the need for this building in Glasgow.”

State-of-the-art
Built with large-scale productions in mind, the arena’s loading doors allow trucks direct access to the bowl floor, under which all power and services are housed meaning that in theory, services can be lifted at any point on a production. Following discussions with a number of prospective touring production clients, the architecture features a stepped mother grid that runs with the contours of the building’s roof.

“The Hydro has earned its place amongst the best arenas in the world”

This was designed to eliminate potential complaints common at other arenas where certain seats look downthrough the production, causing sightline kills. The original mother rigging grid has a loading capacity of 60 tonnes, but in 2019, a newly designed baby grid with 30-tonne lifting capacity was introduced. The resulting 90-tonne rig improved stage positions and increased existing capacities to 12,500 seated (4%+) and 5,000 to 6,500 (30%+) standing places, thus producing a maximum arena capacity of 14,600 (12%+).

Other capital improvements include:

Standing Ovation
The plaudits from the Hydro’s clients are universal. Danny Betesh and Angie Becker of Kennedy Street admit that while they were initially cautious about the Hydro, their fears proved to be unfounded.

“Some of us wondered whether it was absolutely necessary, as we had been looked after and accommodated for many years in Hall 4 at the SECC,” states Betesh. “Now, a decade later, we know the answer, and yes, it has been a real upgrade for promoters, and a must-play venue for major artists on their UK tours.”

Toby Leighton Pope of TEG calls the Hydro “one of the best venues in Europe, not only from an artist’s view but from a fan’s view, too.”

And it isn’t just promoters who are full of praise for the Hydro. Those behind merchandise, security, and ticketing are equally fulsome in their feelings towards the venue.

“One of the best venues in Europe, not only from an artist’s view but from a fan’s view, too”

As managing director of security company G4S, Chris Burr has seen the changes from the early days of SEC. “The presence of the Hydro has been fantastic,” he says. “We’ve been security provider to the SEC for a number of years, but the Hydro has amplified things, bringing a much greater volume of events to Scotland, which has given us the opportunity to develop a workforce that is sourced locally.

Indeed, he reports, “We’ve relocated our event headquarters into the Scottish Event Campus, so we’re based onsite, and if you look at the campus as a whole, it’s a really vibrant place now.”

Phil Jones of National Merchandise has worked with the Hydro since day one and calls it “the entertainment destination for Scotland. Even just as a building, in a world where some venues can be pretty boring-looking sheds, from the moment it first landed, it looked pretty iconic. Saying ‘it landed’ seems appropriate because it does look like a UFO.

“From a merchandise point of view, if we do a bespoke t-shirt for an artist, it flies off the shelves within minutes. The people of Scotland love a t-shirt.”

John Giddings of Solo Agency simply says that his experience of the Hydro is “Fantastic. I love working there. It gives the opportunity for premiere-league acts to earn the money they can afford to play for.”

“[The Hydro team] are passionate about what they do, which is infectious. They’re the type of team that make you always want to go that extra mile to deliver for, every single day”

Ticketmaster UK boss Andrew Parsons goes a step further, naming the Hydro as his favourite venue.

“Having the opportunity to partner on ticketing with the Hydro was a truly landmark moment for Ticketmaster,” he says. “Playing a small part in supporting them through the evolution into one of the great arena venues in the world has honestly been one of the stand-out projects for myself and the team. Supporting the Hydro team in their continued success remains a guiding principle for all of us.”

Parsons highlights the importance of the Hydro’s full-time staff, who bring a very human face to operations. “As a team,” he says, “they have always been amongst the very best in the business, and without question, one of the partnerships we are most proud of. Exacting but always with a smile! And always with the intention of delivering for fans and artist teams. They are passionate about what they do, which is infectious. They’re the type of team that make you always want to go that extra mile to deliver for, every single day.”

Canny Management
Much of the attitude comes from the top.

At the centre of operations is the venue’s director of live entertainment, Debbie McWilliams, who has worked at the SEC in various capacities since 1989. Starting her career as assistant to the operations director, McWilliams then worked in ticketing for 20 years, helping establish the venue’s box office before becoming box office manager. The opening of the Hydro saw bookings added to her remit.

“I’m proud that we have built a diverse team of talented people across the business. Nurturing and providing a clear development path for our people is at the heart of everything we do”

McWilliams has been in her current post since 2019 and is responsible for the overall management, ticketing, booking, and commercial partnerships of all three SEC venues.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to witness, and play a part, in the evolution of the campus as it has grown from one venue to three,” she says of her tenure.

The passion and sense of care that McWilliams exudes is evident among all the Hydro’s staff, and it is telling that, in an industry with a high turnover, many of those at the Hydro have been there since the start.

“I am fortunate to be part of a fantastic team built on mutual respect and fuelled by a commitment to delivering the best events,” McWilliams affirms. “I’m proud that we have built a diverse team of talented people across the business. Nurturing and providing a clear development path for our people is at the heart of everything we do.”

The Audience Experience
“The fans really are the heart and soul of the venue,” says McWilliams, “and I think you would struggle to find another audience who match the relentless energy and enthusiasm of the Glasgow crowd. This isn’t isolated just to the venue, though. This force is felt right across our brilliant city. Glasgow has a certain charm, and the vibrancy is infectious. It is why global touring artists and their teams love working with us and keep coming back.”

She adds, “From an industry perspective, we continue to rank globally in the top five of the busiest arenas each year, most recently ranking No.1 worldwide on Billboard’s Top Grossing Venues (capacity 10,000-15,000) following another No.1 on Pollstar’s ranking for Top European Arena in February 2023. Year on year we break records for individual shows and cumulative sales, and this is driven by the dedication of the team behind OVO Hydro, who constantly make the arena the best venue in the world.”

And it hasn’t just been music events that have benefitted from the improvements.

“The development of OVO Hydro will always be driven by fan experience and the changing needs and wants of audiences”

“Back in October 2021, we were front-page news across the globe as we hosted COP26,” she says. “Across seven days, we hosted nearly 40,000 world-leaders and delegates for one of the most important climate change conferences of our time. Although we were already on our sustainability journey, the event brought this into sharper focus for us and, in early 2022, we were awarded the world’s first A Greener Arena certification, presented by A Greener Future.”

With this in mind, OVO Hydro looks set to continue its evolution in radical ways that put sustainability at its core.

“As a world-class venue, we are constantly prioritising better outcomes for our clients, our community, and our environment, and this continues to be a critical focus for OVO Hydro as we look toward the next ten years,” says McWilliams. “Last year, we launched our ambitious SEC Net Zero 30 sustainability strategy, which centres around five key goals: climate, governance, partnerships, people, and resource, each providing the focus for the work ahead.

“The strategy includes a focus on reducing our carbon footprint through energy, water efficiency, and green travel. Our Sustainable Events Toolkit provides this guidance to event tours, including energy and water efficiency, green travel, waste, and catering. Our toolkit is shared with all our live event clients during event planning.”

“The live entertainment industry is expected to evolve significantly as technology advances and audiences become more connected than ever before”

For audiences, too, there is much to look forward to, “The development of OVO Hydro will always be driven by fan experience and the changing needs and wants of audiences,” says McWilliams. “We’ve observed since the return of live, that there is an increased demand for elevated VIP experiences, and in response, we recently revamped our Hydro members offering with our new-look dining and drinks space, and we are progressing with plans for a second, making sure we are always meeting consumer demands.”

The Future Starts Here
“The live entertainment industry is expected to evolve significantly as technology advances and audiences become more connected than ever before,” McWilliams observes.

“Technological advancements can help drive growth in ticket and merchandise sales, help create more immersive experiences, and enable event organisers to gain more insight into their target audience and their preferences.

“Additionally, increasing the use of digital technologies such as virtual ticketing and digital marketing will help make ticket sales and event promotion more efficient and effective. The live entertainment industry will likely continue to focus on customer experience, as well as improved production quality and organisational capabilities.”

With its first ten years proving a spectacular success, OVO Hydro looks like it will be catering for the best fans in the world for a long time to come.

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LGBTIQ+ List 2023: Lucy Mackenzie McNae, Two and a Half TMs

The LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – IQ Magazine’s third annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.

The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s third Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Check out yesterday’s profile with Stefan Lehmkuhl, freelance curator & live entertainment consultant at BMG/Ruined My Rainbow in Berlin, Germany.

The series continues with Lucy MacKenzie McNae (she/her/hers), tour manager (Josef, Twin Atlantic) at Two and a Half TMs in Glasgow, Scotland.

Tell us about the professional feat you’re most PROUD of in 2023 so far.
Giving The Ironworks in Inverness the sendoff it deserved with Twin Atlantic before it closed in February was both a really proud moment and also bittersweet. Despite being from Glasgow, I feel like I grew up in that venue, going from being a touring merch manager there back in 2008 through to TM’ing one of the last shows was quite an experience. As a production, we really wanted to lay everything we could on the table for Caroline and the Ironworks staff, who have always made that venue feel like coming home, no matter who I was on tour with, so going back to close out The Ironworks was important to us all.

Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
Peach PRC.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Just be yourself; get stuck into whatever is going on; be helpful; learn how to lift properly; and always have a sharpie.

In terms of challenges in the industry, what’s currently keeping you up at night?
Costs and expectations? Can I say that? Because it feels like everything is going up except the fees and guarantees.

“It feels like everything is going up except the fees and guarantees”

How do you see the live music business developing in the next few years?
I think there will come a point where it starts to even out again soon; live music has become so expensive from all angles that unless we do everything we can as an industry and public to support independent venues, we are going to lose a lot of soul and the training grounds where most bands and crew learn their crafts.

Name one thing you’d like to see the live music business change.
Touring can be rough, the hours aren’t conducive to being able to keep relationships, and at the lower levels, they are so mentally, physically, and financially draining that it can really shut out a lot of people from being able to continue. More support, both financially and also holistically, would really make a difference to crew, sessions, and artists across the board.

Shout out to your biggest ally in the live music industry.
It takes a team to pull everything together so I can’t name just one. Alison Lamb at Modest! Management, Ross ‘Falcon’ Morgan that I started Two and a Half TMs with, and Ross and Sam from Twin Atlantic have all been instrumental in their own ways. And, of course, Cameron Brisbane for being the best photographer I know (not just because he takes photos of the crew).

 

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The New Bosses 2022: Kathryn Dryburgh, ATC Live

The 15th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was published in IQ 114 this month, revealing 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s cohort a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2022’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Catch up on the previous New Bosess 2022 interview with Jonathan Hou, senior director of talent and touring at Live Nation APAC. The series continues with Kathryn Dryburgh, agent’s assistant at ATC Live in the UK.

Raised in the small town of St. Andrews (Scotland), Dryburgh longed to feel connected with live music, so moved to Glasgow (the UNESCO city of music) for university as soon as she could.

At university she studied commercial music, and she started booking local shows; took on internships at a label and promotions company; and founded a female-centric events company called Queens of Noise – where she took pride in championing a platform for young creatives.

After graduating, she began her career at ATC Live – after a delayed start due to Covid – where she has been for a short 15 months, working with artists including Passenger, The Twilight Sad, The Magnetic Fields, Billie Marten, and Christian Lee Hutson (alongside Colin Keenan).

 

 You started booking shows when you were at university. How did you learn to do that, and who did you turn to for advice?
It sparked from my first year. I was keen to learn more about Glasgow’s local scene and wanted to get involved with the bands and venues, so took a leap and figured it out as I went. I was 17, from a small seaside town with no live music venues, so to start with it was a guessing game but figured it out as I went along – with advice from friends (who had toured) and lecturers.

Queens of Noise is a great idea. Can you tell us more about it, as well as any other success stories to come out of it?
Queens of Noise is a female-centric, gender-inclusive business based in Glasgow that is striving to tackle gender bias within the music industry. It is a community-focused project and a safe space for anyone looking to work in the music industry.

Founded in 2018, the inaugural event hosted panels, workshops, and showcases over two days. We were blown away by the response, inundated with questions and ideas, people really linked together as a community and many who attended have since achieved huge things – from starting their own project, getting into education, landing placements or full-time positions, and artists gaining large followings (including Swim School, Medicine Cabinet). We’re working on bringing it back now that the pandemic has eased and are super excited to work with some more incredible people.

“I was keen to learn more about Glasgow’s local scene and wanted to get involved with the bands and venues”

If there were only three venues for your artists to play their first shows in, which venues would you want them to be, and why?
Of the one’s I’ve attended, my favourite venues would be The Barrowlands (Glasgow), Metropol (Berlin), and Sneaky Pete’s (Edinburgh). They all have their own unique atmosphere, hold treasured memories for me, and, of course, have hosted outstanding artists throughout the years.

As a New Boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
Gender and inclusivity has always been a huge focus for me in both my studies and while working in the industry. I’d love to see gender-bias tackled in a real, tangible way, with more female-presenting people better represented and in higher positions across all sectors of the industry.

“Never underestimate the importance of anyone, in any room”

Finding your feet in the industry in the post-pandemic scramble cannot have been easy. Do you have any tips for others when it comes to networking and meeting promoters and other business contacts?
It was a minefield. The pandemic hit the month I handed in my dissertation, and shortly after the government was recommending people in the live sector “retrain.” I was completely devastated and felt lost. Shortly after, I began a Masters in music business, in an attempt to stay connected to the world I had worked so hard to become part of. I would say, never underestimate the importance of anyone, in any room. I have always strived to value everyone I meet, learning from them or giving a helping hand – it’s those connections that will boost you when you need it most.

What would you like to see yourself doing in five years?
I’d love to be an agent in my own right. I’d like to develop a full, diverse, and exciting roster of bands that I can really pour time and energy into growing. I’d be delighted if I could make some real, notable change in regards to gender inclusion and visibility, whether on a localised- or large-scale.

“I’d be delighted if I could make some real, notable change in regards to gender inclusion and visibility”

You’re obviously quite driven and entrepreneurial. How do you pick yourself up when something doesn’t work out as you had hoped?
I have a tendency to always have ideas and often work on several things at once, so when one thing doesn’t work out, there’s always another to chisel away at. I do also take things to heart, so feeling deflated can be difficult. In those moments, lean on the community you build for yourself and take a moment, review, and try something else – failure can lead to great things.

And on the flip side, what’s been your career highlight so far – or is there any show or tour you’re particularly looking forward to in the near future?
I am delighted to be working at ATC Live, and particularly with such talented colleagues. Being paired with Colin (Keenan) has been fantastic, his ethic and roster are a great match for me, so I’m excited about pretty much everything the future holds. So far, I’ve got a few favourite moments. Most recently, going to The Great Escape as an attendee was incredible. The only other year I attended was 2019, as a volunteer. Coming back as a professional was a fantastic feeling.

 

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OVO Hydro introduces self-ordering technology

The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) has launched new self-ordering technology for customers at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro.

The fleet of 18 kiosks, introduced in collaboration with catering partner Levy UK + Ireland, is designed to enhance the guest experience and speed of service at the 14,300-cap venue.

Initially launching on level 2 of Scotland’s home of live entertainment, the kiosks will replace the traditional bar service, with guests able to order drinks from the terminals and collect their drinks from the six collection points. Guests will also be able to reorder a second round of drinks to collect later in the evening.

“The introduction of the self-ordering kiosks means audiences will experience quicker service allowing more time to enjoy the shows”

“As one of the busiest entertainment venues in the world, we are always looking for innovative solutions to support us in delivering the best guest experience,” says Debbie McWilliams SEC’s director of live entertainment. “The introduction of the self-ordering kiosks means audiences will experience quicker service allowing more time to enjoy the shows.”

Earlier this year, the SEC and Levy joined together with venue partner OVO Energy to launch a reusable cup scheme to eliminate single use plastic from the venue, helping reduce the venue’s carbon footprint significantly. They’ve also joined forces to work on a sustainable food strategy to reduce food waste and serve lower carbon food across the campus.

“As a business Levy UK+I is all about improving the guest experience and we pride ourselves in utilising technology to help achieve this,” adds Levy UK COO Matthew Lewis. “We have seen the success of self-order units in the stadia world and believe that OVO Hydro customers deserve to enjoy the same innovations. Technological enhancements continue to drive and improve the customer journey across our venues and we’re really excited with the continued transformations across SEC venues.”

The OVO Hydro has upcoming shows with the likes of Bon Iver, Billy Idol, Deep Purple, Robbie Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Kasabian, Biffy Clyro and N-Dubz.

 

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Glasgow or Liverpool to host Eurovision 2023

Glasgow or Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest after the seven-strong UK shortlist was cut to two.

The competition will be held at either the former’s 14,300-cap OVO Hydro or the latter’s 11,000-cap M&S Bank Arena next May, with a final decision to be announced “within weeks”.

Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester were also in the running after 20 UK cities expressed an interest when organisers decided 2022 winners Ukraine could not stage the event due to the war. The UK’s Sam Ryder finished second in this year’s contest.

“The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) would like to warmly thank all the seven British cities that put so much effort and enthusiasm into their bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine,” says Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest. “We very much appreciate their cooperation and the quality and creativity of all the bids received.

“The Eurovision Song Contest is the most complex TV production in the world with very specific logistical requirements to accommodate around 40 delegations and thousands of crew, volunteers, press and fans.

“We’re confident our final two cities are the best placed to meet this challenge and look forward to continuing our discussions to choose the one which will stage the world’s largest music event next May.”

“The Eurovision Song Contest is a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer”

The final decision on the host city will be decided by the BBC in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union.

“Thanks to all seven cities across the UK who have demonstrated the enthusiasm and passion for Eurovision that exists right across the UK,” adds Phil Harrold, the chair of the BBC’s host city selection committee. “We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of all the city bids, in what was a highly competitive field. The Eurovision Song Contest is a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer; we will continue our discussions with them to determine the eventual host city.

“We are determined to make the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest one that both reflects the winning position of Ukraine and is also an event that all of the UK can participate in.”

The Eurovision Song Contest is the world’s largest live music event, with over 180 million people tuning in across linear and digital channels in 2022. The contest has launched the global careers of artists including Måneskin, Celine Dion, ABBA and Julio Iglesias.

Organisers are also planning to launch the event in Canada and Latin America, as the global expansion of the brand continues.

 

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DF Concerts celebrates record-breaking summer

Scotland’s DF Concerts has heralded a record-breaking summer, having sold one million tickets between June and August.

The promoter says that, as a result, it has made an economic impact of around £72.4 million on tourism and hospitality businesses in its domestic market.

The Glasgow-headquartered company expects that, by the end of 2022, it will have welcomed over 50% of the population of Scotland to one of its concerts or events.

DF promotes some 1,000 concerts per year, as well as its festivals TRNSMT (Glasgow), Connect (Edinburgh) and Summer Sessions (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee). In addition, the promoter owns and operates grassroots music venue, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut (Glasgow).

This year’s sold-out edition of TRNSMT topped DF’s best-selling events of the summer, attracting 50,000 attendees on each of its three days.

Other highlights include two nights from The Killers at Falkirk Stadium (cap. 25,000), and Harry Styles performing to 50,000 people at Glasgow’s Ibrox football stadium.

“It’s looking like it will be more of the same next year”

This summer also saw DF revive Connect, a music festival that originally took place in Argyll, Scotland, in the mid-noughties.

The reboot took place at The Royal Highland Centre (RHC), an exhibition centre and showgrounds located near Edinburgh airport, between 26–28 August.

The Chemical Brothers, The National, Little Simz, Mogwai and Bombay Bicycle Club were among the artists that performed at the camping festival.

In total, DF Concerts had 33 days of outdoor shows from June to August, at venues including Slessor Gardens in Dundee, Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre Showgrounds and Princes Street Gardens, SWG3 Galvanizers Yard, Glasgow Green, and Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, plus Hampden Park, Ibrox and Falkirk Stadiums.

“This has been a really special summer season for all involved,” Geoff Ellis, CEO of DF Concerts, tells IQ. “It has seen a seven-figure investment in new events for music lovers across the country, diversifying the experiences available in Scotland.

“With two stadium shows, one greenfield and two festivals already announced for summer 2023 and more to come very soon, it’s looking like it will be more of the same next year.”

 

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DF Concerts praises ‘phenomenal’ Gerry Cinnamon

DF Concerts’ promoter Dave Corbet says that Gerry Cinnamon is “rewriting the rules” after the Scottish singer-songwriter made history by playing to 100,000 fans over two nights at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The 50,000-cap shows, which were originally slated for 2020 pre-pandemic, sold out within hours back in 2019 and were finally able to take place from 16-17 July.

“The energy of the crowd across both shows was electric and they were with him every step of the way,” Corbet tells IQ. “It was one of the best stadium productions that I have ever seen and the sound was fantastic – there really is nothing like the Hampden roar.”

Staged by DF, the concerts saw Cinnamon crowned as both the first independent act and the first Scottish artist to sell out multiple nights at the national stadium. Support came from The Charlatans, Jake Bugg, The Snuts, Travis and Vistas.

“Gerry is an absolute force of nature and his success knows no limits,” says Corbet. “DF Concerts has worked with him since the very early days of being in bands on the Glasgow music scene, and there are so many factors which have contributed to his huge success which includes how fiercely independent he is.

“To see Gerry go from playing small pub shows at the start of his career to becoming the Scottish artist with the most tickets ever sold at Scotland’s national stadium is phenomenal”

“To see Gerry go from playing small pub shows at the start of his career to becoming the Scottish artist with the most tickets ever sold at Scotland’s national stadium Hampden is phenomenal and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

The UK’s biggest independent artist, 37-year-old Cinnamon has built up a huge, organic following since self-releasing his 2017 debut album Erratic Cinematic and topped the UK charts with 2020 follow-up The Bonny.

“Gerry has never been one to conform and what keeps his fans coming to support him is how relatable he is,” adds Corbet. “He is rewriting the rules on how to be a successful artist and is a man of the people which resonates not only with the people of Scotland but with his fans around the world.”

Represented by CAA’s Andy Cook, Cinnamon has headlined a handful of outdoor gigs across the UK and Ireland this summer.  He played a 25,000-cap gig at Swansea’s Singleton Park – the second biggest show ever held in the Welsh city – last month, along with sold-out Irish shows at the 25,000-cap Malahide Castle Dublin, and Musgrave Park Stadium, Cork.

He also played his third headline performance at Belsonic festival in Belfast’s 20,000-cap Ormeau Park, having already set the record in 2021 as the first artist to sell out two headline shows at the venue.

 

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Campaign to make Glasgow UK’s top music city

A new tourism campaign has launched to promote Glasgow’s music scene to potential visitors from across the UK.

Developed by Glasgow Life’s Destination Marketing team, the Glasgow: Music Nonstop initiative is designed to showcase the energy and vibrancy of the city’s live music offering, positioning it as a first-choice short break destination for music fans.

Created with £90,000 from VisitScotland’s Destination and Sector Marketing Fund, it is aimed at supporting the recovery and restart of Glasgow’s music and night-time industries in the wake of the pandemic, as well as spreading the wider message that the city’s tourism and hospitality sector is open for business.

Jim Clarkson, regional leadership director (West), VisitScotland, says the funding “will help to accelerate the sustainable recovery of the tourism sector in the Glasgow City Region in the medium to long-term, helping to reach new audiences within the domestic market”.

Running until the end of March, the scheme features a mix of targeted digital and social media advertising, PR activity and new music-themed content on the city’s official visitor website. A dedicated campaign landing page is available here.

“We’re on track to have the busiest summer on record for live music in Scotland”

Glasgow is Scotland’s only UNESCO City of Music and hosted an average of 130 gigs and music events every week, pre-Covid, contributing an estimated £75m each year to the city’s economy.

Glasgow Life has engaged with partners throughout the planning process, involving music industry figures in creative briefings; hosting a workshop to inspire businesses to come together and create new bookable music-themed visitor offers; and inviting businesses to have their say.

“Glasgow is a city world-renowned for its music scene, so it’s fantastic to see this investment from Glasgow Life to help support the recovery of the industry,” says Geoff Ellis, CEO of promoter DF Concerts. “We’re on track to have the busiest summer on record for live music in Scotland so it’s vitally important now that Glasgow’s music offering is put in the spotlight, which this campaign aims to do.”

Andrew Fleming-Brown, founder and MD of Glasgow venue SWG3, adds: “It’s been such a difficult couple of years for the sector so it’s really great to see music taking centre stage in the city’s marketing as we emerge from the pandemic. We’re very excited about our upcoming programme at SWG3 which we hope will not only attract the people of Glasgow, but also visitors from throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally.”

 

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