Lineups latest: Electric Picnic, Knotfest, Sziget
Festivals around the world have been adding the finishing touches to their lineups as the 2024 season rapidly approaches.
Ireland’s Electric Picnic finally dropped its bill last Friday, featuring Noah Kahan, Calvin Harris and Kylie Minogue as headliners.
The sold-out festival will take place at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, between 16-18 August. Other artists will include Gerry Cinnamon, Kodaline, Raye, Faithless, J Hus, Kasabian, Nas, Peggy Gou, Teddy Swims and Tom Grennan.
Minogue has also been revealed as the opening night headliner at Hungary’s Sziget, set for Budapest from 7-12 August, with Fisher and Barry Can’t Swim also added to a lineup that boasts the likes of Stormzy, Fred Again.., Sam Smith and Martin Garrix.
Sziget has also confirmed the list of performers for its rap and hip-hop stage, the dropYard, with names including Kojaque, P Money, Rushy, Bladerunnaz DJs, D-LOW, Gray, Joe Unknown and Kybba.
In addition, the former Europe Stage will now be known as Ibis x ALL presents The Buzz, showcasing international bands that have achieved significant success in their home countries but are not yet widely known internationally. Acts will include Royel Otis, Jeremias, Dead Poet Society, Íñigo Quintero and Artemas.
Denmark’s Roskilde has completed the lineup for this year’s festival with the addition of 15 music acts including Action Bronson, Shygirl, Musa Keys, Scarlxrd, Evian Christ, Porij, Ana Lua Caiano, Muskila, Sega Bodega, Strictly Silk and Zzzahara.
They join an existing bill including 21 Savage, Doja Cat, Foo Fighters, Ice Spice, Khruangbin, Jungle, Kali Uchis, Kim Gordon, J Hus, Jungle, Nia Archives, PJ Harvey, PinkPantheress, Romy, Skrillex and Tyla, among others, from 29 June to 6 July.
“It is important for us to provide space for new talents and to offer a platform and reinforce the voices of those who can contribute to creating change”
The festival has also added new names to its art and activism programme, including Solidarity With Palestine, graffiti artist RAMS, and performance artist Andie Flores.
“Roskilde Festival is created to make a difference for others, even far from the festival’s experiences, art, and concerts,” says programme director Anders Wahrén. “It is important for us to provide space for new talents and to offer a platform and reinforce the voices of those who can contribute to creating change. We must be the amplifier that we have the opportunity to be. To inspire, and instil hope.”
Elsewhere, Slipknot will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with homecoming event Knotfest Iowa at Water Works Park in Des Moines on 21 September. The one-night-only event will mark the first time in four years the band have returned to their hometown, and will also star Till Lindeman, Knocked Loose, Hatebreed, Poison the Well and GWAR.
Moreover, Knotfest Iowa will include emerging acts such as Vended, Dying Wish, ZULU, Twin Temple, Holy Wars and Swollen Teeth.
In the UK, Loyle Carner’s 17 August headline set at All Points East in Victoria Park, London, will feature support from André 3000, Lianne La Havas, Flying Lotus, Cymande, Glass Beams, Berlioz, Nubya Garcia, Songer, Lola Young, MRCY, Dana and Alden and Bricknasty. They join previously announced special guests Nas, Ezra Collective, Sainté, Joe James, ENNY and Navy Blue.
Also in London, BST Hyde Park will welcome special guests Brandi Carlile, Anna Calvi and Paris Paloma as support to headliner Stevie Nicks on 12 July.
Elsewhere ULTRA Worldwide has unveiled Steve Angello, Afrojack, Alesso, Ben Nicky, RL Grime, NGHTMRE, SLANDER and Knock2 as headliners for the sixth edition of ULTRA Beach Bali. Scheduled for 6-7 June, ULTRA Beach Bali will take place at beachfront pool club Café Del Mar in the resort village of Canggu.
Plus, FKP Scorpio is curating the cultural programme for Germany’s IFA Sommergarten – the centrepiece of leading technology and industry trade fair IFA Berlin. The event will include the 6PM Season Festival in collaboration with Dreamhaus on 6 September, while on 7 September, FKP will present concerts by Faithless, Kosheen. Stereo MCs and Incognito.
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Slipknot announce Knotfest Brazil return
Slipknot have confirmed the return of Knotfest Brazil following the postponement of last year’s festival.
The metal icons, who held the brand’s first Brazilian edition in December 2022, are bringing Knotfest to Allianz Parque, São Paulo from 19-20 October this year.
The band will headline consecutive nights at the event and will perform two unique sets, commemorating the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. Fans that attended Knotfest Brazil 2022 or have already signed up at KnotfestBrasil.com will receive a special pre-sale code for access to tickets in advance.
Prior to that, Slipknot will top the bill at US festivals Sick New World in Las Vegas, Nevada (27 April), Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida (12 May) and Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus, Ohio (19 May).
They will also bring their Bring the Pain Tour to Europe in the winter, kicking off at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome in the Netherlands on 5 December and going on to visit Germany, Switzerland, France and the UK.
The Knotfest brand has expanded into multiple countries since launching in the US in 2012
The Knotfest brand has expanded into multiple countries since launching in the US in 2012, with events also held under the banner in Canada, Japan, Germany, Finland, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Mexico. It also launched in Italy in 2023. A planned UK spin-off at Milton Keynes Bowl was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Knotfest Australia, which debuted last March, will be headlined by Pantera, Disturbed and Lamb of God in 2024, kicking off at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne on 21 March before heading to Sydney’s Centennial Park (23 March) and Brisbane Showgrounds (24 March).
Presented by Destroy All Lines, TEG Live and Finely Tuned, it will also feature performances from Halestorm, The HU, Asking Alexandria, Wage War, Escape the Fate, Skindred and Brand of Sacrifice, as well as domestic acts such as Thy Art Is Murder, SPEED, Windwaker and King Parrot.
In the run-up to the event, organisers have announced a series of side shows featuring sets from some of the festival’s biggest names.
Disturbed and Pantera will perform their only Australian headlining sets at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 17 and 19 March, respectively, while Lamb of God will play a pair of dates with Brand of Sacrifice on 20 March in Melbourne and 25 March in Brisbane. Additional shows feature headline sets from Halestorm, The Hu and Asking Alexandria will also take place in various cities.
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Slipknot announce first-ever Knotfest Italy
Slipknot are further expanding their festival footprint by taking their Knotfest brand to Italy for the first time.
Headlined by the metal legends, Knotfest Italy will debut at Bologna’s 60,000-cap Arena Parco Nord on 25 June 2023. Other confirmed acts include Architects, Amon Amarth, I Prevail, Lorna Shore, with tickets starting at €99.99.
The festival is also set to hold its multi-venue inaugural Australian leg, presented by Destroy All Lines, TEG Live and Finely Tuned, at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse (24 March), Centennial Park, Sydney (25 March) and Brisbane Showgrounds (26 March). Topped by Slipknot, Knotfest Australia will also feature the likes of Parkway Drive, Megadeth, Trivium and Northlane. Tickets are priced from A$199.90 (€127).
The Knotfest brand has expanded into multiple countries since launching in 2012
Knotfest Japan, meanwhile, was postponed in 2022 in light of uncertainty over Covid restrictions, but has been rescheduled for 1-2 April 2023 at the 9,000-cap Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall in Chiba, outside Tokyo.
The Knotfest brand has expanded into multiple countries since launching in the US in 2012, and debuted in Germany this past July at Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, promoted by Live Nation.
Events also took place this year under the Knotfest banner in North America, Finland, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Brazil, but a UK edition, planned for Milton Keynes Bowl in 2020, was axed due to the pandemic.
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Slipknot’s Knotfest to make UK debut
Knotfest, the festival brand created by metal legends Slipknot, is launching in the UK for the first time next year.
The Live Nation-promoted Knotfest UK, which will take place on 22 August 2020 at the 65,000-capacity National Bowl in Milton Keynes, around 80 kilometres northwest of London, is the second European edition of the festival, adding to Knotfest Meets Hellfest which debuted last summer in France.
Slipknot will headline the festival, in their first return to the National Bowl since their performance at Ozzfest in 2001. Full line-up details and onsite activities will be announced in early 2020.
Since launching in 2012, Knotfest has expanded into six countries
Since launching in 2012, Knotfest has expanded into six countries, with events in the USA Colombia, Mexico and Japan, as well as France and, now, the UK. The inaugural cruise-based Slipknot at Sea is set to take place in conjunction with music cruise specialist Sixthman in August 2020.
Prior to Knotfest UK, Slipknot will be embarking on a European arena tour in January, with appearances at London’s O2 Arena (20,000-cap.), Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome (17,000-cap.), the Accorhotels Arena (20,300-cap.) in Paris, Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena (17,000-cap.) and Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe (16,000-cap.), among others.
Members of Slipknot’s official fan club, Outside The 9, will have access to a pre-sale on 19 December at 10 a.m. GMT. Fans can join and get their passcode here.
Picture: © Наиль Якупов/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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‘Deep regret’ over Knotfest Mexico chaos
Live Talent, the promoter of the Mexican edition of Slipknot’s Knotfest, has spoken out after the event descended into “violence” and “vandalism”, sparked by the postponement of performances by Evanescence and Slipknot.
The 50,000-capacity Mexico City edition of Knotfest, Slipknot’s festival brand, took place at the Oceanía Park on Saturday (30 November), with bands including Bullet For My Valentine, Behemoth, Godsmack and Papa Roach. Knotfest has also been held in the US, Japan, Colombia and France, with the inaugural cruise-based version, Slipknot at Sea, taking place next year.
The event was halted around 9 p.m. – before the headline performances of Evanescence and Slipknot – as staff attended to a damaged barricade. According to Live Talent, it was agreed that the two bands would play the following day instead, as part of the promoter’s Force Fest.
However, disturbances broke out in the crowd among fans who were “annoyed by the delay”, with some members of the audience climbing on stage “to destroy and vandalise the instruments of the bands that were still to play”.
“These actions made it impossible to count on the presence of the bands on the Sunday,” explained the promoter in a social media post aiming “to debunk some myths” circulating about the event.
“Live Talent deeply regrets what happened yesterday. Every action was taken to assure the highest level of safety for fans,” writes the promoter. “We want to clarify that, if we took a long time [in fixing the barricade], it was only because we wanted to find a solution to the problem, going above and beyond so that the show could go on.”
“Even though we are devastated by the destruction of our instruments and gear, we do not see the violent end to last night as a representation of our Mexican fans”
The promoter admits that “perhaps our error, and that of the whole security team” lay in not keeping fans up to date with the situation, explaining that “we were instead engaged in talks to ensure that Slipknot and Evanescence performed the following day”.
The bands have also taken to social media to explain what went on, with Slipknot posting on Sunday: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Slipknot were not able to perform at last night’s Knotfest. We had hoped to be able to perform today, but regrettably, a situation arose onstage after the cancellation that damaged or destroyed gear that would been necessary to play.
“We are extremely disappointed that we did not get the chance to perform, but the safety of our fans and our community is our biggest priority. We will look to get back to Mexico sometime in the future.”
Evanescence responded by saying that, “even though we are devastated by the destruction of our instruments and gear, we do not see the violent end to last night as a representation of our Mexican fans, or the Mexican people.
“50,000 people were there, and sadly a handful of them turned to anger and violence after the cancellation. You have shown us an incredible amount of love from the very beginning, and we will always come back for you.”
Live Talent’s Force Fest went on as planned on Sunday, although without the scheduled appearance of Phil Anselmo. The number of barricades and security staff “were doubled” following the Knotfest incident.
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Slipknot announce inaugural Knotfest at Sea
Knotfest, Slipknot’s multi-event metal festival brand, has announced Knotfest at Sea, its first-ever music cruise.
Due to set sail from Barcelona on 10 August 2020, and returning on 14 August, Knotfest at Sea joins existing Knotfest events in the US, Mexico, Japan, Colombia and, most recently, France, where the inaugural Knotfest Meets Hellfest event debuted this summer.
The floating festival, which will take place on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ 2,400-capacity Norwegian Jade, will feature two performances by Slipknot, alongside yet-to-be announced special guests.
A trailer featuring Clown, percussion for the metal superstars, can be viewed above.
Knotfest is produced by Sixthman, whose CEO, Anthony Diaz, spoke to IQ recently about the growth of music cruises, especially in Europe. “In the US [floating festivals are] a very common format, and agencies know the value they add to their artists,” he explained. “In Europe, when we started speaking to agents and managers two years ago, it was so new, but now that we’ve done a few, the conversation has changed – they just needed to see it for themselves.”
Other heavy metal cruises include 70,000 Tons of Metal and Wacken’s Full Metal Cruise.
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