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DLT Presents plans ‘all-inclusive’ London fest

DTL Presents is launching a new all-inclusive summer festival in London’s Gunnesbury Park called The Recipe.

The 15,000-capacity event will take place on 6 July, with live music, unlimited food & drinks, amusement rides and beauty experiences included in the yet-to-be-announced ticket price.

Grammy Award-winning R&B star Jazmine Sullivan has been announced as a headliner for the west London event, marking her first UK performance in a decade.

Other artists booked to perform include SiR and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Alex Isley, with more to be announced in the coming months.

“We wanted to introduce The Recipe because we noticed a consistent inclination to seek festival line-ups and experiences abroad that resonated with us,” festival co-founder Anthony Iban told The Independent.

“Recognising the absence of such an immersive experience in London, we set out to fill that gap”

“I travelled all the way to Philadelphia for a festival and was captivated by its fusion of food, community, and music in a single venue. Recognising the absence of such an immersive experience in London, we set out to fill that gap and want the event to become a staple in people’s festival calendar.”

Food vendors confirmed for The Recipe include Santa Nata, which specialises in authentic, traditional Pastel de Nata and Sweet Dee’s Jerk, which offers Caribbean-inspired bowls, wraps and bagels. Tacos and Mexican small-plate dishes will also be available from Breddos Tacos.

DLT (Days Like This) was founded in 2016 and organises daytime and brunch parties in London, New York, Amsterdam, Toronto, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.

The promoter also organisers an annual four-day festival in Malta for 4,000 people. The third edition, headlined by Kaytranada, will take place on 6–10 and 13–17 June at Bora Bora Ibiza Malta resort.

 


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Rapper Jack Harlow launches new US festival

Jack Harlow is launching a new music festival this May in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

The inaugural Gazebo Festival will be co-headlined by the rapper himself, as well as R&B star SZA.

James Blake, Vince Staples, Veeze, Pinkpantheress, Rich Homie Quan, Omar Apollo, Majid Jordan, Slum Village, BNYX, Karrahbooo and more round out the bill.

The two-day event will take place at Kentucky’s Waterfront Park on Memorial Day Weekend (25-26 May) to celebrate “the intersection of music and culture”.

“I am so grateful for his commitment to making first class things happen for Louisville”

Gazebo Festival is a partnership between Harlow (repped in North America by Wasserman Music) and local promoter, Production Simple.

Tickets for the event are available from 6 March and start at $255 ($235) for general admission. A portion of all ticket proceeds will benefit community organisations and local initiatives in the Louisville area through the Jack Harlow Foundation, which was launched last year.

“Jack Harlow is an extraordinary Louisvillian who continues to give back to his hometown,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg in a press release. “This is yet another way Jack is showing up for our city, and I can’t wait to see the excitement this festival creates. I am so grateful for his commitment to making first class things happen for Louisville and our people.”

 


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Lionel Richie, Diana Ross to headline new Live Nation fest

Lionel Richie and Diana Ross will headline the inaugural Fool In Love festival, produced by Live Nation and Redrock Entertainment.

The debut instalment promises to deliver “legendary performances from pop, soul, and R&B greats” including Santana, Al Green, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, The Isley Brothers, Charlie Wilson, Eric Burdon & The Animals, The O’Jays, The Jacksons and many more.

The one-day event will take place on 31 August at Hollywood Park on the grounds adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Santana, Al Green, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, The Isley Brothers will perform

Spanning nearly 300 acres, Hollywood Park is the largest urban mixed-use development under construction in the western United States.

Also slated to perform at the park are Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, the Stylistics, the Chi-Lites, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Zapp, Kool & the Gang, Rose Royce and Morris Day & the Time.

War, the Spinners, the Whispers, Durand Jones & the Indications, Barbara Mason, Mayer Hawthorne, the Delfonics, the Stylistics, Los Lobos, Stevie B, Heatwave, the Bar Kays feat. Larry Dodson, Cameo, Shalamar, S.O.S. Band, Dazz Band, the Legendary Blue Notes, Bloodstone, Frankie J, Con Funk Shun, the Pointer Sisters, the Mary Jane Girls and many more are also on the bill.

GA, GA+, VIP and Platinum tickets will be available with layaway payment plans starting at US$19.99 down.

 


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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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Japan’s Summer Sonic to launch in Bangkok

Summer Sonic, one of Japan’s biggest international festivals, is expanding to Bangkok this year.

The Creativeman-promoted festival will land in Thailand’s capital between 24 and 25 August, taking place at the Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani.

“As another challenge in 2024, Summer Sonic will finally expand overseas,” wrote Creativeman CEO Naoki Shimizu on the festival’s website.

“Nowadays, overseas festivals are spreading to various regions and achieving success, and Korean artists are active all over the world, so we are starting Summer Sonic Bangkok as a way for Japan to connect with the world through music. We will aim for a more attractive and powerful lineup by booking great artists in both countries.”

The first wave of acts for Summer Sonic Bangkok will be announced around late January/early February, according to organisers.

The last edition of Summer Sonic that took place outside of Japan was Summer Sonic Shanghai in 2017. It featured a line-up headlined by Luna Sea, followed by The Kooks, Placebo, Nothing But Thieves, Sum 41, Travis, The Fratellis, and more.

“We are starting Summer Sonic Bangkok as a way for Japan to connect with the world through music”

In 2023, Summer Sonic festival took place in Tokyo’s Zozomarine Stadium and Makuhari Messe and Osaka’s Maishima Sonic Park between 19 and 20 August, and was headlined by Blur and Kendrick Lamar.

NewJeans, ENHYPHEN, Sunset Rollercoaster, Evanescence, Two Door Cinema Club, Wet Leg, The Kid LAROI and Maisie Peters were also on the bill.

Summer Sonic celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, attracting a record 300,000 people across the two sites. The pandemic ensured the festival did not take place again until 2022, when international acts accounted for just 40% of its offering due to stringent pandemic travel restrictions, and the capacities of the twin sites were reduced.

The Japanese government announced a relaxation of its longstanding ban on cheering at concerts and sporting events at the start of 2023, along with a reclassification of Covid-19’s disease status.

However, Shimizu recently told IQ that the flagship event would continue its focus on Japanese acts amid a rise in domestic festival-goers.

Summer Sonic will return to its longstanding locations in Tokyo and Osaka between 17 and 18 August 2024.

 


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Placebo, Blondie and more teased for new Oz festival

Australian promoter Apex Entertainment is teasing a new touring festival featuring rock and post-punk icons.

Pandemonium Rocks is scheduled to land in Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast this April and is slated to feature the long-awaited Australia returns of many legendary acts.

The promoter has hinted at performances from the likes of Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Blondie, Gang Of Four, Dead Kennedys, The Psychedelic Furs, Placebo and Wheatus, via several teaser posts on social media.

 

 

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If all the acts teased do indeed make it to Australia, Pandemonium Rocks will mark Deep Purple’s first performance Down Under in eleven years, Blondie’s first gigs in the country since 2017, Gang Of Four’s first Ozzie shows in five years, Wheatus’ first shows in the territory in twelve years, and Placebo’s first concerts there in seven years.

According to local reports, the lineup for Pandemonium Rocks will be officially confirmed on 17 January.

The festival’s promoter, Apex Entertainment, is led by Andrew McManus who has promoted tours for the likes of Whitney Houston, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, Kiss and Mötley Crüe.

 


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Post Malone, Stevie Nicks to headline new US festival

Post Malone, Stevie Nicks and Noah Kahan are slated to headline the inaugural edition of Lovin’ Life music festival in the US next year.

The three-day event will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, between 3–5 May, with 40 artists performing across three stages.

Mt. Joy, Dominic Fike, Young the Giant and Jessie Murph are also on the bill for the 30,000-capacity event at N Brevard St.

Lovin’ Life is promoted by Southern Entertainment (est. 1994) – the Charlotte-based company behind music festivals such as Carolina Country Music Fest in South Carolina and the Barefoot Country Music Fest in New Jersey.

Mt. Joy, Dominic Fike, Young the Giant and Jessie Murph are also on the bill for the 30,000-capacity event

“After producing events all over the East Coast, we’ve dreamt of bringing a major music festival to Charlotte, and the Lovin’ Life Music Fest is our passion project,” says Bob Durkin, co-founder and partner of Southern Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to support the ongoing effort to make our hometown of Charlotte a Music City in such a big way.”

Rob Pedlow, co-founder and partner at Southern Entertainment, adds: “Charlotte’s ready for its own signature event. Lovin’ Life will be our very own Charlotte-flavored Lollapalooza, a new economic engine for the Queen City creating jobs, supporting area nonprofits and drawing music enthusiasts from across the Carolinas and beyond.”

Tickets for Lovin’ Life range from US$269 for three-day general admission to $1,199 for three-day Super VIP.

 


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Aiken Presents, Pod launch new Dublin festival

Dublin will be the recipient of a new one-day festival called In The Meadows, organised by Aiken Promotions and Pod Concerts.

Mercury Award-nominated Irish folk music group Lankum are due to headline the inaugural event, set for 8 June 2024 at The Royal Hospital in Kilmainham.

Mogwai, John Francis Flynn, Black Country, New Road and This is the Kit will also perform across two stages at the 17th-century hospital.

The venue, which now houses the Irish Museum of Modern Art, has played host to artists including Leonard Cohen, Bon Iver, Blur, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, and The War On Drugs.

John Francis Flynn and This is the Kit will also perform across two stages at the 17th-century hospital

This year, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and the Grammy-Award nominated indie supergroup boygenius delivered concerts on the grounds. It has also been home to Forbidden Fruit, a festival organised by Aiken and Pod, for the last 12 years.

The promoters also collaborate on All Together Now, a 27,000-capacity festival that has taken place for five years at Curraghmore House, Waterford.

In The Meadows’ name appears to be a nod to Pod’s socially distanced festival, The Meadows, which took place at The Royal Hospital during the pandemic.

Tickets for In The Meadows start at €59.35 including the booking fee.

 


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ATC Group and Wild Paths launch new 10,000-cap fest

ATC Group and the team behind Norwich-based multi-venue festival Wild Paths are partnering on a new 10,000-capacity festival in the UK.

Wild Fields will be a greenfield event at Raynham Estate in North Norfolk that will “showcase the best music from across the genre spectrum, pairing it with woodland dining, immersive performance & wellness experiences”.

Ezra Collective, SBTRKT, Los Bitchos and Nightmares on Wax are among the more established names on the bill for the inaugural event, set for 15–18 August 2024.

But festival director Ben Street says the event will take note from Wild Paths in showcasing emerging musical talent, particularly from East Anglia.

In addition, the festival will aim to offer “a truly diverse range of festival performers,” having signed up to Keychange’s 50/50 pledge.

“Wild Fields will be a truly unique event with a varied and progressive musical line-up”

The “socially conscious” camping event will use locally sourced food and drink suppliers, and will have a strong focus on green initiatives and sustainability, working with travel partners, waste management teams, merch providers and power suppliers.

Street will work on the festival with ATC Group chief executive Adam Driscoll, who is also the former co-CEO of MAMA Group and director of Vision Nine.

“Wild Fields will be a truly unique event with a varied and progressive musical line-up paired with renowned wellness practitioners, festival banquets and immersive performance. From dawn to dusk and deep, deep into the night there’ll be a plethora of ground-breaking bands and DJs to keep even the most seasoned festival reveller entertained and inspired,” says Street.

“We’re so happy to have found such a beautiful site as Raynham with its historic walled gardens, secret wooded paths and lush wild meadows. The Raynham team share our vision for delivering a groundbreaking new festival in the region and bringing some world renowned artists, performers and practitioners to this stunning stretch of North Norfolk.”

Wild Fields reportedly has a five-year deal with the site owner and will aim to grow its capacity year-on-year.

 


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Untold to be Dubai’s ‘biggest-ever’ festival

Dubai is set to gain its own edition of Untold, touted as the biggest festival the city has ever seen.

Launched in Romania in 2015, the 100,000-capacity event is one of the largest festivals in Europe and has seen performances from artists including Imagine Dragons, Robbie Williams, Major Lazer, J Balvin, The Script, Jason Derulo and Ellie Goulding.

DJs including David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers, Axwell and Hardwell have also delivered sets at previous editions.

The Dubai iteration is expected to take place in February 2024, welcoming 70,000 people each night to the sprawling grounds of Expo City Dubai.

So far, superstar DJ Armin van Buuren is the only confirmed artist but organisers say the festival will see more than 100 acts – including stars from across pop, techno, K-pop and Arabic music – perform across more than five stages.

“Hosting events like Untold at Expo City Dubai is the perfect way to demonstrate the city’s capability to host mega-events”

Like the Romania event, held in the north-western city of Cluj-Napoca, Untold Dubai will be a family and cultural affair. Entrance will be open to all ages with plenty of non-musical activities also held on the Expo City Dubai site.

“Hosting events like Untold at Expo City Dubai is the perfect way to demonstrate the city’s capability to host mega-events, further reinforcing its position as an international events hub in line with the ambition of our visionary leadership to make Dubai the best city in the world to visit, live and work in,” says Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), told The National.

Festival co-founder Edy Chereji added: “Dubai is one of the top tourism destinations in the world. We have an amazing site over there and by working with our stakeholders we hope to create something that will be the next big icon for Dubai and bring more tourists to this great city”.

“By getting visitors travelling into Romania from Western Europe we showed that we can build our own global brand and that was part of the reason why we came to Dubai.”

 


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