Euro festival preview: EXIT, Mad Cool, Montreux & more
Continuing our weekly preview of European festivals, IQ gives readers a glimpse of what’s in store this week…
Serbia’s EXIT Festival (10-14 July) kicks off today at Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, under the slogan “Awakening our Superpowers Together”.
Black Eyed Peas, Tom Morello, John Newman, Gucci Mane, Carl Cox, Artbat and Maceo Plex are among the headliners of the 2024 edition.
Meanwhile, the 47th edition of North Sea Jazz (12–14) will take place at Rotterdam Ahoy with 150 acts including Sting, Raye, André 3000, Corinne Bailey Rae, Masego, Sampha, Noname, Jessie Ware and Jamie Cullum.
Festival director Jan Willem Luyken recently spoke to IQ about the secret behind the Dutch festival’s decades-long legacy.
The swansong edition of Germany’s MELT festival will launch tomorrow
From one stalwart festival to the next, the 58th edition of Montreux Jazz Festival is already underway and will run until 20 July.
The Swiss event, which typically draws 250,000 people over 16 days, features Jon Batiste and Henry Moodie and runs until 20 July. More than 30 shows will be livestreamed for free on the festival’s YouTube channel. Read IQ‘s recent interview with organisers Mathieu Jaton here.
Across the continent, Mad Cool (10–13) will return to the Iberdrola Music Venue in Madrid, Spain. Top-billing acts at the festival are Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, Måneskin and The Killers.
Mad Cool’s Javier Arnáiz and Cindy Castillo recently spoke with IQ about the various changes they have implemented to improve the customer experience, as well as the event’s evolution during its first decade.
Meanwhile, the swansong edition of Germany’s MELT festival (11–13) will launch tomorrow. The 20,000-capacity event will return to the Ferropolis open-air museum, near Gräfenhainichen, Saxony-Anhalt, where it has been held since 1999.
Queens of the Stone Age were forced to pull out of their headlining slot at Pohoda
Over 120 artists will bid farewell to Goodlive’s longstanding event, including Sampha, James Blake, Sugababes, DJ Koze, Romy, Marlon Hoffstadt, Overmono, James Blake, Obongjayar, Romy and Skepta.
Slovakia’s biggest festival, Pohoda (11-13), returns to Trenčín Airport including James Blake, Skepta, Royal Blood, Arlo Parks, Pendulum, Black Pumas and more.
Yesterday (10 July), it was announced that Queens of the Stone Age were forced to pull out of their headlining slot at the festival due to frontman Josh Homme requiring “emergency surgery”.
And Wireless Finsbury Park (12-14) takes over London’s Finsbury Park this weekend featuring performances by Nicki Minaj, Future, 21 Savage and Doja Cat.
The bill also features special guest Future, plus Ice Spice, Sean Paul, Asake, Gunna, Rema, Tyla, Digga D, Vanessa Bling, Veeze, Ragz Originale, DJ Target and Remi Burgz. Sexyy Red, Fridayy, Skillibeng, Byron Messia, Shallipopi, Strandz, Kenny Allstar, Seani B, Uncle Waffles, Ruger, Teezo Touchdown, Nadia Jae and Snoochie Shy.
Other festivals taking place this weekend include Slottsfjell (NO) 2000 Trees (UK), NOS Alive (PT), Bilbao BBK Live (ES), Cruilla Barcelona (ES) and TRNSMT (UK).
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The secret behind North Sea Jazz’s 47-year legacy
NN North Sea Jazz director Jan Willem Luyken has spoken to IQ about the secret behind the Dutch festival’s decades-long legacy.
The 47th edition of the MOJO-promoted event will take place at Rotterdam Ahoy between 12–14 July with 150 acts including Sting, Raye, André 3000, Corinne Bailey Rae, Masego, Sampha, Noname, Jessie Ware and Jamie Cullum.
With the Saturday and Sunday of the 30,000-capacity festival already sold out, and around 2,000 tickets remaining for Friday, Luyken expects another banner year for the event.
According to the director, the festival’s enduring success is largely due to its eclectic lineups, which draw a broad and diverse audience.
“The founder of the festival, Mr Paul Acket, was a very eclectic and broadminded guy – he was a real jazz guy, but also a smart businessman and above all, a famous concert promotor in The Netherlands,” explains Luyken. “So he decided to have jazz as the basis of the programme, as well as some big names to sell the tickets to the non-jazz audience. The first editions featured Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Chaka Khan.
“We have to make sure the jazz fans are happy but you need the big names too, to stay connected to other audiences”
“Almost 50 years later, the basic concept is still the same. But of course, the music is always on the move and I think it’s very important that we keep track of new trends and bands, so we have a very skilled and experienced programme committee team that has weekly meetings. The good thing is that we have 16 stages so we can do it all – from the classics to the contemporary.”
While the festival’s spectrum of genres has evolved over the years (see last year’s edition headlined by Stormzy), Luyken says that attracting jazz fans is an ongoing priority.
“We always ask ourselves, ‘If you take away the crossover or pop stuff, is this still a good jazz festival?’ and I think it is. It’s one of the strongest jazz festivals in the world. We have to make sure the jazz fans are happy and that they want to buy tickets but of course, you need the big names too, to stay connected to other audiences. It’s this broad setup that’s the success of the festival.”
North Sea’s wide-ranging lineups also mean the festival has no problem offering an ethnically diverse and gender-balanced bill.
“This was always the case, since the 70s,” says Luyken. “Nowadays people demand [diverse lineups] but it’s not new for us, it was always there organically. The founder’s basic philosophy for the festival was to have enough good music for all people and that automatically makes a diverse festival – when it’s a structural thing.”
“We’re the right weekend, that we can afford good headliners”
North Sea Jazz’s broad programming also means that the reported lack of available headliners isn’t an issue for the bookers, as there’s a bigger pool of A-list acts to choose from.
“Plus we’re the right weekend, that we can afford good headliners,” adds Luyken. “If you’re in the second part of June and the first part of July, you traditionally have the best chance of booking big acts.”
Taking place in an indoor venue has also proved to be an advantage for North Sea Jazz, as festivals grapple with the impacts of severe weather – though there are some downsides to it.
“We are seeing the limits of our venue,” says Luyken. “We’re not a big outdoors festival that can sell 60,000 or 70,000 tickets. We are limited to 30,000 a day.”
With the 16-stage festival unable to expand, the organisers have looked to offset rising costs in other ways.
“We have a very well-developed hospitality and VIP offering which is doing very well and we depend a lot of external funding and commercial sponsoring – which is popular for us.”
He continues: “Besides rising artist fees and the stuff we have to deal with every year, there have been no big challenges here. And I know we’re very lucky because a lot of festivals out there are struggling,” he says. “It’s a tricky business but we are in a comfortable position. And you have to work very hard and have a lot of luck to get in this position.”
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Festivals ’24: Lollapalooza, Afro Nation, Summer Sonic Bangkok
A variety of festivals have announced their 2024 lineups, including Lollapalooza, Afro Nation Detroit, Summer Sonic Bangkok, and Festival D’été de Québec, with other festivals adding names as the summer months draw near.
Lollapalooza has announced the complete lineup for its US edition, with SZA, Blink-182, and Tyler, the Creator set to lead the bill. The C3 Presents-backed programme will also see the likes of Hozier, Stray Kids, Future x Metro Boomin, Melanie Martinez, and Skrillex at Chicago’s Grant Park from 1-4 August.
Live Nation’s Afro Nation is set to return to Detroit, Michigan, with Rema, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr, and Kash Doll leading the bill. The Afrobeats festival, which has several international editions, will host its second US edition from 17-18 August.
Canada’s Festival D’été de Québec, which will run from 4-14 July, is set to host Post Malone, J Balvin, Mötley Crüe, Nas, Jonas Brothers, along with The Offspring, Zac Brown Band, 50 Cent, Killer Mike, and Nickelback. The 103,000-capacity, 11-day festival will be held across five stages in the heart of Quebec City.
Summer Sonic has announced the first batch of artists for the inaugural Bangkok edition of the Japan-based festival, to be held 24-25 August at IMPACT Arena. Lauv, Yoasobi, Aurora, and Bodyslam lead the lineup, with Nothing But Thieves, Bright, Henry Moodie, and V Violette filling out the first batch.
US festival Broccoli City will return to Washington D.C., led by Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Victoria Monét, Kaytranada, and Sexyy Red. The 27-28 July event will be held at Audi Field Stadium, a new venue for the hip-hop festival.
“There’s a huge variety of entertainment on offer this year”
Pitchfork Music Festival, set for Chicago’s Union Park from 19-21 July, will see Alanis Morissette, Black Pumas, and Jamie xx headline. Jai Paul, 100 gecs, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jessie Ware, Brittany Howard, and MUNA are also set to perform at the 60,000-capacity event.
The UK’s Manchester Pride Festival will welcome Jessie J and Eurovision winner Loreen to its Gay Village Party, set for 23-26 August. They’ll join Katy B, Louis III, Chinchilla, and Natasha Hamilton, along with drag stars Bimini, Ginger Johnson, Danny Beard, and Black Peppa.
“There’s a huge variety of entertainment on offer this year; a host of classic Pride favourites, emerging artists, drag royalty and well-known performers spanning a whole range of genres,” said CEO Mark Fletcher.
“What’s most important is the representation and visibility of the further marginalised LGBTQ+ people.”
Three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce’s Kelce Jam is set to return to Kansas City on 18 May. The one-day lineup features Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and Diplo, along with Irie and E-V, with the second-annual event to be live-streamed worldwide.
A variety of performers are being added to festival lineups around the world as programmes fill up.
BST Hyde Park has completed its programme, with Stevie Nicks, SZA, Morgan Wallen, and Kings of Leon joining previously announced Shania Twain, Kylie Minogue, Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, and Stray Kids. The London series kicks off on 29 June and runs through 14 July.
Festival brands are continuing to expand worldwide with new editions
The Netherlands’ North Sea Jazz Festival has added Arooj Aftab, Obongjayer, Butcher Brown, and Charles Lloyd to its 12-14 July programme. They’ll join Sting, Raye, Corinne Bailey Rae, Brittany Howard, Black Pumas, and Benjamin Clementine at Rotterdam Ahoy.
Norway’s Sideways Festival have added Royel Otis, Eevil Stöö, and DJs from local bar Erottaja. They join Jungle, Peggy Gou, Fontaines D.C., Bat For Lashes, and Ladytron on the lineup for the 13-15 June event at Karri Koira Aino Areena in Helsinki.
Michael Kiwanuka, The Blaze, Soulwax’s DJ offshoot 2manydjs, and Jayda G have joined Spain’s Mallorca Live Festival, to be headlined by Blondie, Underworld, and Pet Shop Boys. The island festival is set for 13-15 June.
Additionally, festival brands are continuing to expand worldwide with new editions in different markets.
K-pop festival series Waterbomb Festival has announced its expansion, with new editions set for Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City and Dubai in 2024. The festival series, featuring Zico, Jay Park, and Simon Dominic, will also return to Bangkok for its second year, along with a handful of stops in South Korea and Japan.
Louis Tomlinson’s Away From Home Festival is set to return for its fourth edition, this time in Mérida, Mexico on 8 June. The one-day event, which has previously been held in the UK, Spain, and Italy, has not yet released its lineup.
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