UK fest cancelled due to ‘oversaturated market’
The UK’s This is Tomorrow festival has been cancelled for 2022, with organisers blaming an “oversaturated market” for the decision.
The 15,000-cap event in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park sold out last year, when it featured performances by headliners including Sam Fender, Gerry Cinnamon and Dermot Kennedy. It was set to return from 3-5 June, but no acts had been announced and the event has now been pushed back to 2023.
“We are sorry to tell you that we have taken a business decision to not run This Is Tomorrow festival this year,” says a festival statement. “It’s disappointing we know, but we can promise you a seriously strong line up of acts when we come back with a bigger and better event on 26-28 May in 2023.
“We appreciate your support in buying early bird tickets for this year but, with an oversaturated market and an ongoing economic crisis, 2022 is not the time for the festival to expand further and build on last year’s success.”
“The recent discussions and restrictions placed on the licence for Exhibition Park present a challenge, but this is not the reason we are choosing to have a year off”
Kilimanjaro Live stepped in to stage This is Tomorrow 2021, held last September, after allegations of inappropriate behaviour and bad business practices” were levelled against Newcastle-based promoter SSD Concerts. The claims also led to mass cancellations at SSD’s Hit The North Festival in Newcastle last October after the firm released the findings of an independent investigation.
Chronicle Live reports that Newcastle City Council imposed strict new limits on large-scale events in Exhibition Park – including heavier restrictions on noise levels – following a flurry of complaints from residents regarding last year’s festival. However, organisers say that was not a factor in the cancellation.
“The recent discussions and restrictions placed on the licence for Exhibition Park present a challenge, but this is not the reason we are choosing to have a year off, and we are looking forward to This is Tomorrow returning to its traditional place in the calendar during the May bank holiday weekend,” adds the statement.
“We have begun the process of refunding all of you who took advantage of the early bird offer – and we hope to be in a position very soon when we can announce our exciting plans for 2023.”
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Mass cancellations at Hit The North Festival
Newcastle’s Hit The North Festival was hit by mass cancellations due to allegations levelled against promoter SSD Concerts.
Sports Team, Lang, Noisy, The Goa Express, Andrew Cushin and Hi Sienna were among acts to pull out of Saturday’s (23 October) multi-venue city festival, which was headlined by DMA’s.
A crowdfunding campaign has subsequently been set up by event manager Cole Gilroy to help cover the costs of the artists that withdrew from the event.
It followed an independent investigation into claims of “inappropriate behaviour and bad business practices” within Newcastle-based SSD, the findings of which were released by the firm last week. IQ has approached the company for comment.
In a lengthy Facebook post, the promoter acknowledged it “could, and should, have done better” in terms of the latter complaint, but added that “no evidence of racism, misogyny or sexual misconduct was found” against MD Steve Davis.
The report concluded the “level of familiarity” between employees and Davis had “blurred the boundaries of professional relationships within the workplace”.
“Some ACAS courses were booked for attendance by Steve Davis and other employees with management responsibilities,” it added. “This would go some way to help provide some understanding with regards to the issues related to harassment, equality, diversity, and inclusivity.
“The reflections of Steve Davis are reassuring. He has a level of awareness from this process and these events and will not engage in any contact or conversation that could lend itself to misinterpretation again in the future, reinforced by the fact there is now executive director awareness and oversight.”
This has been a very sobering process to go through
The allegations first came to light in the spring, when they were posted on workplace review website Glassdoor and shared on the company’s Instagram account after it was reportedly hacked by an ex-employee.
In April, Davis announced he had resigned with immediate effect and would take no further part in the running of the company. However, he is still listed as a director of the firm on Companies House.
“This has been a very sobering process to go through,” said Davis. “I haven’t always got things right and if this has affected anyone, I am sorry. I thank all staff past and present for their honesty and feedback which will help the business move forward. I’d like this to be a huge learning experience and I am determined that within a short period of time SSD is being recognised by others as being the fantastic, creative, safe and happy place to work that it now is.”
The company runs four music festivals – This Is Tomorrow, Hit the North, Bingley Weekender and Corbridge festival – and five venues in Newcastle and Tynemouth. In July 2020, the company launched the UK’s first dedicated socially distanced music venue, the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle.
Kilimanjaro Live stepped in to present this year’s edition of This Is Tomorrow in September after artists including headliner Sam Fender cut ties with SSD.
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UK promoter Magnitude Live launches
Newcastle, UK-based event production company Ingenious Events Group has launched Magnitude Live, a new national promoter headed up by Kieran Stewart, formerly of SSD Concerts.
At SSD – responsible for last summer’s socially distanced Unity Arena – Stewart worked across the company’s portfolio of events and venues, including festivals This is Tomorrow (15,000-cap.) and Hit the North (5,000-cap.) and venues Riverside and Think Tank (350-cap.).
Operating out of Ingenious Events’ Newcastle office, Magnitude Live will focus on “bringing a new wave of artists to the forefront of UK music, offering opportunities to independent artists and delivering a diverse programme of live music entertainment across the country”, according to Ingenious.
“This is a fresh start and the possibilities are endless”
“I’m excited for this new opportunity and taking the reins driving forward this new division, which I believe will be an excellent addition to both the north-east and national music scenes,” says Stewart. “This is a fresh start and the possibilities are endless. We’re looking forward to getting back into venues with some amazing talent as we begin to return to live.”
Ingenious Events Group director Daniel Burnett adds: “This is an extremely exciting move for the company, and with Kieran’s invaluable expertise within the industry I really feel we have the key to bringing a plethora of fantastic live events nationwide. After over a year of isolation we are ready to hit the ground running, bringing gig-goers and fans up and down the country exactly what they have been waiting for.”
Upcoming Magnitude Live shows include Sigma, James Hype, Karen Harding, Shane Codd and Harlee. The company has also struck an exclusive ticketing deal with See Tickets.
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SSD Concerts boss quits following allegations
Steve Davis, the managing director of Newcastle-based promoter SSD Concerts, has resigned with immediate effect following allegations of inappropriate behaviour at the company.
The company runs four music festivals – This Is Tomorrow, Hit the North, Bingley Weekender and Corbridge festival – and five venues in Newcastle and Tynemouth. In July 2020, the company launched the UK’s first dedicated socially distanced music venue, the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle.
The allegations about SSD Concerts were posted on workplace review website Glassdoor last week and subsequently shared on the company’s Instagram account, when it was reportedly hacked.
According to a statement posted on SSD Concerts’ instagram yesterday (5 March), Davis will take no further part in the running of the company. He said: “It would appear some people have been upset or made to feel uncomfortable while working at SSD and for that I’m truly sorry.”
The news was also confirmed to NME by Davis’s representative.
According to the statement, an outside organisation will be conducting an independent investigation into recent claims and will act as a point of contact for complaints.
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Anyone who would like to raise a complaint directly to SSD Concerts’ head of HR can email [email protected]
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New lockdown forces early Unity Arena closure
The final shows at the UK’s socially distanced Unity Arena will no longer be able ahead after the government announced new lockdown restrictions in north-east England.
Promoter SSD Concerts confirmed today (17 September) that shows by Jack Savoretti (Friday 18 September), Kaiser Chiefs (Saturday 19 September) and Declan McKenna (Sunday 20 September), as well as 19 September’s Bongo’s Bingo event, have been called off. Tonight’s Chase & Status show will go ahead as planned.
Since opening its doors in August, Unity Arena has hosted the UK’s only major live shows since March, welcoming more than 50,000 fans in total and employing over 200 staff and crew.
Jim McGee of Engine No.4, the production company behind the venue, told IQ last month that he’s proud to have been involved in its creation, noting that the open-air venue – which separates fans with a 2m gap between viewing areas – could be used as a model while social distancing is necessary. “A lot of hoops have had to be jumped through to make this work, and it isn’t particularly economically sustainable, but what we’ve managed to create could be used as a model going forwards,” he explained.
Since launching, Unity Arena has welcomed performers including Van Morrison, Sam Fender, the Libertines, Supergrass, Ronan Keating and comedian Jimmy Carr.
Commenting on the early closure of the venue, SSD’s Steve Davis says: “It is extremely disappointing to have to cancel these final shows at the end of what has been an incredible six week run of successfully socially distanced concerts. We’re honoured to have been able to provide a little happiness and joy to thousands of music and comedy fans throughout the region and the UK, in what has been such a tough 2020 for everyone.
“We have complied with all government guidance to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our audience, artists and crew throughout. We’d like to thank all who attended these genuinely heartwarming and uplifting events. For the last six weeks, Newcastle has been the leading light for the live music industry and for that, we should all be very proud.
We’d like to thank all who attended these genuinely heartwarming and uplifting events
“Unfortunately, due to the rise in infections in the north east, we must comply with the council’s and the government’s latest advice. This should not take away from the fact that the people of the north east and from all over the world have embraced this pioneering run of shows.
“On behalf of everyone involved – our sponsor, Virgin Money; Newcastle City Council; the dedicated crew and staff who have worked so hard to make this a success – again I thank you so much. Sadly, the new lockdown measures will bring an end to our run, but the safety and the wellbeing of the people of the north east is our prime and utmost concern.”
As of this evening, the north-east of England – Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Gateshead, Northumberland, South Tyneside and County Durham – is subject to new restrictions, including a 10pm curfew, to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
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The perfect storm: Inside the UK’s only live shows
Selling over 72,000 tickets for a concert series that began when live shows in the UK were – strictly speaking – not allowed, is no small undertaking. But then neither is building a new outdoor arena for shows at a time when strict social distancing rules are in place.
“All the things that could have gone wrong would’ve gone wrong on the opening weekend but they didn’t,” says Jim Gee, a director at Manchester-based production company, Engine No.4.
Gee and his team have spent the last few months working tirelessly on the launch of the UK’s only major summer concert series of 2020 at the country’s first socially distanced arena in Newcastle. And it’s a remarkable story in a time of lockdowns, postponements and cancellation.
The Virgin Money Unity Arena is set to host 29 events in 26 days, featuring artists including Supergrass, The Libertines and Maximo Park.
Sam Fender opened the series on 11 August with a sold-out show, which Gee deems were an enormous success despite the high stakes. “We went from never having done this kind of event before, straight to a full-capacity for the first show but it opened with a bang,” he says.
“We went from never having done this kind of event before, straight to a full-capacity for the first show”
The 2,500-capacity shows are the vision of SSD Concerts boss Steve Davis, with whom Engine No.4 worked on Newcastle-based festival This Is Tomorrow.
Having one pandemic project under their belt already – the UK’s first socially distanced dining concept, Platform 15, at Escape to Freight Island at Depot Mayfield, Manchester – Engine No.4 was the ideal choice for Davis and SSD, and the team set to work on finding the perfect site for the concert series they’d dreamt up.
“We looked at various places around Newcastle and the Racecourse ticked all the boxes. We needed a big car park capacity, a big arena capacity and a big capacity in between those sites for walking and socially distanced queueing,” explains Gee.
The site features 500 viewing platforms each accommodating up to five people. Attendees were given 20-minute slots in which to arrive, though Gee says that was the only aspect that didn’t quite go to plan on the first night.
Avoiding queues was one of the key factors in the event running smoothly, along with space and sanitation
“The thing that slightly caught us off guard was how quickly people arrived. They were raring to get in ahead of their segmented times so we ended up having slightly longer queues getting into the event than anticipated, but we tweaked that after the first night,” he says.
Avoiding queues was one of the key factors in the event running smoothly, along with space and sanitation, says Gee. And the rest is “purely common sense and over-speccing things”.
“Over-speccing things” meant equipping the arena with 150 hand sanitizer stations; eight food operators; more bar frontage; and approximately four times more toilets than an event of that size would usually require.
But of course, over-estimating facilities is just one of the factors driving up costs for an event like this. “Holding an event for 2,500 with facilities that could normally take 35-40,000 people clearly isn’t a brilliant financial model,” he laughs.
Gee notes that for events like these, commercial support from sponsors like Virgin Money is crucial. He also says that although the financial model of socially-distanced events like this one isn’t sustainable, it is a step closer towards a viable model.
“There was a lot of stakeholders working together in the perfect storm”
“I think you can mitigate those costs in some way with the length of the run,” he says. “What we’ve done here is a bit like the venue model. If you can create a temporary venue and put enough shows into that venue then at some point you might start to break even and maybe make a bit of money but to try and do this for a weekend or a festival or a week doesn’t make sense,” he adds.
The desired time frame was another crucial consideration when choosing the site, says Gee, but the Racecourse was able to provide the licences and planning permission required for the event.
However, the success of the event wasn’t just down to right place, right time. “There was a lot of stakeholders working together in the perfect storm,” says Gee, crediting the enthusiasm of Newcastle City Council, the emergency services, Virgin Money and the artists who have to “buy into the concept”.
According to Gee, the series has been such a success so far, Newcastle City Council has been approached by a number of other local authorities asking for pointers. On top of that, the Department for Culture, Media and Sports and Public Health England has accepted an invitation to view the systems in place.
“A lot of hoops have had to be jumped through to make this work and it isn’t particularly economically sustainable but what we’ve managed to create could be used as a model going forwards,” says Gee.
This article forms part of IQ’s Covid-19 resource centre – a knowledge hub of essential guidance and updating resources for uncertain times.
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Boost for Manchester nightlife as new venue opens
A brand-new, socially distanced outdoor events space is preparing to open in Manchester city centre this weekend, as news comes that two of the city’s music venues – Gorilla and Deaf Institute – have been saved from closure.
Escape to Freight Island, the brainchild of veteran Manchester DJs Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford (The Unabombers), together with Gareth Cooper of Festival No.6/Broadwick Live, Jon Drape of Engine No.4 and venue operator Dan Morris, is a large, socially distanced food and entertainment complex launching at Broadwick’s 10,000-capacity Depot Mayfield site this weekend.
The space can hold up to 600 people while complying with social distancing rules, with plans to bring the capacity up to 2,500 once measures relax. Platform 15 is the first part of the complex to open, with the full launch to follow.
DJ Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy will perform at Platform 15 on its opening night on Friday (24 July), with Mr Scruff, Mikey D.O.N. and Jamie Groovement playing the following evening. Norman Jay MBE and Mass will close out Escape to Freight Island’s inaugural weekend on Sunday.
Other acts scheduled to play at Platform 15 include Gilles Peterson, Erol Alkan and Greg Wilson, with events organised in conjunction with Manchester Pride, Festival No.6 and We Out Here Festival, and venue Band on the Wall, among others.
The space is all seated, with all food and drink ordered via an app and QR system. Fans must book in advance, with groups of up to 12 permitted. A staggered arrival system, managed queuing and toilet areas and extra hygiene precautions all form part of the complex’s social and safe manifesto.
“Platform 15 will give a flavour of what is to come when we launch the full Escape to Freight Island experience, so let’s all meet at Platform 15 to begin our escape to freedom,” comments Cowdrey.
“Let’s all meet at Platform 15 to begin our escape to freedom”
The opening of the new venue comes as many around the UK, and the world, struggle under the financial pressures of Covid-19.
Manchester venues Gorilla (600-cap.) and Deaf Institute (260-cap.) last week announced they were closing their doors permanently due to the pandemic. However, it emerged yesterday (22 June) that the venues have now been acquired by venue group Tokyo Industries (TI).
TI founder Aaron Mellor says the group has been working together with promoter SSD Concerts – which is launching the UK’s first socially distanced arena next month – and the Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess, to come up with ways “to help save both venues and their existing operating style in a post-Covid world.”
“So, looks like the story is out Deaf Institute and Gorilla have been saved and will be kept as live music venues as we know and love them,” writes Burgess in a Twitter post.
“I’ve been talking with the new owners over the weekend and we’ll be doing all we can to help with the next chapter.”
Manchester night-time economy advisor and Parklife founder Sacha Lord thanked mayor Andy Burnham for “helping to raise the profile” of the two venues’ plight.
“Great news…all done within four working days. Jobs saved and two of the city centres best live music venues kept alive,” tweeted Lord.
Bookings for Escape to Freight Island can be made here.
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Socially distanced Unity Arena announces opening line-up
UK promoter SSD Concerts has announced the opening line-up for its new Unity Arena near Newcastle.
The 2,500-capacity venue – the first of its kind – ensures social distancing with a “parking-to-platform” system that sees concertgoers arrive by car and then proceed to a dedicated viewing platform located at least 2m from other viewing areas.
Unity Arena will open on 14 August with a DJ set by broadcaster Craig Charles, with the first live concert performance coming courtesy of Two Door Cinema Club the following night.
They are followed Supergrass on Saturday 22 August, Tom Grennan on Thursday 27 August, the Libertines on Saturday 29 August and Maximo Park on Saturday 5 September.
“We’re excited to be working with artists who have the same desire to make something happen during difficult times”
The first slate of programming also includes three comedy performances, from Jason Manford on 30 August and Bill Bailey on both 1 and 2 September.
Steve Davis of SSD Concerts, which – backed by sponsor Virgin Money and production company Engine No 4, is the driving force behind the arena – comments: “We’re excited to be working with artists who have the same desire to make something happen during difficult times for the industry and the general public.
“The rock’n’roll, can-do attitude of the artists performing and the team behind Virgin Money Unity Arena will make these shows ones to remember for the rest of our lives.
“We were determined to make this special, and hopefully today’s line-up is a strong statement of intent. We’re not finished yet and we’ll be announcing yet more acts soon.”
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‘First socially distanced arena’ launches in UK
A new outdoor venue, billed as the UK’s first dedicated socially distanced music venue, will launch in Newcastle, in the north-east of England, this summer.
Unity Arena, sponsored by Virgin Money, will be located at Newcastle Racecourse in Gosforth Park, around four miles from Newcastle city centre, and open soon after its first line-up announcement on Tuesday 7 July.
The venue, the brainchild of regional promoter SSD Concerts, will be built in partnership with production company Engine No 4 (Parklife, Kendal Calling). SSD, the organiser of This is Tomorrow festival, promises a completely socially distanced “parking-to-platform experience” offering “full safety” for concertgoers.
Punters will stand on viewing platforms placed two metres apart, with food and drinks available for preorder. A one-way system, meanwhile, will allow for the “safe and full use” of toilet facilities.
Unity Arena will have a capacity of 2,500, a spokesperson tells IQ, with organisers promising a “festival experience” with “full production”.
“This feels like a unique opportunity to celebrate music and all the wonderful emotions that come with it”
Steve Davis, managing director of SSD, says: “Since all of our scheduled concerts have been postponed to later in the year and all venues in the city closed, the staff at SSD had a willingness to continue.
“We can’t be without music during these times, so our only thought has been how can we bring music back to the British public safely and responsibly.
“We have been hosting loads of live sessions and DJ sets across our social media, supporting local artists and raising money for the NHS. Now, we’re taking it one step further as the UK slowly comes out of lockdown.
“Working with our brand new partner Virgin Money has been exciting, and we think, even in these hard times, the people of the north east will come out in their thousands to see the artists they love.”
Helen Page, group brand and marketing director of Virgin Money, adds: “This feels like a unique opportunity to celebrate music and all the wonderful emotions that come with experiencing it live alongside other music fans. We’re looking forward to partnering with the Unity Arena on this event near to our Virgin Money home in Gosforth.”
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