Euro festival preview: Paléo, Electric Castle, Tomorrowland
Continuing our weekly preview of European festivals, IQ gives readers a glimpse of what’s in-store this week…
In Switzerland, Paléo is gearing up for a banner edition having sold all 200,000 tickets for the 2024 event in just 21 minutes.
The 35,000-capacity festival will run in Nyon from 23-28 July, featuring acts such as Sam Smith, Burna Boy, Booba, Mika, Sean Paul, Major Lazer Soundsystem, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Patti Smith, The Blaze, Paul Kalkbrenner, Aurora and Royal Blood.
Paléo booker Dany Hassenstein spoke to IQ earlier this year about the festival’s longstanding bond with its audience.
Meanwhile, the stage has been set for Electric Castle‘s 10th-anniversary edition, which will welcome over 230,000 visitors to Transylvania’s 15th-century Banffy Castle.
Paléo is gearing up for a banner edition having sold all 200,000 tickets for the 2024 event in just 21 minutes
The Romanian festival will see acts including Massive Attack, Bring Me the Horizon, Chase & Status LIVE, Sean Paul, Paolo Nutini, and Khruangbin perform between 17–21 July.
Czech Republic’s Colours of Ostrava (17–20) also kicks off today, with Sam Smith, James Blake, Tom Morello, Lenny Kravitz, Sean Paul and Khruangbin among the top-billing acts.
The festival launched in Ostrava in 2002 and has become the country’s biggest international music festival.
Belgium’s biggest festival, Tomorrowland, will also take place this weekend with 400,000 guests.
Tickets for the 20th-anniversary edition sold out in less than a day, IQ reported in February.
The electronic music extravaganza is held across two weekends in Boom, Antwerp, from 19-21 and 26-28 July.
Tickets for the 20th-anniversary edition of Tomorrowland sold out in less than a day
Staged under the ‘LIFE’ theme, more than 400 acts including Armin van Buuren, Amelie Lens, Bonobo B2B Dixon, David Guetta, ANNA, Vintage Culture, Tale Of Us, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Solomun B2B Four Tet and Swedish House Mafia will appear across 16 stages.
In neighbouring Germany, Parookaville is ramping up for another sold-out edition with 225,000 attendees. The electronic music event has been sold out every year since launching in 2015.
Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Felix Jaehn, Hardwell, Timmy Trumpet and W&W are among 300+ DJs that are set to perform at this year’s instalment, at Weeze Airport between 19–21 July.
And, elsewhere, the gates to Super Bock Super Rock will open tomorrow, offering headline sets from Måneskin, 21 Savage and Stormzy.
Royal Blood, Tom Morello, Black Coffee, Slow J, Mahalia, Fisher, Vulfpeck and Will Butler are also slated to perform on Meco Beach, South Lisbon, from 18-20 July.
Other festivals due to kick off within the next week include Benicassim (ES), Positivus (LV), Ejekt Festival (GR), Lucca Summer Festival (IT) and Zwarte Cross (NL).
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2024 fests: Superbloom, Pinkpop, La Prima Estate
With the 2024 festival season now upon us, a number of forthcoming events are unveiling their completed bills.
Germany’s Superbloom Festival has announced OneRepublic as its final headliner, joining acts such as Sam Smith, Calvin Harris and Shirin David at Munich’s Olympic Park on 7-8 September. The 50,000-cap festival debuted in 2022 and will also feature The Chainsmokers, Burna Boy, Louis Tomlinson, Nothing But Thieves, RIN, Tokio Hotel, Niall Horan, Jorja Smith and Kenya Grace, among others.
In Portugal, Super Bock Super Rock will be headlined by Måneskin, 21 Savage and Stormzy, backed by the likes of Royal Blood, Tom Morello, Black Coffee, Slow J, Mahalia, Fisher, Vulfpeck and Will Butler on Meco Beach, South Lisbon, from 18-20 July.
Måneskin and Royal Blood will also grace legendary Dutch festival Pinkpop, which will also welcome superstars such as Calvin Harris, Ed Sheeran, Keane, Nothing But Thieves, Avril Lavigne, Hozier, Greta Van Fleet, Louis Tomlinson, Yungblud, Pendulum, Babymetal, James Arthur, Oliver Heldens, Corey Taylor and Jane’s Addiction to Landgraaf between 21-23 June.
Plus, the third edition of La Prima Estate in Tuscany, Italy, will star Peggy Gou, Paolo Nutini, Fontaines DC, Kasabian, Phoenix, Jane’s Addiction, Dinosaur Jr and Michael Kiwanuka across two weekends – 14-16 & 21-23 June.
Multi-day London open-air concert series South Facing Festival will host headliners Grace Jones (26 July), Future Islands (27 July), Popcaan’s Unruly Fest (28 July), The Roots, De La Soul and The Pharcyde (1 August), Cloud X (2 August),Major League DJz (3 August), Yussef Dayes presents Summer Dayes (4 August), Jess Glynne (9 August) and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley (10 August).
Meanwhile, the 12th Elbjazz Festival in Hamburg, Germany, will be topped by Faithless, Jungle, The Streets and BADBADNOTGOOD from 7-8 June.
Taking place in creative hub Nuanu City, 15 minutes outside of Canggu, from 26-28 July, Bali’s Suara Festival has dropped its phase two lineup with talent including Neil Frances, Youngr, Brandt Brauer Frick, Ramengvrl, Yung Raja and Aussies Angus and Julia Stone. Previously announced acts include LP Giobbi, HVOB (live), Rodriguez Jr. (live), Mansionair and Lastlings, as well as Geju, Deer Jade and Sainte Vie (live).
Elsewhere, Oasis Festival returns to the The Source in Marrakech, Morocco, from 6-8 September. Its first wave of acts includes Laurent Garnier, Jungle, Amine K, HAAi, Jyoty and TSHA.
And Latin music spectacular Besame Mucho Festival will return to Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium on 21 December, topped by Shakira. It will showcase more than 65 artists including Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Los Tigres del Norte, Juanes, Banda MS, Enanitos Verdes.
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Festivals 2024: Primavera, Superbloom, TRNSMT
Primavera Sound, Trnsmt and Superbloom are among the latest batch of European festivals to reveal their 2024 bills.
Set for 29 May to 2 June, the 22nd Primavera Sound Barcelona will be headlined by Lana Del Rey, Pulp and SZA. Other artists will include The National, PJ Harvey, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Disclosure, FKA Twigs, Justice and Mitski.
Once again, the lineup highlights the event’s commitment to equality (42.36% women, 42.36% men and 15.28% mixed projects), which has been its hallmark since the historic 2019 edition balanced the gender distribution for the first time.
Germany’s 50,000-cap Superbloom Festival, which debuted in 2022, returns to Munich’s Olympic Park on 7-8 September with artists such as Sam Smith, The Chainsmokers, Louis Tomlinson, Nothing But Thieves, RIN, Tokio Hotel and Kenya Grace.
Held on Glasgow Green, Scotland, from 12-14 July, DF Concerts’ TRNSMT will be topped by Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon and Calvin Harris. The bill will also include the likes of Garbage, Courteeners, Chase & Status, The Snuts, Rick Astley, Tom Grennan, Declan McKenna, Dylan John Thomas, Blossoms, Sugababes and Example.
Elsewhere, Metallica will star at the 10th anniversary of Norway’s Tons of Rock, set for 26-29 June in Oslo, joining the previously announced TOOL, Judas Priest and Greta Van Fleet.
“Bringing Metallica to Norway and Tons of Rock is bigger than words can describe”
“Bringing Metallica to Norway and Tons of Rock is bigger than words can describe,” says Tons of Rock CEO Jarle Kvåle. “The journey here is longer than anyone can imagine, but at the same time there has never been a shorter gap between us as fans and us organisers. Seeing Metallica is every metal fan’s childhood dream. To see them at Tons of Rock in our 10th year is indescribable.”
Finland’s Flow Festival will welcome Pulp, Fred again.., The Smile, PJ Harvey, Jessie Ware, Denzel Curry, Kenya Grace and Overmono, among others, to Helsinki for its 20th anniversary event from 9-11 August.
The UK’s All Points East, which has announced a naming rights partnership with Uber Eats, runs from 16-25 August. Promoter AEG Presents has confirmed Loyle Carner as its first headliner for 17 August. He will be joined at London’s Victoria Park by special guests Nas, Ezra Collective, Sainté, Joe James, ENNY and Navy Blue.
Portugal’s NOS Alive (11-13 July), which last week named Dua Lipa as its first act for 2024, has since added the Smashing Pumpkins, Khruangbin, Benjamin Clementine, Kenya Grace, Black Pumas and Nothing But Thieves.
Meanwhile, Måneskin have joined Dua Lipa and Foo Fighters as headliners of Belgium’s Rock Werchter from 4-7 July. The Italian rock band will also headline Portugal’s Super Bock Super Rock, which takes place from 18-20 July.
Croatia’s biggest open-air music festival INmusic, which pulled the plug on its 2023 edition due to a myriad of financial challenges, returns to Zagreb between 24-26 June next year, when it will feature artists including The National, Smashing Pumpkins, The Gaslight Anthem and Viagra Boys.
“It is a great honour for us to collaborate with such a significant excellence”
And Italy’s Lucca Summer Festival (LSF) has revealed the first four headliners for its 2024 series: Ed Sheeran (8-9 June), Rod Stewart (7 July), Kolkata (11 July), Diana Krall (15 July). The festival has announced a new sponsorship deal with Lucca-based U-Boat watches.
“It is a great honour for us to collaborate with such a significant excellence in the territory as U-Boat is,” says LSF founder Mimmo D’Alessandro, CEO of D’Alessandro e Galli. “Two great realities that meet and collaborate for the city and for the Lucca Summer Festival project represent an important example of mutual support and that of the city.”
Plus, Lollapalooza India is back for its second edition from 27-28 January, featuring headliners Sting, Jonas Brothers, Halsey and OneRepublic at Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai. The event will also welcome acts such as Keane, Lauv, Jungle, Royal Blood, JPEGMAFIA, Meduza, Malaa, Caribou and The Roseat.
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Global Promoters Report: Portugal
The Global Promoters Report, a first-of-its-kind resource that highlights the world’s leading promoters and the 40 top markets they operate in, is now available to subscribers of IQ.
In an excerpt from the guide, IQ delves into a key stop-off on all major European tours and the Latin foothold on the doorstep of Europe: Portugal.
Come to Portugal, they say, and get the world. A key stop-off on all major European tours by the biggest international stars, it’s also the Latin foothold on the doorstep of Europe, opening this sunny corner of the continent to acts and outdoor events from Africa and South America.
It’s in Lisbon that Brazil’s mammoth Rock in Rio extravaganza found its second home, bringing the likes of Muse, Post Malone, Duran Duran, and Black Eyed Peas to the 80,000-capacity Bela Vista Parque in June. And it’s here that major promoters including Everything Is New, Ritmos E Blues, Better World, PEV Entertainment, and Música No Coração have seen a steady return to pre-pandemic numbers, thanks to a pancultural scene mingling rock, pop, and rap with afro and Latin music.
“People were eager to get out,” says Paulo Dias, general manager of UAU, who were proud of their ability to revive the stalled 2020 STOMP shows in Portugal to full houses in 2022, precisely two years after the production was mothballed when the pandemic struck. “We still had parts of the set at the theatre, kept there since 2020! At the moment, the main problem is that there are too many shows available for a market which is not so big. And with the financial crisis on the horizon, I’m afraid we won’t have enough public buying tickets for everything on offer.”
“At the moment, the main problem is that there are too many shows available for a market which is not so big”
Yet more and more people are coming to Portugal. Tourism has boomed during 2022, and immigration has helped boost the entertainment industry. “There are very new opportunities and challenges in Portugal with the amount of foreigners moving here,” says Música No Coração MD Luis Montez. “Portugal is a very safe and economic country, with beautiful weather. It’s the best for outdoor events.”
And one of the most flexible and professional, too, as Música No Coração (MNC) proved by relocating the annual Super Bock Super Rock festival from Meco beach to Lisbon’s Parque das Nações for 2022, a feat the team achieved in just 48 hours after fire regulations were put in place around the original forested site. A$AP Rocky, Foals, and C. Tangana headlined the festival, one of MNC’s proudest moments of the year alongside Now United’s four arena gigs and the MEO Sudoeste festival in Odemira, featuring Major Lazer, Rex Orange County, and Steve Aoki.
“There are amazing conditions,” says Montez of the state of the market. “Prices in Portugal are still very good, and our professionals are highly qualified. [Although] with the rise of the cost of living, we ́ve noticed that people are buying tickets closer to the show date, and due to that we are thinking about introducing payment by instalments for our music festivals.”
“Prices in Portugal are still very good, and our professionals are highly qualified”
Montez points to beachside festivals such as Rolling Loud, held at Portimão on the Algarve, as examples of events that utilise the country’s strengths to the utmost advantage, and to November’s alternative music bonanza Super Bock em Stock in Lisbon as evidence that Portugal can host some of the finest off-season, city-based showcase festivals in the world. He does highlight one particular summer drawback, however. “Touring productions need to pay special attention to the flights,” he says. “Our airports are completely full during summer.”
Beyond solid audience connection and promotion on the myriad of online platforms, Montez says festivals such as Super Bock em Stock are key to breaking through on the Portuguese grassroots scene. “To have the opportunity to play live is the best promotion for an artist,” he says. “The grassroots scene is mixing a lot of traditional sounds with electronic music. Afro, funk, and electronic indie genres are surging a lot. EDM is declining a bit because there ́s nothing very new and awesome coming up.”
Despite some pandemic talent stagnation, Montez predicts a solid future for Portugal’s globally welcoming live industry. “With the improvement of the economic situation, the market will grow,” he says, “and the charger will be the great growth of music from Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Brazil.”
The Global Promoters Report is published in print, digitally, and all content is also available as a year-round resource on the IQ site. The Global Promoters Report includes key summaries of the major promoters working across 40+ markets, unique interviews and editorial on key trends and developments across the global live music business.
To access all content from the current Global Promoters Report, please click here.
Bilbao, Exit, Primavera and more add to 2023 lineups
Next year’s European festival season is taking shape, with more line-up announcements from Bilbao BBK Live, Exit festival, Super Bock Super Rock and Primavera Sound Porto.
Spain’s Bilbao BBK Live is scheduled to return to Kobetamendi between 6 and 8 July 2023 for a 16th edition, headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine and The Chemical Brothers.
Phoenix, Fever Ray, Duki, M83, IDLES, Dry Cleaning, The Blaze, Jamie xx, Röyksopp and The Murder Capital are also on the bill.
Bilbao BBK Live promoter The Last Tour is also behind Cala Mijas, Meo Kalorama, Azkena Rock Festival and BIME Live.
In neighbouring Portugal, the promoters of Primavera Sound Porto announced what they describe as “the best lineup in its history” for the festival’s 10th anniversary.
Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalia, Pet Shop Boys, FKA twigs, Halsey, The Mars Volta, St. Vincent, Le Tigre and My Morning Jacket top the poster.
the promoters of Primavera Sound Porto announced what they describe as “the best lineup in its history”
They are joined by Isabella Lovestory, The Comet Is Coming, Bad Religion, Baby Keem, Julia Holter, Núria Graham, Sparks, Darkside, NxWorries, Fred again.., Pusha T, Yard Act, and many more.
The festival will take place at Parque Cidade between 7–10 June 2023, with tickets starting from €170.
Elsewhere in the country, Super Bock Super Rock will return to Meco, Lisbon, in July 2023, after three years away.
The 1975, Jame Murphy, Franz Ferdinand, Black Country, New Road, Sampha The Great and L’Impératice will help ring in the 27th edition, slated for 14–16 July at Meco Beach, Sesimbra.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s Exit festival will return to the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia, between 6–9 July 2023, with acts including The Prodigy, Skrillex, Hot Since 82, Camelphat and more.
As reported last week, the Prodigy’s headline set will feature a special laser projection of their late frontman Keith Flint.
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