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Follow the Step to launch new festival in Warsaw

Follow the Step has revealed details of its new On Air Festival in Warsaw.

Tame Impala, Jorja Smith and Celeste will top the bill at the debut edition, which will take place at the 25,000-cap Bemowo Airport from 9-10 September.

The Polish agency describes the event as a mixture of Lovebox and Lollapalooza festivals, transferred to Warsaw, with top quality production and an atmosphere heralding the end of summer.

The first wave of acts  announced also includes The Comet is Coming, Tash Sultana, Alexandra Savior, Ralph Kamiński and Baasch.

Warsaw’s Bemowo Airport has previously hosted superstar acts such as Madonna and Metallica

Warsaw’s Bemowo Airport has previously hosted superstar acts such as Madonna and Metallica.

The area will be decorated with colourful installations and decorations designed for On Air, while the festival city will also include chillout zones, bars, food trucks and other attractions.

Early bird tickets are on sale at 89 PLN (€84) for a two-day season ticket and 249 PLN €54 for a one-day pass.

Follow the Step also organises Fest Festival, which welcomed 35,000 attendees over four days for last year’s edition, making it the biggest event in Poland in 2021.

 


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APE announces Tame Impala in UK exclusive

All Points East today (19 November) made its first line-up reveal for 2020, announcing Tame Impala as a UK-exclusive headliner on Saturday 23 May.

It will be the Australian psych-pop titans’ only British show of the year, and follow the February release of their fourth studio album, and first in five years, The Slow Rush. The Kevin Parker-led outfit headlined Coachella this April, and followed it up with a headline performance at the O2 in London in June and two sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden in August.

Tame Impala (pictured) released their latest single, the Supertramp-influenced ‘It Might Be Time’, in October.

Also playing All Points East on 23 May is Canadian composer-producer Caribou, who breaks his silence to perform his first new music in five years, and electro-indie heroes Glass Animals, who similarly returned recently with a new single, ‘Tokyo Drifting’.

Other performers include Whitney, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Kelly Lee Owens and Holy F, with more to be announced.

All Points East is Tame Impala’s only UK show in 2020

The line-up reveal comes as charity Attitude is Everything recognises All Points East for its commitment to accessibility, awarding the festival its ‘silver status’. Fellow AEG Presents-promoted festival, British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park, received the charity’s top gold status accolade earlier this year.

In addition to existing pre-bookable viewing platforms, hearing induction loops, designated entrance lanes and dedicated access customer service teams, All Points East is this year implementing Recite Me software to improve accessibility on its website.

The 40,000-capacity All Points East debuted to a “phenomenal” response in 2018, after AEG was awarded a five-year exclusive on the use of east London’s Victoria Park. It follows a similar format to AEG/Goldenvoice’s successful BST event in Hyde Park, combining two weekends of music with a BST-style free-to-access midweek offering, All Points East In the Neighbourhood.

The 2019 line-up included the Chemical Brothers, Hot Chip and Primal Scream (24 May), the Strokes, the Raconteurs and Interpol (25 May), Christine and the Queens, James Blake and Metronomy (26 May), Bring Me the Horizon and Run the Jewels (31 May), Bon Iver (2 June) and many more.

 


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Record-low waste levels for FKP Scorpio festivals

Over the 2019 festival season, German promoter FKP Scorpio reduced plastic waste across its festivals, as part of ongoing sustainability plans.

On average, fans attending twin festivals Hurricane and Southside produce six to eight kilograms of waste over four festival days.

Attendees of Hurricane 2019 generated 4.5 kilograms of waste per person, the lowest amount on record. Around one third of this waste can currently be recycled, with plans to increase this amount over the coming years.

The waste reduction is the result of the “Green Rocks” programme, launched in 2013 to improve cleanliness and sustainability at Hurricane and Southside, and to ensure FKP Scorpio communicates effectively around issues of sustainability.

New regulations include a ban on single-use plastics for vendors, sponsors and caterers, as well as a multi-platform online campaign encouraging festivalgoers to renounce plastic products and bring reusable alternatives.

Attendees of Hurricane 2019 generated 4.5 kilograms of waste per person, the lowest amount on record

Backstage, plastic bottle usage was reduced by 70%, following the introduction of reusable alternatives and water stations.

To make clean-up operations more efficient, maintenance teams mounted a two-metre wide magnet on the front of tractors to clear the ground of all magnetic waste such as cans, tent pegs and hairpins.

The introduction of recycling collection sacks, which could be handed in at stations around the festival site, allowed for more efficient and effective sorting of waste.

Performers at the 2019 festivals included Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons, the Cure and Tame Impala.

Hurricane and Southside return on 19 to 21 June 2020. The twin festivals recorded their best-ever presale for their 2020 events, selling 40,000 tickets in two days.

 


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Tame Impala agent Kevin French joins CAA

Kevin French, North American booking agent for Tame Impala, the National and the Decemberists, has reportedly joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA) after a decade at Paradigm.

French, the founder of Portland, Oregon’s, Bigshot Touring Artists, joined Paradigm Talent Agency in 2009, bringing acts including Sebadoh, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Walkman.

French will be based in the New York office, bringing Tame Impala along with the National, the Decemberists, Hamilton Leithauser, Tame Impala, Sharon Van Etten and Julien Baker, among others.

“I have always had tremendous respect for CAA’s music department, so I couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the team,” comments French. “I’m confident that the company’s collaborative culture, diverse clients and colleagues and entrepreneurial spirit will be a great fit for the next step in my career.”

“I have always had tremendous respect for CAA’s music department, so I couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the team”

Adds CAA’s co-head of contemporary music in North America, Darryl Eaton: “We could not be more excited to have Kevin join us.

“His impeccable taste, as reflected by his amazing client roster, coupled with his renowned character and leadership abilities, make him a huge asset for our colleagues and clients.”

Australian psych-rock act Tame Impala headlined Saturday at Coachella this year. The band, led by multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker, are booked by French in North and South America, Alistair Green’s Maker Agency in Australasia and Charlie Myatt at 13 Artists in Europe and RoW.

 


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Coachella 2019: weekend one round-up

The first weekend of Goldenvoice’s California-based festival took place from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 April, with headline performances from Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande.

Tickets for weekend one of the 125,00-capacity festival sold out in just forty minutes this year. Here’s what ticket holders experienced over Coachella’s opening weekend…

Performances
Ariana  Grande broke records as Coachella’s youngest-ever headliner, whereas Blackpink became the first all-female K-pop group to play at the festival.

Grande appeared on stage with a host of guests including *Nsync (without Justin Timberlake), Diddy, Mase and Nicky Minaj. Technical difficulties related to microphones affected Grande’s set, along with that of other performances over the weekend.

Donald Glover, who performs as Childish Gambino, was one among several acts to pay tribute to the late rappers Nipsey Hussle and Mac Miller.

Gambino also used the festival to premier the film Guava Island, in which he stars alongside Rhianna. The film is available to stream for free via the Coachella YouTube channel and Amazon Prime for the duration of the festival.

New additions
Coachella debuted its new augmented reality (AR) experience over the weekend at its AR-enabled Sahara Tent stage, where acts including Jaden Smith, Kid Cudi, Whiz Khalifa and Diplo performed.

“We want to provide fun and cutting edge experiences for the people who attend the show”

Fans were able to access AR filters through their phones using the Coachella Camera page of the festival app, superimposing outer space-themed objects onto the festival stage and throughout the tent. Festivalgoers could also save photos and videos of the AR experience.

“We want to provide fun and cutting edge experiences for the people who attend the show,” says a Goldenvoice spokesperson. “During sets, attendees can use a number of different AR filters that react to the audio coming out of the speakers.”

Another new addition at this year’s Coachella came in the form of on-site Amazon Lockers, enabling attendees to order festival-approved items including food products, phone chargers and suncream straight to the lockers on the Empire Polo Club grounds.

Health and safety
A fire broke out in a shower block located in the festival’s campsite, causing panic and distress among festivalgoers, many of whom posted videos of the incident on social media.

Firefighters attended the scene to quench the flames, containing the blaze within half an hour. One trailer was damaged and another destroyed. No injuries were reported.

The incident follows the death of the festival’s lead rigger during set-up on Saturday 6 April.

Coachella is back for weekend two from 19 to 21 April.

 


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Goldenvoice announces LA-based Coachella sideshows

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival promoter, Goldenvoice, has announced a series of LA-based concerts in support of the festival.

The 6th edition of Goldenvoice Presents April will take place throughout the greater Los Angeles area from 6 to 21 April, offering fans the opportunity to see some of Coachella’s participating artists in a more intimate setting.

The 35 shows include performances from the 1975, Mac Demarco, Pusha T, Playboi Carti, Chvrches and Blood Orange.

Coachella headliner Tame Impala is scheduled to perform at the 2,000-capacity Fox Theatre on 11 April, just two days before the band’s Coachella appearance. Fellow headliners, Childish Gambino and Ariana Grande, will not be participating in the Goldenvoice Presents April series.

https://twitter.com/goldenvoice/status/1096167204670898182

Mega-festival Coachella (125,000-cap.) returns to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on 12 to 14 April and 19 to 21 April. General admission tickets for this year’s festival sold out in under an hour.

The Coachella 2019 line-up sees artists including Janelle Monáe, Khalid, Weezer, Aphex Twin, and Billie Eilish perform alongside headliners Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande.

A complete list of Goldenvoice Presents April 2019 performers, dates, venues and ticket information can be found here.

 


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Speedy sell-out for Coachella 2019

Tickets for April’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2019 went on sale at 11 am PST on Friday 4 January. General admission passes for weekend one of the mega-festival had sold out just 40 minutes later, Billboard reports.

A post on the Coachella Twitter account announced that all remaining passes for both weekends of the festival, including shuttle and VIP tickets, had sold out six hours post release.

Event promoter Goldenvoice has since declared that a limited number of additional tickets will be available for purchase by local residents of Coachella Valley, on sale in early February. Buyers must reside in one of a small number of local post codes and will be able to buy just two tickets per weekend.

“General admission passes for weekend one of the mega-festival sold out in just 40 minutes”

Despite seemingly speedy sales, figures are down in comparison with previous years. Tickets for the 2017 and 2018 editions of Coachella sold out in half the time of this year’s batch, with all passes purchased after just three hours.

The festival will take place over two consecutive three-day weekends from 12 April. General admission tickets cost US$429, whereas weekend VIP tickets set buyers back just one dollar short of $1,000.

The 2019 festival will see headliners Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande and Tame Impala perform to fans in the heat of the California desert. It is a year of firsts for the increasingly pop-orientated event, as Grande will become the youngest-ever artist to headline the festival, and the fourth woman to do so.

The subject of headliners has proved controversial this year. Kanye West is believed to have dropped out of the billing in objection to stage restrictions, while Justin Timberlake is similarly rumoured to have backed out of his festival appearance following a persistent vocal cord injury.

 


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Coachella announces 2019 line-up

Goldenvoice has announced the line-up for April’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2019.

Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande will headline both weekends of the 125,000-capacity mega-festival, which returns to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on 12–14 April and 19–21 April.

Other notable performers include Janelle Monáe (pictured), the 1975, Khalid, Diplo, Weezer, Aphex Twin, Zed, Billie Eilish, Bassnectar and Christine and the Queens.

According to US gossip site TMZ (so take with a hefty pinch of salt), Kanye West pulled out at the last minute after a dispute over the size of the festival’s stages.

“It’s not the boomers’ Coachella anymore”

The 2019 line-up sees Coachella – widely regarded as marking the beginning of the international festival season – continuing the youth-focused booking philosophy demonstrated by last year’s Beyoncé-headlined event, with music industry pundit Bob Lefsetz writing in his popular Lefsetz Letter column that the bill is “an extremely accurate picture of what’s happening in music today, when it’s less about gravitas than social media presence, when the album is secondary to the single – when it’s not about history but today.”

“It’s not the boomers’ Coachella anymore, nor the Gen-Xers,” he adds.

Coachella 2019 tickets are on sale tomorrow (Friday 4 January) from Coachella.com, with single-weekend general admission passes starting at US$429.

See the full line-up below:

Coachella 2019 line-up

 


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