Following their recent decision to end operations in Mallorca, the organisers of Ibiza Rocks have announced the launch of a new festival under the 'Rocks' banner in 2015 in Croatia, a joint venture with the country's existing Hideout Festival. The Croatia Rocks event will be more of a conventional festival, taking place from 20-23 Jul on Zrce Beach, with a mixture of DJs and live acts.
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Michael Eavis has confirmed that neither Fleetwood Mac or Queen would be playing Glastonbury in 2015. Speaking to Music Week, Eavis said, when asked if Queen and one-time bookies faves Fleetwood Mac might be taking the highest billing on the Pyramid Stage next year, Eavis said: "Queen? Not Queen, no. Fleetwood Mac don't seem to be available at the moment. But we've got three excellent headliners for next year". Picking up the 2014 Music Industry Trust Award, Eavis also said he would love to see a reformed Oasis and Taylor Swift at Worthy Farm. Portrait by Bea Gibsonl
Lollapalooza's organisers have confirmed the first ever German version of the event will take place at Tempelhof Airport on 12-13 Sep 2015, with US-based William Morris Endeavor and C3 Presents working in collaboration with Reading/Leeds/Melt! bookers Festival Republic. The Berlin festival will be Lollapalooza's first European event, sitting beside still-active sister events in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. Lollapalooza creator and one-time Jane's Addiction man Perry Pharrell says: "Berlin's energy, vibrant art, fashion and music scenes are a mirror reflection of what Lollapalooza is all about and I can't wait to share in this cultural exchange".
And Virtual Festivals reports that international festival brand Rock in Rio will make its debut in the USA next May. The festival will take place for the first time in Las Vegas, Nevada over two weekends, May 8 - 9 and May 15 - 16. The first weekend, from May 8-9, will be a 'Rock Weekend' and the second, from May 15-16, will be a 'Pop Weekend'. Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resort are already helping organisers build a brand new event space being called “The City of Rock”, large enough to hold more than 80,000 festival-goer each day. Metallica, Linkin Park, Deftones and No Doubt are the first acts announced for the 'Rock Weekend' at the inaugural edition of Rock in Rio USA. Taylor Swift, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Joss Stone are among the first acts announced for the 'Pop Weekend' of Rock in Rio USA.
BBC Radio 2's annual search for new folk talent, which has been a launch pad for acts including Bella Hardy, Jackie Oates and Jim Moray, returns for 2015.Emerging Folk artist or bands Nominee for the BBC's Young Folk Awards. Nominees are picked from 10 successful entrants in January 2015 at the Young Folk Award Weekend, and the final 4 acts chosen by a team of judges will go on to perform at the awards held in April.As well as the accolade, the winner will also get slots at Towersey Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and Fairport's Croperdy Convention. More here.
And Kendal Calling are calling out for emerging talent to join the award winning Cumbrian festival 'in the fields' for their special 10th Birthday celebration. So whether you are a band, DJ, comedian or poet, Kendal Calling would like to hear from you! More here.
And any bands, DJs, circus, cabaret, aerial performers, kids entertainers, artists, decoration peeps, traders, volunteers, healers or anyone with something they would like to bring to Eden Festival 2015, please send a message ASAP through the website http://www.edenfestival.co.uk/MAIN/?page_id=39
Taylor Swift has been confirmed as the first headliner for Barclaycard presents British Summer Time in Hyde Park in June 2015.
Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon have been working on a brand new event for 2015, a five-day festival in Mexico with not only music but golf tournaments and dinner parties on the offering. Ozzfiesta will be hosted by the five-star Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya next year, and appears to be a one-off Latin extension of the Osbournes’ annual Ozzfest tour. The festival will take place from Wednesday 27 - Sunday 31 May in the coastal region of Riviera Maya, Mexico and is being produced by Cool Breeze Concerts and Sharon Osbourne herself. Her husband Ozzy will headline a beachside stage on the final night the festival, which will also see performances from Black Label Society and several standup comics.
The Glastonbury Festival sold all of its general public admission tickets (120,000) in just 26 minutes on the morning of Sunday 5th October - a new record for the event. More than one milllion people had registered to buy tickets. A re-sale of returns will take place in April 2015. About 15,000 pre-sale tickets for coach users and 'green' visitors were sold earlier in the week.
Michael Eavis has told the Guardian was that Glastonbury's 50th anniversary might be the right time to personally retire from active involvement in the enterprise. He told the newspaper "I think I can run on another six years, which would take me up to 50 years, then [I'll] see what happens after that" adding "Every single person here last night wanted to shake my hand and say it's the best thing in their life. It really is quite phenomenal that appreciation of the event - 44 years and people love it more than ever". Eavis also told the paper that 2017 would be the festival's next fallow year, and that the Pyramid Stage headliners for 2015 were already booked, although he said the much rumoured Prince wasn't in the frame saying "We're always having a go at [getting] Prince", he admitted, talks seemingly getting further this year than most. "Most of the people in the world want to play here, so I did ask him to hop on the train and come down to Castle Cary station and I'll show him around the farm some time. [That offer] hasn't been taken up yet though". Eavis's daughter Emily Eavis said that her father had been enjoying the event, saying on the Monday "He got back at 4am last night! I think he got caught up in a singalong in the Underground Piano Bar, or something. But I think he’s thrilled with how this year went. He still absolutely loves it" and confirming that she and husband Nick Dewey "are already pretty far along with next year’s line-up" adding "we’ve nearly confirmed all three headliners. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s shaping up" and added on the future of the Festival "We’ve got an incredible wave of young people who are now heavily involved with this festival, along with all our fantastic long-term team. It’s an amazing position to be working alongside so many great creative minds, spending an entire year planning these hugely ambitious shows that exist for one weekend! So, yes, I’m very excited about the future. And not just for next year, but for many, many years to come."
Picture (c) 2013 Ben Challis.
