#411

Bestival tickets have been sold 2-4-1 recently. Line-up is very noticeably massively scaled back on what they have had in the past:

http://www.bestival.net/line-up

Think it might be for the best if they call it a day, at least for a few years.

#412

I dunno whether I’ve not been paying attention to the line-ups in recent years, but got to say I was surprised at the quality of this years line-up. Feels like a few years ago they were pulling out headliners who maybe weren’t quite off the A-List but were pretty close, and slightly creative bookings to boot (Outkast, Beck before he was touring that often, Stevie Wonder, Elton John) and quite a strong undercard. This year’s doesn’t look anywhere near strong enough, although it’s probably not really aimed at me.

Maybe the fact it’s not on Isle of Wight anymore will offset that, always seemed like a massive pain in the arse to get to.

#413

Think they’ve sold out every year for ages now. They have a really great model, must be so much fun for them at this point.

#414

I have a real soft spot for Bestival as it’s where me and the TV met in 2009, both drawn there by a shared love of Kraftwerk. Went in 2010 and 2011 as well and there was just so many great acts each year. Despite the convenience of moving to the mainland, feel that it’s lost a little bit of its sparkle from not being the festival season closer anymore. When it was in September it was something to look froward to over the rest of the summer - now it’s just stuck in the middle of a load of similar festivals in August.

Just stumbled across this from last year which has some interesting Bestival insight:

https://www.ft.com/content/622d56e2-157f-11e7-b0c1-37e417ee6c76

Apologies for turning this thread into the Bestival nostalgia thread…

3 Likes
#415

I loved going to Bestival but haven’t been for a couple of years now. I think its USP – a bit of an adventure to get to, people dressing up, felt like a bit of a weird party to close the summer – just doesn’t feel unique enough anymore, and they’ve clearly struggled with the lineup this year. Stuff like Lovebox, The Mighty Hoopla, etc kind of ticks those boxes for people way earlier in the summer, and they’re less of a pain to get to as well.

I just don’t think there’s enough people willing to buy tickets to more than one festival in a summer just to get a similar experience. It’ll be interesting to see which ones take a break next year.

#416

DF Concerts have definitely spread themselves a bit too thin this year. The 5 day TRNSMT with the likes of Stereophonics and Queen filling headline slots was a misstep (and needed half price tickets to try and beef up attendance for the Queen day), and I’ve seen a two pretty much consecutive “limited time only” twofer offers for their Summer Sessions series.

Kendrick (despite being a rare quality booking by DF) was a pretty optimistic headliner for a 40,000 show anyway, having not quite managed to sell out the Hydro in February.

#417

Sheep shit, or bullshit?

1 Like
#418

A friend, used to attend a bar she worked at and really disliked her. Cant remember why. But apparently she was one of these people driven to become famous in any way she could.

#419

As someone who made one of these threads a few yeara back (maybe the first?) I want to defend against the critics.

Clearly festivals are more then the acts. I have enjoyed myself at local festivals with poor acts quite a lot. Far more then bigger corparate festivals (although unfortunately many local festivals are now corporately owbed which is why they all have more or less the same line up).

But I started the thread because I relised that the headliners for a fairly major festival were all mid 00s indie bands. That festival line ups are now largerly nostalgia fests.

Rather then promoting newer bands and maybe have one or two big old acts to pull we are seeing all mid 00 acts in the first 2 rows and thats depressing.

This is even worse at local festival, who not too long ago promoted current, mid sized acts, as headliners. Now they go for mid tier 90s or 00 bands. So you get Ash, Maximo Park etc headlining dozens of festivals.

Wheres the fresh stuff coming through? I get it the market is difficult but with stupid number of festivals that exist now maybe you can take a risk. That festival I used you love kept playing it safe and ended up broke. I was laughing at the homoginised depressing nature of these line ups. Of course many of these festivals are no doubt good fun.

#420

Some awful acts down the list but actually dont mind this line up. Kendrick is clearly worth catching. Post Malone is hugely successful and hard to catch on this side of teh Atlantic and Skepta is a good call.

The rest normal guff that leeds and reading has been serving for a few years. They were a bit stuck tbf. You cant always have the Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys headlining.

They took a risk by brining in more contemporary acts although it will really piss off some of the base that goes to these music festivals. But perhaps it will bring in some younger people to replace them. They have on of the biggest commercial acts in the world and one of the most critically acclaimed. You would have to go way back to find the last time Reading/Leeds offered that.

#421

I haven’t listened fully to the 1 Xtra stage yet, but It’s ok for my tastes, but does lack pedigree, with the Sunday expecially lacking anything I personally care much for in the evening. i mean just compare this year to what I saw there last year (sorry I haven’t sorted out the colours on this years, yet…

First Choices in Green:
https://clashfinder.com/s/read2018/?user=captainricebox&

Saw some of the Pink ones:
https://clashfinder.com/s/read2017/?user=captainricebox

Skepta pulled out as he was busy doing something, and they just bumped Diplo up

#422

Yeah its very weak down the list but I would argue that the headliners are better

#423

I cant believe Sum 41 are still a thing

2 Likes
#424

Kenrick and Muse are easilly the best headliners on each line up, the rest were/are pretty weak. I’ve seen FOB play that same stage as a joint headliner within the last 2 years and it was fine. KoL , meh, idk; P!atD are a band i really like, but have never been that exciting live and Kasabian, um, rooves.

#425

What even is that festival? Definitely not due to poor sales stemming from a lack of marketing? (Appreciate im not their target market)

#426

Likewise, but this was genuinely the first time I heard mention of it. Then to blame the farm! What a bunch of dicks.

#427

image

I would actually like to see Ultrasound.

#428

THE SEAHORSES (chris helme solo) :joy:so not the seahorses then…

6 Likes
#429

Playing the Lexington on the 25th of November (and Bedford on the 23rd and Leicester on the 22nd).

Tickets still available etc (although The Lexington has almost sold out…)

#431

So it’s DJ Soft-Play and MC Craft? Or are Soft-Play some horrible yacht-rock lounge tribute to Chris Martin and the boys?

3 Likes