mxdwn.co.uk » festivals 2021

Eddie Vedder Releases New Single “Long Way” And Announces Pre-Sale For Special Edition Vinyl

Sophia Elizabeth Tuck — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 22:20:23 +0000

Musical icon Eddie Vedder has released a new single entitled “Long Way”, Vedder dropped his new release on Wednesday 8th September 2021.

The new single released via Seattle Surf/Republic Records sees Vedder work with producer Andrew Watt. “Long Way” marks the first collaboration between Vedder and the American producer, Watt can also be heard playing guitar and bass on the new track. Often known as WATT, the 30-year-old producer has worked with some of music’s most popular artists including Justin Bieber, Post Malone and Rita Ora.

The press release for the new single describes the duo’s partnership: “Vedder’s iconic vocals shine through as Watt’s production drives home the emotions of the track.” Other iconic musicians have also lent their talents to Vedder’s new track including Benmont Tench member of American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Tench lends his skills via a Hammond B3 organ, Josh Linghoffer former Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist plays guitar and piano, the song’s percussion is supplied by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.

“Long Way” is the first song to be taken from the frontman’s upcoming new solo album Earthling, the singer’s new album has not yet been given a release date. The new album will follow Vedder’s 2020 solo EP Matter of Time and the original soundtrack for motion picture Flag Day released on 20th August 2021. Within the soundtrack, Vedder has collaborated with Glen Hansard on eight new compositions for the film’s soundtrack. The soundtrack for Flag Day boasts an impressive roster of further collaborators including celebrated singer-songwriter Cat Power, Power works with Vedder and Hansard on three new tracks and a cover.

The soundtrack also features Vedder’s daughter Olivia Vedder, Vedder makes her musical debut on two tracks. Released via Seattle Surf and Republic Records, the new soundtrack is available from all streaming services and is also able to pre-order on wax via PearlJam.com’s shop.

Hansard is no stranger to soundtrack work, the 51-year-old artist is best known for his appearance in the BAFTA award-winning motion picture The Commitments. Based on the 1987 novel by Roddy Boyle, the story was adapted for the big screen by Alan Parker and told the tale of an Irish Soul band, the film was released in 1991 and has since acquired a cult following. Since its release, the film’s soundtrack has become a critical and commercial success and a second instalment was released a year after. Vedder is also known for his work within Soundtracks and film scoring, in 2007 the “Even Flow” singer penned the soundtrack for Into The Wild. The soundtrack was released on 18^th September 2007 via J Records and not only marked the singer’s first soundtrack release but also marked his debut solo album release.

Along with the news of his new single Vedder has also announced that pre-order sales for a special limited edition 7-inch Vinyl for “Long Way” are now open, fans will be able to pre-order the new single in this allusive format, the Vinyl release will also include another new song “The Haves”. The Vinyl release will also include a digital download and is available to pre-order through Pearl Jam’s Ten Club fan organization.

Vedder will be hitting the road this year with his legendary band Pearl Jam, the group will play the festival Sea.Hear.Now held at Asbury Park, NY on 18th-19th September 2021. The band will also appear at other festivals, Ohana Festival on 26th September 2021 and Ohana Festival’s Encore Weekend held on 1st-2nd October 2021. Vedder will also perform a solo set at Ohana Festival on 25th September 2021, the event is held at Dana Point, CA.

Click here to listen to “Long Way“.

Click here to pre-order “Long Way” Special edition Vinyl.

Click here to listen to Flag Day Soundtrack.

Click here to pre-order Flag Day Soundtrack on Vinyl.

Gorgon City Announce London Festival

Amiee PreFontaine — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 15:03:30 +0000

Electronic duo Gorgon City have announced that they will be throwing their own festival this summer. The pair took to Twitter to announce the event which will feature themselves alongside producer and DJ Sonny Fodera.

Can’t believe we’re actually saying this… We are throwing a festival in London on 7th August 2021

1 Day, 1 Stage – ourselves & @sonnyfodera

7th August // Finsbury Park // ALL DAY!

Sign-Up link here: https://t.co/7bpc7nkocf pic.twitter.com/BRYjQQg91e

— Gorgon City (@GorgonCity) March 2, 2021

The one-day festival is due to take place on the 7^th of August 2021 in Finsbury Park, a location known for hosting other music festivals such as Wireless or Community Festival. The festival, titled Back To Love is being described as “an all day, one stage festival celebrating everything we know & love about dancing to house music in the great outdoors.” The aim of the festival is to get ‘back to love’ following the extended hiatus of festivals and live music performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement comes weeks after the government shared plans to slowly lift restrictions and restore some normalcy following months of national lockdown.

News of the outdoor event comes as a sign of hope for fans and music lovers alike among the cancellation of other UK festivals. Glastonbury announced its cancellation for the second year in a row back in January, as did Download at the beginning of this month.

Gorgon City, made up of North London producers Kye “Foamo” Gibbon and Matt “RackNRuin” Robson-Scott have become well known for songs such as Ready For Your Love featuring MNEK which reached number 4 on the UK singles chart. Gorgon City are known for their frequent collaborations with other artists and producers which gives us hope that Back to Love may bring some surprised and special guests.

As long as restrictions allow, the group are hoping to host 5000 fans in Finsbury Park this summer in what looks to be an exciting all-day party under the summer sun.

You can currently sign up for exclusive access to tickets here. Limited pre-sale tickets will go on sale on Thursday 4^th March at 10 am. Timings for general release are yet to be announced.

Festival Organiser Tells MPs Smaller Festivals Could Be Safe this Summer

Seth Walton — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 16:26:17 +0000

UK music festivals could be as “safe as Sainsbury’s” this summer, even with the ongoing implications of the coronavirus, MPs have heard. Rowan Cannon, of festival organisers Wild Rumpus, told the House of Commons Culture Select Committee that with the appropriate measures, smaller UK festivals could be safe to go ahead.

“The idea that the festivals can’t go ahead and be socially-distanced is inaccurate,” Cannon told MPs. Cannon implored the committee to review the restrictions enveloping the live music sector, asking for each festival to be addressed on a case-by-case basis instead of a blanket ban. The hearing takes place following the regrettable decision to cancel the Glastonbury Festival for the second year in a row. Despite this decision, Cannon argued that the two festivals she organises – Just So in Cheshire and Timber in South Derbyshire – could easily and adequately protect their audiences despite the pandemic.

Cannon said: ‘They’re both a capacity of around 5,000. They both have vast sites of about 100 acres.

“We can absolutely adapt our programming, put infrastructure in place, [and] change the way that we do things, to enable something to happen with social distancing in place.”

Our @rowan__cannon called for the Government to recognise diversity in the festivals sectors during her spot on the Department for @CommonsDCMS Select Committee – check it out here: https://t.co/tDlk958DHm

— Wild Rumpus (@_wildrumpus) February 2, 2021

However, the forecasted fate of this year’s Notting Hill Carnival was not so propitious, according to Carnival organiser Matthew Phillip.

“It would be very difficult to hold Carnival in its traditional format on the streets with social distancing in place,” Phillip said. “It would be devastating for a second year in a row.

“Carnival means too much to too many people for us to simply ignore it so we would always try to find a way of celebrating Carnival for its artistry and what it means to the community,” he added. Two million people typically attend the Carnival, so if there are “five or six or 10 premises which have got loud music playing, it could potentially pose some risks” . Phillip expressed his intention to continue Carnival if at a reduced scale, describing the event as “resilient” to such adversities but asked for guidance on how it should proceed.

Despite the encouraging prospect of a vaccine returning life to normal, the fate of the live music sector this year remains highly precarious. MPs on the select committee have penned a letter to the Chancellor – signed by dozens of MPs and industry executives – asking him to initiate a safety package that would compensate live events if they are forced to cancel – similar to a £2.3bn fund recently announced in Germany. No measures have yet been implemented.

The Music Industry Sets Out Guidance for the Future of Festivals During Coronavirus

Lily Herd — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 21:41:20 +0000

The music industry have shared their first look on how festivals can go ahead next year in light of the coronavirus pandemic. It will, of course, be a relief to know that festivals can go ahead at all (at the moment!), after this uneventful summer of cancellations and enthusiastic attempts at taking them online. For all of us, and for the industry, this is very good news indeed.

The advice comes from a collaboration between the following bodies: the Association of Festival Organisers (AFO), the Events Industry Forum (EIF) and Attitude Is Everything, alongside additional guidance from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Public Health England (PHE). They have shared their current guidance in a document which you can read in full here. As the situation progresses, the advice will update.

Available now and free to all from @ThePurpleGuide website. The aim is to assist festival organisers, local authorities and other industry parties in assessing risk levels and planning based on a flexible, pragmatic and realistic approach to the current pandemic.

— AIF (@AIF_UK) October 13, 2020

The COVID-19 Supplementary Guidance offers a lot of information for festival organisers that will perhaps be of little interest to festival-goers. Naturally, much of this advice depends on a number of constantly changing variables, including the situation with testing for coronavirus and the potential for a vaccine to be in place. Terms that have become part of our everyday vocabulary come up here as well; there is talk of festival staff wearing PPE, festival-goers bringing their own disposable masks and hand sanitiser, and embracing the NHS Track & Trace initiative.

The document also contains a “mitigation checklist”, as relevant to the current state of the pandemic. This is a list of questions that comprehensively covers the planning and safety of every conceivable area of a festival, including the organisation of the outdoor space, crowd control, and the safety of festival staff.

The guidance is thoughtful with regard to all of this uncertainty; it notes, that the experience of putting on a festival during COVID will be a first for many of them, and also that COVID should not eclipse the rest of their health and safety provision. The COVID-19 Supplementary Guidance maintains a positive tone throughout.

Despite all the uncertainty that the industry currently faces, it concludes with a positive note: “ultimately, the music festival industry is principally defined by planning for and implementing mitigation of risk … Festival organisers are already practically in a very good place to meet the challenges that COVID-19 bring to the festival sector.”

Paul Reed, the CEO of the Association of Independent Festivals, said this about the new guidance: “Risk mitigation is what festival promoters do for a living, so the intent of this guidance is to outline Covid-19 specific planning considerations that will allow for bespoke risk assessment approaches in liaison with relevant authorities and agencies … I’d like to thank the AIF Ops Group for leading on this important piece of work and also DCMS, PHE officials and the wider festival industry for their invaluable contributions.”

View this post on Instagram

The live events sector is in crisis. Today, we join with many others to call on the government to provide urgent support to protect an industry which means so much to so many, and provides billions to the economy. #WeMakeEvents (@fineline_lighting)

A post shared by Glastonbury Festival (@glastofest) on Sep 30, 2020 at 4:02am PDT

The document presents comprehensive and reassuring guidance about the state of festivals next year. It is undoubtedly going to be an enormous job for festival organisers, and much remains subject to change. In wake of the new advice, though, festival-goers can finally relax for the time being, and cast their minds longingly to much simpler organisational tasks, like what to wear, and who to see if the line-up clashes.