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Over here in Britain, ‘to festival’ has become the fashionable verb of the in-crowd. Everyone ‘does’ them, so to speak – from Kate Moss to David Tennant (our current Dr. Who). Indeed, 2008 could well be the year of the trendy festival. But when did – with all the celebrity buzz and media hype – festival makers begin caring too much about photo opportunities with stars and less about the actual artists hitting the stage? Basically, when did line-ups take backstage?
 Yes, there is more to Glastonbury than the headliners – so why are the number of ticket registrants down on last year? Similarly, Leeds and Reading festivals still have day tickets available some two days after they went on general sale. Take a look at the line-ups and it is not hard to see why. Festivals should be about catching that new hyped-up band for the very first time, about rushing home to by an act’s CD because you stumbled across the wrong stage at the right time, about being blown away by the oh-so-now act – not about watching The Killers, Metalica, Editors or Kings of Leon perform the same set list as you saw them last year.
Where are our favorite acts? MGMT, Hot Chip, Foals, Vampire Weekend, Robyn, Justice, Bonde de Role, Sebastien Tellier so name but a few… C’mon festivals – we’ve been soul mates for a good five years now, don’t start letting me down now!
 As a new writer on this here pretty amazing blog and in a bid to allow you to get to know me, I have opened up by iPod and below are the first five shuffled tracks to appear -Â
Regina Spektor – Buildings: Â Download | Link 2
Cocteau Twins – Sugar Hiccup:Â Download | Link 2
Hercules and Love Affair – Blind:Â Download | Link 2
Goldfrapp – Â Caravan Girl: Â Download | Link 2
Digitalism – Pogo: Â Download | Link 2
Tags: festival, Glastonbury, Justice, kate moss, metallica, MGMT, The Killers, Vampire Weekend
Ever since huge parties like Pitchfork and RollingStone have touched those festivals, the true spirit has been dead.
Awesome, another new writer, and from the UK to boot!
Whats your name? I’m going on is your impeccable music taste.
Festivals are still fun, Ii don’t mind the media.
Hell, sometimes they give free stuff out. Everyone loves free stuff
Hell, I’m still going this year
Thanks for the impeccable music taste comment. Glad no hideously embarrassing tracks popped up on that Shuffle.. Wouldn’t have been a great introduction!
Hi, I’m Jamie. And I’m a music-aholic.
Great job dude
hey, Im totally with you on this one. your absolutely right about the point of festivals. luckily, the roskilde festival in denmark (im swedish) has booked MGMT, Hot Chip AND Digitalism, to name a few. will be awesome.
The Lolla lineup released today definitely did not disappoint – MGMT, woohoo!
I couldn’t agree less I’m afraid… the new bands are there at the festivals the whole point of festivals is to discover the new talent for yourself whilst also watching well established quality bands! I mean come on RATM?? that is once in a lifetime opportunity there… if you were properly into music you would hear of these “new hyped bands” before the media grabs hold of them for example I saw the Arctic Monkeys at leeds and then 2 years later they are on the main stage right before the headliner??.. another example of that is We Are Scientists!
Also if you look vampire weekend are playing reading and leeds along with MGMT, FOALS
and HotChip arent exaclty new having just released there third studio album and having been going since 2001… also they played a few years back headlined the carling stage which i was lucky enough to be at the front of!!
So your points although valid about acts coming back and repeating sets. i.e. Bloc Party (who i dont care if they repeat there set list they are one of the best live bands around at the moment and i have seen them 6 times already haha) are ruined by no real research.
I agree with Edd. But I do think that the bigger festivals are pushing away true music geeks by increasing the capacity to ridiculous amounts (as anyone who went to Reading last year will testify; I mean, 150,000 people?!) and by charging extortionate amounts. The original target audience for these things also happens to be the poorest… It’s no wonder the fans are leaving.
come to belgium !
best festival in the world : rock werchter (voted 3 times in a row, 4 times in 5 years)
but you have also : pukkelpop, dour, les ardentes, gentse feesten, cactus festival, …
cheaper, and better !