Pukkelpop 2015

[SoLoCo]

Hopeful on returning to Belgium next summer for Pukkelpop 2015! (If I am correct, the 30th anniversary).

Did my first this year and I had an absolutely great time, the people of Belgium are some of the most lovely people you could find!

So who can we expect to see there this year? Early predictions I can see Metallica, Noel Gallagher, The Libertines. The dream is for Ride to make an appearance, but my guesses are as good as anybody's.

[Muppetmark]

Linkin park are rumored to be around. hopefully its a good lineup because i fancy this more than Reading. hopefully it gets refused from Reading.

[TheNewUnion]

Sorry. Missed this thread and started another. Will try and make the other one go away.

[TheNewUnion]

Arrangements off to a rocky start though, looks like HI Express is sold out so need to decide between the non express Holiday Inn or the Radisson Blue. Any thoughts?

As for predictions, I've managed to get one right in four years, so go for whoever I don't say and you'll probably be spot on!

Edited November 30, 2014 by TheNewUnion

[Dietediet]

Metallica is more or less ruled out, they're playing Norway on Thursday and Sweden on Saturday.

Linkin Park sounds like a good shout. Supposedly playing Germany halfway August and an often returning name in the wish lists.

[SoLoCo]

Sorry. Missed this thread and started another. Will try and make the other one go away.

Aha quite odd we both set one up about the same time.

[DDave]

After I thought I'd be missing the 2015 edition due to us being on holiday in August, we've now changed those plans to June so PP looks very likely for me. Hotel was booked back in Sep/Oct.

As for line up, it's not going to be the Chemical Brothers (boo), or the Foo Fighters or Muse (thank fuck)

I'm going for The Strokes, Lenny Kravitz, Basement Jaxx, Kasabian, Jack White, Slash and as a proper vintage act, Def Leppard or KISS.

Roll on August!

[Noeliam]

Why not the Chemical Brothers?

[Trufflehound]

Why not the Chemical Brothers?

Didn't they just announce they were giving up playing live?

Edited December 1, 2014 by Trufflehound

[Trufflehound]

Arrangements off to a rocky start though, looks like HI Express is sold out so need to decide between the non express Holiday Inn or the Radisson Blue. Any thoughts?

As for predictions, I've managed to get one right in four years, so go for whoever I don't say and you'll probably be spot on!

What's the price differential between the HI and the Radisson? If you can afford the extra I'd go with the latter. I stayed there a few years ago on a non-PP-related Hasselt visit and it was very nice indeed. Although I'm sure there's nowt wrong with the HI either. I only go in there to leave my bicycle in their underground storage, but it seems fine.

My band prediction success rate has also been virtually zero over the years, but when I saw Ride had reformed I also immediately thought of a possible PP appearance. But I have fond memories of seeing them play there in 1991, so maybe it's rose-tinted specs.

Likewise my other thought - albeit an incredibly long shot, but one that would tie-in with the 30th anniversary thing - is The Jesus and Mary Chain, probably in the Marquee. Currently touring to mark Psychocandy's 30th anniversary. Would they be up for summer fesitvals? Plus they headlined PP in 1988, so they have history. But now I've mentioned them, that's bound to guarantee they won't come.

Other bands with long PP associations:

The Ramones - well, they're all dead, so you have to mark one that down as 'unlikely'.

Sonic Youth - won't happen while Thurston and Kim remain separated.

The Chemical Brothers - would be great, but also unlikely given their recent announcement.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - highly unlikely that Nick Cave would agree to roll out the band for a one-off, however much he might be Chokri's mate.

So in short, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever. Although i am delighted to hear that Metallica will be elsewhere.

Edit: oh yes, I forgot The Prodigy. They're bound to show up .They always do...

Edited December 1, 2014 by Trufflehound

[johnybegood]

Hello one more year to everybody in this thread! This year there are 3 factors that make me being optimist:

The first is that 2015 will be the 30th anniversary

The second is that this year there won't be free tickets for all 2011 people: 50€ per person, being 60.000 people there: this year Pukkelpop dont have to give 3 million euros in free drinks, so I'm sure that the budget for signing bands will be higher.

The third is that during pukkelpop weekend there will be less festivals than this year. Sziget, Rock n heim and Highfield festival this year were the same weekend that pukkelpop but next year they will be the previous weekend.

That three factors make me reckon that Pukkelpop will make a really strong line up like it used to be in 2010 and 2011 before the f***ing storm

Edited December 1, 2014 by johnybegood

[DDave]

http://www.nme.com/news/the-chemical-brothers/81148

May be the Chemical Brother. Won't be the same :-(

[Noeliam]

The Chemical Brothers announced for Warsaw Orange Festival.

[TheNewUnion]

What's the price differential between the HI and the Radisson? If you can afford the extra I'd go with the latter. I stayed there a few years ago on a non-PP-related Hasselt visit and it was very nice indeed. Although I'm sure there's nowt wrong with the HI either. I only go in there to leave my bicycle in their underground storage, but it seems fine.

Price difference is pretty small and I can afford either really, so I'd just be thinking in terms of location and how nice they are. I suppose Raddison will be nicer and HI better located (just to confuse matters further).

Prediction wise, the Chemical Brothers appear to be playing a few summer shows so they might turn up. I'd like Jamie T to play, I'd love AC/DC to play (but they won't). Muse, Foos etc are all on the road but ruled out for a variety of reasons. It's the 30th anniversary though, so I am sure it will be a monster (the 25th had Iron Maiden, so no pressure...)

[DDave]

The Chemical Brothers announced for Warsaw Orange Festival.

Maybe, hopefully I'm wrong then. Pukkelpop would be ace with the Chems/Chem.

[Trufflehound]

Price difference is pretty small and I can afford either really, so I'd just be thinking in terms of location and how nice they are. I suppose Raddison will be nicer and HI better located (just to confuse matters further).

If you're going to be using the PP shuttle to/from the station, then there isn't much in it distance-wise. It's only if you plan to walk to the festival site that the HI wins hands down. And the Radisson is closer to the bars in the centre of town if you're headed that way...

It's the 30th anniversary though, so I am sure it will be a monster (the 25th had Iron Maiden, so no pressure...)

The Quo are checking their diaries as we speak...

Edited December 1, 2014 by Trufflehound

[TheNewUnion]

Surely someone must know The Quo and could put a word in for us? How does that kickstarter lark work, someone booked Foo Fighters on it, bet we could get Quo.

[Dietediet]

As for dance acts:

- Faithless is getting back together in August

- New Netsky album in 2015, as a crowd favourite he can't be absent on an anniversary edition

[TheNewUnion]

Faithless are always excellent, so would be happy to see them again (could they play anywhere but Main? indoor show would be intense)

(I've also booked now, so it's happening regardless of the lineup)

[Semprini]

As long as nothing unexpected occurs I will be back again next summer. Booked a hotel and will sort out flights in the new year. Gone for the Ibis for the first time as it was half the price of the HIE. It doesn't include breakfast but I'm sure I'll be able to get four days worth of breakfast for less than £200, which was roughly the difference in the prices!

As for who might play, it's hard to call at this stage as there's not a lot of info to work with. My main concern is who RW get as there was virtually no overlap last year. I'm happy with who they have announced so far (as in I don't want them to play PKP) but my big fear is that they have already nabbed Underworld. If they also get the Chemical Brothers then it will be a massive kick in the teeth as that will mean between them they've played something like eight times at RW since 2007, and not once at PKP. The Chems are booked to play a festival in Germany a week or so before PKP, which I'm hoping is a good sign.

Got a feeling we may get Ride too as the guy who books the bands has been posting bits and pieces about their reunion on Facebook. He was straight on to Slowdive last year when they reformed and I'm sure he'll go after Ride this time. May well be a non-starter though depending on their schedule. I managed to catch up with him for a beer in the Castello last summer and he told me something interesting about the booking process. I asked him if it had all gone smoothly this time (after all the cancellations in 2013) and he said he'd actually had to turn down some of his favourite bands who had asked to play. I was always under the impression festivals have to chase after bands but he said it's the other way round. I didn't ask whether this included the headliners (probably not), or regrettably who the bands were he turned down. He was like, 'we're one of the biggest festivals in Europe so everyone wants to play'. Made perfect sense when he put it like that!

[TheNewUnion]

Booked on Air B&B in the end, smallish apartment about 500m from the station. Will keep an eye on hotels as time passes but as it stands I'm pretty happy with my booking and I saved about £80 per person v the Holiday Inn/Raddison Blu so I'm happy with that.

Lineup wise, Rid would be good I think. Basing that on nothing other that how much I enjoyed Slowdive last year (knew as little of them as I do Ride, yet really enjoyed it). Faithless are a festival standard and I wouldn't object to them playing. Chemical Brothers would be good for nostalgia, and I am sure they would deliver.

The last few years they've had a bit of an "unusual" headliner on one of the nights. Bjork, The XX, The National. Someone who might not be your first thought as a headliner. So, I don't know who else could make that step up (The War On Drugs would feel like the right sort of sound, but they are a good few years off yet. Royal BLood too, but again a few years off).

Would love to see Band of Horses play again, though perhaps not big enough to headline. Some huge name overpaid DJ will play (Guetta or similar).

I'm terrible at headline guessing so just going to take a random stab in the dark with no authority at all and say Kanye, Band of Horses, Springsteen (and accept I am wrong on all counts)

[Trufflehound]

I just typed 'Who's touring in August 2015?' into Google, and was alarmed to discover the highest answer was Nickleback.

Fortunately they've already got US gigs booked for the PKP weekend, so that rules them out.

Think we all dodged a bullet there...

[johnybegood]

Bye bye Chemical Brother(s)... Werchter booked them

[DDave]

Looks like Underworld are about next year. Would be a welcome addition for me.

[Semprini]

Local sources said a couple of weeks ago that Underworld would be at RW so The Chems were the one I had more hope for. Will be so pissed off if RW get them both again.