2024 Festival

[Chad888]

1 hour ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Migos played 5th in 2017.

And were set to sub in 2020...your point being? 

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

And were set to sub in 2020...your point being? 

You said they went straight to subbing after releasing bad and boujee, which they didn't.

[charlierc]

4 hours ago, Chad888 said:

This is what I've been getting at for a while.

The way we interact with music is massively different now. It perfectly correlates with the introduction of streaming. ITunes, Spotify, Tidal, YouTube etc all give all potential fans immediate access to all bands. 

You have to put out the greatest, catchiest track, otherwise the fans will listen to something else and they don't get a chance to grow their sound, because they have put off all potential fans and they end up with a specific circle of fans and that's it done.

You end up with acts like Reytons who try to make it with a like-for-like sound of Arctics.

Acts like Idles, Nothing But Thieves, Don Broco, Fontaines who will forever hover around 4th, 5th, 6th down.

Acts like Post Malone will jump straight to headliner because they instantly release addictive hits Rockstar and Psycho etc and every station has it on none stop and its top of everyone's playlist. Same with Migos and Bad and Boujee coming straight to subbing.

I cannot remember the last time a rock band got a top 5 single in the UK. Maybe I'm really out of the loop but I swear it's all pop songs that are just repeated ad infintum on streaming playlists. But I wonder as well where streaming has that nature of "who needs new rock music when there's access to the library of every rock hit right back to the 50s?"

Apparently Olivia Rodrigo's Good 4 U was classed as the first #1 rock song on the UK chart since RATM's Killing in the Name got the 2009 Xmas Number One, which for a once dominant genre is quite the drought.

Maybe it's me being unduly pessimistic but there was a real lack of new headline-worthy bands in the 2010s, which is why we're getting those who got prominent spots in the 2000s coming back for more encores, and solo singers just seem to be where its at right now. Plus there's the sense that festivals just want people in the door rather than taking a chance in a way they were doing a bit more often the 90s/00s.

Edited October 28, 2023 by charlierc

[Chad888]

1 hour ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

You said they went straight to subbing after releasing bad and boujee, which they didn't.

You missed the point totally, ignoring any nuance to one up.

Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Migos etc were booked 4/5th down based on new debut albums. They smashed with catchy tunes and got bumped right up the bill at the next booking.

Now it's even more in the extreme with Lil T Jay, Polo G, Megan the Stalion...

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I cannot remember the last time a rock band got a top 5 single in the UK.

Sam Fender and Maneskin both have in recent years.

3 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

You missed the point totally, ignoring any nuance to one up.

Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Migos etc were booked 4/5th down based on new debut albums. They smashed with catchy tunes and got bumped right up the bill at the next booking.

Now it's even more in the extreme with Lil T Jay, Polo G, Megan the Stalion...

I think this has always happened.

[Chad888]

47 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I cannot remember the last time a rock band got a top 5 single in the UK. Maybe I'm really out of the loop but I swear it's all pop songs that are just repeated ad infintum on streaming playlists. But I wonder as well where streaming has that nature of "who needs new rock music when there's access to the library of every rock hit right back to the 50s?"

Apparently Olivia Rodrigo's Good 4 U was classed as the first #1 rock song on the UK chart since RATM's Killing in the Name got the 2009 Xmas Number One, which for a once dominant genre is quite the drought.

Maybe it's me being unduly pessimistic but there was a real lack of new headline-worthy bands in the 2010s, which is why we're getting those who got prominent spots in the 2000s coming back for more encores, and solo singers just seem to be where its at right now. Plus there's the sense that festivals just want people in the door rather than taking a chance in a way they were doing a bit more often the 90s/00s.

Rocks hard to make.

The guitar riff, the hook, the rhythmic drums, the chorus all have to be perfect.

Pop is easy thanks to Theo Adorno at the Frankfurt Institute of Social research, who introduced the 12-atonal system with heavy repetitive beats. It's catchy and 'addictive', because the beats will stick in your mind. Those songs are the ones you'll think about and put on your playlist.

 

Rock needs all pieces in place to make it work.

[gfa]

12 hours ago, charlierc said:

I cannot remember the last time a rock band got a top 5 single in the UK. Maybe I'm really out of the loop but I swear it's all pop songs that are just repeated ad infintum on streaming playlists. But I wonder as well where streaming has that nature of "who needs new rock music when there's access to the library of every rock hit right back to the 50s?"

Apparently Olivia Rodrigo's Good 4 U was classed as the first #1 rock song on the UK chart since RATM's Killing in the Name got the 2009 Xmas Number One, which for a once dominant genre is quite the drought.

Maybe it's me being unduly pessimistic but there was a real lack of new headline-worthy bands in the 2010s, which is why we're getting those who got prominent spots in the 2000s coming back for more encores, and solo singers just seem to be where its at right now. Plus there's the sense that festivals just want people in the door rather than taking a chance in a way they were doing a bit more often the 90s/00s.

They are taking chances, just not with bands - which is hardly surprising considering the stat you just put out

Look at MTS and Halsey's slots in recent years - massive risks as both were pretty unproven here, especially MTS

Sam Fender was a pretty big bump up too

Edited October 29, 2023 by gfa

[charlierc]

12 hours ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Sam Fender and Maneskin both have in recent years.

Maneskin I assume was a Eurovision bump. Was genuinely not aware that Sam Fender had enjoyed a top 5 single - I knew his albums had done well but thought his best efforts in the singles chart wouldn't have crashed the top 20. Shows what I know.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

They are taking chances, just not with bands - which is hardly surprising considering the stat you just put out

Look at MTS and Halsey's slots in recent years - massive risks as both were pretty unproven here, especially MTS

Sam Fender was a pretty big bump up too

Maybe it's one of those self-feeding things where the lack of new acts means others fill the vacuum.

Although tbf I thought MTS was the bigger name than Halsey and that the latter would've been the bigger risk to give the big slot on the bill. Though I remember Halsey being well reviewed.

[Andre91]

Making good pop music is far harder than making good rock music. Look at all of the rock bands who try to go pop and fail because they just can’t write a good pop song. 

[VCK]

I've said it before, there is definitely a market for rock music among young people. Just look at Sam Fender's upward trajectory, for example. Although a little older, the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, et al always go down a storm with younger crowds. When I was at Download a few years back, I saw young people wearing t-shirts of contemporary acts like IDLES, The Chats and Slaves.

However, as always, what is popular in music is always dictated by the press, and at the moment the music press in this country assumes that young people are only interested in pop and rap music, and maybe the occasional bit of EDM, and they push the idea that rock is too old fashioned and regressive. Just like how in the 2000s, they assumed that they were mostly interested in indie rock.

Why not have it like it was in the 80s and 90s where every style of music imaginable was promoted across the board, and they all had superstars to emerge from each genre? I feel there's an irony that, despite all this recent talk of how music is a lot more transcendental of boundaries, musical discourse is a lot more segregationist than before.

[VCK]

On 10/28/2023 at 9:56 AM, charlierc said:

Feels like that's been a problem for a while. I've said this before but there was a real lack of bands coming through to festival headline status in the 2010s, or at least, big enough to be 10/10 Glasto/R&L headliners, and of late there feels like there's been a pivot more towards solo artists.

We've had some who potentially could have pulled it off but missed the boat, such as The Black Keys and Royal Blood. Others that definitely would have done but the best they managed was co-headline, such as Foals and BMTH.

[gfa]

6 hours ago, charlierc said:

Maybe it's one of those self-feeding things where the lack of new acts means others fill the vacuum.

Although tbf I thought MTS was the bigger name than Halsey and that the latter would've been the bigger risk to give the big slot on the bill. Though I remember Halsey being well reviewed.

MTS played 3rd down at Parklife the same year etc and most of her big hits she's just featuring in other songs

Halsey had been around a lot longer and built a decent back catalogue, she was a bit rogue but she was nowhere near as new etc

----

Besides - surprised nobody is talking about Fred Again given as i said yesterday (or the day before maybe), he is now TBC for Sziget.

Very possible we have our three MSE headliners given he headlined EP this year.

[Guest]

I'm gonna go with

Travis Scott // Fred Again..

Liam Gallagher // Royal Blood

Blink-182 // J Hus

[Benj]

39 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

I'm gonna go with

Travis Scott // Fred Again..

Liam Gallagher // Royal Blood

Blink-182 // J Hus

LG/ Royal Blood would be an utter yawn fest from 8pm for half the audience

[gfa]

1 hour ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

I'm gonna go with

Travis Scott // Fred Again..

Liam Gallagher // Royal Blood

Blink-182 // J Hus

Don't we have Eminem as a lock?

I think LG's massive tour probably rules him out, while it is sold out it does make it seem unlikely maybe? Played pretty recently too - but he is definitely quite close with LN atm

20 minutes ago, Benj said:

LG/ Royal Blood would be an utter yawn fest from 8pm for half the audience

Not much different to LG and Biffy last time

[Guest]

1 minute ago, gfa said:

Don't we have Eminem as a lock?

Not been keeping that up to date, what's the info?

[Benj]

3 minutes ago, gfa said:

Not much different to LG and Biffy last time

Very true. 

[Andre91]

LG would be a knockout booking for the vast majority of the audience. He’s a god in the eyes of a lot of these kids. Royal Blood would be a snooze fest though, agreed, but they’re playing June fests so I wouldn’t count them out of playing Download. 

[Chad888]

So far, assumptions are -

 

Fri R & Sat L | Post Malone // Paramore

Sat R & Sun L | Blink-182 // Fred Again

Sun R & Fri L | Eminem // Royal Blood

 

 

Edit:

Eminem was said on here

Blink-182 all but confirmed

Paramore finish touring with T Swift in Europe just before

Post Malone on his latest album tour and has history

Fred Again doing Sziget and they always share with R&L

Royal Blood are a cheap act and are the next to be given the step up to the graveyard stage, could also be Kasabian but they played 2017 with Eminem

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Chad888

[VCK]

There's a real paradox about the promoters nowadays just booking en masse whatever's trending on TikTok, but then also going for two headliners who peaked in like 2001.

[gfa]

13 hours ago, Chad888 said:

So far, assumptions are -

 

Fri R & Sat L | Post Malone // Paramore

Sat R & Sun L | Blink-182 // Fred Again

Sun R & Fri L | Eminem // Royal Blood

 

 

Edit:

Eminem was said on here

Blink-182 all but confirmed

Paramore finish touring with T Swift in Europe just before

Post Malone on his latest album tour and has history

Fred Again doing Sziget and they always share with R&L

Royal Blood are a cheap act and are the next to be given the step up to the graveyard stage, could also be Kasabian but they played 2017 with Eminem

 

that's 5 pretty big headliners (abd RB) - seems a bit strong to me

That final point about Kasabian means nothing, literally 7 years ago lol

[Chad888]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

that's 5 pretty big headliners (abd RB) - seems a bit strong to me

That final point about Kasabian means nothing, literally 7 years ago lol

Someone here keeps getting extremely worked up that FR would consider having Paramore and Blink-182 headline together when they were 2 of the 4 headliners from 2014.

In honesty, I couldn't see Paramore being THAT big or expensive. Reminds me of Foals last year. Co-headlined (subbed) about 10 years ago, popular but middling band about 10 years ago, vanished for a while, resurfaced with new music that didn't do to well commercially, supported bigger acts on their tours. Same with QOTSA tbh.

I wouldn't say Fred Again is that big a headliner either, he is a new act that will be making the step up to headliner. Thats the very cheap booking territory. I'd say Imagine Dragons and 1975 are far far more expensive than Fred Again and Royal Blood.

[gfa]

2 hours ago, Chad888 said:

Someone here keeps getting extremely worked up that FR would consider having Paramore and Blink-182 headline together when they were 2 of the 4 headliners from 2014.

In honesty, I couldn't see Paramore being THAT big or expensive. Reminds me of Foals last year. Co-headlined (subbed) about 10 years ago, popular but middling band about 10 years ago, vanished for a while, resurfaced with new music that didn't do to well commercially, supported bigger acts on their tours. Same with QOTSA tbh.

I wouldn't say Fred Again is that big a headliner either, he is a new act that will be making the step up to headliner. Thats the very cheap booking territory. I'd say Imagine Dragons and 1975 are far far more expensive than Fred Again and Royal Blood.

I have no issue with Paramore and Blink headlining together, I just think its 5 quite big headliners.

Your probably right about Fred Again, although i think he's definitely more than RB (who are a proper cheap, weak booking)

1975 a special case

[andyrhodes24]

I don’t think it’s that it’s difficult to write a good rock or pop song, for me it’s more that some acts are favoured by the mainstream broadcasters and some aren’t. Take someone like Mimi Webb; anyone who watched her at R&L this year will know she’s bang average at best but she’s one of these who’ll get airtime on Capital/R1 whatever garbage she releases.

Back in the days of landfill indie when TDCC and The Wombats we’re getting airtime other bands like Courteeners would base their whole thing on being rejected by mainstream broadcasters/publications. Now 99% of indie/rock bands don’t get the coverage unless they’re media darlings called Sam Fender or Wet Leg.