R.E.M. to headline Mean Fiddler-acquired Spanish Festival

| 29 January 2003

Festival promotors Mean Fiddler Group, who run the Reading and Leeds festivals, have expanded their operations into mainland Europe with the aquistition of Spain's Doctor Music Festival and promise to enhance the line-up with top international acts.

The Doctor Music Festival, established 6 years ago, is now one of the largest Spanish music festivals. The new site for the 2003 Festival is the beautiful "Pla de Tapioles" (province of Girona), just one hour and 20 minutes north of Barcelona and only 30 minutes away from fantastic beaches and caves in the Costa Brava. It will take place on July 25, 26 & 27.

Previous editions of the Festival have featured artists such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Blur, Suede, Moby, Iggy Pop, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Beastie Boys, Portishead, Garbage, Pet Shop Boys, Leftfield and Gomez.

R.E.M. have already been confirmed to play the Festival on Sunday July 27, in what it will be the only R.E.M. concert in Spain this year. The full billing for the Festival will be announced in Spring and tickets will go on sale then.

Vince Power, Chairman of Mean Fiddler Music Group plc, told Virtual Festivals, "The strength of Mean Fiddler lies in its expertise in live music. The Doctor Music Festival will enable us to offer artists the opportunity to perform across multiple European festivals which cements our ability to bring the best artists to European music lovers."

Melvin Benn, CEO, added, "We will be looking to acquire and develop more festivals in the near future by expanding into other European markets."

Neo Sala, President of Doctor Music, commented, "This joint venture with Mean Fiddler takes our Festival to a new level. We have a 22-year history of successfully developing music events in Spain and establishing the Doctor Music brands as one of the best in Spain. This deal will enable us to continue that trend by offering Spanish music fans the opportunity to see more internationally renowned artists in the best festival traditions".

The Mean Fiddler Group (MFG) was established by Vince Power in 1982, and is now the leading music festival and venue promoter in the UK, owning 12 venues (e.g. Jazz Cafe, The Mean Fiddler, The Forum and Point 101) and promoting festivals such as Reading, Leeds, the Fleadh (UK & US) and homelands (England, Ireland and Scotland). Mean Fiddler recently announced a 16% shareholding in the Glastonbury Festival, rising to 40% in 2005, and also co-promotes large outdoor gigs, including Eminem's forthcoming UK shows and the Oasis shows in Finsbury Park last year.