VF Europe's weekly news roundup

Big names, big tickets, big news

Tom Bentley - 30 March 2009

Let’s kick off this week’s Euro-roundup on the heavier side of things with Faith No More confirmed as headliners for Hove Festivalen 2009. Described as a “hell of a coup” by organiser Melvin Benn, the Norwegian weekender is the first Scandinavian event to have secured the services of the reformed quintet for this summer. They join the likes of The Killers, Slipknot and Franz Ferdinand as bill toppers.

While some musical legends are choosing to reform for the 2009 season, others are heading down a yet untraveled road. Enter Chickenfoot, the brand new outfit which sees guitar supremo Joe Satriani, Chili Pepper drummer Chad Smith and ex Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony join forces.

The newly born rock act confirmed itself for no less than six European festivals this summer. They are due to kick their tour off with Nova Rock in Austria before moving onto Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting and the Pistoia Blues Festival in Italy. Sweden’s Rockweekend Festival and Bospop in the Netherlands also feature on their itinerary with a number of solo shows also planned.

A second heavy duty story came from their announcements as they confirmed themselves, Steely Dan and Dave Matthews as the very first names for Montreux Jazz Festival 2009. The renowned Swiss festival is due to officially release the first parts of its line-up on 2 April. The three bands are set to play the Stravinsky Hall on 4 July.

Moving on, we travel to Denmark where Roskilde Festival confirmed British pop duo the Pet Shop Boys amongst its weekly line-up announcements. Josh Holme’s Eagles of Death Metal, singer songwriter M Ward and Mikael Simpson & Solvstorm were also added alongside Danish favourites Oh No Ono and Peter Sommer.

On a final note though the legendary bash pulled off yet another big one with the announcement of Kanye West. The rapper, who headlined in 2006, will top the bill once more with Coldplay, Oasis and Slipknot.

Things didn’t stop there for Kanye as France’s Les Eurockéennes de Belfort also pencilled him in for a headline slot alongside the likes of The Prodigy, The Ting Tings, Slipknot and mighty French hip-hoppers NTM.

This summer definitely won’t be short of beats and rhymes as the Black Eyed Peas secured themselves their first festival performance at Rock Werchter. Nine other names were revealed by the Belgian festival this week including Boys Noize, Rodrigo y Grabirela, White Lies, The Script and more. Click here for the latest Rock Werchter 2009 line-up.

The Prodigy, who are set to headline the mighty Belgian event, were also among the first major names confirmed for Sziget Festival. Hungary’s premier open air event, one of the biggest and oldest in Europe, announced the likes of Fat Boy Slim, The Offspring, Pendulum and SKA-P. The Ting Tings, Klaxon and Bloc Party, again, completed this week’s revelations for what promises to be yet another memorable bash on that rather special island in Budapest.

True to form, a number of bands are really putting themselves about this year, strutting their stuff around countless countries on mountains and beaches, in forests and cities. The Prodigy and Bloc Party are two such bands. The two are even down to take in the Dutch plains at this summer’s Lowlands. Swedish metallers Opeth were confirmed to lead the heavier side of the action with dubstepper Rusko also announced.

Bloc Party sprung up yet again, but in Austria this time, leading a strong list of new names for FM4 Frequency Festival alongside Kasabian and The Ting Tings. Singer-songwriter M.I.A is also set to feature after capturing imaginations worldwide with the title track for the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire. SKA-P, Anti-Flag, Eagles of Death Metal and more were confirmed. Is anyone game for a guess at the headliner? Click here for the latest FM4 Frequency line-up.

Dance leviathans The Prodigy continue their bill topping antics at the Heineken Open’er Festival and yes, they do headline Frequency. The Polish news of the week though was confirmation of another beat-inspired outfit in Pendulum together with pop princess Lily Allen, who had to make an appearance somewhere during the week. The two will be joined by Santigold and emerging sensation White Lies. Kings of Leon, Placebo and Arctic Monkeys also headline.

Lily actually made it a double this week as she was confirmed for Croatia’s INmusic Festival. Also announced were New York alt-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who join the likes of N*E*R*D, Moby and Franz Ferdinand in Zagreb.

We can now pop over the border where Serbia’s EXIT Festival revealed a further slew of DJs. The back to back sessions, created to celebrate the festival’s 10th birthday, will undoubtedly provide a good few nights of epic proportions. Carl Cox teams up with Green Velvet while Sasha reunites with John Digweed. Finally Richie Hawtin is set to mix it up with Dubfire in the legendary Petrovaradin fortress.

Over in Germany, twin festivals Southside and Hurricane confirmed alternative godfathers the Pixies, the band’s first European dates of the summer. Ausies Howling Bells, British revelation Florence and the Machine and home-grown German artist Aulette were also added to a bill which boasts Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails and many more.

Winding things down now we move north into Finland where the infamous Ruisrock Turku Festival announced sets by Glasvegas and their old tour buddies Le Corps Mince de Francoise who make a rare appearance on home soil. Risto and Royhka, Ratto & Lehtisalo were also confirmed, joining Slipknot, Disturbed, Mew and Volbeat.

Amidst a stark climatic contrast we were also treated to a slew of new names for this summer’s Garden Festival. The final confirmations of the week included Jazzanova and Sneaky as well as the likes of Rob Luis, TM Duke, Jose James and many more. Click here for the latest Garden Festival line-up.

With the new announcements and additions dealt with we are left with two final news pieces that take us back into the world of Rock.

France’s Rock en Seine confirmed its dates for 2009. The festival will take place from 28 – 30 August on the outskirts of Paris. You will no doubt be seeing more of this event as the traditional big names begin to line-up.

Finally we can announce that Rock Am Ring, one of Germany’s premier open-air events, has sold out. All 80,000 tickets have been snapped up a good two months before the event. Never fear though, tickets for the festival’s twin sister, Rock Im Park, are still very much available. Passes cost €135 and include camping, parking and a refundable garbage deposit. The line-up sport the likes of The Killers, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Click here to browse and buy tickets to Rock Im Park 2009. Get involved!

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