Rob da Bank's Weekly Blog #6

Seven days in the life of a festival guru

United Kingdom | by Rob da Bank | 27 April 2009

Another seven days and Rob's been putting the final touches to Bestival line-up and more...

You can blame festivals for the delay in my blog – I was too busy preparing for a talk on Friday night about my festivals book, and the future of festies in general, that I missed the deadline. Slapped wrists all round.

Thanks to everyone who gave up a sunny Friday evening to listen to me and the panel including Virtual Festival’s Steve Jenner waffling on about the state of the UK festival market, something I never tire of boring everyone about! I learnt a lot about festivals including the fact that independent festival account for 80% of the market in the UK and that festival crowds are getting older and more family based. Bring it on, I say.

Been spending the last week attempting to lock in all the last acts for Bestival and doing the final timings. With five months still to go I know it won’t be the final version but agents and managers need to know when their acts are playing. Its really tricky as I always book too many acts and then have to shoehorn people in plus there are loads of acts who need big changeover times and are fussy about who they play before and after. A weird little offshoot of all this is that I seem to be championing lots of female artists – from Lily Allen and La Roux to Little Boots, Bat For Lashes and Florence and The Machine – and I’m conscious of not sticking them all together on the main stage in some kind of lady day. My sons well chuffed that not only will C Beebies' Mr Tumble be appearing at Camp Bestival but now he’s gonna be joined by his commercial rival Spongebob. I’ll be first the queue to meet both.

Crappy weather outside but my weather mole has informed me that El Nino has taken the right path for better weather for us this summer, so I’m ironing my shorts as we speak. See you next week!

Rob da Bank
www.bestival.net
www.campbestival.net
www.aiforg.com