There have been a number of new Aussie music festivals that have sprung up recently.
While Tasmanian music fans are being gifted with the debut of a boutique forest adventure, and Cronulla is getting The Preatures, Bluejuice and more in the launch of a new community event, it was to the iconic Cockatoo Island that Sydney music fans were looking to for the introduction of a new music festival.
Bringing its world-class brand to Sydney’s harbourside with a two-day festival of dance music and ‘glamping‘ (re: glamorous camping) the FACT Weekender is set to take territorial ownership of Cockatoo Island in the first weekend of February next year, promising over 50 “of the best international and Australian DJs” across three stages, as well as an ‘Island History’ fancy dress theme on the second and final day.
The first acts of the inaugural FACT Weekender 2014 lineup were announced this week, but just days after, the event has been forced to pull two of its headliners from the bill.
Among the 20 names revealed on the lineup announce this past Wednesday were Radio Slave, the moniker for English electronic producer Matt Edwards, and German experimental techno act Butch, but shortly after the lineup drop, a representative of the touring agency that represents the two top-billed acts claims they were never confirmed for FACT Weekender’s Aussie debut, as In The Mix reports. “In my professional opinion, the organisers have been extremely naive and have demonstrated a lack of experience in organising this event.”
“When the line-up for FACT Weekender dropped, I was surprised to say the least,” says Mike Toner, owner and director of Thick As Thieves Touring, in a statement to In The Mix. “Having previously toured Radio Slave, I met with his agent at ADE less than a month ago to work on a strategy for his next Australian tour. Radio Slave appearing as a headliner for a new festival in January was not at all in line with the proposals we had discussed.”
Toner recounts that he emailed Radio Slave’s agent with a link to the Aussie festival announcement, “and the agent was confused and angry,” he says. “He had been approached by a sub-agent for FACT festival asking if Radio Slave was available, but had not even received an offer for the festival, let alone confirmed that Radio Slave would headline.”
Toner claims a similar situation has seen the other headliner removed from the FACT Weekender bill; “Having previously toured Butch for all of his Australian tours to date (four in total), I also contacted him, and again, he seemed to know nothing about this festival or any confirmed tour dates for Australia in January, and his agent assured last night me that it was impossible for him to be in Australia in February,” adding that his “agent assured” that it was “impossible for [Butch] to be in Australian in February.”
In response, FACT Weekender representative Terry Lancaster says that both artists had been pulled “from the line-up list until we have this issue resolved.” Adding that: “FACT Weekender is working to put together a stellar line-up for this year’s first music festival. We take seriously the responsibility to festival goers to deliver on promises for the artist they buy tickets to see.”
“We want to be as transparent as possible and are currently working with their Sydney based representative to rectify [this],” Lancaster says. “It is our intention to retain Butch and Radio Slave for this event as well as adding a number of other top class DJs whom we are currently working to secure.”
In his statement, Toner also criticises the FACT Weekender promoters, emphasising that “artists do not appreciate being advertised without their consent, and an agent could actually sue a promoter for using their client’s name without going through the correct channels.” Adding: “In my professional opinion, the organisers have been extremely naive and have demonstrated a lack of experience in organising this event.”
The situation recalls the messy war of words that broke out between Bluesfest’s promoters and the international agent of Jamaican legend Ernest Ranglin, after the 81-year-old reportedly pulled out of the festival’s 25th Anniversary Edition lineup for next year.
What followed was a scathing attack by Bluesfest promoter Peter Noble on Ranglin’s “unethical and self-serving” agent, accusing him of working to “manipulate and sabotage the Australian Tour,” only for Christian Georgiadis, of French-based booking agency Bacana s.a.r.l., to hit back at the annual Byron Bay event’s “unfair, ridiculous” claims.
FACT Weekender 2014 Lineup
Radio SlaveButch
Javi Sampol
Mr. Ties
Zebra Katz
Airwolf
Significant Others
King Tide
Chez Damier
Ben Ashton
Robert Dumakude Bango
Ezra
Tomás Ford
Propaganda
Richard Cooper
BlaNK and START:CUE DJs
Adam Proctor
Al Hearnshaw
Dyson
Rickstar
Ross Ashman
Tommy Rutherford
+ more to be announced.
FACT Weekender 2014
1st & 2nd February, 2014
Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbour, NSW
Tickets from http://www.factweekender.com.au/ & MoshTix
