Svengali Tied Up In Windsor Knot

A U.K. festival promising “to take Windsor back to the summer of love” was canceled at four days’ notice because the security team pulled out, according to local papers. But it seems most of the acts had already given up on the gig.

According to Berkshire Regional Newspapers’ Web site, Svengali Fest promoter Marco Iorio said he was forced to scrap the August 12th all-dayer on Windsor horse racing track following problems with Cardiff-based Diamond Events Security. But the agents for some of the headliners said the acts wouldn’t have turned up because Iorio hadn’t paid the deposits.

“He sent a cheque but it bounced three times,” said Free Trade Agency chief Paul Boswell, who represents Lloyd Cole, one of the acts near the top of the bill.

“I knew it bounced once,” Iorio told Pollstar after initially saying he made all the deposit payments.

He’s promising to honor all up-front payments in lieu of a cancellation fee, but Harry Farmer of CODA Agency, which represents Hayseed Dixie, said he was still chasing the act’s deposit just days before the show date and feels that a 100 percent cancellation fee would be more appropriate.

Iorio, who owns the Svengali record shop on Windsor’s Peascod Street, said he paid a £12,970 deposit to the Cardiff-based security company but it failed to show at a July 31st meeting discussing the final details with organizers, council representatives and police.

At press time it wasn’t possible to contact Diamond to verify that information.

The scrapping of the event wasn’t greeted as bad news in all quarters. Dozens of locals turned out to a recent licensing panel meeting in Windsor’s Guildhall to voice opposition to the concert and other similar events at the racecourse in Maidenhead Road.

According to the regional papers owned by Trinity Mirror Group, local councilor John Fido said he was very pleased for the people living nearby.

“I think the huge events were ill-conceived from the outset and gave very little thought to the people of Clewer and Dedworth districts,” Fido said. “I hope the racecourse will go back to the drawing board and come up with something else. You have got to be sensitive to the locality.”

The other acts on the original Windsor bill also included the Levellers, Alabama 3 (A3), Syrus, Clay Hill, and James Lavelle.

Ticket holders are being advised to seek a refund from their point of purchase.

– John Gammon