Everything Is New And Alive

Within months of quitting promoter Musica No Coracao, Alvaro Covoes is back in the outdoor business with a new event called Alive!07.

Covoes spent 17 years at Musica partnered with Luis Montez, but the two decided to go their separate ways because they differed over where the company should focus.

Musica is Portugal’s main festival promoter and has Super Bock Super Rock (June 28th and July 3-5) and Sudoeste (August 2-5), but Covoes wanted to do more with international touring acts throughout the year.

He set up Everything Is New at the start of the year, bringing in former Musica colleagues including Nuno Vieira and Artur Peixoto.

His biggest acts so far are Nine Inch Nails, Shakira, Scissor Sisters, Incubus, and The Who, which played Lisbon Atlantico Pavilion May 16th. But Bloc Party, Beyoncé, Wolfmother, and Dave Matthews Band were due in Lisbon before the end of May.

With Beastie Boys, Dream Theater, Velvet Revolver, My Chemical Romance, Ricky Martin, and Arctic Monkeys already confirmed for the summer, Covoes and his team have still been able to set up a new three-day festival on the banks of Lisbon’s River Tagus.

It will be on a 40,000-capacity site in Alges Park, a vast expanse of grassland next to the now-scenic old docklands.

The Alive!07 bill (June 8-10) includes Smashing Pumpkins, The White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Linkin Park, The Rakes, The Sounds, The Go! Team, and The (International) Noise Conspiracy.

Following the staff shuffle at Musica, Jwana Godinho, who has years of experience working in the international departments of major London record labels including Virgin and EMI, took over the booking of international acts.

This year’s June 28 lineup for Super Bock Super Rock at Lisbon’s 35,000-capacity Parque Tejo has Metallica, Joe Satriani, Stone Sour, Mastodon, and More Than A Thousand.

The July 3-5 follow-up on the same site has Underworld, Scissor Sisters, Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bloc Party, Jesus & Mary Chain, Klaxons, The Magic Numbers, LCD Soundsystem, Maximo Park, and Interpol.

Sudoeste (August 2-5), which is on a 30,000-capacity site at Zambujeira, has already confirmed Editors, Mika, The Streets, Steel Pulse, Australian Pink Floyd, and Noisettes.