Kanye Goes Way Out West

U.S. rapper Kanye West will headline the first edition of Gothenburg’s Way Out West, the new event Luger started after seeing a gap in the Swedish market for an urban summer festival.

"There isn’t one at all now that Gothenburg Festival isn’t happening," Luger’s Robin Sumpton told Pollstar as he outlined how the Stockholm-based company is reshuffling its outdoor hand to accommodate some changes in the local market.

Accelerator Festival, which started in 2000 and is a three-city mini-tour through Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo, has been forced to drop the latter because of problems getting the dates at the city’s 1,500-capacity Folkets Park and a lack of available acts.

Luger has also cut back in Gothenburg Tradgardan (June 28th), mainly to avoid competing with its own new Way Out Festival.

For this year at least, Luger will focus on the Stockholm leg (June 29-30), where it’s creating space for more outdoor stages by moving from the old Münchenbryggeriet brewery on the banks of the Södermalm to the local university grounds.

The Gothenburg lineup of Modest Mouse, Bright Eyes, Danielson, O’Death, Jamie-T, and José Gonzaléz will be joined by more international acts including Interpol, Rufus Wainwright, TV On The Radio, The Gossip, and The Long Blondes and a strong local bill headed by Peter Bjorn and John.

Other acts on Way Out West (August 10-11), on a 10,000-capacity site at Gothenburg Slottsparken, include The Hives, Primal Scream, Mika, Eagles Of Death Metal, The Pogues, Regina Spektor, Lily Allen, Juliette And the Licks, and The Go! Team.