Eurosonic: Bigger And Even Better

Holland  —  There were even more bands than in previous years and more music biz people to watch them, as event cultural director Peter Smidt and his team produced what many described as the best Eurosonic-Noorderslag yet.

Few of the journalists making their journeys home to the various quarters of Europe and beyond seemed aware that this was the second year the event had been put together without euro 140,000 of EU funding, a sure sign that Smidt and Co have successfully shored it up and papered over any cracks.

In the week running up to the seminar-cum-festival Smidt told Pollstar that, despite his failure to get any money from the EU cultural budget for the last two years, he’s determined to maintain the event’s profile "on a basic level" and ensure it survives until the EU’s cultural hotshots start to look at popular music in a different way.

The main Eurosonic-Noorderslag speakers included Ed Bicknell and Carl Leighton-Pope, who both head London-based agencies, and both may soon need an agent of their own if they’re to carry on appearing at so many live music gatherings.

They’re both great raconteurs and neither ever seems to have a bad gig, and so it’s hoped they don’t end up playing to the same audiences too many times.

Bicknell is always in character as The Silver Fox of management, note it’s not the grey fox or the white one. His repertoire of rock ’n’ roll stories – whether he’s interviewer or interviewee – must be as vast as anyone’s.

Now that he’s heading William Morris Agency’s international live music ops outside of the U.S., maybe he’s already collecting new material for future conference tours.

Leighton-Pope has spoken at the latest edition of Popkomm, the first edition of Music Week’s new London conference, Eurosonic, and will doubtless be the first (and most popular) speaker at the upcoming ILMC.

He draws his material from current live music business issues so it’s constantly regenerating itself. His opening keynote speech lasted an hour and was very funny.

Given that there’s a limit to how long either can keep appearing at the four or five major and a few minor European conferences, perhaps they’re both looking to play new territories. The after-dinner speaking circuit beckons.

The layout of the event within De Oosterpoort, which hosts the three days of panels and seminars and the final night for Dutch acts, was redesigned and improved. Although the 2,400-plus delegates was a record, turning what was a dead end into a thoroughfare opened up the building so well that there was more space rather than less.

Petri Lunden from Hagenburg, Hultsfred Festival chief Per Alexanderson, and Tobbe Lorentz from The Agency’s Scandinavian office were among those on a panel discussing why Swedish music is so popular.

Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Moneybrother, Loney, dear, Peter von Poehl, and Peter Bjorn and John are among the Swedish acts to have raised their profile on the European festival circuit via the ETEP scheme.

Robyn, I’m from Barcelona, Lykke Li, Cult of Luna, and Friska Viljor were among the 2008 acts determined to continue their country’s great record in Groningen.

Another of the second day’s panels called "Long Live Live," which set out to discuss the industry’s future and ask if there’s a danger of success breeding complacency, produced a fascinating debate among panelists (John McIldowie of MAMA – U.K., Eric van Eerdenburg from Holland’s Mojo Concerts, Dutch lawyer Hans Bousie, Sony-BMG Europe chief Maarten Steinkamp and the ubiquitous Leighton-Pope) and didn’t suffer at all from the fact that it never got near to discussing the advertised subject.

This year’s ETEP looks as if it may be remembered for the number of good acts that played. Usually up to a dozen acts will be on the festival bookers’ lips during the course of the weekend, but this year it seemed more like three dozen.

Apart from the strong Swedish contingent, it seems at least a dozen of those being talked up come from the U.K.

Steve Zapp from ITB in London, who’s had successful acts at ETEP including The Editors and The View, also reps Blood Red Shoes, and it will hardly be a surprise if the band continues his good record.

But there’s a long list of Brit acts being mentioned, including Calvin Harris, The Ting Tings, Reverend & the Makers, The Futureheads, Does It Offend You, Yeah? Friendly Fires, The Hoosiers, Lightspeed Champion, Pete & The Pirates, and The Whip.

Apart from the usual NME fuss, all have had at least a mention in the music pages of the U.K.’s serious papers and it’s anyone’s guess who’ll do best.

That doesn’t mean that this year’s ETEP looks like it will carve up into a benefit for the Brits and the Swedes because Germany’s Miss Platinum, Get Well Soon and Nneka are also attracting plenty of festival attention.

Best of the French seems to have been Soko and The Do, while Hooverphonics – a big act in its native Belgium – could well start to break beyond the borders.

After a success like this, Smidt and Ruud Berends – who put together such a multi-talented ETEP – will already be thinking how it can best be used to convince the EU that it’s worth funding in subsequent events.

Next year’s Eurosonic-Noorderslag takes place January 9-11.