MAMA Joins Tomorrow’s Party

Promoter Barry Hogan has enabled his All Tomorrow’s Parties to continue its Lazarus impersonation by selling half the company to UK-based MAMA Group.

Hogan recently liquidated his promoting company, transferred all its assets to a new unit called Willwal Limited and then hired former Latitude Festival booker John Dunn, who left Festival Republic days before Reading and Leeds festival booker Neil Pengelly.

 
Festival Republic chief Melvin Benn has already recruited former MAMA programmer Natasha Haddad to replace Dunn, and was expected to name Pengelly’s successor Oct. 18.
 
ATP’s hookup with MAMA will see the company help book talent for AMA’s Festivals, including Lovebox, Wilderness and The Great Escape, and shows across the group’s venue estate. It’s understood that Dunn was brought on board to handle those tours. 
 
It’s not obvious who will actually own Lovebox, Wilderness and The Great Escape next summer as parent company HMV has put them on the block to raise cash to cut its debt.
 
MAMA and ATP will work together to further develop ATP’s hugely popular shows in the UK and abroad and develop its events business, which runs small festivals called All Tomorrow’s Parties.
 
MAMA Group is also bringing in nightclub promoter Rich McGinnis to help fill its venues, which have also been put up for sale by HMV.
 
McGinnis, who was appointed head of talent, will take the lead on booking Global Gathering and Lovebox with Sam Kandel, who formerly partnered with him in co-founding leading UK nightclub brands, Chibuku ShakeShake, Circus and The Warehouse Project & Parklife Festival.
 
“We’ve worked with Rich and Sam for two years now and we know how talented they are. Rich will add a huge amount of innovation and energy to MAMA’s estate and his arrival along with Barry and Deborah [from ATP] creates a bit of a dream team for us,” explained MAMA Group chief exec Dean James.
 
The MAMA venues put up for sale by HMV include London rooms such as The Forum, Jazz Cafe, The Garage, The Borderline, Heaven, G-A-Y and Barfly Camden in London. The provincial venues include Edinburgh Picture House, Birmingham Institute and Manchester Ritz.