Scorpio Seizes Opportunities

Hamburg-based FKP Scorpio is making the best of its Scandinavian opportunities, having sold out its Northside Festival in Denmark at the fourth attempt.

The 25,000 three-day tickets for the Århus outdoor have gone with more than six weeks to spare, putting Northside a few rungs up the Danish festival calendar and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Smukfest (or Skanderborg), Jelling and Skive.

There’s only a handful of one-day tickets left and still plenty of time to sell them.

Scorpio chief Folkert Koopmans and Brian Nielsen from Århus-based Skandinavian started Northside in 2010 as a 10,000-capacity festival, largely featuring Danish talent.

This year’s Northside bill (June 14 to 16) has Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro, Keane, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Flaming Lips, Gogol Bordello, Ellie Goulding, Portishead, and Kaizers Orchestra, plus an impressive lineup of breakthrough talent.

It’s now a useful cornerstone of FKP’s Nordic growth, along with the building of Swedish festivals such as the new Bravalla, which is on course to sell out its 40,000-capacity, Hultsfred and Getway.

“It’s not a case of having any specific plans but more a case of looking for opportunities,” Koopmans told Pollstar in January, shortly after hiring former Live Nation and AEG promoter David Maloney to find a Stockholm base to develop the companies touring strength in Scandinavia.

FKP’s upcoming tours in the region include Green Day, Leonard Cohen, Bastille, and Lana Del Rey.

A foothold in the Swedish and Danish capitals, coupled with the foundation it has in Hamburg, could make FKP Scorpio a key player for major acts wanting shows in northern Europe.

Scorpio’s German festivals include Southside and Hurricane, which are both on course to sell out, Highfield, Chiemsee Reggae, M’Era Luna and Area 4.