Jabberwocky Ticket Row

ATP are pointing them toward Dash Tickets, which is understood to have sold most of the tickets, but the ticketing firm is claiming that it’s already handed the cash to the promoter.

“We feel compelled to make it clear that Dash has given to ATP all funds that Dash received for ticket sales to Jabberwocky,” it said in a statement, which also said its “trust in ATP seems to have been misplaced.”

“We thought more of ATP and its directors. We hope that they will do the right thing and expedite refunds to all fans,” it added, saying it will will take legal advice with the aim of commencing legal proceedings against ATP to attempt to recover all funds.

Dash suggested fans seeking refunds should email [email protected]. ATP countered by releasing a statement saying, “if Dash are not being helpful facilitating this matter, your next point of contact should be directly with your bank or card provider to order a chargeback of your purchase amount.”

Neither ATP nor Dash would have to pay refunds if the credit card companies pick up the tab, which seemed to further annoy fans. “And what of us that paid via Paypal and no longer have any right to claim a refund?” one ticket-holder complained.

While ATP and Dash got into a finger-pointing fight on Facebook, other disgruntled fans turned to social networks to have their say.

“This is a shambles. Not one ounce of professionalism or care for people who bought those tickets,” one post complained. When ATP announced the event had been canceled, it said that proceeding with it would have taken the company under.

The promoting firm, which runs various small festivals under such banners as All Tomorrow’s Parties and I’ll Be Your Mirror, is now co-owned by UK-based MAMA Group.

MAMA became involved in October 2012, after ATP chief Barry Hogan liquidated the promoting company and transferred all its assets to a new unit called Willwal Limited. MAMA bought half the new company.

Apart from his own festival projects, Hogan was also to help booking such MAMA events as Lovebox, Wilderness and The Great Escape.

Jabberwocky was also run in collaboration with Pitchfork and Spanish festival Primavera Sound, but both outfits are distancing themselves from the fallout.

Pitchfork released a statement saying – along with Primavera Sound – it had only helped to “curate” Jabberwocky.

“We did not have any financial involvement in the festival, in terms of either providing funding ourselves, managing how the money was spent, or receiving any portion of the event proceeds,” it said. “Apart from recommending artists, we were not involved with decision-making concerning the event.

“We’re as disappointed with the actions taken by ATP as everyone else, and hope they will fulfill the commitment they have made to return all ticket fees.”

Primavera Sound press officer Beba Naveira has confirmed that the Spanish festival didn’t have any financial involvement with the event.

At press time it wasn’t possible to get further comment from ATP, MAMA Group or Dash Tickets.

Jabberwocky, which had a lineup that included Neutral Milk Hotel, Liars, Panda Bear, Caribou, Deafheaven, and Excel Centre , was the third of the UK’s high-profile small festivals to fail within the space of five weeks. At the beginning of July London’s Camden Crawl folded, and was subsequently found to have debts of more than £100,000.

Alt-Fest in Northamptonshire was canceled after reportedly selling 7,500 tickets for a festival that was costing £1.7 million ($2.87 million). All three festivals blamed poor ticket sales.