Features
UK/Euro Lineups: Tomorrowland Bill, ION Premiere, Kpop.Flex Adds Day, Rock En Seine & More
DAVID PINTENS/AFP via Getty Images – Fireworks at mainstage pictured during set of DJ Tiësto at and the first day of the Tomorrowland music festival, July 21, 2019.
This year’s edition will take place across three weekends.
700-plus Acts: Tomorrowland Unveils Full Lineup
Tomorrowland just announced that it will expand to three weekends this year, and has now followed that up with the full lineup. More than 700 artists representing all styles of electronic music will perform on 14 stages set up on what Tomorrowland fans refer to as the Holy Grounds in Boom, Belgium.
A selection of artist on Tomorrowland’s massive bill, in alphabetical order, includes Above & Beyond, ACRAZE, Adam Beyer, Adriatique, Alan Walker, Alesso, Amelie Lens, Armin van Buuren, ARTBAT, Cellini, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Diplo, DJ Diesel, Eric Prydz presents HOLO, Fisher, Kungs, Lost Frequencies, Maceo Plex, Major Lazer Soundsystem, Marshmello, Martin Garrix, Netsky, Paul Kalkbrenner, Reinier Zonneveld, SHOUSE, Tale Of Us, Tinie Tempah, Vintage Culture and more.
The theme for the festival’s 16th edition is “The Reflection of Love.” The three Tomorrowland 2022 weekends are July 15-17, 22-24, and 29-31.
STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images – Royal Blood performs at Rock En Seine 2019.
The festival has announced another massive lineup for this year’s edition.
Rock En Seine’s Massive Lineup
Rock En Seine may boast one of the biggest lineups in Europe, Aug. 25-30 (with Aug. 29 a day off), at the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud in Paris.
Promoter AEG Presents previously announced Arctic Monkeys, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tame Impala, Kraftwerk, Jamie xx, Stromae, IDLES, James Blake, Parcels, Yungblud, Beabadoobee.
Plus for a special stand-alone show on Tuesday, Aug. 30: Rage Against The Machine and Run The Jewels. Aug. 29 is a rest day.
Joining on the main days, Aug. 25-28, are Izia Soulwax, Aldous Harding, Crystal Murray, Dijon, Griff, Joy Crookes, Lala&Ce, November Ultra, Nu Genea, Perfume Genius, Priya Ragu, Remi Wolf, Requin Chagrin and Vendredi Sur Mer. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Ausgang join the Aug. 30 bill.
Matthieu Ducos, GM of Rock en Seine Festival, said, “We are delighted to announce these exciting additions to the line-up for this August weekend with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Soulwax, Izïa, Aldous Harding, Joy Crookes and many more. There are fantastic artists lined up for the whole weekend and we’re incredibly excited for what will be a truly special return to Domaine National de Saint-Cloud. We look forward to seeing you all there.”
– Dhërmi, Albania.
The site of the ION premiere.
ION Festival Premiere
ION will finally celebrate its debut edition in Dhërmi, Albania, Sept. 7-14, after being forced to postpone twice in a row due to the coronavirus crisis.
Chaos in the CBD, Maribou State, Jeff Mills, Nina Kraviz, DJ Stingray, Helena Hauff, Daniel Avery, HAAi, Nicolas Lutz, Pangaea and more have agreed to perform at the first ever ION.
Located right on the Albanian coast with the crystal blue water of the Ionian Sea, directly under the imposing green Ceraunian mountains, the festival will boast cold war bunkers, secret coves, and, of course, multiple stages.
Currently, there are five stages announced across the festival site with other experiences across the coastline, only accessible by boat. ION is promoted by the same team behind London’s Junction 2 festival, LWE.
LWE’s head of events, Jeff Gray, commented, “When we started to bring our vision for ION Festival to life, we wanted to make sure each music location had its own, unique vibe with a distinct music programme to match.
“From the open-air hedonism of our Main Stage and The Deck, to the depths of The Bunker, the intimacy of The Cove, to The Yacht Club’s slick terrace, we feel we have fine-tuned our lineup with exceptional attention to detail. And that’s all before we get to the additional experiences that we know will provide some of the most incredible spots to experience electronic music anywhere in the world.
“We hope you can all join us in this stunning location that we are extremely fortunate to call home this September.”
– Black Honey at Dot To Dot Festival 2021.
Emerging Artists Take Center Stage At Dot To Dot
Metropolitan festival Dot To Dot, which takes place across multiple venues in Bristol, May 28, and Nottingham, May 29, has announced the first wave of acts for its 2022 edition.
English post-punk sensation Squid will headline both iterations of Dot To Dot. They are joined by grime MC Ghetts from East London, Brighton-based rap and production duo Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn, Baby Queen, Nine8 Collective, a supergroup of rising underground artists, Cassia, Jane Weaver, Nia Archives, Just Mustard, Jockstrap, Everyone You Know, and songwriter Alfie Templeman, who released his debut EP Chess Club in 2018 at only 18 years old.
A further 28 emerging artists have also been added to the bill so far, ready to make up the earlier daytime slots with more line-up announcements to come.
Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns – Joesef from Glasgow, Scotland, performs on the King Tut
TRNSMT offers up-and-coming talent a stage each year.
DHP Family promoters Joshua Ward and Conrad Rogan expressed that focusing on up-and-coming talent was a major part of the festival’s ethos. Said Ward, “D2D has always been about celebrating the best new musical talent on offer, and one of the best parts of that is seeing artists grow and develop from performing lower down our bills to becoming potential headliners. We saw it last year with Sports Team and we’re delighted to have another example of it this year with Squid. We can’t wait to see what’s guaranteed to be an unforgettable headline set.”
Rogan added, “It’s definitely an ethos that’s really apparent throughout the whole line-up, and is something we make sure we’re always considering. Squid are an incredible band who are just going from strength to strength at the minute, and it’s great that we have this festival where they can become headliners so soon after they first played lower down the bill a few years back. D2D is pretty special in that sense.”
Director of Live at DHP Family, Anton Lockwood, commented, “We’re extremely pleased to be announcing Dot To Dot Festival 2022, with one of our most diverse line-ups to date. I have always said that Dot To Dot is all about seeing your favourite band as headliner and your new favourite band earlier in the day. That certainly looks set to ring true this year, and I’m looking forward to catching some of the earlier slots by artists that will no doubt be headlining in years to come.”
Polly Thomas/Getty Images – Fans watch Fontaines D.C. at Green Man Festival 2021, which was alowed to go ahead during a period of eased COVID restrictions.
More than half of UK festivals are thought to have been cancelled in 2021.
TRNSMT Offer Newcomers A Stage
Scottish main event TRNSMT, which will go down July 8-10 in Glasgow, will also offer up-and-coming talent a dedicated stage.
Saint PHNX, Baby Strange, Rianne Downey, The Reytons, Parliamo, Everyone You Know, Bonnie, Alex Amor, Dylan Fraser, Luz, and Stone are amongst them. They join established artists Paolo Nutini, Lewis Capaldi, The Strokes, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, as well as recent BRITs winners Wolf Alice and Sam Fender.
Kraftwerk & Michael Kiwanuka At Green Man’s 20th Anniversary
Welsh festival Green Man is celebrating its 20th anniversary at Brecon Beacons, Aug. 18-21.
Headliners Kraftwerk and Michael Kiwanuka are joined by a massive list of diverse artists, including Beach House, Metronomy, Bicep (Live), Kae Tempest, Black Country, Dry Cleaning and many more. Welsh acts confirmed include Melin Melyn, Adwaith, Ailsa Tully and DJs Adam Walton and Huw Stephens.
Live At Leeds Expands Outdoors
Luke Dyson – One of the spectacular locations of Annie Mac
Live At Leeds expands this year with the launch of a one-day outdoor summer festival alongside its traditional inner-city version returning in October.
Dubbed Live At Leeds In The Park, the June 4 premiere will be headlined by Bombay Bicycle Club. The bill also features Nothing But Thieves, Arlo Parks, Easy Life, Sea Girls and more.
Annie Mac Presents: Lost & Found Lineup
Irish star DJ and broadcaster Annie Mac has found a nice home for her own festival on Malta. The sixth edition of Lost & Found will go down, June 1-4.
Aside from Annie Mac herself, the bill features Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Ben Hemsley, Mike Skinner, Tsha, Enny, Camelphat, Bklava, Scratchclart, Sally C, Paul Woolford, and many more.
Annie Mac Presents: Lost & Found offers fans of dance an opportunity to do just that from dusk till dawn. The festival’s day and night parties take place across a series of unique venues on Malta, including a coastline pool party and a hidden open-air arena with four stages to venture around.
Jens Schlenker – Elbjazz takes place along the port of Hamburg.
This picture was taken in 2019. Last year, the entire event took place as a digital online edition.
23 Acts Confirmed For Elbjazz Germany
The world of live is desperate for positive news from Germany, which remains one of the most restricted markets in Europe. News like Hamburgs’s Elbjazz festival announcing the first 23 acts for its June 3-4 event, for instance.
So far confirmed are Melody Gardot, John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension, Moka Efti Orchestra feat. Severija, Thomas D & The KBCS, Web Web x Max Herre, Youn Sun Nah, Lady Blackbird, Zara McFarlane, Jazzanova (live) & DJ Amir, YIN YIN, Mathias Eick & The Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Stephanie Lottermoser, Omer Klein & Sebastian Studnitzky, Simon Oslender Super Trio, Spirit Fest, Golden Dawn Arkestra, and more.
The lineup makes it clear that visitors will be treated to a wide variety of musical genres along the port of Hamburg, where Elbjazz takes place, including inside its two main venues, the Blohm+Voss shipyard, and the Elbphilharmonie.
Elbjazz is promoted by the Elbjazz GmbH, which is led by German promoters Folkert Koopmans (FKP Scorpio) and Karsten Jahnke.
The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images – Mamamoo performs at Kyunghee Grand Peace Hall in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 14, 2019.
The group is among the latest additions to the lineup of Kpop.Flex.
Kpop.Flex Adds Second Day
Kpop.Flex, Europe’s first K-pop festival, will premiere at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany in May. Due to high demand – 44,000 tickets sold in seven weeks – a second day was added.
Kpop.Flex now takes place on Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15. Solo artist KAI of EXO & Super M, and boy band AB6IX will join previously announced (G)I-DLE, NCT Dream, Enhypen, Mamamoo and IVE on the bill.
Enhypen, Kai, and Mamamoo will perform on the Saturday only, while boy group ONEUS as well as Monsta X will play exclusively on Sunday. Six more acts are to be added to the Sunday bill.
Kpop.Flex is organized by K-Pop Europa in partnership with PK Events and Korean broadcaster SBS Television Network. K-Pop Europa is a partnership between Live Company Group and Explorado Group.
Parookaville Unveils Headliners
Amelie Lens, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and Robin Schulz are confirmed as
headliners for Parookaville 2022, July 22-24, at Airport Weeze, Germany. They’re joined on the bill b Acraze, Fedde Le Grand, Fjaak, Headhunterz, Moksi, and Sefa.
Promoters also announced an update to its campsite, uniting two former separate camping areas (Base Ground and Mellow Fields) into one large one (Base Camp), with no borders, separate entrances or subdivisions adjacent to the Parookaville main stage.
SAGA Festival All Set For Second Edition
SAGA Festival’s second edition will take place at its new home, the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania, June 3-5.
The most recent lineup announcements include EDM heavyweights DJ Snake, and Tiësto, as well as Elderbrook, Ofenbach, FISHER, Meduza and Sven Väth. They join previously announced Afrojack, Black Coffee, Marshmello, Nicole Moudaber, Pan-Pot, Purple Disco Machine, Sickick, and Timmy Trumpet.
To make sure a vast range of electronic styles are present on all of SAGA’s stages, The Stickmen Project, ACRAZE, Jax Jones, Camelphat, Joel Corry, Da Tweekaz, Honey Dijon, Dom Dolla, Biscits and John Summit have also been booked.
Irena Isovic – Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Producer duo Solardo is gearing up for the third edition of their Croatian festival Higher Dubrovnik.
Solardo Aim For Festival Hattrick
Manchester producer duo Solardo is gearing up for the third edition of their Croatian festival Higher Dubrovnik, Sept. 23-27.
As its previous two iterations, the festival will make use of the most spectacular sites in the coastal town of Dubrovnik, which include an ancient fortress as well as a panoramic terrace looking over the city and Adriatic Sea. Some may recognise Dubrovnik from hit series and films like Game Of Thrones and Star Wars.
The lineup features Marco Carola, FJAAK, Nicole Moudaber, Mall Grab, Maya Jane Coles, Vintage Culture, Nic Fanciulli, Lee Foss and many more artists from the world of house and techno.
Solardo, who were crowned DJ Mag’s Best Breakthrough Act of 2016 and Best Duo of 2017, are collaborating with Pollen Presents for Higher Dubrovnik 2022.