Noise Pop Phase 1 Lineup: Beirut, Bob Mould, Teenage Fanclub For Multi-Venue, Weeklong SF Fest

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Noise Pop Festival has announced its first wave of artists along with dates, with the 27th annual multi-venue San Francisco Bay Area music festival taking place Feb. 25 to March 3 with artists including Beirut, Bob Mould, Teenage Fanclub, Albert Hammond Jr., Jason Lytle, Baths and many others.

Early Bird and Super Fan badges go on sale today, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. PT, although fans are encouraged to act fast as supply is limited and pricing will increase as the festival approaches and more is announced. 

Individual tickets to artists just announced will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 26. This year sees the addition of a Super Fam badge – 2 premium Super Fan badges – which for the first time in festival history will allow any Super Fam badge holder the freedom to switch out their +1s.

Noise Pop 2018 saw the festival’s highest attendance to date, hosting over 30,000 attendees during the week-long musical tour of the Bay Area. The 2018 festival played host to 180+ music artists across more than 25 Bay Area venues, with events including concerts, film screenings, art shows and more. It was also the first year with satellite shows in Sacramento, Santa Cruz and San Jose.

“Between badges and ticketholders we cracked 30,000 in attendance, so we’re seeing a really nice upward trajectory in attendance over the last few years, which is nothing to shirk at,” Noise Pop Industries general manager Dawson Ludwig told Pollstar of this year’s event.  The festival sold more tickets than any other year to date and sold out of all badges in advance.

While the showcase-type festival can be logistically difficult with dozens of shows and venues, the Bay Area promoter, which also produces the recently relocated Treasure Island Music Festival (co-produced with Another Planet Entertainment) and is the year-round talent buyer for Swedish American Music Hall, has plenty of experience.

“We’re fortunately very uniquely qualified to execute it, because  we’ve been doing it so long, and our position as a promoter in the city allows us to rub elbows with the smaller clubs that are independent as well as the larger clubs that are more corporately owned, so we’re sort of the only promoter that’s really able to navigate between those two worlds,” Ludwig added. “It’s difficult because every single venue comes with its own politics and operations and managing.  On a Friday night, I think we have 15 to 20 shows spread throughout the Bay Area. 

“It’s no small feat at all and requires a small army to pull it off, but the end result is something we’re very proud of,” Ludwig said. “It’s a musical tour of the bay area and really allows you to experience the amazing neighborhoods and venues, seeing bands in their natural habitats which is of course clubs and theatres.” 

Josh Withers – A$AP Rocky
plays the relocated Treasure Island Music Festival in Oakland Oct. 13.

Treasure Island Music Festival just wrapped Oct. 13-14 at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland, Calif., with a lineup featuring Tame Imapala, A$AP Rocky, Santigold, Courtney Barnett and many others, with Noise Pop counting more than 23,500 in attendance over the weekend.

The relocation came after a one-year hiatus, and the new location just west of downtown Oakland provided a unique backdrop featuring panoramic views of the Bay, downtown SF and the Bay Bridge.