New Kids On The Bloc

With Rock For People already gone and Pohoda still more than a week away, two new festivals found a gap in which to try to establish themselves in the Czech-Slovak market.

Hodokvas Festival (July 4-5) isn’t actually new but it’s the first year Ewald Tatar from Austrian promoter Nova Music has been involved and also the first time it’s booked a lineup including such international acts as Placebo, Korn and Machine Head.

Tatar was reasonably pleased to see 12,000 pay either the euro 25 per day ticket price or buy two-day tickets for about euro 45. He said the result would have been even better if it hadn’t rained both days.

The Piestany Airport site, which is less than an hour’s drive from Bratislava, had nine entertainment areas and a supporting bill that included Apollo 440, Anthony B., New Model Army and No Means No.

Miro Lanik said his new TRF Green Water Festival, which looks to have replaced his Stiavnica Festival in this year’s calendar, had 27,000 at euro 15 for a two-day ticket to see a lineup that included Misfits, Napalm Death and Therapy.

The June 29-30 bash at Nove Mesto Nad Vahom was the first of four festivals that Lanik’s Vresk Factory Agency will produce in Slovakia this year.

Toto Je Hip Hop Festival (July 6-7), Barbakan Festival (August 22-26) and Nu Jazz Days (October 6-7) are the others in the calendar.

The Czech Republic has Rock For People (July 4-6), which pulled about 25,000 per day to the old military airport at Hradec Kralove to see a bill that had The Killers, Basement Jaxx, The Hives, Mory Kante, Disco Ensemble, Beatsteaks, Die Happy and Puppetmastaz.

Slovakia’s Pohoda Festival (July 20-21) near Trencin, which is also on an old military airfield, will expect to do about the same number for a lineup that includes Basement Jaxx, The Hives, Wu-Tang Clan, Mando Diao, Air and The Pipettes.