COULD Manchester be on the verge of staging its own annual Glastonbury- style pop festival?

 

Big hitters in the Manchester music scene are already in secret talks to establish the inaugural music festival next summer and are confident that the event could become a regular feature on the calendar to rival the Carling Festival in Reading and Leeds, the V Festival in Stafford and Chelmsford, and T In The Park in Scotland.

 

Although discussions are still at a very early stage, my spies tell me that a think-tank of locally-based music industry movers and shakers are formulating plans for an open-air event and are looking at a range of sites, including Heaton Park, as the potential venue for a two-day music bash.

 

One of those involved in the early talks is Happy Mondays manager Elliot Rashman. Elliot has just joined the staff of Manchester's award-winning School of Sound Recording and it is expected that SSR's base on Downing Street, between the city centre and Ardwick, could become the organisational hub for the ambitious plan.

 

He tells me: "It would be great for this city to have a first class annual open air music festival. Manchester has contributed more than most to the UK music scene over the years. We should aim for a great festival as an integral part of the city's summer calendar.

 

"There are policing and licensing issues, which would have to be overcome, but I'm fully behind the idea."

 

Insiders say that they have already had agreements in principle from some of Manchester's biggest rock and pop acts to appear at the festival - which is yet to be given a name - should the plans get through the inevitable red tape and be given the go-ahead.

 

Organisers are hoping an established top flight music promoter will soon be on board too - possibly someone like Manchester's own Simon Moran, who runs the internationally successful SJM promotions.

 

If they get the official green light, bands such as Elbow, Ting Tings, Doves and the Happy Mondays are expected to be on the bill alongside the most popular international and chart-topping rock and pop acts from around the world.

 

Wendy Breakall, from SSR, says: "Manchester is regarded as the heart of the UK music industry. It's about time this city had its own established music festival to match that reputation and to rival all the other established festivals across the UK. I am certain, given the right conditions, this event would attract interest from music fans across the UK."

 

Noises from Manchester council are also encouraging at this early stage in the event planning.

 

City centre spokesman Pat Karney tells me: "Anything that helps put Manchester on the world map has got to be good. We are always interested in talking about bright new ideas to do just that. If the organisers want to come into the town hall and talk turkey with us - we're more than willing to get involved in formal discussions."

 

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/s/1059338_watch_out_glastonbury

Many have been suggesting there are now far too many festivals as it is.;)

Too many festivals....but you can guarantee that this one would get all the Mancunian artists to play.... biggies like Morrissey.....Oasis....etc maybe? (definitely...oh sorry. cheesy :lol:)

I'm quite prepared to stick my neck out here and say that there won't ever be anything in Europe to rival Glastonbury (whether or not it sells out, or even if they ever decided to reduce the capacity by 50%, which'll never happen).

 

It's just so special.

Exactly.

Glastonbury feels like home for me...it's the festival that isn't sponsored...has the best atmosphere and tradition. :nice:

^And the most mud.:rolleyes:

the Carling Festival in Reading and Leeds, t

 

Last I heard the Carling Festival went under to be replaced by Reading Festival and Leeds Festival, as they are no-longer sponsored by Carling :P

 

 

And great, what the U.K. needs most of all, another music festival to dilute the crowds further

^And the most mud.:rolleyes:

 

Typical response of someone who has never been to Glastonbury.

Exactly.

Glastonbury feels like home for me...it's the festival that isn't sponsored...has the best atmosphere and tradition. :nice:

 

Going to try and buy tickets in october Kara?

Typical response of someone who has never been to Glastonbury.

 

The camera doesn't lie.:rolleyes:

Going to try and buy tickets in october Kara?

 

Absolutely!!!

The camera doesn't lie.:rolleyes:

 

Only because the cameras were at Glastonbury and not at the site for Reading festival where a good section of car-park and camping area was fenced off

i think rock werchter, rock am ring and roskilde all produce much much better line ups than glastonbury. yes it may be the biggest in terms of crowd numbers. but if you look at the lineups from the fests i mentioned they are always solid. even though both roskilde and werchter were held on the same weekend they both had awesome lineups. Werchter had chemical brothers REM vampire weekend the verve radiohead sigur ros kings of leon gnarls barkley kaiser cheifs and the raconteurs!! roskilde i think made a deal with werchter because they produced an almost identical lineup.

Ah, but have you been to Glasto? It's all about the atmosphere of walking around a huge farm, with so many different parts to it, so many different tents and markets, thousands of food choices to choose from......the people and atmosphere is something that can never be beaten. Last years Glastonbury had the lineup with EVERYTHING. Just because this years didn't, didn't make it worse. For me it made it better in some ways.

 

These other places may have fantastic lineups but sometimes you can never get around to seeing every act when there's so many on. Also, they just appear to be a huge field with burger vans and overpriced beer sponsoring the whole thing. No character.

Glastonbury isn't about the headline acts, there is so much more than just the one stage (in fact there is at least 20 different stages)

Glastonbury isn't about the headline acts, there is so much more than just the one stage (in fact there is at least 20 different stages)

 

Well at least you can escape from the likes of Jay-Z then.:rolleyes:

Open your mind :rolleyes:

Open your mind :rolleyes:

 

Open your ears.:rolleyes:

Stop watching telly :rolleyes:

Stop watching telly :rolleyes:

 

Stop watching ©rap!:rolleyes:

i wasn't watching rap :P

i wasn't watching rap :P

 

Well you were if you were watching Jay-Z!!:rolleyes:

I was listening to him sitting on some chairs outside a cafe near my tent (as my legs were tired), but not watching him :P

I was listening to him sitting on some chairs outside a cafe near my tent (as my legs were tired), but not watching him :P

 

Lazy get!!:rolleyes:

It was a choice of sitting down and listened to Jay Z, or standing at the back of the crowd to listen to jay-Z. And like I said my legs were tired after damaging them in London a few days before the trip, so i picked the sit-down option