News en Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:10:17 GMT Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:10:17 GMT 60 Giving festival goers the chance to participate in the projects they themselves help raise money for. <p>Our Volunteer Project gave Reading and Leeds festival goers the opportunity to visit the projects we support, but also to work alongside Festival Republic and Cradle staff and volunteers, assisting on the projects and experiencing first hand where we work, why our help is needed and how much we can achieve together.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The trips, fully paid by Festival Republic, were&nbsp;hard work and certainly no holiday but a fantastic and life changing experience for everyone involved. Check out the diaries from Spring 2008 trips to Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina and Thailand.<br /> <br /> Now we&rsquo;re looking for new volunteers to take part in 2008/9 - you don&rsquo;t need any specific experience or training, though practical skills may be an advantage, from painting and decorating to child care, teaching an instrument or sports skills. More importantly you need to be keen, willing to get stuck in, be able to communicate well with people from different cultures and backgrounds and be open to a new experience.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/m/q/d/Volunteer Opportunities with CRADLE_2009.doc">To apply, download the application form</a><br /> <br /> Deadline 1st&nbsp;December&nbsp;2008.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-10-28T00:00:00 6ad9595b-8121-44cb-9040-40235fc85035 1 Latitude won The Stage Award for special achievement in regional theatre at the TMA awards. <p>This is a massive achievement for any theatre company and to have a festival up there in the running, would previously have been unheard of!&nbsp; This places the theatre programme at Latitude up there with the great and the good of the theatre and performing arts world.<br /> <br /> The TMA Theatre and Management Awards celebrate the very best in British theatre, opera and dance. These unique awards recognise the achievements of artists and companies based throughout the United Kingdom. The awards champion the excellence and diversity of artistic activity and the high standard of professional, specialist work which contributes to and supports the success of the performing arts.<br /> <br /> The Theatre Awards honour individual creative excellence and collaborative artistic effort in performance and production and applaud the outstanding work seen in regional theatres each year: work which contributes so much to the vibrant cultural life of theatre.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-10-28T00:00:00 cdd7ba77-6ee9-449c-91b3-e6d741ae869b 2 Reading's New Festival A Match Made In Heaven <p>Reading's reputation as one of the south-east's biggest and most successful cultural hubs received a huge boost today with the news that the town will play host to an exciting new music festival from 2009.<br /> <br /> The`<strong><a href="http://www.heavenlyplanet.co.uk/">Heavenly Planet</a></strong>' festival is a two day music festival aimed at both families and younger festival goers which will take place annually on the same site as the Reading Rock Festival.<br /> <br /> This initiative is the result of a partnership between Reading Borough Council (RBC) and Heavenly Planet UK Festivals - a company jointly owned by rock festival organisers Festival Republic, and Thomas Brooman CBE, previously Artistic Director of WOMAD.<br /> <br /> The three-way tie-up will tap into the years of knowledge and experience accumulated by Melvin Benn of Festival Republic, Thomas Brooman and the Borough Council in running highly successful music events in Reading and aims to build upon RBC's commitment to enhance further the cultural life of the town.<br /> <br /> Subject to the proposal being approved at a meeting of the Council's Cabinet on September 29, the first-ever Heavenly Planet Festival is currently scheduled for Friday July 10 and Saturday July 11 2009. The aim is for 15,000 people to attend in year one, although it is hoped this figure will grow significantly as the event becomes more established.<br /> <br /> Graeme Hoskin, Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport at Reading Borough Council, said: &quot;We're extremely excited to be announcing this new summer festival. When WOMAD left there was real disappointment in Reading and many people were telling us they hoped we could introduce a new family friendly, internationalist festival. There has been a huge amount of work behind the scenes and we have faced some big challenges, but I believe 'Heavenly Planet' fits that bill. We're particularly delighted to be entering into a partnership with Thomas Brooman and Melvin Benn with their huge experience and knowledge of festivals and international music and culture&quot;.<br /> <br /> Melvin Benn of Festival Republic said: &quot;For two years now the council and I have been discussing the idea of a new, innovative, diverse and outward-looking festival. But it was only when I ran the idea by Thomas and established that it was possible to bring his idea's into the structure as Artistic Director and joint shareholder, it became a must. Thomas brings everything we were looking for to the table and the partnership is now complete. It will make for a very exciting future - a heavenly future I hope!&quot;<br /> <br /> Thomas Brooman said: &quot;This festival, with its concepts of music, optimism and positivity, will create an event entirely new and unique for Reading. It is a privilege to be able to work together with Melvin and Reading Borough Council on the Heavenly Planet project and we are wholly committed to a long-term and successful future for the festival in the town. Viva Reading!&quot;<br /> <br /> The WOMAD festival was a well-recognised and established festival that had a relationship with Reading, growing from 5,000 people attending in 1990 to more than 40,000 in 2006. WOMAD left in 2006 to establish a new home in Wiltshire but there has been a strong desire by Reading Borough Council to find a festival that would provide a complement to the current cultural offering in Reading.<br /> <br /> The intention of the Heavenly Planet title is to evoke ideas of optimism, global awareness and an open-minded enthusiasm for music, culture and society. While planning for the festival is still at an early stage, the current thinking is that two big top tents will be the focal point for the event, accommodating two stages of equal scale.<br /> <br /> It is hoped that the close involvement of Thomas Brooman - a well known figure in the genre of world music - will help to attract major artists to the event but the aim is also for up-and-coming artists from the Reading area to be given a major platform to showcase their talents.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Camping will be available as well as a food court concept, celebrating food from around the world. Discussions are also underway about Rivermead Leisure Centre being used as a possible indoor venue for night and day-time events, offering a reliable venue in case of bad weather. And while Heavenly Planet is currently a two-day event, there is the possibility of offering some sort of festival activity on the Sunday as well.<br /> <br /> Current estimated ticket prices are extremely competitive in comparison with other weekend music events, with highest weekend passes expected to be sold at &pound;70.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The proposal for a <a href="http://www.heavenlyplanet.co.uk/">Heavenly Planet</a> Festival will go before a meeting of Reading Borough Council's Cabinet on Monday September 29 for approval. Full agenda papers can be found at <a href="http://www.reading.gov.uk">www.reading.gov.uk</a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT 2008-09-19T09:00:00 8e193507-97d8-4949-91ed-c531acde2f46 3 The pre-sale tickets have now sold out. Presale weekend tickets&nbsp;for 16th, 17,th, 18th, &amp; 19th July 2009 have now <u>sold out</u>. More on sale next year.<br /> <br /> - &pound;130 Weekend<br /> - &pound;130 Family*<br /> - &pound;10 Campervans and Caravans - standard<br /> - &pound;10 Campervans and Caravans - family<br /> - &pound;15 Lockers<br /> - FREE Child tickets, but you must&nbsp;indicate the number of children attending&nbsp;when booking&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <font color="#ff0000">IMPORTANT </font><font color="#ff0000"><u>Please note</u>:</font> Groups or indiviuals&nbsp;arriving without children will need to purchase a standard ticket and will not be able to enter the Family Campsite.<br /> <br /> In addition, you will be unable to pitch a tent in advance of your family's arrival.<br /> <br /> PLEASE BE AWARE, ANYONE SELLING TICKETS NOW IS NOT AN AUTHORISED TICKET AGENT AND THE TICKET MAY NOT EVEN EXIST.<br /> <strong><a href="http://2008.latitudefestival.co.uk/news/story.aspx?aid=ec3c7c3b-0445-456d-8b4d-32dc21d8524a">Read all about our authorised agents here</a></strong><br /> <br /> <br /> Photo credit: Jon Appleyard Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-09-01T00:00:00 e9b759b2-86a2-430a-8bde-114b4d68d4c8 4 Beware of unauthorised ticket agencies including eBay, buying from them can be a lot of trouble - You are likely to pay over the odds for a ticket that will have never existed or might never materialise. <p><font color="#ff0000">Beware of unauthorised ticket agencies</font> including eBay, buying from them can be a lot of trouble - You are likely to pay over the odds for a ticket that will have never existed or might never materialise.<br /> <br /> <strong>Most notable of these <u>unauthorised sites </u>are:</strong>SOS Ticketmaster (not to be confused withTicketmaster who are the real agent)<br /> readingfestivaltickets.co.uk<br /> leedsfestival.net<br /> Westminster Events, Get Me Tickets , Splendid Tickets, Herts Box Office <br /> Click For Tickets, London Ticket Shop, anyworldwideevent.com <br /> ticketssoldout.co.uk, TicketSolutions, Tickettout.com, TicketsUK<br /> Double 8 Tickets, London Ticket Shop, Ebay, Gumtree, Viagogo, Seatwave, Stubhub,BritishConcerts.com, GetMeTickets,Tickettout.com, No1soldoutevents.com, Sold Out Events,&nbsp;Tickets UK,&nbsp;Click for Tickets , Herts Box Office, XclusiveTicket.com, Summer Festival Tickets.com, Corporate Box Office, Ticket 4-you, Euro team,Everysell.com, Anyticket.com, Getmein.com,showtime, Tickco.com, London Ticket Express, SummerFestivalTickets.com, <font size="2">ticket2bethere.co.uk</font><br /> <br /> <strong>Additional Unauthorised Sites</strong>:<br /> Anyone advertised on Readingfestival.org - this is not an authorised site.<br /> <br /> <strong><font color="#ff0000"><a href="http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/consumer_protection/ticketagentquestions.pdf">More tout info from Office of Fair Trading&nbsp;- please read</a></font></strong><br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ~ . ~<br /> <br /> We are currently looking into companies selling 'touted' tickets and we are doing what we can to stop fraudulent activity.<br /> <br /> <strong>FURTHER INFORMATION &amp; CONTACTS</strong>:&nbsp;<br /> If you feel a victim of these companies we suggest a number of actions:<br /> <br /> <strong>1</strong>.Call the police; if your money has been taken and no product delivered, this is theft. <br /> <strong>2</strong>.Report the company to the Trading Standards <br /> <strong>3</strong>.Contact the BBC's watchdog programme <br /> <strong>4</strong>.Contact the websites' Internet Service Providers as they have obligations to ensure they are not publishing fraudulent and illegal activity.<br /> <br /> <strong>HELPFUL LINKS</strong>: <br /> <a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/RightsAndResponsibilities/RightsAndResponsibilitiesArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10015892&amp;chk=I8hfA1">Trading Standards website customer accounts of GetMeTickets</a>&nbsp;<br /> <a href="http://www.easynet.com/legal/acceptable.asp">Easynets Acceptable use policy, Service provider of GetMeTickets</a>&nbsp;<br /> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/">BBC Watchdog</a><br /> <a href="http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1446">Get Safe Online</a><br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido//publishing/news/n/l/j/2008 Unauthorised Ticket Agents and Ticket Touting.pdfo/publishing/2008 Unauthorised Ticket Agents and Ticket Touting(1).pdf">Full Festival Republic PDF information on Unauthroised Ticket Agents</a></strong></p> Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-09-01T00:00:00 95586df6-e004-4421-8d1c-5b0ec6fb033d 1000000 Following sell-out festivals at both sites, the festivals this year were huge successes all round. Get your tickets for next year now. <div class="news_featured_description">Presale 2009 [August 28/29/30] tickets have now sold out. More on sale next year.</div> <div class="news_featured_body">Weekend tickets for Reading Festival 2009 (28,29,30 Aug) have sold out, more will be on sale next year.<br /> <br /> Early entry tickets are &pound;10. Campervan/caravan permits&nbsp;are &pound;10. Car parking passes are free but must be booked in advance.<br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.seetickets.com/readingandleeds">BUY NOW</a></strong><br /> <br /> Booking fees apply.<br /> <br /> PLEASE BE AWARE, ANYONE SELLING TICKETS NOW IS NOT AN AUTHORISED TICKET AGENT AND THE TICKET MAY NOT EVEN EXIST.<br /> <strong><a href="http://2008.readingfestival.com/news/story.aspx?AID=f784c7f1-9cbc-46a3-83a2-6114f35d6ede">Read all about our authorised agents here</a></strong></div> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT 2008-08-26T09:00:00 409b1563-e7d2-4552-a096-bb3221ebed8b 1000000 This is not a real event. Please do not buy 'tickets' if they are available. <p>There is a fake poster for a non-existent event called Bamboozle UK that suggests Festival Republic are promoting a 2 day show at the 02 Arena.</p> <p>Please note that this is not a real event , we (Festival Republic) and the bands on the artwork would like to state this is not happening.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-08-26T00:00:00 b6cc52d2-2831-4910-8948-53e4390dc4a7 1000000 Back for its second year at the festival of the summer, The Alternative Stage will once again be the centre of all things creative. <p>Spoken word, comedy, cabaret, film and unique musical collaborations permeate the line-up with late night entertainment offering a myriad of ways to let your hair down once the bands finish.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> This year the stage hosts a world class line-up of acclaimed performers and some very special moments whilst Leeds once again gets the party started early with everything kicking off on Thursday night.<br /> <br /> <u>Confirmed artists</u><br /> <br /> Our Spoken Word headliners&nbsp;over the weekend are&nbsp;John Cooper Clarke, Henry Rollins, Jeffrey Lewis.</p> <p>George Pringle, Chris Hicks, Ross Sutherland, Beans On Toast, Tim Clare, Byron Vincent, Dockers MC (Reading Only) / Excentral Tempest (Leeds only).</p> <p>The Comedy line up sees&nbsp;Brendon Burns, Stephen Lynch, Adam Hills, Michael McIntyre, and Phill Jupitus (RO)&nbsp;supported by Martin Bigpic M (LO), Andrew Lawrence(LO), Jack Whitehall (LO), Robin Ince, Steve Gribbin, Arnab Chanda,Alistair Barrie, Jason Rouse, Cole Parker, The Reverend Obidiah Steppenwolf, Milton Jones, Dan Atkinson (LO), Matt Kirschen (LO), DOKTORCOCACOLAMACDONALDS, Michael Fabbri (LO), Rob Rouse, Christian Reilly, Trevor Lock, Mitch Benn, Steve Weiner, Roger Monkhouse(LO), Hugh Lennon, Ben Hurley(LO), Jarred Christmas, Mick Ferry(LO), Rufus Hound (RO), Ian Moore (RO), Pete Johannson, Matt Reed(LO), Sean Walsh (RO), Al Pitcher (RO), Yianni Agisilaou (RO), Adam Bloom (RO), Bullah The Most Dangerous Man In The World (RO)</p> <p><u>Late Night Entertainment<br /> </u><br /> <strong>Film &amp; Music<br /> </strong>Darryl's Hard Liquor and Porn (LO), Transgressive Records (Present Jeremy Warmsley, So So Modern, Mechanical Bride, Three Trapped Tigers), Fur TV, The Tracey Fragments, Pens, Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies presents Tracey Remixed by Buzzard Buzzard, Heavy Metal in Baghdad, A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures, Warm Puppies, Chris Shepherd Shorts, Crazy Girl Shorts, Halloween (LO)<br /> <br /> <strong>Cabaret &amp; Burlesque</strong><br /> Lucha Britannia<br /> <br /> <strong>Club Nights with a difference</strong><br /> Smash N' Grab<br /> Grind A Go Go<br /> <br /> A whole cornucopia of entertainment awaits for you over the weekend at The Alternative Stage. We look forward to seeing you there.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT 2008-08-04T19:00:00 9f05b9cc-ea74-436a-8559-af5a83643bad 1000000 DTTR host Thursday night's entertainment and head to the Silent Disco after the bands finish. <p>As if exclusive performances galore, the biggest bands in the world, the coolest bands around and a whole host of late night entertainment and daytime and evening spoken word, comedy and films on the just announced Alternative Stage weren&rsquo;t enough,&nbsp;we have announced yet more entertainment for those lucky enough to have tickets for the summer event of 2008.<br /> <br /> At both sites on the Radio One / NME Stage, when the bands stop the music doesn&rsquo;t as the SILENT DISCO returns with the Silent Disco hosts doing battle with guests Steve Lamacq, Bethan Elfyn &amp; the Vinyl Vendettas and My Ex Boyfriends Records in what is still the strangest sight to anyone not wearing headphones and one of our consistently popular late night treats.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the lucky people of Leeds Festival get an extra treat as local indie supremos DANCE TO THE RADIO reprise last year&rsquo;s Thursday night takeover again with a line-up glittering with their latest talent on the BBC Introducing Stage. Grammatics, Dinosaur Pile &ndash; Up, The Wallbirds, Broken Records and Wintermute will be playing live from 6.30pm on Thursday (21st) night and, if last year&rsquo;s debut is anything to go by, there will be a huge crowd to welcome the local lads and lasses done good to their home town site.<br /> <br /> We&rsquo;re under three weeks away from the &lsquo;greatest rock n roll show on earth&rsquo; but keep checking for more updates.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT 2008-08-04T19:00:00 120233f1-911a-4ff1-a8b1-95acd3796294 1000000 Launching Friday 1st August, OMO events presents two brand new gay nights at the legendary Astoria. <p>Every Friday, OMO Generations presents the best in pop music from the Eighties, Nineties and Noughties, championed by a drag doyenne of that scene and era.<br /> <br /> For the Grand Opening on Saturday 9th August, confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, a troupe of OMO dancers and performers, Astoria&rsquo;s incredible sound system and eye-popping lighting rig bring together the perfect ingredients for&nbsp;an amazing Saturday night dance party!<br /> <br /> Residents Stevie B and Kris Di Angelis spin the cream of commercial dance, pop and chart remixes. Drag queen &ldquo;it girl&rdquo; Jodie Harsh and tranny superstar Jonny Woo are OMO&rsquo;s resident emcees.<br /> <br /> Expect a mind-blowing custom built stage set: the perfect setting for a dazzling roster of live acts, choreographed shows and special guest appearances.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-07-30T00:00:00 878c64e4-ce21-44dc-8ca1-1ee55c160a64 1000000 BBC Introducing brings together the best unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar music, artists and DJs from across the BBC <p>This year sees the debut of the BBC Introducing Stage at both Reading and Leeds Festivals. Whilst the lucky folk at Leeds had the unsigned stage in years gone by, now both sites will get a chance to see the next generation of UK music over the weekend.<br /> <br /> The bands on the stage are chosen by a combination of the BBC - through their UK-wide network of Introducing shows and a panel of music experts led by Huw Stephens, Sandman magazine and Leeds based promoters Futuresound.<br /> <br /> Huw Stephens said; &quot;<em>Reading and Leeds is the festival for new music and so to have Introducing there is very exciting. The line-up for the stage offers a whole load of new talent and compliments the array of new artists playing.</em>&quot;<br /> <br /> Live sets from the Introducing stage will be available at bbc.co.uk/introducing and the BBC&rsquo;s Reading and Leeds Festival site at bbc.co.uk/readingandleeds.<br /> <br /> The Unsigned Stages at Leeds in the past have helped the likes of Twisted Wheel and Polytechnic land record deals. This year sees a few bands already making significant waves in the industry on the bill with Northern Ireland&rsquo;s General Fiasco and London&rsquo;s Ipso Facto already well known by A &amp; R and cutting edge media types alike.<br /> <br /> The BBC Introducing Stage will feature the following bands throughout the weekend with more names to be announced shortly.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/attackattackband">Attack Attack</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thecherrycobbcartel">The Cherry Cobb Cartel</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.myspace.com/darlingsofthesplitscreen">Darlings of the Split Screen</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/eurekamachines">Eureka Machines</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/fangsfangsfangs">Fangs</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/weareffers">FF'ers</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/flashguns">Flash Guns</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/foxcubs">Fox Cubs</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/generalfiasco">General Fiasco</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/hungryghostsuk">Hungry Ghosts</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.iconcur.co.uk/">I Concur</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/ipsofactomyspace">Ipso Facto</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.kidid.co.uk/">Kid iD</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thelastpeopleonearth">The Last People on Earth</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/loqui">Loqui</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/themaybesliverpool">The Maybes?</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thenewyorkfund">The New York Fund</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/ourfold">Our Fold</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.outfromanimals.com/">Out From Animals</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/pulledapartbyhorses">Pulled Apart By Horses</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.myspace.com/razmatazlorryexcitement">Razmataz Lorry Excitement</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.myspace.com/situationists">Situationists</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/salvationandtheskeletons">Skeletons</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thatfuckingtank.com/">That F**king Tank</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thomastantrum">Thomas Tantrum</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/jazzbongo">Tiger Shadow</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myspace.com/tripwires">Tripwires</a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-07-29T00:00:00 9a279024-c7c6-45f7-b45a-f35e185d8c5a 1000000 The Reading and Leeds Festival is getting closer and the line-up just keeps getting better. Not content with booking the headliners of the summer, including exclusive performances from the likes of Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, The Killers and The Last Shadow Puppets, we are proud to announce the line-up for the first Festival Republic Stage.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Packed with all the new names you have read about throughout the year, the stage is the first port of call for anyone looking to see the next big things now.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Over the weekend, NME cover stars Glasvegas, chart topper Wiley, the Kerrang tipped Elliot Minor and many more will make the first Festival Republic Stage another arena of rock history in the 20th year of the modern Reading Festival and the 10th year of the Leeds Festival.<br /> <br /> The Festival Republic stage features Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Elliot Minor, The Kills, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, The Audition, Wiley, Late Of The Pier, All Time Low,&nbsp;Glasvegas<br /> <br /> Plus: Black Acid, Black Kids, Black Tide, Cage The Elephant, Collapsing Cities, Emmy The Great, Fight Like Apes, Fighting With Wire, Florence And The Machine, Friendly Fires, Ida Maria, In Case Of Fire, Johnny Foreigner, Jubilee, Los Campesinos!, Louis XIV, Lovvers, Natty, Sergeant, TeenagersInTokyo, The Rascals, The Teenagers, These New Puritans, Twisted Wheel, White Denim, White Lies, Wild Beasts, You Me At 6<br /> <br /> <a href="http://readingfestival.com/lineup/index.aspx">Go here to see the full line up</a> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-07-09T00:00:00 df6a87db-32d5-43b1-b1ce-92e0f722fd32 1000000 Brixton Academy on October 15th <p>Billy, Josh and Charlotte are back with a new album 'All Or Nothing' produced by Butch Vig. Catch them at Brixton Academy on October 15th.<br /> <br /> Tickets on sale Friday 4th July at&nbsp;9am <a href="http://www.seetickets.com">here</a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-06-30T00:00:00 526ca075-e946-4b0c-a3b6-881ceb714559 1000000 Jenny Eclair, Jeremy Hardy, Rhona Cameron, Robin Ince, Chris Addison, Kevin Eldon and Russell Kane <p>Edinburgh's newly crowned king of comedy will be offered prime slot at London's major new open air comedy festival.<br /> <br /> Just days after winning the most prestigious award in comedy, this year&rsquo;s if.comeddie winner has been promised a top position in Pimm&rsquo;s Summerfest, A Week Of Laughter, in Holland Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> We are also delighted to announce further additions to the line up in the form of the irrepressible JENNY ECLAIR, satirist JEREMY HARDY, award winning comedian RHONA CAMERON, and the prolific ROBIN INCE.&nbsp; Also new on the bill are Thick of It star CHRIS ADDISON and &ldquo;The Actor&rdquo; KEVIN ELDON and Radio 2&rsquo;s RUSSELL KANE.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> They will join the previously announced JO BRAND, RUSSELL HOWARD, LUCY PORTER, STEPHEN LYNCH and PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS for five evenings of al-fresco laughter, picnics and Pimm&rsquo;s from August 27 to 31.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-06-30T00:00:00 80af9b5b-6bb6-461b-b2f0-c13a38893ba5 1000000 Portsmouth Guildhall and Oxford New Theatre <p>&ldquo;The Age of The Understatement&rdquo; is a collaboration between Alex Turner &ndash; with whom you&rsquo;ll be familiar &ndash; and Miles Kane, frontman of upcoming Wirral-based group The Rascals.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Firm friends ever since Arctic Monkeys toured with Kane&rsquo;s previous group, The Little Flames, the pair, now calling themselves The Last Shadow Puppets, were so inspired by listening to Scott Walker, early Bowie and David Axelrod amongst others &ndash; &lsquo;it was dramatic&rsquo;, Turner says&rsquo; &lsquo;it filled the senses&rsquo; - that they hatched a plan.<br /> <br /> <br /> Tickets are on sale from 9.30am&nbsp;Saturday 5 July &pound;25.00 (Limited to 2 per person) <a href="http://www.seetickets.com">here</a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-06-30T00:00:00 f02ed767-20f9-46fb-90c0-86041f0ad563 1000000 In partnership with the makers of Pimm’s, we announced a major new open air comedy festival for London, Pimm’s Summerfest <p>Coming to London&rsquo;s beautiful Holland Park this summer&hellip;five hamper-sized evenings of top flight comedy as 25 of the world&rsquo;s most talented comedians take over one of London&rsquo;s best-loved parks for a week of open-air hilarity, picnics and conviviality.<br /> <br /> Produced by Festival Republic, Pimm&rsquo;s Summerfest &ndash; A week of Laughter runs from August 27 to 31 and boasts a cracking line-up that includes the up-and-coming arch-improviser <strong>RUSSELL HOWARD</strong>; The Stand Up Show star &amp; award-winning <strong>LUCY PORTER</strong>; US singing comedy sensation <strong>STEPHEN LYNCH</strong> and the global Aussie phenomenon <strong>PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS</strong>.<br /> <br /> <strong>Russell Howard</strong> is one of the countries most exciting and popular talents, with a solo show nominated for an If.Comeddie award at the 2006 Edinburgh festival. In 2007, he has also performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival where he was nominated for a Barry Award. Off stage Russell is a regular panelist on Mock the Week (BBC 2). He has also starred in the latest series of BBC1's flagship show Live at the Apollo and as a regular panelist on all three series of BBC Radio 4's Banter.&nbsp; Currently Russell can be heard presenting his Sunday Show on BBC6 Music.<br /> <br /> <strong>Lucy Porter</strong> has starred in TV shows including BBC1's The Stand Up Show, C5's Comedy Store and BBC2's Broken News. She&rsquo;s garnered rave reviews starring alongside Christian Slater in the critically acclaimed, box-office record-breaking run of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in Edinburgh and London's West End. On radio she can be heard regularly on the hit Radio 2 show 'Parsons and Naylor's Pull-out Sections', where she delivers a winning mixture of topical and observational stand-up.<br /> <br /> US singing comic <strong>Stephen Lynch</strong> made his big break on Comedy Central when his special became one of the highest rated for the channel. He went on to record two albums (&quot;Superhero&quot; and &quot;The Craig Machine&quot;) and a performance DVD (&quot;Live at the El Rey&quot;). He has toured with Lewis Black and Mitch Hedberg and recently played the title role in the Broadway production of &quot;The Wedding Singer,&quot; for which he received a Tony Nomination, a Drama League nomination and a Drama Desk nomination.<br /> <br /> <strong>Puppetry of the Penis</strong> was created by Simon Morley, who teamed up with fellow puppeteer David Friend. Their first show at the 1998 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was received as the &quot;Outright Best Show&quot;. Since then it has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for 8 consecutive years, consistently selling out the prestigious Debating Hall at the Gilded Balloon. As of today most of the Western World has played host to PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS.<br /> <br /> Just announced: Doug Stanhope,&nbsp;Jeremy Hardy, Jo Brand, Otis Lee Crenshaw, plus Russell Kane, If.Comedy Winner/Nominee 2008,&nbsp;Kevin Eldon,&nbsp;Jenny Eclair, Chris Addison, Robin Ince, Mark Steel and Rhona Cameron.<br /> <br /> With many more of the brightest names in comedy still to be announced, this will be one of the summer&rsquo;s hottest tickets.<br /> <br /> Performances are weather-proof as they will take place in the beautiful canopied 1200 seat Holland Park Theatre, an open-sided auditorium located in the heart of the park and surrounded by large grassed areas.<br /> <br /> The first act will start at 7:30 prompt. Why not get there early and sample some of the delicious food on offer with a glass of Pimm&rsquo;s and enjoy a picnic in the park before the show starts.<br /> <br /> Melvin Benn, the Managing Director of Festival Republic, said about this premier event: &ldquo;I am really pleased to be able to bring such a unique comedy event to London. The Comedy Arena at Latitude Festival has positively heaved for the past couple of years to the point where I have had to increase its size and put screens outside. It&rsquo;s wonderful that on the back of that success we can now focus on an event that is just about comedy at the absolutely stunning theatre at Holland Park. Why bother going to Edinburgh when you can enjoy the best in comedy at one of London&rsquo;s most beautiful parks?&rdquo;<br /> <br /> &ldquo;PIMM&rsquo;S Summerfest is a brand new, live and hilariously quirky comedy event that fans of PIMM'S will love,&rdquo; said Matt Campbell, senior brand manager on the Pimm&rsquo;s team.&nbsp; &ldquo;The festival is a fantastic opportunity for friends to get together and have a giggle, whilst soaking up some top notch comedy acts and enjoying the quintessential summer drink.&rdquo;<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.pimmssummerfest.com"><strong>www.pimmssummerfest.com</strong></a><br /> <br /> PIMM&rsquo;S SUMMERFEST &ndash; A WEEK OF LAUGHTER &ndash; the theatre at Holland Park<br /> Holland Park, Kensington High Street, London W8 6LU<br /> <br /> Tickets &pound;22.50 plus booking fees. <br /> Performance times: 7:30 prompt<br /> C/Card line 0871 231 0821<br /> Or online at <a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com">www.festivalrepublic.com</a>, <a href="http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e%7Cartist=PIMM%27S+SUMMERFEST+%2D+A+WEEK+OF+LAUGHTER&amp;n|artist=null&amp;resultsperpage=20&amp;filler1=see&amp;filler2=art-srch">www.seetickets.com</a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-06-09T00:00:00 bf956d61-d765-40cf-bb97-2c56becc1e02 1000000 Enter the TfC competition to win a tree dedicated to you. <p><strong>Who are Trees For Cities?</strong><br /> <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/"><font color="#000000">Trees for Cities</font></a> is an independent charity working to improve the environment in urban areas by involving local people in community tree planting, training and landscaping projects.<br /> <br /> They&nbsp;manage projects across London, in Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Reading as well as internationally in Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Ica, Peru. All&nbsp;of their&nbsp;community greening projects are supported by extensive community consultation and involvement programmes that incorporate local residents, schools and community groups.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> As well as educating local people about our projects, in London&nbsp;they also run a series of horticulture, arboriculture and woodland management courses specialising in developing and up-skilling the long-term unemployed.<br /> <strong><br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="200" alt="" width="148" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/e/z/e/Image/Tfcurban2.jpg" />&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="200" alt="" width="148" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/e/z/e/Image/treesoflife.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Festival Republic and Trees for Cities</strong><br /> Festival Republic have been supporting <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/"><font color="#000000">Trees for Cities&rsquo;</font></a> projects in the UK and further afield since 2006. Festival Republic fund planting projects in Bristol, Leeds, London and Manchester, as well supporting our greening activities abroad, including Nairobi in Kenya and Ethiopia&rsquo;s capital Addis Ababa, where young people are employed to care for the trees they plant and fruit from the trees is sold to generate income for the project.<br /> <br /> <strong>Win Win Win a dedicated tree</strong><br /> Enter the <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/"><font color="#000000">TfC</font></a> competition to win a tree dedicated to you &ndash; a prize that will keep on growing for years to come.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/"><font color="#000000">Trees For Cities</font></a>&nbsp;are giving away trees in our UK project sites to 5 lucky winners. To enter the competition, email <a href="mailto:info@festivalrepublic.com"><font color="#339966">info@festivalrepublic.com</font></a> with the following details Name, Address, Email and Telephone Number marked 'TfC Comp'<br /> <br /> By entering this raffle you are consenting to <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/"><font color="#000000">Trees for Cities</font></a> contacting from time to time you about our work greening the urban environment. We will never pass your details to other organisations. You can opt out at any time.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/"><font color="#000000">Thanks for your support!</font></a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 28 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-05-29T00:00:00 e1d44d86-c3b4-4c6e-b1d4-8dc681ab68bf 1000000 For more information please visit <b><A HREF="http://www.dcsiteservices.com/cats/">DC Site Services</A></b> <div><span style="font-size: 10pt"> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">Gain free entrance to this summer'sFestivalsby joining our CampsiteAssistant Teams (CATs) or Helpful Arena Teams (HATs). Festival organisers, Festival Republic, are recruiting volunteers for:</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Reading Festival</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Leeds</span><span style="font-size: 9pt"> Festival</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Latitude Festival</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">Typical duties of a volunteer include:</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Assisting festival goes with directions.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Helping festival goers carry their belongings and pitch their tents.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Reporting back on any problems &ndash; such as litter and facilities.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">In return for their efforts all volunteers are provided with:</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">A Crew Pass.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">A CAT/HAT Pack.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">A CAT/HAT Uniform.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">A Secure Camping area.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Access to the Crew Caf&eacute;, Bar, Toilets, and Hot Showers!</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">All volunteers are welcome to enjoy the festival when they are off-shift.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">To apply volunteers need to:</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Be 18 or over.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Reading/Leeds</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"> &ndash; be available to arrive at the Festival site by midday (21:00 at the latest) on the Wednesday prior to the weekend of the event. Please note the shifts are allocated on a first come first served basis.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Reading/Leeds</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"> &ndash; be available for a briefing at either 13:00 or 22:00.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Reading/Leeds</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"> &ndash; be available to work 3 x 8 hour shifts at any time between 14:00 Wednesday (or midnight Wednesday if arriving for the 21:00 briefing) and 16:00 Monday.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Latitude</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"> &ndash; be available to arrive at the Festival site by 09:00 at the latest on Thursday 17th July 2008 - you're welcome to arrive from midday on Wednesday 16th. Please note the shifts are allocated on a first come first served basis.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Latitude</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"> &ndash; be available for a briefing at either 22:00 Wednesday 16th or 11:00 Thursday 17th.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Latitude</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"> &ndash; be available to work 3 x 8 hour shifts at any time between 13:00 Thursday 17th and 14:00 Monday 21st.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Wear a CAT/HAT uniform when on-shift.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Report in every two hours to your area supervisor, or immediately in the case of any problems.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Supply photographic ID on arrival.</span></div> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt"><span style="font-size: 9pt">&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt">Provide a refundable deposit of &pound;185.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">The festival volunteers play a big part in creating a good atmosphere and helping </span><span style="font-size: 9pt">all to get the most out of their festival</span><span style="font-size: 9pt">. By being there helping people you will help us achieve this!</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">For more information please visit <a href="http://www.dcsiteservices.com/cats/">www.dcsiteservices.com/cats/</a></span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">Or you can email <a href="mailto:cats@dcsiteservices.com">cats@dcsiteservices.com</a></span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span style="font-size: 9pt">To go straight to the application please visit: <a href="https://dcss.paamapplication.co.uk/">https://dcss.paamapplication.co.uk/</a></span></div> </span></div> Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-05-21T01:00:00 7519ffc1-b251-4550-a48c-a01d6a2514bf 1000000 More bands have been added to this summer's Reading and Leeds Festivals. <p><strong>ON THE MAIN STAGE</strong><br /> <br /> Following the huge success of both &lsquo;Hey There Delilah&rsquo; and &lsquo;Hate (I Really Don&rsquo;t Like you), <a href="http://www.plainwhitets.com">PLAIN WHITE T&rsquo;s</a> have come from ten years of touring to international prominence in 2008. Having picked up two Grammy nominations for Best Pop Performance &amp; Best Song the future looks increasingly bright and these shows have the potential to push the band further into the rock stratosphere.<br /> <br /> For a band that's fiercely independent and stunningly visceral in both their recorded material and their live shows, NYC's <a href="http://www.mindlesssselfindulgence.com">MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE</a> know how to make a big commotion. Since 1997, this co-ed electronic/punk rock band has been storming the electronic and punk scenes sweeping up many hardcore fans in its wake with its music and incendiary live performances.<br /> <br /> <strong>ON THE RADIO ONE / NME STAGE</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.peteandthepirates.co.uk">PETE AND THE PIRATES&rsquo;</a> blend of smooth edged punk and pop produces music which is sweet, raw, joyous, melancholic, raucous and tender. With their recent album, &lsquo;Little Death&rsquo; characteriszed by NME as &lsquo;Perfect pop without the pretence&rsquo;, the band are set to increase their fanbase significantly over the weekend.<br /> <br /> <strong>ON THE LOCK-UP STAGE</strong></p> <p>2007 was a banner year for <a href="http://www.tigerarmy.com">TIGER ARMY</a> in their native US and beyond.&nbsp; The band released their fourth album, had their first ever radio-single (including several weeks as the most requested on Los Angeles' influential KROQ FM), went on their third Warped Tour and played over one hundred shows from California to Sweden, including radio festivals in California with bands as diverse as Interpol and Bad Religion. Now Reading and Leeds is the next stage for the Californian psyschobillies.<br /> <br /> The perennial road warriors of punk rock, <a href="http://www.thebriggs.org">THE BRIGGS</a>, have spent the last six years on the road with little respite. This doesn&rsquo;t really bother them though. Considering the momentum the band has gained in the last few years, they welcome it. And though, the ride hasn&rsquo;t been the easiest, The Briggs are ready to break out with their most honest and compelling album to date, &lsquo;Come All You Madmen&rsquo;.<br /> <br /> Despite only forming 18 months ago, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/blackhole">BLACKHOLE</a> have already toured the country several times over with the likes of Gallows, The Ghost Of A Thousand, and Every Time I Die. The band are currently in the process of writing their debut album, so be sure to check them at this year's festival for a preview of new tracks and a live show that won't you leave disappointed.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 20 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT 2008-05-20T10:00:00 3d4fb637-cb38-4f46-bfd7-ea28cc23cc37 1000000 Authorised Ticket Agents, See Tickets, do not cold call to sell tickets. <strong>WARNING </strong>- We have had reports of people being called by someone claiming to be from See Tickets and offering to sell them Reading Festival tickets.<br /> <br /> This is a scam. See Tickets do not cold call to sell tickets. The number being used is from a mobile phone. Once the card details are taken the charge appears on the customer's statement as being debited to an account in Budapest - no connection at all to See Tickets.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> If you get a call of this nature please report it to Reading Trading Standards Office.<br /> <br /> &quot;See Tickets the official provider of ticketing services to the Reading and Leeds festivals are aware of a few cases where members of the public have been contacted by persons to claiming to work for See. See do not contact&nbsp; any customer unless firstly they have made a fully confirmed booking and then only, if there is a problem that needs customer input. Orders made via See will be confirmed by way of an email from a &quot;@seetickets.com&quot; address and the charge will appear on the credit or debit card statement as TICKETS 0871 220 0260. If you are in doubt at any time as to the validity of your order you may track the order at <a href="http://www.seetickets.com/tracker">www.seetickets.com/tracker</a>&nbsp;or check your bank statement.&quot; Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 19 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-05-20T00:00:00 5aa4f631-8404-47f3-9040-fcbc7bd608a5 1000000 We are committed to finding new ways to introduce our audiences to Cradle. I&rsquo;m Rhiannon and I have attended Leeds festival for the past two years (I lived abroad before that).&nbsp; I am studying my MA in Music Management and Promotion and am passionate about all aspects of Music.&nbsp; I love travelling and enjoy being involved in charity projects so when I was on the Festival Republic website last year, doing research for a module, I came across the details for the Cradle Project and thought I&rsquo;ve got to apply for that, several months later here is my diary of the trip&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/h/w/k/RhiannonBosniaBlog.pdf">Click to read</a><br /> <br /> Hi my name is Mark and I&rsquo;m a 22yr old Trainee producer for a Video production company. One of my passions is going to gigs and the Reading Festival in particular. I&rsquo;ve been every year since 2003 it gets better every year. When I randomly read on the forums that there was a chance of doing some charity work on behalf of Festival Republic for Cradle, I jumped at the opportunity. I have always been interested in doing something like that, but I never thought in a million years I would ever get chosen. A couple of months later and here I am, on my way to Bosnia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/k/h/l/Mostar Trip 2008.pdf">Click to read</a><br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.cradle.ie/taxonomy/term/4">Cradle's Website</a></strong> http://www.cradle.ie/taxonomy/term/4 Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 18 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-05-19T00:00:00 1ef430bd-a920-4205-8a8c-ebf6415e6153 1000000 Myspace page is NOT official. <p>Festival Republic, promoters of the Reading and Leeds Festival, are keen to alert all festival goers to an unofficial site on MySpace. The site, calling itself Festival Unlocked, claims to be a competition for unsigned bands to play at this year&rsquo;s event. The site has no link with the festival and none of the bands will be on the bill via this site.<br /> <br /> Reading and Leeds Festival is totally committed to new unsigned talent and this year will see the combined forces of BBC Introducing,&nbsp; BBC Raw Talent, Sandman and Futuresound choose three days worth of acts to play the BBC Introducing at both sites.<br /> <br /> Full details of the bands appearing across the weekend on the BBC Introducing Stage will be issued soon.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:15:00 GMT 2008-04-30T09:15:00 6d5cdd6a-7722-44fc-b4eb-e533d8a375d6 1000000 Oxfam have encouraged cotton farmers to take up organic farming. <p>Through Oxfam, Glastonbury Festival employ more than 1700 volunteer stewards at each festival. The cost of employing the Oxfam stewards is given to Oxfam as a donation; on top of this Oxfam is one of the three main charities that benefit from ticket sales profit.<br /> <br /> After the 2007 festival Melvin Benn, Director of Glastonbury Festival and Festival Republic approached Oxfam regarding donating &pound;50,000 to a specific project in India. The Project that was chosen was helping to support cotton workers in southern India.<br /> <br /> In April 2008 Melvin asked Festival Republic employee Julie Syer who is employed as Licence Co-ordinator at Glastonbury, to visit the farming and handloom projects in the Warangal and Nalgonda Districts of southern India to experience the projects first hand.<br /> <br /> The projects were set up to help improve incomes, working conditions and quality of life for people working across the cotton industry, from encouraging the farming communities to work with organic farming techniques, to helping handloom weavers secure new markets and helping factory workers form co-operatives to speak up for their rights and challenge their appalling working conditions.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/j/r/e/Cotton workers in southern India.pdf">Click here to read the project diary from Julie Syer</a></strong></p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:15:00 GMT 2008-04-28T04:15:00 83862b57-64dd-4ee8-8254-6c360a68c9e0 1000000 Take action against HIV, unfair trade, corporate abuse & hunger. <p>ActionAid doesn&rsquo;t just hand out aid; they help poor people take control of their lives and end their own poverty for good. People living in poverty don&rsquo;t want our guilt, they want justice. Festival Republic love they way Action Aid work, and are proud to support them, and since 2002 thousands of people at Reading Festival have been given the opportunity to say &ldquo;bollocks to poverty!&rdquo; and take action against HIV, unfair trade, corporate abuse and hunger.<br /> <br /> 2008 marks their 7th year of providing the masses with a relaxing hangout, complete with comfy seating, giant games like jenga and connect four, table football and ping pong, DJ&rsquo;s until 3am and of course lots of lovely free Bollocks to Poverty stickers, badges and tattoos! But most importantly, the ActionAid tent gives festival goers the opportunity to support people fighting their way out of poverty.<br /> <br /> To find out more about ActionAid and how you can say Bollocks to Poverty visit: <a href="http://www.actionaid.org.uk/bollocks"><strong>www.actionaid.org.uk/bollocks</strong></a></p> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:45:00 GMT 2008-04-24T06:45:00 8f28e2e2-e946-4038-938c-962bcceef584 1000000 Chappers and Dave ran a mile at 33 UK football grounds and raised £215,035. <p>Dynamic duo Chappers and Dave embarked on an epic attempt to run one mile at every English and Scottish Premier League ground.<br /> <br /> Kicking off on March 7th, the pair had just a week to complete the task and with no idea of where they were going to be sent each day and Chris Moyles throwing in a few extra challenges en route, it was no mean feat.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Festival Republic donated &pound;10,000 to Sport Relief which helped them reach a staggering fundraising total of &pound;215,035 which will help transform the lives of vulnerable people both at home in the UK and in the world's poorest countries.</p> http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chrismoyles/2008/03/moyles_finishes_a_5_mile_run_w.shtml Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:45:00 GMT 2008-04-18T01:45:00 f4610cfd-92af-4d67-9174-c15062d315dc 1000000 Latitude's Theatre Arena will be the world's first fuel-cell powered stage. <p>The ground breaking Latitude Festival returns to the sunrise coast in Suffolk for its incredible third year. Nestled in the historic and beautiful surroundings of Henham Park Estate, Southwold, and taking place on 17th &ndash; 20th July, organisers Festival Republic are promising another truly spectacular event.<br /> <br /> Teaming up with London&rsquo;s Arcola Theatre, Latitude are working towards a greener festival. With environmental issues at its core, Latitude are pleased to announce that this year&rsquo;s Theatre Arena will be the worlds first fuel cell powered festival stage. Arcola will be providing state of the art low energy LED lighting and a Hydrogen Fuel Cell to power the stage. The fuel cell operates almost silently and will produce nothing but electricity and clean water.<br /> <br /> This ground-breaking advancement in technology will bring down the carbon footprint of the festival and lessen the event&rsquo;s impact on its immediate surroundings and the world&rsquo;s climate as a whole.<br /> <br /> The Arcola Theatre is a converted factory in East London and one of the UK&rsquo;s leading independent venues.&nbsp; This partnership with Latitude is part of Arcola Theatre&rsquo;s extensive range of sustainability activities, collectively referred to as the Arcola Energy project which in partnership with the Greening London Theatre Initiative is driving the eco-cultural frontier.<br /> <br /> Over the weekend Theatre Arena at Latitude is a buzzing hotbed of creativity and inspiration, hosting a wealth of bespoke productions and performances exclusive to the festival. Some of the biggest names in contemporary, physical, classical, performance and local theatre, including The Royal Court, the Bush Theatre, nabokov, and Paines Plough, are coming to the Theatre Arena. It really has something for everyone; provoking thought, emotions, laughs and entertainment all weekend long. As well as powering the arena The Arcola Theatre will present their series of short but perfectly formed writer-led plays The Miniaturists. Each piece is no longer than 15 minutes, and the dizzying mix makes every event as various and unpredictable as life itself.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Latitude and Arcola will be supported by the London Hydrogen Partnership, Thomas Engineering &amp; ETC.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:30:00 GMT 2008-04-09T00:30:00 8fd79330-8696-46ab-b6c7-c92174e53ac1 1000000 Supporting one of our charities abroad in a local school refurbishment. <p>Festival Republic have supported Cradle in their work with displaced and traumatised children since 1993. We have collected in the region of a million pounds through guest list donations, arena entrance collections and other activities. However in autumn of 2008 Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn came up with an exciting way to bring our audience closer to their work and in October 2008 we made Reading &amp; Leeds festival goers an offer: how would you like to join us on an all-expenses paid trip to experience and participate in these vital and rewarding projects?<br /> <br /> We received hundreds of applications but finally had our candidates by February and in March 2008 we headed off.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The project was to refurbish the library and canteen at a village school in the undeveloped Phang Nga province of Thailand. The region was devastated by the 2004 tsunami; many of the villagers had worked in the seaside resorts that were destroyed, and 90% of families now work as labourers on local rubber plantations. The school offers 61 local children, aged 3 to 12 years, vital education and social support.<br /> <br /> Chloe Scannapieco and Ben Allen were chosen to come to Thailand, to work alongside myself, Sharon Reuben from Festival Republic, Tajma Kapic from Cradle and Noi the local Cradle representative.<br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/charity">Read their blogs on the Charity page...</a></strong></p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:15:00 GMT 2008-04-08T00:15:00 c32822e0-1b30-4436-9312-b4ce17f44ab1 1000000 All weekend tickets for the event have sold out in record time. <p>Festival Republic, promoters of the Reading and Leeds Festival, have confirmed that all weekend tickets for the event have sold out in record time. A total of 200,000 tickets sold in 24 hours marks this year's tenth anniversary for Leeds and twentieth for Reading as an extra special event.<br /> <br /> The UK&rsquo;s only three day, dual site festival is headlined this year by Rage Against The Machine, The Killers and Metallica with a host of exclusive performances, huge names and the coolest up and coming bands over six stages.<br /> <br /> Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic said, &ldquo;'I am over the moon! Absolutely thrilled. 20th year since we took over Reading after it had been bankrupt. 10th year since we created Leeds. The UK's biggest selling festival with the best bill on the planet this year sells out in less than 2 hours. Whoever is talking about a slump in festival popularity is talking rubbish. Long live Reading and Leeds!'&rdquo;<br /> <br /> Keep your eyes peeled for further announcements to the bill and get ready for the greatest&nbsp;rock n' roll show on earth over the August Bank holiday.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:15:00 GMT 2008-04-03T02:15:00 fbd32dfe-be32-4671-b0a8-fba7f0ab9324 1000000 The Press Launch for the festivals was held at the Cockpit in Leeds. The Cockpit became the official venue for the Press Launch&nbsp;for the Leeds Festival 2008.<br /> <br /> Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic took to the stage to announce the line-up that includes The Killers, Rage Against The Machine who last played&nbsp;at Reading in 1996 and&nbsp;Metallica -&nbsp;a band of such colossal stature as opening headliners in the North in August - well, need we say more!<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Now in it's tenth year, Festival Republic made it into the world famous rock n' roll spectacular that is the only festival in the North of England. With what looks like the best rock line-up this year on our shores, perhapsthat&rsquo;s why this year&rsquo;s event arrives clutching its third NME Best Live Event award in a row.<br /> <br /> <br /> Photo Credit: David Massen Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:00:00 GMT 2008-03-31T23:00:00 60efa032-338a-4114-9bfd-eecc6584f836 1000000 Now full. <p>Green Messengers work in the campsites at each festival, talking to the festival goers and encouraging them to be environmentally aware in the disposal of their rubbish, particularly in packing up. Festival Republic is keen to alert festival goers to the environmental impact of burning their tents and possessions instead of taking them home or donating them.<br /> <br /> All Green Messenger volunteer positions are now full!<br /> <br /> There are still more volunteer positions available at our festivals, <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/careers">go here</a></strong></p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:30:00 GMT 2008-03-24T01:30:00 3fba0c50-9d03-44d9-8487-7420ad6570d3 1000000 HMV Tickets sell out in 60 minutes. Voted Best Live Events at this year's NME Awards, The Reading &amp; Leeds Festivals have sold out of tickets at HMV, though there are still day tickets available. Coach Packages are also online <strong><a href="http://www.seetickets.com/readingandleeds">here</a></strong><br /> <br /> For more information, make sure you've signed up to the newsletter <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/register">here</a></strong> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:45:00 GMT 2008-03-04T11:45:00 ec85f449-c66d-4483-b930-abced486024c 1000000 Congratulations to all that won. <p>The Golden Ticket winner has been drawn - congratulations to Rachael Glasscock.<br /> <br /> This was the final draw for the winning Golden Ticket. Thanks to all those that signed up and entered. To receive the weekly newsletters on all Festival Republic News, sign up <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/register">here</a></strong>.<br /> <br /> For more information on the golden ticket, <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/win">go HERE</a></strong></p> Jennifer Roberts General Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-03-01T00:00:00 9e5fe1e2-44e4-4942-837c-efb8a3b34ae1 1000000 Thanks for voting! The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 took place last night (February 28) at the IndigO2 venue in London, where a variety of music stars and industry&nbsp;folk&nbsp;picked up awards for their achievements over the past year.<br /> <br /> The Reading &amp; Leeds Festivals picked up the award for Best Live Event.<br /> <br /> Thanks to all those that voted! Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:30:00 GMT 2008-02-29T08:30:00 cd922156-e06d-4a44-9896-34bf73337ff8 1000000 Festival Republic set off for Addis Ababa to experience TfC Projects. Trees for Cities began their first planting project in the Bambis area of Addis Ababa, where they transformed a disused patch of wasteland and planted over 100 banana, lemon and avocado trees. <br /> <br /> Trees for Cities approached Melvin Benn from Festival Republic in 2007 to request much needed funds to extend their initial project. Melvin agreed to donate &pound;9000, and also to send two members of the Festival Office to experience the projects first hand.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Ian Donaldson and Sharon Reuben set off for Addis with Graham Simmonds, Chief Executive of Trees for Cities, to meet the local groups, assist with tree planting and see how Festival Republic events in the UK are linked to making a vital difference in this fascinating city.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/charity">Click here for more information about the trip</a></strong> Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:00:00 GMT 2008-02-27T14:00:00 4e996470-8773-4c6a-8105-7999d4db1783 1000000 This month, we are reading: The Devil's Footprints by John Burnside. <p>We are starting up the Book Club again on the Latitude Festival Forum.<br /> <br /> For those of you that don't remember it from last year; together we select a book to read, and in the following fortnight we'll discuss it on the forums.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Then towards the end of the month, you can send in your Book Reviews which we will publish on the website, and the best will win literary-based prizes.<br /> <br /> This month, we are reading: <strong>The Devil's Footprints&nbsp;by John Burnside</strong><br /> <br /> For more information, <strong><a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/news">click here</a></strong>.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT 2008-02-01T01:00:00 42f36544-c971-42f9-8340-146497ff3b20 1000000 New Jersey festival postponed. <p>&quot;The inaugural Vineland Festival originally scheduled for August 8-10 in Vineland, N.J., has been moved to early summer 2009.<br /> <br /> We are working through a new date with Mayor Barse and his team of officials in Vineland.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Due to the large number of festivals occurring on the same weekend, we did not want to force music fans to choose between three events on the same weekend&nbsp;and for us, to start in May or June 09 rather that August 08 is immaterial but for the fans and festival goers it does not mean&nbsp; they have a difficult choice between three festivals on the same weekend within 2 hours of each other.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> For us, it is the same focus but different weekend. For you as festival goers I hope it is the same focus and an added weekend!<br /> <br /> We hope you'll join us next year instead.&quot;<br /> <br /> Melvin Benn</p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:15:00 GMT 2008-01-28T00:15:00 9ba2849f-eb34-40dc-aa48-1abdf8ff37d5 1000000 Less corporate, more eco-friendly, improved transport..... Our Festival Director, Melvin Benn, spoke to&nbsp;The Music Week programme on BBC 6Music, about their Festival Manifesto that had been put together with ideas from the fans - to see the Ten-point plan, click&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/music_week/festival_manifesto.shtml">here</a></strong><br /> <br /> Hear what he had to say in the podcast <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/musicweek/"><strong>here</strong></a><br /> <br /> And pay close attention to the news about the Reading &amp; Leeds headliners....there'll be more of where that came from in the coming weeks - &nbsp;so make sure you've signed up to the <strong><a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/register">newsletters</a></strong> <br /> <br /> Happy listening! Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:00:00 GMT 2008-01-23T06:00:00 68beb2bc-503b-437e-9883-936e404e4260 1000000 'Dump'. 'Chuck'. 'Drop'. 'I need space'. 'Let's take a break'. 'It's not you, it's me'. <p>Turn your heartbreaker into a curtain raiser!<br /> <br /> 'Dump'. 'Chuck'. 'Drop'. 'I need space'. 'Let's take a break'. 'It's not you, it's me'.<br /> <br /> There are a million ways to tell someone it's over.&nbsp; This summer, The Bush Theatre will be presenting 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - a collection of short plays written especially for Latitude Festival 2008, and we need your stories.<br /> <br /> Festival Republic and The Bush have launched an online forum to share anonymously your best break up memories: hilarious, devastating or excruciatingly embarrassing.&nbsp; Your stories will inspire a series of short plays created by five of the most exciting writers in the country.&nbsp; Your stories can be as short or as long as you like, although no novels please!<br /> <br /> Email <a href="mailto:info@latitudefestival.co.uk">info@latitudefestival.co.uk</a> to send us your Way to Leave Your Lover and to see the best stories entered by other people, go to <a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/news">www.latitudefestival.co.uk/news</a> .<br /> <br /> To see if your special moments have inspired The Bush playwrights, you'll have to wait for the curtain to raise in the Theatre Arena...look back and laugh, secretly smile or blush with shame?<br /> <br /> Send in your stories.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-01-17T00:00:00 495016da-8e61-4245-b5b2-bb9f2f9eb273 1000000 From Harlesden to Covent Garden. <div> <div>Festival Republic kick off the New Year in new offices on Bow Street in Covent Garden. The company has moved from Harlesden where we had operated under the former Mean Fiddler name since 1982.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> This draws to the close a pinnacle year for Festival Republic, the promoters of Reading, Leeds, Latitude, St Patrick&rsquo;s Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square, Rise: London United Against Racism and the production organiser for Glastonbury. The company has undergone a massive overhaul since the summer, restructured, a change in name, a new website and we are now forging forward into 2008 with the recently announced Vineland Festival in New Jersey.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <div><strong>Festival</strong><strong>Republic</strong><strong> new office details are as follows:</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>35 Bow Street</div> <div>Covent Garden</div> <div>London</div> <div>WC2E 7AU</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Tel: 020 7009 3000</div> </div> Julia Dempsey General Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:00:00 GMT 2008-01-04T14:00:00 137db4f6-c45d-4859-9090-c8f918c38865 1000000 Carling will no longer be the headline sponsor or official lager of the Reading and Leeds festivals. <p>After a nine year partnership Festival Republic announced that Carling will no longer be the headline sponsor or official lager of the Reading and Leeds festivals.</p> <p>Following a successful long-term partnership, it was by mutual agreement that both parties felt the time was right to pursue new opportunities.<br /> <br /> This marks a happy turning point in the festival&rsquo;s history with Reading Festival reclaiming its prestigious name after the Carling Weekend association. The festival first arrived in Reading in 1971 and has been hosted on the same site on the banks of the river Thames ever since. Festival Republic&rsquo;s Melvin Benn took over Reading in 1989, when attendance was at an all time low.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The festival underwent a serious shake up and opened with a stellar line-up including New Order, The Pogues, The Mission, The Wonder Stuff and The Sugarcubes, that would put Reading back on the music fans radar and cement the future of the festival for ever more.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:00:00 GMT 2007-11-27T01:00:00 8b85ad2e-325a-44f6-9bae-92c60e39b456 1000000 We won!!! <p>We are very proud to tell you that we won the 'Fan-Friendly Award' at the Festival Awards.<br /> <br /> We take pride in making sure you have the greatest experience at our festival and we are so glad that you think we do!</p> <p>Thanks to everyone that voted.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:00:00 GMT 2007-11-06T22:00:00 139e8c82-dec0-469b-adc1-378287028633 1000000 Available online or email: orders@orcabookservices.co.uk <p>A major festival since its inception, Reading is the music fans' favourite and continues to draw the biggest and best in rock from all over the world. This lavishly-illustrated official history covers every event from 1971 to 2007, and will be launched at this year's festival with the support and collaboration of the Festival's promoters, Festival Republic.</p> <p>The bands that have appeared at Reading over the last 36 years are a virtual Who's Who of festival rock, including such diverse acts as: AC/DC, Arthur Brown, Bjork, Black Sabbath, The Buzzcocks, The Chemical Brothers, Eminem, The Faces, Foo Fighters, Hawkwind, Iggy Pop, Iron Maiden, The Libertines, Lou Reed, Manfred Mann, Manic Street Preachers, Marilyn Manson, Motorhead, Neil Young, Nick Cave, Oasis, P.J. Harvey, Paul Weller, Peter Gabriel, The Prodigy, Public Enemy, Radiohead and Status Quo. Many of the acts who have appeared over the years have chosen to contribute their memories of the festival to this book, giving it a unique inside perspective.</p> <p>But Ian Carroll's account of the festival is much more than a roll-call of bands and artists. It is also the story of the festival itself, its complex relationship with the media, and with local government, business and the police.&nbsp; Above all, this is the story of the fans and their annual pilgrimage to the festival site by the Thames. Rain or shine, heatwave or mudslide, they make the Reading Festival what it is, and ensure that its special atmosphere will continue for many years to come.</p> <p>Online orders: <a href="mailto:orders@orcabookservices.co.uk"><strong>orders@orcabookservices.co.uk</strong></a></p> <p>The book is also available online at <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reading-Festival-Music-Mud-Mayhem/dp/1905287437/ref=sr_1_8/026-3597701-0520448?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1194472389&amp;sr=1-8">Amazon</a>, W H Smith, Virgin, Play.com, HMV, Waterstones and available in stores nationwide.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:00:00 GMT 2007-11-05T14:00:00 69de413c-3ca8-43e9-8316-082fb629a26e 1000000 New name, new website, new offices. <p>We are delighted to announce our new Festival Republic name. As promoters of the best festivals in the world we are extremely proud to list Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals, the critically applauded new kid on the block - Latitude, our involvement in Glastonbury not to mention our annual London festivals including Rise, St Patricks Day, Fleadh.</p> <p>As part of our new focus we have sold the Borderline, Jazz Cafe, The Garage, The Old Fiddler, G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late Club to Mama Group. But have retained ownership of the much celebrated Astoria with the newly remained Mean Fiddler, The Astoria 2</p> <p>We will continue to bring to you the greatest festivals on the planet and are looking forward to many exciting new projects on the horizon. Watch this website.</p> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:15:00 GMT 2007-10-18T01:15:00 62b288e2-7c55-45af-9633-e881e264d6dc 1000000