2013 Lineup

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Depeche Mode are meant to be touring a new album next year, could see them headlining Bestival or the Big Chill (if it's on next year) or possibly even IOW or Glastonbury.

[eFestivals]

Depeche Mode are meant to be touring a new album next year, could see them headlining Bestival or the Big Chill (if it's on next year) or possibly even IOW or Glastonbury.

I can't see them headlining a festival of Glastonbury's size, but then again I'm not the booker so who knows.

They play in the UK very rarely, and yet can't sell out the shows that they do - which says too small to me. From where I'm sat I'd say they're a smaller act than The Cure, and much less relevant to musical history too. If Glasto won't have The Cure back - and they certainly didn't want them a few years ago - then I can't really see them going for DM either. The only thing that DM have in their favour against that is that they've not headlined before.

[Uncle Liam]

I can't see them headlining a festival of Glastonbury's size, but then again I'm not the booker so who knows.

They play in the UK very rarely, and yet can't sell out the shows that they do - which says too small to me. From where I'm sat I'd say they're a smaller act than The Cure, and much less relevant to musical history too. If Glasto won't have The Cure back - and they certainly didn't want them a few years ago - then I can't really see them going for DM either. The only thing that DM have in their favour against that is that they've not headlined before.

[thetime]

I can't see them headlining a festival of Glastonbury's size, but then again I'm not the booker so who knows.

They play in the UK very rarely, and yet can't sell out the shows that they do - which says too small to me.

[Uncle Liam]

They do loads of them in Europe.

Almost Hurricane and Southsides house band.

[eFestivals]

I cant remember depeche ever playing a proper festival and cant really see it to be fair.

the only fest I know of them doing was Wireless a few years ago, and it sold poorly - despite being local to the huge population of London.

If they can't sell an easy gig like that one they're defo not going to shift tickets at a less accessible 'proper' festival.

[eFestivals]

They do loads of them in Europe.

Almost Hurricane and Southsides house band.

David Hasslehoff is huge in Europe too.

[Uncle Liam]

Is the Hoff still big in Europe?

Thinking about it, I'm amazed no festival hasnt booked him for a half hour novelty slot.

[eFestivals]

Is the Hoff still big in Europe?

No idea to be honest.

But a few years ago I was chatting at a festival with some lads from a band which had Swedish and English members (I forget what the band was called), and they were telling me how great they were (I never saw them play, so I've no idea if they were or weren't).

Anyway, they proudly told me that they were big in Germany, to which I said "yeah, but so is David Hasslehoff". They deflated like a burst balloon.

[jump]

Is the Hoff still big in Europe?

Thinking about it, I'm amazed no festival hasnt booked him for a half hour novelty slot.

[thetime]

bet people in europe have a big snigger when uk people tell them kasabian headline festivals in the uk!

[AcademicPistol]

I love how everyone talks about Europe as though we are not in it.

[zahidf]

Depeche Mode would make a good second from top act, like New Order a few years ago...

More likely to headline Bestival though, as Rob Da Bank likes them and they would suit that a lot more size wise

[jump]

bet people in europe have a big snigger when uk people tell them kasabian headline festivals in the uk!

[thetime]

Works both ways, Beatsteaks who have headlined huge fests in Europe normally play tiny clubs 200-300 people over here. I once talked to an ozzie who was shocked when I told him Living End play clubs over here and hadn't had their last album released in the UK despite it being it out over there for about 2 years and they had the biggest selling single of the 90's in oz.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

They could do the other stage at Glasto I suppose, that would probably suit them much better? I can see them headlining Bestival or The Big Chill instead though. As for anyone saying they aren't a 'festival band'... watch this:

and you'll see that they certainly are.

[eFestivals]

.... The Big Chill ....

Aside from me not really seeing DM as a Big Chill act.....

I've heard some stuff which has said it's unlikely to be back next year. According to what I was told - I've no idea whether it's true or not - not only was it being cancelled this year but also that Festival Republic were trying to sell it and if they didn't sell it then they'd stop doing it and there won't be one ever again.

I guess I'll only get to find out if that's true by what happens in the future.

If that is true tho it's a real shame. While I've always felt that there's something lacking about Big Chill which I can't quite put my finger on it's one of the bigger, better, and more diverse festivals out there and it's demise would be a big loss to the UK festie scene.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

I don't really see how you can say that they wouldn't be a 'Big Chill act'... Kanye West, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Lily Allen, David Byrne, MIA, Orbital, Leonard Cohen, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Basement Jaxx... they wouldn't exactly look out of place on that list would they? It's not like their headliners ever followed an exact pattern or genre.

If what you've heard is correct though it's such a shame, I really enjoyed the Big Chill, it was an all round brilliant festival.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Frankly Mr Shankly

[eFestivals]

I don't really see how you can say that they wouldn't be a 'Big Chill act'... Kanye West, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Lily Allen, David Byrne, MIA, Orbital, Leonard Cohen, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Basement Jaxx... they wouldn't exactly look out of place on that list would they? It's not like their headliners ever followed an exact pattern or genre.

I can understand why people might think their headliner booking policy was all over the place, because from one angle it was.

All the same I can still feel a common theme across all of that, where DM doesn't fit.

(More so if Kanye is taken out on the basis of all last year's line-up being shocking)

I guess that if you don't get it yourself then you're coming from a different place musically than I am. Perhaps it's an age thing.

[RichieParf]

I can understand why people might think their headliner booking policy was all over the place, because from one angle it was.

All the same I can still feel a common theme across all of that, where DM doesn't fit.

(More so if Kanye is taken out on the basis of all last year's line-up being shocking)

I guess that if you don't get it yourself then you're coming from a different place musically than I am. Perhaps it's an age thing.

[Dead throne]

Sorry to ask this here, but since the download ones are like..dead...

Would BMTH be able to headline second stage at Download? Or even at Reading?

[Whittick]

Metallica brought forward their euro tour to this year, because they don't think it will be financially viable next.

[Whittick]

Metallica brought forward their euro tour to this year, because they don't think it will be financially viable next.

[eFestivals]

You're only as old as you feel Neil

And today I feel a year older. I wonder why?

I didn't actually mean anything like that and neither was I trying to be condescending in any way. I was referring to the way that different generations have different attitudes towards music and everything around it. For example, people of my generation experienced a tribalism around different music genres which hasn't existed in the same way since, and caused them at the time to shun certain types of music that they might somewhat-reluctantly admit to liking nowadays, and from the other side have them embrace certain acts and types of music (not all of which were good).

The perspective I have on music as a result of my generation is, I think, what's causing me to see a theme in those Big Chill headliners that Shankley listed (not all of them are of that generation, please note! ), while seeing Depeche Mode as being outside of that theme.

I know the booking for BC has been done by FR people for the last two festivals so I'm excluding those festies from my thinking, but prior to that I'd wager that the bookings were done by someone of around my age (in fact a few years younger) who groups music in a way that's quite similar to me - and it's on that basis that i'm saying I think DM are outside who they'd book.

I dare say that others of different ages do something not hugely dissimilar, but the way in which they group bands is done in a different way with different bands being on both the 'inside' and 'outside' of their preferences - so they might think the acts that Big Chill had as headliners are more random and less themed than I see them as being.

[kaosmark2]

You're only as old as the person you feel Neil