2014

[kaosmark2]

From the official website

Stage Running times

Please see festival timings page

The Saturn and Apollo outdoor stages run in a “flip-flop” style which means that whilst one stage has a band performing on it, the other is being set up for the next band. There will be a gap of approximately 10-15 minutes between the bands ending and starting to allow people to take a short break and move to the other stage

http://sonisphere.co.uk/information/information-a-z/

[GuitarManDan15]

Considering that gaps between bands are typically 20 minutes anyway I find it remarkable they're bothering.

[Rancidpunk_76]

Previous years there's been hardly any gap at all between stages, found the next band was already starting when i was half way between stages

(Found this to be a good thing by the way)

[kaosmark2]

It's not really about gaps between bands, it just means that bands on the top two stages don't clash

[GuitarManDan15]

But if they've got as long a gap as that they may as well just have one stage.

The "remove clashes" thing was stupid anyway, people complain about them but fans are far likely to not get a ticket because there's a lack of option than because they want to see both.

[kaosmark2]

The 15/20 minute gap between bands works between subheadliner and headliner too. So normally you have to wait at least 45 minutes where as at soni it's 15/20.

So at soni 11 you had:

Weezer (15 minute gap) Mars Volta (15 minute gap) Biffy

As opposed to if that line up was at reading where it would be:

Weezer (30 minute gap) Mars Volta (45/60 minute gap) Biffy.

[GuitarManDan15]

60 minute gap?

I've never known it go over 40

[gary1979666]

60 minute gap?

I've never known it go over 40

[lharris92]

Guns n Roses

[kaosmark2]

Really? Biffy at Reading this year was 45 and at Soni 2011 was 20 minutes

Rolling stones at glasto was an hour and a half. Most glasto headliners have at least a 45 minute gap

Metallica is usually an hour. Maiden and Rammstein were close to if not an hour this year at Download.

It may only be 20 - 40 minutes less you have to wait but on the Sunday at a festival before the headliner that half hour less standing makes all the difference

[lharris92]

actually i should correct myself on gnr, they were an hour late on stage so 1hr45 minutes was the wait. too crap

[Muppetmark]

actually i should correct myself on gnr, they were an hour late on stage so 1hr45 minutes was the wait. too crap

[lharris92]

nah it was just an hour and a half because most reading headliners only have a half hour gap before them. Biffy had 45 mins because NINs stage setup was pretty labor intensive to take down..

[GuitarManDan15]

Was it that long between NIN and Biffy? Surprises me.

Anyway, it's only between subs and headliners I've had the wait be so long to be annoying, while I get bothered far more often about having noone I want to see. I just think the alternating stage/no clashes idea isn't brilliant, but if it suits you fair enough.

[GuitarManDan15]

As for GnR they came on around the time every other headliner starts as I was planning on seeing some of GnR and then going to see someone else, but instead saw one song of GnR and had to dash off to see whoever it was I saw, who apparently were so good I can't even remember, LCD soundsystem maybe?

[kaosmark2]

Both ways have their merits and downfalls. I liked experiencing both, maybe if you went to a soni you'd see it differently, or maybe it would compound your suspicions of it.

Personally I prefer multiple stages running at once but the soni set up is novel, it's a different experience and it has it's merits. One huge plus point of it I was able to see a lot of bands that had the two stages run at the same time I would have missed

[GuitarManDan15]

Sorry the way you were talking seem like you'd never been.

I agree on Soni being a better festival than download, especially as you say layout wise.

I also can't find anything in either line up for me. If you've been to either festival in last 5 years you would have seen pretty much all the big bands they have announced.

[kaosmark2]

Sorry the way you were talking seem like you'd never been.

I agree on Soni being a better festival than download, especially as you say layout wise.

I also can't find anything in either line up for me. If you've been to either festival in last 5 years you would have seen pretty much all the big bands they have announced.

[dentalplan]

I like the alternating between stages. It was fairly good at FN6 this year but that involved walking from tent to tent, plus there wasn't much on closeby if you didn't want to watch the main music acts, so I reckon Soni would be an improvement for me.

[devilman]

Was it that long between NIN and Biffy? Surprises me.

Anyway, it's only between subs and headliners I've had the wait be so long to be annoying, while I get bothered far more often about having noone I want to see. I just think the alternating stage/no clashes idea isn't brilliant, but if it suits you fair enough.

[mrtourette]

I like the alternating between stages. It was fairly good at FN6 this year but that involved walking from tent to tent, plus there wasn't much on closeby if you didn't want to watch the main music acts, so I reckon Soni would be an improvement for me.

[GuitarManDan15]

Nah, I didn't mind, you weren't getting all Soni fanboi so no worries

[kaosmark2]

I can understand it at smaller festivals, but for something purporting to be a major festival (with major festival prices) they should really be able to put something on with genuine variety.

[Dead throne]

next band announcement monday PM according to Strictly Sonisphere's facebook page....

[kipper64]

Aye was on the soni fanteamz thing, so is official. Imagine it'll be 5:30ish again as last 2 were around then