Superstruct and a number of its festivals have responded to criticism of its parent company, global investment firm KKR.

The New York-based firm, which acquired festival giant Superstruct in June last year, has been criticised for its investment in Israeli tech and data firms, as well as reported connections to weapons manufacturers and defence contractors.

Pro-Palestine groups and artists have put pressure on Superstruct’s festivals to “distance themselves from KKR’s complicit investments”.

In response, today Superstruct said in a statement to IQ that it was “concerned about the wellbeing of our staff and we cannot tolerate individuals or groups who pressurise, persecute or seek to unduly influence any fan, artist or colleague.”

Two weeks ago, over 50 artists such as Massive Attack and Brian Eno signed an open letter asking Field Day to sever ties with the New York-based investment firm. At least 15 artists have pulled out of the London-based festival, which is set to be held in Brockwell Park on 24 May.

“We remain in full creative control of Field Day and our values remain unchanged”

Yesterday, Field Day published a statement on social media which said: “By partnering with Superstruct Entertainment in April 2023, the future of the festival and its creative and operational independence were secured – the ownership changed but not the ethos. Since then, as has been reported, they have been bought by KKR, of which we had no say in, which has prompted a passionate discussion.”

The statement concludes: “We remain in full creative control of Field Day and our values remain unchanged.”

Fellow Brockwell Park festival Mighty Hoopla today published its own statement, saying that while it “cannot control agreements or investments made in our parent companies, we wish to state our clear opposition to KKR’s unethical investments”.

“As an LGBTQ+ inclusive festival, we take issues of complicity and transparency extremely seriously and without any knowledge, we have become caught up in something we unequivocally stand against,” the statement reads.

In March, South Asian collective Daytimers pulled out of scheduled appearances at both Mighty Hoopla and Lost Village due to Superstruct’s acquisition by KKR.

“Mighty Hoopla wishes to state our clear opposition to KKR’s unethical investments”

Barcelona’s Sónar, meanwhile, stated that for 30 years it has “nurtured cultural movements from around the globe, acting as a space for these communities and their voices”.

The Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions movement said that Sónar’s statement “failed to meet the demands that Palestinians have made of all Superstruct-owned festivals, that are implicated in parent company KKR’s complicit Israeli investments”.

More than 70 Sónar participants, past and present, have called on the festival to meet the demands that include distancing itself from KKR’s complicit investments and adopting ethical programming and partnership policies.

Live music and broadcast platform Boiler Room was the first entity to come under fire after it was acquired by Superstruct earlier this year.

Boiler Room struck a hard line in its response, saying that it “will always remain unapologetically pro-Palestine” and “engage with Palestinian artists and organisers in order to formalise our internal policies in line with this commitment”.

Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Arenal Sound, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters.

“Superstruct is independently run, making its own decisions based on what is in the best interests of our fans, artists and colleague”

A spokesperson from Superstruct Entertainment said: “Superstruct was founded with the principle that festivals are an essential part of popular culture and one of the most enjoyable and inspiring ways to bring people together.

“Everyone has a right to express their opinion but we are not a political platform, we are just fans of music and we love what we do. So do the thousands of people that come to our festivals and those who rely on us for their income – riggers, stage builders, dancers, vendors, security guards and all the people who work with us everyday. To all of you, we are sorry that it feels like we are becoming the story.

“The last few years since the pandemic have been really tough for all of us in our sector. Organising festivals has never been more complex and the cost of putting on shows has never been higher. We all know of festivals that have gone out of business but we are proud to be able to support our festivals to thrive and flourish.

“Investment provides the entire music industry, not just festivals, with the support needed to achieve the highest standards and best experience that fans and artists rightly expect.

“Our shareholders support this mission, are fully aligned with our values and want to help develop our industry. Without their support we would not be able to provide such a diverse portfolio of festivals.”

It concludes: “Superstruct is independently run, making its own decisions based on what is in the best interests of our fans, artists and colleagues. We have always sought to provide artists with the ability to express themselves and share their creativity with millions of new and existing fans. We are concerned about the wellbeing of our staff and we cannot tolerate individuals or groups who pressurise, persecute or seek to unduly influence any fan, artist or colleague.”

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Olivia Rodrigo will headline a handful of major European festivals next year, leading the latest announcements for 2025 festival lineups.

The Filipina-American singer will headline London’s BST Hyde Park on Friday, 27 June, her biggest UK show to date. The Last Dinner Party and girl in red will support, with more acts to be announced.

Rodrigo joins previously announced headliners Jeff Lynne’s ELO (13 July), Zach Bryan (28-29 June), Hugh Jackman (6 July), and Noah Kahan (4 July) for the AEG Presents-backed concert series. From London, she’s due in Manchester to make up two postponed Co-op Live dates on her Live Nation-promoted tour, the biggest of any artist born this century.

The singer-songwriter will close Belgium’s Rock Werchter on Sunday, 6 July, making history as the festival’s first headliner born in the 21st century. She joins Green Day and Sam Fender as headliners, with a fourth to be announced, for the Live Nation event’s 50th anniversary.

The 21-year-old will then close the first night of Portugal’s NOS Alive on 10 July, the first major confirmation for the Everything Is New-organised event, set for 10-12 July.

Italy’s I-Days also revealed a headlining show from Rodrigo on Tuesday, 15 July as part of its concert series. She joins Dua Lipa (7 June) and Justin Timberlake (2 June) for the Milan-based independent series, set to run next between June and July.

The pop star recently closed her record-breaking Guts World Tour, selling 1.4 million tickets across 95 shows, but is set to hit South America next spring with a string of headlining performances across Lollapalooza Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; Colombia’s Festival Estéreo Picnic; and Mexico’s Pa’l Norte Festival.

“We’re looking forward to recapturing the independent nature of the event”

Finland’s Provinssi Festival added In Flames, Bambi Thug, RODEO, BESS, Ege Zulu, Lähiöbotox, and Olavi Uusivirta to its three-day lineup, set for 26-28 June in Seinäjoki, west Finland. They join Electric Callboy, Flogging Molly, Lorna Shore, and Lähiöbotox for the Fullsteam Agency-owned festival, which set an attendance record during its 45th edition this year.

Slovakia’s Pohoda Festival added Iggy Pop to its 2025 lineup, joining previously confirmed Fontaines D.C., JPEGMafia, and Blondshell. After being curtailed by severe weather this year, the three-day independent festival will return from 10-12 July.

Greece’s Release Athens recently unveiled that Fontaines D.C. and Boy Harsher will join IDLES, Dream Theater, and Gojira for the 18-23 July festival.

Last week, the UK’s Field Day confirmed its first batch of performers, led by Peggy Gou, Jungle, Folamour, Skream, and Benga. The Superstruct-owned event recently revealed its ‘new era’ with a new London location, separating from the AEG Presents-backed All Points East series it joined in 2021.

“We’re looking forward to recapturing the independent nature of the event,” said Field Day co-founder Marcus Weedon. The 2025 date is set for Saturday, 24 May.

London jazz, funk and soul day festival Cross The Tracks will directly follow on Sunday, 25 May, with Michael Kiwanuka set to top the bill of the Brockwell Park event. The British singer-songwriter will be joined by Jordan Rakei, Nala Sinephro, Cymande, and Sinead Harnett for the event.

UK events like All Points East, Slam Dunk, and Neighbourhood Weekender have added names to their lineups

London’s All Points East series has announced Barry Can’t Swim as a headliner on Friday, 22 August, supported by Confidence Man, Shygirl, Marlon Hoffstadt, DJ HEARTSTRING, and others.

The Maccabees are set to reunite to headline the Victoria Park-based event on Sunday, 24 August, their first show in eight years. The British indie rock group will be supported by Bombay Bicycle Club, Dry Cleaning, The Cribs, Nilufer Yanya, The Murder Capital, Divorce, and Prima Queen.

Last week, the UK’s biggest independent rock festival Slam Dunk rounded out its 2025 lineup. The two-day travelling festival, set to land in Hatfield and Leeds, will be led by A Day To Remember, Neck Deep, Electric Callboy, Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, and The Used.

The UK’s Neighbourhood Weekender, which went on hiatus in 2024, will return on 24-25 June next year, organisers confirmed this week. The Warrington-based event, whose lineup was topped by Pulp, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, and The Kooks in 2023, is set to make an announcement later this week.

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Organisers of London’s Field Day festival have declared a “new era” with a change of location and date for 2025.

The Superstruct-owned event is heading back to south London’s Brockwell Park, having taken place in east London’s Victoria Park for the last four summers.

The relocation will see the festival take place in spring, as part of the Brockwell Live Bank Holiday Weekender run by Field Day co-founder Marcus Weedon.

Next year, the Weekender (23–25 May 2025) will see Wide Awake revert to its original Friday position, allowing Field Day to take place on Saturday and Cross The Tracks on Sunday.

“2025 seemed like the ideal time to host our own standalone event again”

Field Day was launched in 2007 and took place at Victoria Park for a decade before being moved south to Brockwell Park in 2018.

In 2019, it was relocated once more to The Drumsheds, a ten-acre former industrial space at Meridian Water, near Tottenham Marshes, in north London.

In 2021, the festival returned to Victoria Park as part of AEG Present’s All Points East (APE) event series, with an increased capacity of 40,000 and the production handled by LS Events.

Field Day festival director and Broadwick Live non-executive director Mark Newton said he is “incredibly excited” about the new location and date, which he says “solidifies our place at the beginning of London’s summer.”

He continued: “After four highly successful years collaborating with All Points East at Victoria Park, 2025 seemed like the ideal time to host our own standalone event again. The availability of both the new venue and date presented the perfect opportunity to do so.”

While Weedon added, “We’re looking forward to recapturing the independent nature of the event”.

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More than half a million people are expected at open-air music events across the UK over the next four days for the biggest festival weekend since summer 2019.

Among the major festivals making their long-awaited, non-socially distanced returns after a year off this long weekend – Monday is a public holiday in England – are Live Nation UK’s Creamfields (Thursday 26–Sunday 29 August), AEG Presents’ All Points East (Friday 27–Monday 30 August), Festival Republic’s Reading and Leeds Festivals (27–29 August) and Superstruct Entertainment’s Victorious Festival (27–29 August), as well as a handful of smaller events.

Citing the success of the national Covid-19 vaccine roll-out, the UK government did away with the last social distancing regulations in England on 19 July (so-called ‘freedom day’) and a number of music festivals, notably Tramlines, Latitude, Standon Calling and Boardmasters, have taken place since, most with a system of Covid-status certification in place based on the NHS (National Health Service) app.

After its cancellation in 2020, Creamfields, the UK’s biggest dance music event, returns to its long-time home in Daresbury, Cheshire, with performances by Basement Jaxx, Jaxx, Tiësto, Peggy Gou, Eric Prydz, Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox, Andy C, Scooter, Paul Van Dyck, Pete Tong, Martin Garrix and more.

Though Creamfields has not announced a capacity reduction for 2021 – a full complement of ten stages of music will be in operation from Friday to Sunday – the event will be fully cashless for the first time, with only electronic payments available at all bars and concessions.

The return of twin festivals Reading and Leeds, Stormzy, Liam Gallagher, Post Malone, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Disclosure and Biffy Clyro, will be “a real[ly] emotional time” for the mainly young people attending, who have had “the worst 18 months for that generation almost since the invention of the teenager in the late 50s, when teenagers became a thing,” Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn tells the BBC.

The festivals will also be home to pop-up vaccination clinics which the NHS says will make it as easy to get a jab as a burger or beer.

“The live music industry is holding itself to a higher standard than any other sector in terms of Covid measures”

London’s All Points East, which this year incorporates Field Day, is AEG Presents’ first festival in the UK since British Summer Time in Hyde Park in July 2019. Moved from its traditional spring dates, the festival opens with London Grammar headlining tonight, with other headliners across the weekend including Jorja Smith, Jamie XX, Kano and Foals, as well as Bicep at Field Day on Sunday.

The festival, held in Victoria Park, will be attended by in excess of 40,000 people a day, having boosted its capacity since 2019.

“We are already experiencing such a great feeling from everyone on site: happy faces of fans, artists and staff coming back together for a brilliant music festival,” AEG’s head of European festivals, Jim King, tells IQ. “There is excitement and anticipation, everyone getting to know each other again and discovering their new favourite artist or looking forward to the big headliners. For us at All Points East, it is our first opportunity to put into practice what we do best and that in itself is a brilliant feeling.

“We have sold 160,000 tickets for four days. It’s clear that everyone is eager to get back to live music and after All Points East being away for 817 days, it is really satisfying to know that. The live music industry is holding itself to a higher standard than any other sector in terms of Covid measures. We can be proud that our industry is leading the way in staff and customer safety.”

In Portsmouth, Madness, the Streets, Royal Blood, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass and Nile Rogers and Chic are leading Victorious Festival’s return.

Like all the festivals mentioned, Victorious festivalgoers will need to demonstrate their negative Covid-19 status – proof of full vaccination or immunity, or a negative test – to gain entry.

While concerns have been raised about the impact of large events like festivals on Covid-19 transmission, scientists say the trigger points for spreading the virus are public transport and shared cars to get to events, Reuters reports, as outdoor gatherings can be relatively risk free, as demonstrated by pilot events in the UK and elsewhere.

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Broadwick Live’s Field Day will return to its original home of Victoria Park in 2021 as part of a tie-up with All Points East, the AEG festival that replaced it as tenant of the east London park in 2018.

Taking place as part of APE Presents, the concert series which takes place around All Points East (APE), Field Day 2021 will take place on Sunday 29 August with an electronic/dance music-focused line-up headlined by Bicep.

Moving three months later into the year, to the 27–30 August bank holiday, All Points East/APE Presents has already announced its Saturday (28 August) line-up, with headliners Jamie XX and Kano joining Tom Misch, Slowthai, Little Simz, Arlo Parks and more. More shows are set to be announced for the weekend, including for free-to-access community event In the Neighbourhood.

Speaking earlier this week, Jim King, CEO of European festivals for AEG Presents, said: “It feels so great to finally be announcing our first day of All Points East 2021. The chance to be back in the summer sun in Victoria Park is itself alone a reason to celebrate. The fact we are coming back with such a great first line-up announcement makes this an even sweeter moment.

“There are some exciting changes this year, including our move to the August bank holiday weekend. We welcome two sensational co-headliners for the Saturday, Jamie xx and Kano, as well as a host of amazing artists. We can’t wait to welcome back live music in the UK and be back dancing with you all later this summer.”

Commenting on Field Day’s return to Victoria Park, Broadwick’s Gareth Cooper says: “We couldn’t be more excited to be bringing Field Day back to its spiritual home of Victoria Park, where it all started 14 years ago. We are going to deliver the best day out of the summer, in one of London’s best parks, with an amazing crowd, and a top, top music line-up led from the front by the brilliant Bicep. It’s going to be ace.

“Working with Field Day … stands for everything good that is emerging from these challenging times”

“We cannot wait to partner up with APE on presenting this show and provide some hope and excitement to finish off what’s been an awful 12 months. The future starts today.”

Field Day previously took place in Victoria Park but was forced to move to Brockwell Park in Brixton for 2018, before settling on a new home at Broadwick’s industrial Drumsheds space near Enfield for 2019.

“Field Day have been friends of ours for many years, and coming together and working with them on APE Presents Field Day stands for everything good that is emerging from these challenging times,” continues King. “We respect what they do and we align so closely with what they stand for and so it’s a great feeling to be able to welcome them back to Victoria Park where they delivered so many amazing shows.

“They have a great line-up headlined by the incredible Bicep, and the larger capacity that APE offers means more fans will be able to see Field Day deliver what they do so well.”

The All Points East site has a capacity of 50,000 for 2021. Field Day announced last month it had already sold out the Drumsheds.

Joining Bicep on the Field Day line-up are Floating Points, the Blessed Madonna, Mount Kimbie, Adelphi Music Factory, Ross from Friends, Special Request, Mall Grab, Artwork and more.

Tickets for the festival start at £79.99 and available from 1pm today (11 March) via ticket seller Kaboodle.

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Three of the UK’s most popular music festivals, Reading Festival, Creamfields and Boomtown, have sold out their 2021 editions in the past 24 hours, underlining the huge demand for festival tickets among locked-down British live music fans.

Festival Republic’s Reading Festival, which normally has a capacity of 105,000, was one of several festivals to confirm this week they intend to go ahead in 2021, taking place alongside its sister Leeds Festival in the last weekend in August.

All weekend tickets for Leeds Festival (75,000-cap.) are also gone, according to the festivals’ Twitter account, with only limited Friday and Sunday day tickets remaining.

Dance music festival Creamfields, promoted by Live Nation UK’s Cream Holdings, says it sold out in record time ahead of its return this summer. The festival, which has run since 1998 (since 2006 in its current location on the 70,000-capacity Daresbury estate in Cheshire), also takes place across the August bank holiday weekend (26–29 August).

That many fans held onto their 2020 tickets, says Cream, is “positive news for the live music industry, which has largely remained closed over the last 12 months. The news follows the prime minister’s ‘roadmap’ address on Monday that allows the safe return of large-scale outdoor events this summer.”

“This is positive news for the live music industry, which has largely remained closed over the last 12 months”

British prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday (22 February) that all lockdown measures should be lifted in England from 21 June, theoretically allowing large outdoor events such as festivals to take place with no restrictions. Industry response to the announcement was largely positive, though live music businesses and associations are seeking more clarity as to what will be possible.

Among the 300 artists and DJs performing at Creamfields 2021 are Bicep, Afrojack, Alesso, Carl Cox, Pete Tong, pendulum, Gorgon City, Sub Focus, Claptone, Sigma, Andy C, Martin Garrix, Sigma and Nina Kraviz.

Independent festival Boomtown, which typically has a capacity of more than 70,000, has scaled down its event for this year’s ‘Chapter One: The Gathering’-themed festival, which celebrates a “post-pandemic world” of “connection, community and celebration”. The line-up will also be kept secret until around a week before the festival.

Explaining the decision last year, organisers said: “[T]here are many aspects to the way the music industry runs that don’t work for independent festivals. The complex process of releasing a music line-up, with the exclusivity, billing and escalating costs ,has led us to decide this is the time to rethink the way we approach it and explore new ways of doing things.

“We have always been a creatively led festival and people attend Boomtown because of the overall experience.  We will continue to book incredible headline artists, and all the festival favourites, but by approaching our programming announcements in this radical way, we can create line-ups that are even more phenomenal and diverse than we have ever been able to before.”

“The anticipation to get back to showcasing the best in new music has never been greater”

Fans responded to the change, with over 90% of 2020 ticket holders declining a refund, and tickets for the 2021 edition, held as usual near Winchester in Hampshire, selling out last night.

Also riding the wave of fan demand is London’s Field Day, which announced just before 9pm yesterday (25 February) that it, too, had sold out its 2021 edition and second outing at the post-industrial Drumsheds venue in Enfield, north London.

Like its cancelled 2020 festival, Field Day 2021 will be a one-day, electronic music-focused event headlined by DJs Bicep. Other performers playing the Drumsheds, which has a capacity of 25,000, include Maribou State, Ross from Friends, Floating Points and Adelphi Music Factory.

https://twitter.com/fielddaylondon/status/1365040858198921216

The sellouts come as more festivals confirm they will be going ahead later this summer, with Liverpool Sound City, Gala Festival, Wilderness and Mighty Hoopla all announcing or re-confirming their 2021 dates in the wake of Johnson’s announcement.

“I can’t believe that it’s been nearly two years since the last time we came together at Sound City, and the anticipation to get back to showcasing the best in new music has never been greater,” says Sound City MD Becky Ayres. “Enjoying amazing new artists in incredible venues is what makes Sound City great, and we’re excited to bring together genre-pushing favourites, thrilling live bands and must-see moments this October.”

Sound City 2021 takes place from 1 to 3 October with artists including the Lathums, Rejjie Snow, the Mysterines, Red Rum Club and the Murder Capital.

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Former Festival Republic booker Lucy Wood has joined iconic London venue the Roundhouse (1,700-seat) as head of music, effective from the end of March.

Wood succeeds Jane Beese in the role, who left the Roundhouse at the end of last year to take up the position as head of music at Manchester International Festival (MIF) after five years at the venue.

Having previously led the music programming for Latitude Festival, which last year saw performances from Lana Del Rey, George Ezra, Snow Patrol, Loyle Carner and Primal Scream, Wood will now head up the music team at the Roundhouse, which hosts over 100 shows a year, as well as in-house festivals In the Round and Roundhouse Rising.

With 15 years’ experience in the music industry, Wood has previously held roles at 19 Entertainment, Warp Records and Eat Your Own Ears, working on festivals such as Field Day and promoting shows by Grimes, the xx and Four Tet.

As part of her Roundhouse role, Wood will help expand the venue’s onsite music programme for 11 to 25 year olds, developing the current site with a new talent development centre.

“We are really looking forward to welcoming Lucy to the team at such an exciting time for the Roundhouse”

“We are really looking forward to welcoming Lucy to the team at such an exciting time for the Roundhouse,” says the Roundhouse programmes director Delia Barker.

“She has a great track record and is well respected across the industry and will bring an incredible energy to support our emerging artists – all whilst programming some of the biggest names in the world on our iconic stage.”

Wood comments: “I’ve had a brilliant three years working with amazing music from across the spectrum of genres at Latitude, as part of Festival Republic – building on my time promoting at London’s cherished Eat Your Own Ears.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at the Roundhouse, a world-class arts institution with incredible history, and to be supporting its exceptional work with young people.”

Upcoming acts playing at the Roundhouse include Sigala and the Growlers, as well as shows by Sports Team, Michael Kiwanuka, Kate Tempest and Roisin Murphy as part of the 6 Music Festival. The Strokes performed a special, intimate show at the venue last night (19 February).

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Acclaimed production duo Bicep will headline Field Day with an exclusive live set in 2020, with the London festival returning in stripped-back form on Saturday 11 July.

For its 14th year – and its second year at the Drumsheds, promoter Broadwick Live’s venue on the site of a former gasworks in north London – Field Day will become a one-day event with a focus on electronic music.

“The evolution of Field Day continues through to 2020, settling into its second year in its new home at the Drumsheds,” comments Broadwick, “expanding their offering of electronic music, which perfectly complimented its new warehouse venue at Field Day 2019.

“Next year’s programme will celebrate the full spectrum, with both live and DJ performances across three stages of music, running louder and later with indoor stages, including the main stage, continuing until 3 am –  a unique and unrivalled prospect for London festivals.”

“We’re over the moon to be back headlining the 2020 edition of the festival at the Drumsheds”

Bicep’s headline live show at Field Day 2020 will be their only London festival performance next summer.

“Having debuted our live show back at Field Day 2016, we’re over the moon to be back headlining the 2020 edition of the festival at the Drumsheds next July,” say the pair in a statement.

More performers, expected to be similar DJs and electronic music acts, will be announced in the near future.

Tickets are priced from £35 for a full-day pass. Presale starts on Monday 9 December, and general sale on Tuesday 10th, from fielddayfestivals.com.

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Primavera Sound organisers have abandoned plans to hold a London edition of the Spanish festival next summer, IQ has learnt.

It is understood the British capital would have hosted one of five Primavera-branded events in 2020, the festival’s 20th-anniversary year, alongside the flagship Primavera Sound Barcelona (4–6 June), NOS Primavera Sound in Oporto (11–13 June), Primavera Sound Los Angeles (19–20 September) and Primavera Weekender in Benidorm (8–9 November).

Primavera London would have taken place at Broadwick Live’s 10,000-cap. Drumsheds venue at Meridian Water in Enfield, north London, in June, with the new event either replacing or merging with Broadwick’s Field Day festival. IQ understands the idea of partnering with Primavera Sound was that of Field Day founder Tom Baker, who subsequently stepped down to focus on his company, promoter Eat Your Own Ears.

Festival bookers have been submitting offers for 2020 throughout this summer, though these have now been withdrawn and it communicated to agents that Primavera London is not happening.

The decision to call time on the 2020 event is believed to be in part due to timing constraints. One person with knowledge of the situation says it could still be some months before a permit for the festival is granted, leaving organisers with little time to put together a festival worthy of the Primavera brand.

“They [organisers] want it to be as perfect as possible,” they say. “They could organise it for next year, but now the feeling is it’s better to wait until 2021.”

Primavera London 2020 would have taken place at the Drumsheds in Enfield

Another source highlights festival bosses’ concerns about the Drumsheds’ licence conditions: while Field Day 2019 officially had a curfew of 3am, last entry was at 8pm, and many festivalgoers were turned away after arriving late. (Music at Primavera Sound Barcelona, by contrast, doesn’t begin until the early evening.)

At press time, the Primavera Sound website still shows five festivals happening in 2020 as part of its Primavera 2020 Vision birthday celebrations. In addition to Barcelona, Oporto, LA and Benidorm, there is a placeholder for the UK festival, featuring a blurred image showing the London Eye.

According to Pollstar – which first reported on plans for Primavera London in July – festival promoter Primavera Sound SL has “wanted a presence in the UK for some time”, with London as their preferred location.

In the United States, Primavera is partnering with Live Nation, which will co-produce the event at Los Angeles Historic Park.

Reached for comment, a Primavera Sound spokesperson says there are “no plans for Primavera Sound in London in 2020”.

Primavera Sound is Spain’s biggest music festival, with a daily capacity of 35,000, and stakes place at the Parc del Forum in Barcelona alongside a music industry conference, Primavera Pro. It staged its first gender-balanced event this year, featuring headline performances by female stars including Janelle Monáe, Miley Cyrus, Solange and Christine and the Queens.

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Eat Your Own Ears’ Tom Baker, the co-founder of Field Day, has confirmed he is no longer involved with the long-running London festival, three years after its acquisition by Broadwick Live.

Baker – who started Field Day alongside Marcus Weedon (who now runs Christmas-themed event Winterville) in 2007 – remained part of the Field Day team in a programming capacity in the turbulent two years following the Broadwick roll-up. Field Day previously took place in Victoria Park but was forced to move to Brockwell Park in Brixton for 2018, before settling on new permanent home at Broadwick’s industrial Drumsheds space near Enfield this year.

“After 12 years of living and breathing Field Day – something I co-founded in 2007, and that seeded out of earlier multi-genre events my partner and I did before, [including] Village Mentality and Return of the Rural at the 291 Gallery, Hackney, and Homefires at Conway Hall – it feels like the right time for me to move on to new things,” he tells IQ. “It’s a blank canvas, a challenge, but time to do something exciting and creative in a very changed landscape.

“Aphex Twin closing the 17,000-capacity the Barn structure in 2017 with an epic, mind-bending, incredibly magical set was a huge highlight, and one that will stay with me when I remember what Field Day was.

“After 12 years of living and breathing Field Day … it feels like the right time for me to move on”

“As was spotting members of Radiohead in the audience at an ecstatically received Toumani Diabate show at Field Day in 2009, when ‘world acts’ were viewed as a controversial booking.”

Baker says his focus now is on his promotions firm, Eat Your Own Years (EYOE), which has busy calendar of events for the rest of this year.

“Eat Your Own Ears has a strong autumn line-up with a brand-new live AV show from Floating Points, the return of Metronomy and Bill Callahan, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s biggest-ever show, Alexandra Palace,” he continues, plus “Hot Chip are back with brilliant new album and Alexandra Palace show, Anna Calvi’s third Mercury Prize nomination, EYOE celebrates the music of Talk Talk and Mark Hollis with a very special event at the South Bank, and much, much more.”

Field Day is expected to return in 2020, though owner Broadwick has yet to announce dates. Upcoming shows at the Drumsheds include Kano, Chase & Status and Elrow London’s Halloween event, Horroween.

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