Hi, this is Gemma Dempsey and welcome to another edition of The Global Gig Guide. This week we have some great European festivals for you - Rock Am Ring and Rock im Park in Germany, and Mi Ami in Italy.
The German festival season kicks off with not one but two huge outdoor festivals attracting over 150,000 fans over three days at two sites. Both festivals have the same line up but are not close to one another, so make sure you know which one you are going to before you head out the door!
Rock Am Ring is named after its location – the Nurburgring motor race track near Cologne. Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by motor racing legend Jackie Stewart, it’s widely considered to be one of the most demanding racetracks in the world and this year it will host the European Grand Prix. ‘The Ring’ as it's affectionately known by racing enthusiasts, is used by car manufacturers such as Audi and Porche to test drive their latest prototypes. For those video game junkies out there, this racetrack has been immortalized in the video game Grand Prix Legends.
For Rock im Park you’ll have to head to Zepplinfeld near the city of Nurnburg, also know as Nuremburg, in the German state of Bavaria. This iconic parade ground was designed by Albert Speer, and hosted many a Nazi rally in its Third Reich heyday. You may recognize Zepplinfeld as it has been featured in famous footage within the propagandist film ‘Triumph of the Will’, at the end of the war when the swastika was pulled from the main building by the allied forces. Its now a memorial and venue for large events such as Rock im Park. The Line up for these festivals is immense and includes Muse, The Hives, Linkin Park, The White Stripes, Groove Armada, and Wolfmother.
Don’t fancy Germany then how about Italy? Describing itself as a festival of indie music and kisses, Mi Ami is a small but perfectly formed festival for lovers of Italian indie music. The organisation behind Mi Ami is the highly influential music magazine and website called Rockit which celebrates it’s tenth anniversary this year. Despite the Mi Ami festival only being a few years old, it already has the reputation for being the place to discover cool new music.
This event takes place on two stages by a lake just outside Milan, near Linate airport. The line up includes A Toy Orchestra, Jennifer Gentle, Teatro degli Orrori and DJ Luca de Gennaro. My Milan based friend Francesco informs me that summer has arrived early this year, so this event is bound to be welcome retreat from the muggy city centre. In addition to great new music, there is an area where comic book designers will create and sell their work as well as market stands for the fashion conscious. Being Italy you know the clothes will be fabulous. For those of you on a budget, Sunday is free – so what else do you need besides hip Italian music and fashion by a lake in the early heat of the summer? Andiamo subito!
Next week on The Global Gig Guide I’ll be virtually visiting Meltdown in London (curated by Jarvis Cocker), Sonar in Barcelona, and Bonnaroo in the U.S.
Until then, we’d love to hear about festivals in your part of the world, so why not send us an email to Global@kcrw.com. Otherwise, check back with us next week for more information on Global Gigging.
The Global Gig Guide is produced for KCRW.com by JC Swiatek.
Theme music is composed by The Plush Interiors.
Bonnaroo, Manchester Tennessee June 14-17
feat. The Police,Tool, Fountains of Wayne, Lily Allen
Sonar Festival in Barcelona June 14/15/16
feat. The Beastie Boys, Romantica, Simian Mobile Disco, Sunn O)), Spacek & Benji B, Timo Maas
Meltdown Festival in London (curated by Jarvis Cocker), 16-23, June
feat. Motorhead, Gonzales, John Barry with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Iggy Pop & The Stooges
Fusion Festival Germany June 28 – July 1st
Line up TBD
Torino Italy Traffic – July 11-14 – FREE
feat. Daft Punk & LCD Soundsystem, Artic Monkeys, Antony & the Johnsons, Art Brut, Franco Battiato and Lou Reed plays ‘Berlin’.
Iceland Airwaves Music Festival October 17-21
featuring Bloc Party, Gus Gus and many more
Disclaimer: Although I have tried to make the Global Gig Guide as accurate as possible, KCRW accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information contained in the Global Gig Guide . We would recommend that you to verify any critical information with the relevant authorities before you travel.