Flâneur about Town

A pity to see another local festival has folded: reports have come through today that Loop has gone bust.

While it's a shame as the organisers were trying to do something a lot more cutting edge than Beachdown, my comments below about that particular scenario I think are pertinent in this case too.

Nowadays I think it's almost impossible to launch a festival on anything like the scale of either Loop or Beachdown without establishing a firm credibility and public following. I really enjoyed the first Loop festival, a one-day affair at Steine Gardens with Fujiya & Miyagi (pictured above at Loop 09), Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, the Go! Team, Mira Calix and more. I don't know how they did financially, but it looked pretty crowded and created quite a buzz.

This year, however, trying to stretch it over three days, cancelling the Matt Herbert gig, and with a great lineup on the Saturday (Fever Ray, The xx, Squarepusher, mum) but a patchier one on the Sunday (James Yuill, Tuung and Fujiya excepted), it was too much and people voted with their wallets accordingly.

Well done for them trying something different, but with many of the newer festivals having to take account of people's tastes, finances and the competition from established festivals with a guaranteed quality of lineup and attractions, tough times are ahead for anyone who wants to take chances.

Labels: Loop Festival Brighton music gigs