Last week, we pointed you in the direction of the first murmurings about the three big festivals happening over the May holiday weekend (HERE). Now, Zebra have announced, and we have a Douban sighting of Modern Sky’s Strawberry festival.
You can also find a great little (big) article by Go Chengdoo HERE. They break down the entire lineup and link to pretty much every band. They notice the same thing that we had – that all these festivals are lighter on international artists, heavier on pop (well, not Midi) and generally more expensive and more heavily sponsored. In the absence of real money for proper international headliners, this is pretty much what we can expect from Chinese music festivals over the coming years. Big Chinese headliners are infinitely cheaper than their international counterparts with similar profiles, and while not necessarily the same calibre, it is sensible for the commercial future of these festivals to see this skew. On the other hand, these “stars” are few and far between, and so expect festival lineups to look pretty identikit for years to come…
In conclusion, as long as we are getting Chinese youth out in the fresh air, experiencing the joys of the music festival, it can’t be all bad.