New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Virgin Records) - Just when it seemed winter would never end, V Festival is back to brighten up your days, with a hot line up guaranteed to warm the hearts of the nation's music lovers. This year's headliners, double BRIT Award winners The
Killers and the legendary Foo Fighters, along with co-headliners Snow Patrol, provide three big reasons to be cheerful for fans of the Virgin
Mobile sponsored V Festival, taking place on 18th & 19th August 2007.
Famed for its exciting blend of big name crowd-pleasers and 'next-big-thing' fresh talent, preparations are underway to make the 12th annual V Festival as electrifying as ever. Twenty-four bands are already gearing up to play Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Stafford, in August. To be part of the summer's hottest music festival, get your hands on tickets as soon as they go on sale – 9am Thursday 1st March 2007. For further ticket info check out: www.vfestival.com < https://www.vfestival.com| > . Lucky Virgin Mobile customers will be able to purchase their V Festival tickets 48 hours ahead of the crowds from 9am, Tuesday 27th February 2007.
In addition to the main players The Killers, Foo Fighters and Snow Patrol – also announced today are: Festival favourites Kasabian, party starter Pink, indie rockers James, legendary dance duo Basement Jaxx and Brighton pop entities The Kooks. Plus, BRIT award winner Amy Winehouse, Welsh group Manic Street Preachers, British Breakthrough Act BRIT winners The Fratellis, 2007 'Godlike Genius' NME award holders Primal Scream and mesmerising singer songwriter Damien Rice. Also, Britrock outfit Babyshambles, alternative Manchester group, Happy Mondays, Scottish hit Paolo Nutini, indie four piece Editors and Grammy nominated KT Tunstall. Finally, chart topper Mika, soulful solo artist James Morrison, dance floor queen Sophie Ellis Bextor, US digital sensations The Fray, celebrated return act The Proclaimers and last but by no means least, platinum selling act The Goo Goo Dolls have been signed up.
V Festival Director Bob Angus Comments:
'Building the V Festival line up is without a doubt one of the best times of the year for us and securing The Killers and Foo Fighters - two of the biggest and best live bands - as headliners is a real achievement. In addition to these and the other great acts announced today, we're building the momentum and are confident that it won't be long before some more great names are announced. Watch this space!'
The Killers were created out of a small ad in a Las Vegas local paper, placed by guitarist Dave Keuning who was looking for bandmates. Brandon Flowers, recently ditched by his first band, was 'the only person to reply who wasn't a complete freak' and before long the pair had written 'Mr Brightside'. After trying out a couple of different bass players and drummers, The Killers were eventually joined by Ronnie Vannucci and Mark Stoermer, and the band set about writing 'Hot Fuss', one of the most exciting debut albums for a long time. Now on their second album, 'Sam's Town', The Killers are enjoying success all over the world.
Foo Fighters have very little left to accomplish: the band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, played to packed houses in every corner of the planet, and won every award there is to win. Even the band's most extravagant ambitions have been realized, such as 2005's double album In Your Honor, which sold over 300,000 copies in its first week on shelves and has long since gone platinum. 2007 will be the band's twelfth year of Fighting Foo – the same age as V!
Snow Patrol have had an amazing few years. After nearly a decade together, the Northern Irish rock band scaled the heights when they supported U2 in Europe and appeared at Live 8 in the same year. The phenomenal success of their single 'Chasing Cars', the soundtrack to Summer 06, has seen Snow Patrol gain international fame. The band's beautiful power songs are underscored by some of the most poignant and telling lyrics in rock, and have most recently earned them BRIT Award nominations for Best Britsh Album and Best British Group.
Kasabian's eponymous debut album may have bypassed many critics but it sold a staggering 700,000 copies in the UK alone, making the band's second album 'Empire' impossible to ignore. Propelled along by handclaps and Ian Matthews' inspired Studio 54 style drum fills, the filthy analogue glambience of its first single 'Shoot The Runner' was inescapable in the second half of 2006. 2007 has started equally well with two BRIT nominations – one for Best British Group and one for Best British Live Act.
Twenty three million album selling, double Grammy winning Pink is bringing her 20-odd tattoos to 2007's V Festival. Plain-speaking, never condescending, always provocative, always painfully honest and full of great songs, Philadelphia born Pink's latest album 'I'm Not Dead' is her most diverse, complete, exciting and grown up album yet. Few bands can claim to have been instrumental in 20 years of musical history. James are one of them. From their early EP's for a youthful Factory Records, through their pivotal place in the mid to late 80's indie scene, the early 90's Manc-centric baggy scene and the mid 90's brave new world of guitar bands breaking the top 10 and playing arenas, James have been at the forefront of British music. The band ended on a high in 2001, but James are back. Still fresh as a daisy and appearing at V Festival. Basement Jaxx have been a vibrant force in UK dance music for the past decade. After teaming up in 1994, Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe became renowned for their joyfully grimy spit'n'sawdust Brixton parties. It was out of these, and the duo's shrink-wrapped Atlantic Jaxx label, that Basement Jaxx was born. Before long they'd picked up a BRIT and MTV Europe Award and were scratching for the masses.
Since forming as a 'school project' in Brighton in 2003, The Kooks have written literally hundreds of tracks - narrowing them down to form their debut album in just six weeks. With debut sales now over 1.3million plus nominations for Best British Breakthrough Act at the Brits and Best New Band at the NME awards, the Kooks come to the V Festival this summer on a high.
She might sound like a 40s jazz singer, but Amy Winehouse is a 23 year old Brit Award winner from London using forefront beats and lyrics. Fans from around the world have marked her out as one of the most distinct new voices in pop and she will be entertaining fans at this year's V with humour and soul.
For more information about Manic Street Preachers, please contact the V Festival press office on 020 7307 3108.
Glaswegian trio The Fratellis are a group all about the classic combination of cheap thrills and barely believable stories. They found each other through an advert placed in the window of a record shop and within six months were on stage in London with labels clambering over each other to get their signatures. The band claimed a BRIT award this year for the British Breakthrough Act.
For more information about Primal Scream, please contact the V Festival press office on 020 7307 3108.
Irish singer songwriter Damien Rice will be appearing at this year's V Festival, having released his long anticipated second album '9' at the end of 2006. '9' is the follow up to its acclaimed predecessor 'O' which was released four years earlier. Composed throughout the four years between albums, '9' ended up being completed last year in an intense period of activity over six months. Rice initially wanted the new album to be heavier than 'O', but admits that it is 'mostly accidents'.
Babyshambles are Peter Doherty (vocals, guitar), Drew McConnell (bass), Adam Ficek (drums) and Mick Whitnall (guitar). Their acclaimed debut album, 2005's 'Down In Albion', contained the hit singles 'Killamangiro', and 'Albion'. Formerly signed to Rough Trade, the band recently inked a long term deal with Parlophone following last December's release of 'The Blinding EP' on Parlophone subsidiary Regal. Babyshambles are nominated for Best British Band and Best Live Band at this year's NME Awards.
For more information about Happy Mondays, please contact the V Festival press office on 020 7307 3108.
This year's V Festival will be blessed with Paolo Nutini's hefty Scottish brogue. 19 years old, his debut album These Streets has been certified double platinum, selling over a million copies worldwide. His album follows his departure from his beloved Paisley to his arrival in the sprawling London. Having already sold out three headline tours, Paolo makes his festival comeback at V.
For more information about Editors, please contact the V Festival press office on 020 7307 3108.
For more information about KT Tunstall, please contact the V Festival press office on 020 7307 3108.
Mika is a true young internationalist. Born in Beirut in the middle of the 80s, Mika's family soon found themselves having to move to Paris at the height of the war, eventually settling in London. This year saw Mika release his deliriously catchy number one debut single 'Grace Kelly' followed by the album 'Life In Cartoon Motion'. A songwriter, performer, producer and orchestrator, Mika is set to be a breath of fresh air at this year's V Festival.
Rugby born James Morrison's charismatic soulful voice combined with his lyrics pack an authentic emotional punch. He pours his life into his songs, which are based on unvarnished honesty, passion and letting your emotions go. He triumphed at the BRITS this year, bringing home the British male solo artist award.
For more information about Sophie Ellis Bextor, please contact the V Festival press office on 020 7307 3108.
The Fray, the Denver four-piece, have emerged from 2006 as one of America's hottest new acts. Through constant touring, i-tunes and digital word of mouth, the band have sold 1.5 million copies of their debut album 'How To Save A Life' and have been streamed more than 38 million times on My Space – holding the sites number one spot for a while.
The Proclaimers made their legendary TV debut on The Tube 18 years ago, performing the classic song 'Letter From America'. Back then, the charts were dominated by the likes of Rick Astley and Sinita and the response to Craig and Charlie Reid, two impassioned brothers singing their hearts out about serious political issues, was extraordinary. Fast-forward to 2007 and The Proclaimers are still going strong, having released their sixth studio alubm 'Restless Soul' in 2005 and entertaining fans new and old with their extensive tours.
Since forming in 1986, The Goo Goo Dolls have evolved from a scrappy punk-influenced trio into the platinum selling, chart topping and V Festival appearing act they are today. While The Goo Goo Dolls have certainly enjoyed their success, one thing is certain – the band hasn't forgotten where they came from and this led the band back home to Buffalo where the Dolls spent a long cold winter working 12 hours a day, writing and recording material for the band's eighth album, Let Love In.
