Jade Wright abandons the wellies and wet weather to report on a music festival where the sun always shines
IMAGINE a festival site and what springs to mind? Windswept tents, girls in wellies and overflowing Portaloos?
Dubai Sound City couldn't be further from the stereotype of a music festival. Today, it's 80 degrees in the shade, and the stages overlook the glittering sea. Festival-goers and bands alike are housed in plush hotels and there's a concierge around every corner. It's a world away from the Glastonbury green fields, that's for sure.
But then organiser Dave Pichilingi isn't one to do things by halves. First, he sets up the hugely ambitious Liverpool Sound City, then, after two years, he picks it up wholesale and plonks it in the desert. And the music world has flocked to it.
Dubai Sound City, which opened yesterday and runs until Sunday, sees some of the industry's biggest decision-makers in one place.
And it demonstrates, yet again, that Liverpool's music community is leading the world.
Organised and staffed by Liverpool companies, the festival has flown in more than 100 bands, including Echo and The Bunnymen, Happy Mondays, and The Human League, plus 40 expert speakers, coming in over the weekend on more than 1,000 flights and altogether taking up 5,000 hotel bed nights. It's enough to make your head spin.
“Booking this lot alone has been a mammoth task, and not without the odd hissy fit and diva distraction – mentioning no names,” laughs Festival organiser and LIPA lecturer Dave.
“Everything has come together, and teams in Liverpool and Dubai are burning the midnight oil to deliver what will be the most amazing winter festival in the sun.
“Now it is finally here, it really feels like we have created something special.
“The next few days are going to be scary, but if we manage to get through this then our amazing teams both from Liverpool and Dubai will have managed to do something that has never been done before. The Sound City ethos is always about pushing the boundaries.
“We are proud to be carrying the flag for Liverpool in what has become a truly international brand.”
Dave is hoping that, over the next few days, he gets the chance to actually watch the bands play.
Today's highlights will see performances from Happy Mondays, Ocean Colour Scene, De La Soul, The Courteeners, Gabrielle Cilmi, Kissy Sell Out, Wave Machines, Sound of Guns, Bicycle Thieves and The Automatic. Tomorrow there'll be Super Furry Animals, The Wombats, Alphabeat, The Parlotones, Post War Years and Echo & the Bunnymen.
“I'm particularly looking forward to our old Liverpool compadres Echo and The Bunnymen after listening to their new album,” says Dave. “Then there are Sound City favourites The Wombats, up-and- coming starlets Sound Of Guns and the office favourites, Wave Machines.”
He's not the only one tipping the Bunnymen – theirs seems to be one of the most eagerly anticipated acts on site – despite the fact that they don't arrive until tomorrow morning.
But, as well as the headline acts, everyone seems to be raving about the newer bands, too.
Liverpool rising stars Wave Machines are tipping Post War Years.
“Yeah, Post War Years are the thing we’re most excited about seeing in Dubai,” says bass player James.
“Although we’ve seen them loads, it’s been a while since the last time, and we’ve heard reports that they’ve stepped up the octane level, bashing out tunes from their album which we haven’t heard live yet.”
