The 1980s legends The Human League, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Happy Mondays will headline a new music festival in Dubai aimed at promoting interaction and creativity throughout the Middle East. The bands lead a line-up of more than 30 artists taking part in Dubai Sound City, a three-day event that organisers hope will become the region's answer to other international music conventions such as Austin's South by Southwest.
Also on the bill are the US hip-hop pioneers De La Soul, the British indie heavyweights Doves and the psychedelic Welsh rockers Super Furry Animals. Dubai Sound City will take place November 5-7. In addition to concerts, organisers intend to drum up debate among the festival's audience through a series of conferences focusing on the future of the music business and its priorities in the region. More than 40 industry insiders, artists and experts are due to attend as guest speakers.
The former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown will officially launch Dubai Sound City with a special one-off show at the Madinat Arena on October 1. The singer, who inspired the likes of Oasis and Arctic Monkeys, releases his sixth solo album, My Way, later this month. There will also be a new bands competition every Tuesday throughout October. Battle for Sound City will give the winning group or artist the chance to open the three-day event in November.
"We are trying to oil the wheels of the music industry in the Middle East and to make a statement," said Alex Bracken, the chief executive of New Dawn, the festival's organisers. "We think the conference will be just as important as the music, like South by Southwest in the US," he said. "There's nothing like that here at the moment. The music business is one of the biggest industries in the world and it's so international. Dubai has a great location and a large number of different nationalities living together, so it's an ideal place to have a festival like this where people can meet and make deals."
The Synthpop trio The Human League, which have sold more than 20 million records worldwide and are best known for the single Don't You Want Me, will headline the festival's first day. They share the bill with Ocean Colour Scene, The Wombats, The Farm, Dirty Skirts, The Automatic, Sound of Guns and Bicycle Thieves. The post-punk group Echo and the Bunnymen, who hail from Liverpool, will play the second day alongside Doves and Super Furry Animals. Also on the bill that day are The Parlotones, Nitin Sawhney, Dan Black and Post War Years.
Closing the festival will be the infamous Madchester band the Happy Mondays, featuring the shambolic frontman Shaun Ryder and the dancer Bez. De La Soul also play the final day, as well as The Courteeners, The Whip, Kissy Sell Out, Ladytron, We Have Band, Wave Machines and Ezra Bang & Hot Machine. The festival's biggest shows will take place at the Irish Village arena, which is able to hold up to 7,000 fans. Other venues which will be used for the festival include Alpha Club, 360, The Apartment, Warehouse and Chi at The Lodge.
Single-day passes for the event will cost Dh295 and three-day passes cost Dh750. Admission to the music industry conference is separate; tickets cost Dh300. "We are giving people the chance to see 10 artists for the price of one," said Bracken. "Dubai is full of commercial acts on a really big scale. This is something on a slightly different scale that lots of avid music fans will enjoy." The music industry conference will take place at Emirates Towers over the festival's three days. Sessions will include: "The secret world of the agent" (in a time when live music becomes more popular, has there ever been a better time to go on the road?) and "Music is free, music is free, music is free" (can the industry make the consumer see the value in purchasing music once more?).
Further bands and artists are yet to be confirmed. This event is strictly for people over 21. * Oliver Good
