Find a list of undertakings from promoters, festival organizers, and even a branch of a country’s government that grasped our attention this year –
Aum Festival: First Release Line-up
AUM Festival in New Zealand will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year, enveloping its previous festival themes into one as ‘AUMNIBUS.’ Upholding the AUM culture and mission “to create gorgeous, sustainable, original, cutting edge, friendly and safe environments for beautiful people and tribes to gather and celebrate as one,” the organizing team arguably takes the cake regarding their first release line-up unveil. The banner tidily lays out the AUM Culture and values adopted by the team, reaffirming the benchmark and philosophy for events worldwide.
I-Rock: INR 30 for the 30th Anniversary Show
Mahindra Independence Rock, formerly I-Rock, where rock rebels and metal mavens wreak havoc and salute the mightiest rock acts while also recognizing the upcoming bands across India, marked its mammoth 30th edition this year. To memorialize this occasion, the promoters pitched their initial lot of tickets in a ‘Dirty 30’ offer wherein the tickets were priced at just INR 30 (0.35 USD). The next bundle of tickets was offered at INR 1030 (USD 12.16), which included an INR 1,000 food and beverage coupon.
For a line-up that dished out legendary rock bands 13AD, Motherjane, and metal crew Bloodywood, alongside the likes of Girish And The Chronicles, Swarathma, and Skrat, at this price for a rock junkie, this promotion was an absolute steal!
Michael Bibi: Donation to Royal Marsden Cancer Charity
House, tech-house, and techno force Michael Bibi, who bested a rare type of brain and spinal cancer, came out swinging on his return to regular programming. Months after announcing his remission, the Soul Grooves label spearheaded his One Life world tour, dubbed a celebration of music, life, and community.
This One Life event series kicked off at Finsbury Park London in July and featured Bibi along with his parents, well-wishers, folks from the Royal Marsden Hospital, and Anthony Nolan Charity (who hosted booths on cancer awareness) and a rollicking capacity crowd. Post the tour, Michael Bibi did not forget his caregivers during his treatment. He donated over £120,000 to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity in September 2024 from the proceeds reaped from this concert.
In this regard, Michael Bibi also posted on social media, “Today I visited the @royalmarsden for my regular checkups & to present the staff with the money we raised from the @onelifeofc1 show at Finsbury Park. To everyone that was part of this show thank you for making this possible, through dancing we have directly helped other people like myself & are helping to make a difference in saving more lives. My heart is full, thank you.”
Swarathma: Solar-Powered India Tour
In a forward-thinking and climate-appropriate endeavor, Indian folk-rock icons Swarathma etched out solar-powered concerts in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Indore, Gurgaon, and Jaipur. Tagging a green revolution in the live music space, the onstage equipment (sound and LED systems) was powered by battery packs jolted by solar energy. This was made possible owing to their sustainable partners Sustain Plus Energy Foundation, SELCO Foundation, and AmpereHour Energy.
In a nice visual touch, the band would also display their power meter levels to attendees as their setlist proceeded to demonstrate how much energy is actually required to power up a concert.
Lay Festival: Making Waves In Ocean Conservation
Bali’s stunning landscapes, diverse culture, and ocean-facing venues have soaked in several music festivals and music-related events throughout this year. LAY Festival, nestled at Bali Beach Glamping, was piped out with an eco-conscious approach dedicated to promoting environmental protection, focusing on the ocean’s ecosystems. For this, the LAY community teamed with Living Seas and Sungai Watch to encourage initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring coral reefs. Proceeds would be directed at marine and coral restoration and each ticket purchase would result in a coral plantation.
Teletech: Drug Safety Campaign
Before its August 2024 edition in Manchester, England, techno music flagbearers Teletech Festival launched a drug safety campaign to ensure attendees can enjoy the event responsibly. This undertaking was conducted in tandem with the drug-testing and research group The Loop, who are dedicated to lowering drug-related harm by using their drug-checking and research, healthcare activities, training programs, and workshops.
The Teletech Drug Information Conference featured co-founders Anton Stevens and Tom Shenton, alongside British DJ Rebekah and techno artist Olly Rowley aka Azyr. In a campaign video later released, each of them also shares informative bits about drugs, drug-related statistics, and festival essentials.
Babestock Electronic Music Festival: All Femme/Gender-Expansive Festival
Trust the team at BABE ATX (Bad Ass B*tches Elevating Austin, Texas) to throw down a statement-making two-day music festival, upheld by its card of women, non-binary, trans, genderqueer, genderfluid, and gender non-conforming artists. Babestock is aimed at empowering and connecting femme and gender-expansive electronic music artists; its line-up shined with over 50% BIPOC performers.
Staged at Cheer Up Charlies, this community also went so far as to arrange a free ticket entry for this extravaganza, with donations encouraged. Coached by co-founders Kelsea (Hip Stir) and Day Pazmino (Damino), BABE ATX provides a platform for women and gender-expansive artists,to sharpen their talents and become pillars in the electronic music scene, providing DJ courses, informative nuggets, and hosting gigs frequently.
Dubai Metro Music Festival
Dubai’s vibrant Metro Music Festival returned for its fourth edition this September, stemming from five metro stations (Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, BurJuman, Union, and Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) in September. This weeklong showcase commenced on September 21 onwards and was organized by Brand Dubai in conjunction with the Roads and Transport Authority.
Traveling commuters were treated to a medley of sonics from classical performers to fusion artists serving up sonics emitted from guitars, keyboards, drums, accordions, flutes, violins, saxophones, balafon (akin to a xylophone), darbuka (percussion instrument), keytar (strap on keyboard), marimba (percussion instruments similar to the xylophone), Qanun (string instrument), and also instruments made from recycled materials. Housed between 5 and 10 PM, beatboxing and a puppet show were also part of the agenda.
Margins United: Celebrating Alternative East and South-East Asian Culture
The UK’s Eastern Margins record label, committed to spotlighting “stories that represent the diversity of narratives across East & South-East Asia and its diaspora,” pioneered Europe’s first music festival that celebrated alternative ESEA culture in September. Christened ‘Margins United,’ the promoters occupied all three spaces of EartH Hackney in London for an all-day showcase bringing to the fore DJs, art installations, exhibitions, workshops, panels, and food partners delivering a variety of delicacies.
A peek into the festival card exemplifies just what the co-founders of this collective intended to accentuate, stacking up local talents alongside American-Korean DJ Soo Joo, French-Vietnamese beatmaker Onra, Hong Kong-born and Bristol-based interdisciplinary artist gyrofield and budots great DJ Love on his first gig outside of the Philippines.
When asked about their hopes and dreams for the festival, director David Zhou told Mixmag, “It’s in the name. We want to bring everyone together. All the misfits, outcasts, and kids from the Margins. We’re stronger united.”
Revive Live: Australian Government Grant
In August 2024, the Australian Government’s Office for the Arts triggered a Revive Live agenda as part of their 2024–25 Budget, approving a grant for established live music venues and music festivals. This program focused on providing support to such spaces and festivals to enable a continued flow of their operations, limit shutdowns and cancellations, and foster long-term sustainability.
Applications were open until August 30 and also focused on initiatives that supply career growth opportunities for musicians and music-related employment for differently-abled persons as well. As of October 2024, a total of 110 organizations across Australia (61 festivals and 49 live music venues) will receive this funding. More information on each recipient and the amount granted can be found on the Revive Live link online.
Featured Image by Abhishek Gupta
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