Great Escape 2008 cancelled
One of Sydney's best-loved festivals has called it quits - for 2008, at least. Andrew P Street is not at all pleased.
A scant five weeks after tickets went on sale the promoters of The Great Escape, MI5, have announced they’re cancelling the event due to “unexpectedly low ticket sales”. Despite a stellar line-up including Supergrass, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Black Francis, The New Pornographers, Paul Kelly and many, many more it seems that a two-day festival wasn’t enough to lure people to part with their dollars – although the sideshows have been selling exceptionally well. “It wasn’t a decision taken lightly,” a source close to the event told Time Out Sydney. “The line-up was really strong, the sideshows are selling really well, but maybe with the event changing direction this year… I really don’t know.”
So what happened? That the cancellation should come less than a week after the massive sell-out success of Splendour In The Grass seems especially strange, although the fact that the festival was a camping-only affair (which traditionally appeals to the younger punter) with a fairly old-school-indie sort of a line-up which would appeal to a somewhat older demographic who would rather see Ladytron late at night in the Metro with a drink in their hand than in a field after a night in a sleeping bag. Or perhaps it was the sheer weight of other events on in Sydney over that period (including Sleaze Ball on the same weekend).
But let’s stay positive: it’s worth emphasising that the sideshows announced thus far are going ahead – but now that they have become the main event you might want to grab tickets sooner rather than later. The shows announced so far include:
Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band
Sat 4 Oct, Enmore Theatre
Joan As Police Woman
Tue 7 Oct, Factory Theatre,
Ladytron
Mon 29 Sep, Metro Theatre
Supergrass
Fri 3 Oct, The Forum
The Futureheads
Fri 3 Oct, Gaelic Theatre
The New Pornographers
Sun 12 Oct, Annandale Hotel
We Are Scientists
Mon 6 Oct, The Metro
Yeasayer
Tue 7 Oct, Oxford Art Factory
Does this mean the end of camping festivals? Are indie-loving audiences less inclined to huddle in tents? Will The Great Escape return next year? Is this the first sign of the end of the world? Email your thoughts to music@timeoutsydney.com.au – and Time Out will report back next week.