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General Category => On The Road => Topic started by: turnbuis on August 11, 2013, 10:24:39 AM

Title: Solfest
Post by: turnbuis on August 11, 2013, 10:24:39 AM
Absolute disgrace!!! No day tix available....£109 for the festival. They won't even tell you what the running order is or even which day!! I recommend everyone check out their website, you'll be furious regards their policies. I simply cannot believe NMA have agreed to appear at this festival with these ridiculous rules etc. Can Viv offer an explanation?
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: MARKXE on August 11, 2013, 03:42:05 PM
Just read the site and the FAQs

What time is "my favourite band" playing?

Because we want people to come and enjoy the whole festival experience and not just cherry pick one band, we do not release the times and days acts will perform until the start of the festival. Our Programme Policy has more details.

Whilst I dont agree with it, I can see the quirkiness of it.
Having read reviews from past years it seems quite a good Festival.

http://www.solfest.org.uk/about-us/programme-policy.aspx
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: JohnnyM on August 11, 2013, 09:24:49 PM
Absolute disgrace!!! No day tix available....£109 for the festival. They won't even tell you what the running order is or even which day!! I recommend everyone check out their website, you'll be furious regards their policies. I simply cannot believe NMA have agreed to appear at this festival with these ridiculous rules etc. Can Viv offer an explanation?

Its a festival - and a very good one - not a gig. Its run by co-op type thing of people who like festivals and not some faceless corporate organisation. They want people to go and enjoy the whole festival - not just come & go for one band. I've been a few times and had a great time - its a good mix of people up for a good time, with a good varied programme. If you're not overly keen on festivals - maybe wait until the band play  a night club or student union?
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: turnbuis on August 11, 2013, 10:24:21 PM
Well I've been going to festivals since 1975 (circa) and pretty much all have had day tickets available if it was a 2 or 3 day event. Is someone actually suggesting that if I want to see NMA at Solfest I HAVE to buy a ticket for £109 and spend 3 days there??????
The organisers are actually saying, in all seriousness, that THEY are not even going to tell you what day or time the bands are on....just to ensure you spend the whole time there!!!! Utter nonsense.
These guys are pretentious idiots and need to get a life.

Question please.....How many fellow Family/board members are going to Solfest?
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Stoney on August 11, 2013, 10:44:34 PM
Not me...........
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Spudthemariner on August 12, 2013, 07:18:21 AM
Well we're not going, but that is purely down to the logistics and cost (us living in Plymouth and the Festival being in Cumbria). To be fair mate, there are quite a few festivals now who don't sell day tickets (or not in advance anyway) for, I believe, a number of reasons. I know for a fact that they can at times be loss leaders as they skew the numbers on site which can mess with the licensing. This is why day tickets tend to be disproportionately more expensive than weekend ones. Then of course you have the issue of a festival being flooded by fans of one particular band, for one day only. This can have quite an effect on the atmosphere of an event, not always to the positive sadly.

That said, if I was going the lack of a running order would be annoying the hell out of me by now...  ;D

Never been to Solfest, so I'll await the reviews with interest.
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Jibberish on August 12, 2013, 12:08:54 PM
I'm going - NMA and Flogging Molly is irresistible. I've only heard good things about Solfest, from the few sources I've heard from.
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: JohnnyM on August 12, 2013, 04:59:41 PM
I'm pretty sure that when i've been before there was a running order - and it was well advertised on site - but its not released until you get there.

Most festivals i go to regularly dont do day tickets - so it doesnt seem unusual for Solfest not to do them. Does Beautiful Days? I've never got around to going - but i thought that was all weekend tickets?
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: BlackCountryMaggiD on August 12, 2013, 05:32:20 PM
You're right BDs doesn't do day tickets.

Myself and Frazzle are going but not going up until the Saturday.
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: paul74 on August 13, 2013, 09:19:01 AM
There is not many festivals that do the day ticket thing as far as I can see - BD's hasn't done it for a while, Kendal Calling didn't do it this year. Download still does them but this appears to be the exception rather than the rule.

the running order appears to be a bit strange - especially if you were either arriving late or going home early as some people do at festivals for a variety of reasons.

never been to solfest so cnat comment on how good the fest is - but if it has worked in the past they're not really going to change it are they?:)
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Hughie on August 13, 2013, 11:00:38 AM
BDays did day tickets for the first couple of years but not since.  I'm not sure if they still do some sort of locals arrangement on the Sunday as a lot of folk seem to appear.

Many don't do day tickets as they want you to "enjoy the whole experience", i.e. pay for a weekend ticket.  However sometimes, if sales aren't going well, they will release a "limited" number of day tickets due to "popular demand".

The running order mystery is a little odd, especially so close to the festival.  It's easy enough to check the day that bands of interest are on (though not the time), just by looking at the tour section of their own web sites.

Anyway, after saying all that, there is enough of interest on the bill over the whole weekend to make me want to check it out for the first time and I am looking forward to it.

H




Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: JohnnyM on August 14, 2013, 05:22:34 PM
God knows what you'd have all made of Shambala - they never used to release the line up until the actual festival!
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: neilc on August 23, 2013, 09:20:39 PM
Bloody disgrace , they will get festivals stopped .
I have many commitments on my time and can't do 3 days but will always make time for a dash up the motorway to watch my bands! If that's what I choose to do .
I am now gutted these people (who ever they are ) are in effect stopping me from watching NMA  and I resent them for that .
Not happy
Neil c
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Frank on August 26, 2013, 08:32:38 AM
Setlist anyone....??
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Toronto Popular Front on August 26, 2013, 02:09:07 PM
I simply cannot believe NMA have agreed to appear at this festival with these ridiculous rules etc. Can Viv offer an explanation?

perhaps they are played there due to the amount of money they were offered...
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Hughie on August 26, 2013, 02:42:36 PM
As it hadn't sold out, you could just turn up and buy a "weekend" ticket at a proportionately reduced price depending upon how much of the weekend was left.  They put this on their FB page. Sunday was £35.

It was a good festival, helped by great weather.

The model obviously works for them, as it was the tenth one.

H
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Fatalist on August 26, 2013, 03:03:27 PM
Any chance of a setlist?
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: turnbuis on August 26, 2013, 03:15:11 PM
Heyup chucks. So, how many Family got up to this one? Despite all my protestations earlier....looked like you got great weather. Hope you all had a super weekend.
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Jibberish on August 26, 2013, 05:08:29 PM
Any chance of a setlist?

WWTG
Rum n Rap
March in September
The Charge
States Radio
Red Earth
Falklands
Today is a good day
Green n Grey
Flying through the smoke
Purity
No Rest
High
Get me out
Title: Re: Solfest
Post by: Gayle on August 31, 2013, 11:52:47 PM
We went, primarily to see New Model Army. It was a lovely laid back festival. Camping next to your car allowed, campervans and tents together - a bonus for us folks usually I a different field and, best of all, campfires permitted. The sun shone and NMA kicked arse. Worth the ticket money.