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Last year’s London Olympic Games – and the subsequent shortage of portaloos and police – meant a ‘fallow year’ for Britain’s most famous music festival. But this year the Glastonbury Festival is back with a vengeance, once again set to rock Worthy Farm hard between June 26th and 30th 2013. With tickets selling out in the record time of just 1 hour and 40 minutes, this year’s festival is one of the most eagerly anticipated ever.

The 2013 Glastonbury line-up truly spans all genres and generations of music, and even a bit of customary bad weather is unlikely to put a dampener on the proceedings as some of the biggest bands on the planet take to the stages. Make sure you don’t miss something sensational with our PAAM volunteer recruitment 2013 Glastonbury Festival preview.

If after reading about the plans for this year’s Glastonbury Festival you’re looking for more, be sure to check out our:

• Glastonbury Festival Guide (part one)
• Glastonbury Festival Guide (part two)

We posted our Glastonbury guides a couple of years ago and they’ve proved very popular, packed with all sorts of hints and tips including where to camp, the best bars, what to take and where to find the best toilets! In part two you’ll find insiders’ info for getting more from Glastonbury, including the lowdown on markets, bandstand, the cider bus, green fields, the stone circle, the musical bike and much more! Now for the all-important 2013 Glastonbury lineup…

The Pyramid Stage

…probably the most instantly recognisable and iconic festival stage on the planet!

Arctic Monkeys

Headlining on Friday, the Sheffield-spawned Mercury Prize winning post-punk revivalists stormed the music scene back in 2006 with the biggest selling debut album in the UK ever.

If you haven’t seen Arctic Monkeys live before, expect to be blown away by rapidly-delivered lyrics, fast-paced rock, and pop culture-packed ballads.

Dizzee Rascal

East London-born Dizzee employs broad soundscapes to deliver politically engaging hip hop beats, R&B, UK garage and grime. His machine-gun fire rapping is fast, frenetic and fabulous, and his diverse musical collaborations range from Florence and the Machine to The Arctic Monkeys, with whom he is sharing the stage on Friday.

The Vaccines

Also performing on Friday, these West London indie rockers have clearly hit the big time after their latest album Come of Age grabbed the #1 spot in 2012, followed this year by a stint supporting none other than The Rolling Stones. A proper guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll band, The Vaccines are sure to bring a bit of intimacy to The Pyramid.

The Rolling Stones

If these aged rockers need any introduction, you probably bought your Glastonbury tickets by mistake. Surprisingly, Saturday will see The Stones’ first ever appearance at Glastonbury, a festival that has been going almost as long as they have. We’re expecting a string of special guests to join Mick, Ronnie, Keith and Charlie on the day, making for even more excitement. And for those who did get tickets by mistake, the wrinkly guy wearing the head-scarf and playing the guitar is Captain Jack Sparrow’s father!

Primal Scream

These legendary musical madmen are set to fuse dance, house and psychedelic rock into something truly spectacular on Saturday night. The Scottish rockers broke into the public consciousness with their album Screamadelica in 1991, and have been an ever-present feature on the world’s musical landscape ever since. Although unlikely to be quite as controversial as their 2005 Glastonbury appearance, which involved alleged Nazi salutes, altercations with officials and the defacement of a poster being auctioned for charity, Primal Scream’s Glastonbury 2013 performance will no doubt harbour some surprises.

Elvis Costello

London born Costello, a keystone of the ’70s new wave movement, boasts a dedicated retro cult following to this day. Vowing to quit the UK for good after his 2005 Glastonbury performance, this incredibly diverse singer-songwriter looks to have eaten his words as he returns to the stage on Saturday to wow a new audience with pretty ditties and clever lyrics.

Mumford & Sons

American flavoured folk/rock gurus Mumford & Sons are currently one of Britain’s biggest musical exports. These four London boys are sure to deliver a foot-tapping, banjo twanging, guitar strumming, bass kicking, hootenanny of a hoedown on Sunday.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Broadly classed as alternative rock, this band has progressed through punk, gothic rock, blues and garage rock to form their own distinct sound. Sunday Glastonbury audiences can expect a suit-clad Mr Cave to deliver his observations on the darker side of the human condition in his distinctive drawl.

Vampire Weekend

Grown-up Columbia Uni graduates, American indie rockers Vampire Weekend will seamlessly weld intelligent lyrics with musical influences from around the world when they take to the Pyramid Stage on Sunday. The band’s third album Modern Vampires of the City, a darker more organic offering than the first two, slammed in at #1 in the Billboard chart earlier this year.

Other acts taking to the Pyramid Stage in 2013 include: Professor Green, Jake Bugg, Ben Howard, Billy Bragg, Rufus Wainwright and Kenny Rogers.

The Other Stage

…home of big-name acts and dancy headliners.

Portishead

The notoriously press-averse Portishead will be delivering their distinctive brand of triphop when they headline The Other Stage on Friday. Beth Gibbons’ beautiful vocals are bound to be as haunting as ever.

The Hives

Widely regarded as one of the best live garage rock bands around, The Hives are sure to serve up amusing crowd banter courtesy of singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and some astonishing stage antics by his guitarist brother Nicholaus Arson on The Other Stage on Friday.

Chase & Status

Manchester student dropouts Saul Milton and Will Kennard are set to deliver liquid drum & bass alongside more mainstream club favourites on Saturday. Already a must-see on the summer festival scene, they are also sure to provide a dubstep and breakbeat fix for dance-hungry divas.

Example

One of the best British electro-pop rappers around, the multi-talented Elliot Gleave boasts a CV that transcends stand-up comedy, filmmaking and even a stint in the props department of Star wars Episode III. Looking strangely like American actor Zack Braff, the English Example is sure to entertain on Saturday.

The XX

This English indie pop band’s meteoric rise to fame culminated in them bagging the Mercury Music Prize for their debut album. The haunting and heavily-chorused guitar, subtle bass and minimal electronic drum beats of The XX will leave you tingling long after their Sunday set is over.

Of Monsters and Men

One of the biggest things to come out of Iceland since Bjork, these indie/folk rockers stormed the charts around the world with their single Little Talks last year. Their fairytale lyrics and infectious tunes will help make our Glastonbury Sunday that little bit brighter.

Other acts taking to The Other Stage include: Smashing Pumpkins, Editors, Alabama Shakes, Azealia Banks, Tame Impala and The Staves.

The John Peel Stage

…the hot, sweaty home of newer acts.

Crystal Castles

Expect organised electronic chaos from one of the most intoxifying acts on the festival circuit as Crystal Castles headline the John Peel Stage on Friday. As their last album had a strict one-take-only recording policy, everything you see and hear from Ethan Kath and Alice Glass is likely to be truly original.

Hurts

Slick synth-pop duo Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson first appeared on the John Peel stage in 2011, after which NME readers voted them the best Glastonbury performance of the year, beating down Pyramid headliners U2, Coldplay and Beyonce. Enough said! See them return with triumph on Saturday.

Phoenix

French alternative rockers Phoenix will be headlining the John Peel Stage on Sunday, when the audience can expect chunky guitars, solid drums and truly English lyrics. Singer Thomas Mars has a reputation for getting out among the fans during live performances, so fingers crossed he’ll decide to spread the love this year.

Other acts appearing on the John Peel Stage include: The Courteeners, Everything Everything, Tyler, The Creator and Earl, Bastille, Savages and Sweat Shirt.

Acoustic Tent

…a chilled stage packed with quietly awesome talent.

Sinead O’Connor

Although this Irish singer-songwriter appears to have mellowed with age, audiences can expect the same emotional intensity, compassion and romance she has always managed to deliver when Sinead O’Connor headlines in the Acoustic Tent on Friday.

The Bootleg Beatles

Widely appreciated as the best Beatles tribute band on the planet, the magnificently real performance and costumes of The Bootleg Beatles will have even the most ardent Fab Four fans doing more than a double-take on Saturday.

Lucinda Williams

Recognised as one of America’s best songwriters, Lucinda’s mix of blues, country, folk and rock is certain to grab her a host of new fans in the UK following her Glastonbury debut on Sunday. This blonde bombshell has been ranked among the likes of Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and Keith Richards – and that’s not bad company to be keeping!

Other acts performing at the Acoustic Tent include: The Gypsy Queens, KT Tunstall, The Proclaimers, Steve Winwood, Martha Wainwright and Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue.

More than music

But Glastonbury is not just about the music, as the festival also showcases some of the brightest and best in comedy, theatre, cabaret, circus, dance and other arts. With more than 100 stages to explore throughout the site, we recommend finding some time to head over to Astrolabe, the Cabaret Tent, the Circus Big Top and the Summerhouse to catch some truly astonishing performances from the likes of Mundo Jazz, Lords of Strut, Lost Locos and Les Ooh La Las.

Sziget Festival

If you’re a regular on the British festival scene, you’ll know the closest you’re likely to get to a tan while enjoying a summer of fun in the UK is from mud splashes up the back of your legs. However, the rest of Europe tends to actually get some sun in that elusive season between spring and autumn, tempting many rain-weary would-be Glastonbury-goers to waiver a weekend glugging cinder at Worthy Farm for seven days sipping sangria on the sand. If you opt for a European beach festival however, you can get your yearly dose of Vitamin D and world-class music in one neat little mud-free package.

Whether you want to see Blur in Barcelona, Crazy P in Croatia or Depeche Mode in Portugal, there’s plenty of great beach festivals out there worth the effort of dancing in sand. Check out this PAAM volunteer management guide to the beast European beach festivals of 2013 for our pick of the bunch.

Primavera Sound Festival 2013

Barcelona (Spain), 22-26 May 2013, EUR 145.00

Primavera Sound Festival

For your earliest 2013 European beach festival fix, head to Barcelona in May for the Primavera Sound Festival. With six outdoor stages, some of which are right on the sand, and one of the biggest auditoriums in the whole of Europe, this fun and fresh music festival feels more like an exotic city in carnival season than the mud-caked muddles we’re used to in Britain. The festival – which started with just 8,000 attendees in 2001 but reached a capacity of 150,000 last year – claims a commitment to quality across all genres, with a particular focus on rock, pop, new talent, electronic and dance music. This year’s varied vets include Wu-Tang Clan, Blur, Phoenix, My Bloody Valentine, Tame Impala, Hot Chip, Crystal Castles, The Vaccines, The Knife, Shellac of North America and Simian Mobile Disco – it don’t get much more eclectic than that!

Hovefestivalen (Hove Festival) 2013

Tromoya Island (Norway), 2-5 July 2013, NOK 2,500 (approx. £276)

Hovefestivalen Hove Festival

Hovefestivalen, also known as Hove Festival to us uncultured Brits, mixes international acts with Norwegian bands in a unique setting on an island outside Arendal city in Norway.  This is the best European festival for those hardcore types that think sleeping is for wimps, as the sun only sets for two hours each night across the five-day party period. The festival became Norway’s biggest in its debut year of 2007, but still boasts some very impressive green credentials and an inviting family-friendly environment. Set to play at Hovefestivalen 2013 are Calvin Harris, Kings of Leon, Volbeat, Phoenix, AlunaGeorge, Modestep, Crystal Castles, Enter Shikari, Asking Alexandria, Bullet For My Valentine and Flatbush Zombies.

The Garden Festival 2013

Tisno (Croatia), 3-10 July 2013, £105

The Garden Festival by Heather Shuker

With an onsite apartment village and boutique camping on a pine tree-covered peninsula, The Garden Festival in Tisno, Croatia, offers the ultimate in luxury beach festival fun. The Dalmatian town of Tisno straddles the mainland and the stunning island of Murter, linked by a 20m bridge, with revellers able to swim in the sparkling Adriatic Sea, doze on the sand and dance under the stars at this incredible party complex. Starting with just a few hundred attendees in 2006, word of this out-of-this-world festival spread quickly until capacity reached 3,000 just two years later. The organisers have now promised to slim down to a crowd of 2,000 to keep the event as intimate as possible. Live dance bands and DJs, including Crazy P, Paqua, Auntie Flo and Outboxx, are due to appear this year across the two weekends.

Bilbao BBK Live Festival 2013

Bilbao (Spain), 11-13 July 2013, £85

Overlooking the north coast of Spain on the outskirts of Bilbao, the eighth BBK Live Festival is set to attract 40,000 party people to its four main stages, two dance tents and a pop tent. Bagging run-of-the-mill 2013 early confirmees Green Day, Kings of Leon, Editors, Two Door Cinema Club and Depeche Mode, the festival is also offering a few breaks from the norm in the form of The Hives, ALT-J, Toy, Delorentos and Delorean.

Optimus Alive Festival 2013

Lisbon (Portugal), 12-14 July 2013, £103

Optimus Alive Festival is the perfect European beach-city festival highbred, sitting halfway between the Portuguese capital of Lisbon and Ericeira, one of the country’s top surfing spots. This sun-by-day, stomp-by-night event offers a world-class international line-up, along with fancy camping complete with hot showers and even a swimming pool. The music starts at 17:00 each day, with this year’s hot tickets including Green Day, Depeche Mode, Two Door Cinema Club, Biffy Clyro, Editors and Kings of Leon.

Internacional de Benicassim Festival 2013

Benicassim (Spain), 18 -21 July 2013, £150

Situated on an unbeatable site within walking distance of a huge water park and the beach, the International Benicàssim Festival is pulling out all the stops for its 19th year. The festival has something for all tastes and fancies, with live music spreading across the spectrum from pop, rock and indie to dance DJs and experimental projects. There is also non-musical entertainment in the form of film, fashion, dance, theatre and art. Headliners so far confirmed for the four-day festival are The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Queens of the Stone Age, who will be flanked by the almost-as-legendary likes of Azealia Banks, Chiefs, Hurts, Aluna George, China Rats, Deap Vally, Echo Lake and Rizzle Kicks.

Sziget Festival 2013

Budapest (Hungary), 7-12 August 2013, £170

Sziget Festival

Starting in 1993 as an outlet to showcase Hungarian artists, Sziget Festival has grown into one of Europe’s most exciting music and arts festival. Given a firm thumbs up last year by none other than festival pharaoh Michael Eavis – who said Sziget is: “a fantastic festival, more colourful and probably a lot cleaner than Glastonbury” – the event now attracts 400,000 daily visitors, half of who come from outside the country. Thousands of international artists will make their way to the Budai-sziget island in the River Danube this year to play across the event’s 60 stages, while arts, cabaret, literary presentations and dance will fill every other colourful corner of the unique site. Confirmed so far are Blur, Azealia Banks, Hadouken!, The Bots, Boys Noize, Triggerfinger, Oscar Mulero, Nicky Romero, Parov Stelar, Deichkind, Die Arzte and Seeed.

Outlook Festival 2013

Pula (Croatia), 29 August – 1 September 2013, £145

Outlook Festival by Dan Medhurt

Set in the historic and beautiful beachside setting of Fort Punta Christo in Croatia, the sixth Outlook Festival is the 2013 European festival of choice for underground dance music snobs.

Billed as the largest Bass music and Soundsystem Culture festival in Europe, organisers claim: “When we talk about bass music, we don’t mean the bastardised commercial version currently being sold to children, we mean underground dancefloor music, whether it be house, techno, dubstep, reggae, dub, hiphop, garage, grime, electronica…” as Duke Ellington put it, “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind”.

Super-popular with artists as well as fans, Outlook 2013 is so far winning the race for the longest confirmed line-up list of the year. On the bill already are Goldie, Mr Scruff, Shy Fx, Ltj Bukem, Andy C, Taskforce, Talib Kweli and Jay Electronica, plus a bunch of other acts that we’re not cool enough to have heard of! Sister festival Dimensions 2013 takes place at the same location the weekend after, with a more techno-heavy and deeper electronic vibe. The Dimensions 2013 lineup includes Mr Scruff, Model 500 and Tony Allen.

Reading Festival by Alex De Mora

Music festivals have long-been a staple of British summertime, with revellers travelling from all over the world to jump around in muddy fields and fill their ears with the best of modern music. Last year alone, there were more than 450 music festivals held across the UK. And although Britain’s weather is usually more suited to indoor pursuits, our festivals are well attended and enjoyed, come rain or shine.

But when, where and how did our penchant for outdoor parties come about? Music festivals were in fact almost as common in the ancient world as they are today, although kings and deities were more often the focus of worship than our modern rock gods.

In this PAAM event software blog, we pick apart the history of music festivals and decipher how they became the UK’s best excuse for a summer ‘staycation’.

The birth of music festivals in Ancient Greece (6^th century BC)

The Pythian Games in Delphi, Ancient Greece, are perhaps the earliest example of festivals involving music. One of the four Panhellenic Games, the Pythian Games, held in honour of Apollo (the god of music), were set apart from the pack by the fact that they hosted musical competitions known as mousikos agon, as well as the usual athletics and shows of strength. Founded sometime in the 6^th century BC, the Pythian Games, a precursor of the Olympic Games, featured dance, art and musical displays.

Moving into the 10^th century BC, Greece was still the hotbed of musical happenings. Every spring, the three-day Festival of the Vine Flower bought talents in togas to the city of Athens. Even more enthusiastic about boozing than modern festival-goers, the Ancient Greeks started the party with a silent drinking contest before enjoying song and dance performances.

A festival fit for a German king (1876)

Germany’s Bayreuth Festival, which first began in 1876, owes its ongoing existence to the generosity of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Founded by composer Richard Wagner as a way to showcase his work, the event received start-up money from the crown and was attended by the king, as well as Kaiser Wilhlem I and Dom Pedro III of Brazil, in its debut year.

In the darkest point of the festival’s history, Hitler used the event to warn the Unity Mitford of the oncoming war between Britain and Germany shortly before the beginning of WWII.  Today, the annual festival, which takes place in the specially-designed Bayreuth Festspielhaus Theatre, is still considered a pilgrimage for Wagner enthusiasts, who often have to wait years for tickets.

The roots of Reading & Leeds Festival (1961)

Leeds Festival Main Stage by Giles Smith

Thought to be the oldest popular music festival still in existence, the Reading Festival first surfaced in 1961 as the National Jazz and Blues Festival. The brainchild of London’s Marquee Club founder Harold Pendleton, the event adopted the decidedly hippy vibes of the time, offering tickets for as little as £2 for huge acts like The Jam, Sham 69 and Penetration.

The festival was originally held at Richmond Athletic Ground, but changed both its name and location several times before finally settling down in Richmond Avenue in 1971. The event’s popularity increased rapidly, eventually forcing organisers Festival Republic to open a sister site at Temple Newsam in Leeds in 1999, later moving to Bramham Park in 2002.

In 1998, the festival’s name was changed to The Reading & Leeds Carling Weekend for promotional reasons, but the sponsor was finally dropped in 2007. Today, the Reading & Leeds Festivals take place simultaneously over the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill across the two sites.

In 2012, capacity at Leeds was increased to 80,000, set to reach 90,000 by 2014 to bring it in line with its southern counterpart. On the bill in 2012 were Green Day – who played a runaway secret gig at Reading – as well as The Cure, Kasabian and Foo Fighters. Tickets are already being sold for the 2013 event, and new stages are set to be added.

The emergence of the Isle of Wight Festival (1968)

The Isle of Wight Festival first took place in 1968, drawing a crowd of 10,000 to Ford Farm in Godshill with headline acts such as Jefferson Airplane, Pretty Things and Arthur Brown. One of the most famous early music festivals in the UK, its popularity gradually grew until it reached an unexpected capacity of 600,000 in 1970, when the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and The Who took to the stage.

Daunted by the huge influx of revellers to the tiny island, Parliament passed the Isle of Wight Act a year later, banning unlicensed gatherings of more than 5,000 people. The festival was however resurrected in 2002 at a new location in Seaclose Park, where it has been held every year since. The 2007 UK Festival Awards saw the Isle of Wight Festival receive the accolade of ‘Best Major Festival’, while the event’s top man John Giddings was commended for his ‘Outstanding Contribution’ to UK festivals. In 2012, approximately 55,000 people came to see Elbow, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and others.

The wonder of Woodstock (1969)

The world’s most famous modern music festival, Woodstock, was first held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in in Bethel, New York, in 1969. Billed as “three days of love and peace”, the event attracted some of the biggest artists of the day and more than 500,000 party people to the 600-acre farm. Although there were no reported incidences of violence, conservative locals from the agricultural town protested against the festival with placards baring slogans such as “Stop Max’s hippie music festival” and “buy no milk”. Governor Nelson Rockerfeller was also worryingly close to sending thousands of troops to the area to dispel the “unrest”.

Despite the opposition, Woodstock – encapsulated in the 1970 documentary movie of the same name – was a roaring success, and universally viewed as a pivotal moment in rock and roll history. A plaque commemorating the monumental festival was erected at the site in 1984, and the original field and stage area, preserved in their rural setting, are still visited by music-lovers of all generations. In 2006, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts was opened with a performance by folk super group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, drawing an audience of 16,000 to the legendary site, 37 years after the historic Woodstock Festival. The Museum at Bethel Woods, which depicts the experience, significance and legacy of the festival, was opened in 2008.

The glory of Glastonbury (1970)

The first Glastonbury Festival, then called the Pilton Festival, took place the day after the death of Jimi Hendrix on September 19, 1970. An audience of just 1,500 paid a staggering £1 each for tickets, but were given the added financial incentive of free milk from Worthy Farm.

The festival’s founding father, Michaal Eavis, claims he came up with the idea after attending an open-air Led Zeppelin concert in Bath. He then persuaded a dozen or so people to invest everything they had to build a stage at his dairy farm. The Mindbenders, Wayne Fontana and The Kinks were originally billed to perform at the first festival, but were replaced at the last minute by Tyrannosaurus Rex, later known as T.Rex, Al Stewart and Quintessence.

The event took place almost every year during the 1970s, growing in size each time, often due to the large amount of gate-crashers. The 1970s festivals were heavily influenced by free-love/free-music hippie ethics, which have been retained to some extent by the ongoing existence of such areas as the Green Fields and the Healing Field. The last event in 2011 was attended by more than 140,000 people, who paid £195 to see massive headline acts ranging from Coldplay to Beyoncé.

The festival saturation of the 90s and noughties

While festivals in the 60s, 70s and even 80s were still relatively few in number and small in size, the 90s and noughties have seen countless colossal events firmly established on the UK festival scene. T in the Park opened in 1994 with the likes of Primal Scream, Rage Against the Machine and Blur, while The Big Chill Festival first began with a series of parties at London’s Union Chapel in 1995, before moving to Wales, Wiltshire, Norfolk and finally Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire in 2002.

Latitude Festival Waterfront Stage by Marc Sethi

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker is thought to have inspired the first ever V Festival in 1996 after saying he wanted to play two outdoor venues in a weekend, while Creamfields, an offshoot of Liverpool’s Cream club, pulled in 25,000 dance fans in its first year in 1998.

Moving into the 2000s, British festival-goers enjoyed Deftones, Marilyn Manson and Iron Maiden at the first Download Festival in 2003, followed by Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx and Mylo at Bestival’s 2004 debut. Family festival Wireless came to London’s Hyde Park in 2005, while new kid on the block Latitude appeared with Paolo Nutini, The Zutons and Snow Patrol as recently as 2006.

Since then, a whole host of music festivals spanning different genres and themes have emerged, and the public’s appetite for them looks unlikely to wane any time soon. Stay informed about the best of the bunch by following this blog!

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Related Posts:

• 2013 Festivals Rumours and News – Artists and Bands at 2013 Festivals
• 2013 Festival News – new festivals and changes following 2012′s festival season
• 2012 festivals roundup and review, best and worst festivals, acts and performances
• Best 2012 autumn and winter festivals in the UK
• Staying Safe at Festivals – Festival Safety and Festival Security
• Ultimate festival hangover prevention and festival hangover cures
• Festival Fashion Essentials – what to wear at festivals
• Festival Essentials List and Festival Camping Checklist
• Festivals on a budget – how to save money at festivals
• The Festival Survival Guide – what to take, what to see, and what to wear

Although the 2013 UK festival season is still only a tiny glimmer of light at the end of that long, dark tunnel known as winter, the green buds of hope are already starting to appear. While many of the UK’s biggest festivals are keeping their dream 2013 line-ups close to their chests, some of the world’s biggest bands have already been announced, or at least rumoured, by those willing to show their hands early. Bands already confirmed for various 2013 festivals include Queens Of The Stoneage, Slipknot, Levellers, Asian Dub Foundation and Iron Maiden, while The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi and Kiss all remain as possibilities. Find out who is set to play where with our PAAM volunteer software roundup of the 2013 festival band rumours and news.

The Rolling Stones 2013 Glastonbury Festival hopes gathering pace

Both Emily and Michael Eavis have excited Glastonbury-goers by suggesting that The Rolling Stones could headline the 2013 Glastonbury Festival.  The veteran rockers, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with four sell-out November shows at London’s O2 Arena, have never graced the stage at Worthy Farm.

According to an article in The Sun, Michael Eavis is said to be “desperate” to get the band tied down to play the Pyramid Stage and has already contacted “their people”.  A source told the tabloid, “Getting a decision from the whole band can be tough and, at the moment, they are without an agent for live shows, which is not helping the situation. But there is a good chance 2013 will finally be the year they make it.”

Meanwhile, Michael’s daughter Emily told NME, “We’d obviously like that to happen, we’ve always been quite open about that, whether or not it does, I cannot say.” Emily added, “We would love it to happen next year, we feel like if it’s going to happen, it’s got to happen next year.”

Stones frontman Keith Richards got hopes up even further after refusing to rule out Glastonbury as an option for 2013. “On a good day, if the weather’s fine, that’s an interesting proposition. The band wants to get these four gigs under their belt and then think about next year after that. Anything is possible with this band” he said.

In the words of The Stones themselves, “You can’t always get what you want”…but we really hope we do!

The Smiths and Stone Roses 2013 Glastonbury Festival rumours refuted

Emily Eavis has refuted rumours that both The Smiths and The Stone Roses will be playing at Glastonbury 2013.

Speaking in an interview with NME, Emily confirmed, “There are no talks happening with The Smiths. It’s good to rule these ones out because every year it’s always the same ones rumoured.”

After inviting her Twitter followers to suggest bands for next year’s event, Emily also put an end to speculation about The Stone Roses with a simple and decisive: “Stone Roses not playing next year.”

Rumours about the band’s possible 2013 appearance have been circling since June, after reports suggested that a deal had already been struck. No such luck!

The Stone Roses also unlikely for 2013 Reading and Leeds Festival

Kasabian at Reading Festival by Marc Sethi

Despite revealing that two headliners have already been tied down for Reading and Leeds Festival 2013 and another is in the pipeline, organiser Melvin Benn claims The Stone Roses are unlikely to be part of that line-up.

Speaking in an interview with NME, the managing director of Festival Republic said, “We’ve got two out of the three headliners already secured. The third – we know exactly who we want. We haven’t made the approach yet, [but] my feeling is they want to do it. My feeling is probably that they [The Stone Roses] are not on our list.”

The Vaccines first to be confirmed for Live At Leeds 2013

The Vaccines are the first band to be confirmed for next year’s Live At Leeds festival, which will see dozens of live acts descend on various venues throughout the lively Yorkshire city. The west London indie-rockers will play the headline set on Sunday, 5 May, 2013, at the iconic Millennium Square. No other acts have yet been confirmed by the organisers, but this year’s event drew in the likes of The Subways, Marina And The Diamonds, The Enemy and Ladyhawke, so expect a great show!

Slipknot, Rammstein and Iron Maiden to headline Download Festival 2013

Download Festival has started early in its preparations for 2013, with organisers already confirming all three headliners for next year’s event. Masked metalheads Slipknot will join German electronic rockers Rammstien and heavy metal vets Iron Maiden at Leicestershire’s Donington Park next June.

This will be the third time Slipknot has headlined the festival, after first appearing in an unforgettable debut set in 2009. Speaking about the 2013 booking, the band’s Clown said, “We are extremely honoured to have been asked once again to headline the Download Festival. This most definitely will be an experience not to be missed. Every time we’ve played Download we have created memories.

Download Festival organiser Andy Copping also said he is thrilled to have secured the American band for another year. “Slipknot’s last appearance at Download has gone down in the festival’s history as one of the best ever headline sets. God knows what they’ll have in store for 2013 but I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll top the last one” he said.

Queens Of The Stoneage for debut Download set, Kiss rumours unconfirmed

California rockers Queens Of The Stoneage, who are currently finishing a brand new album, will also be appearing at Download Festival 2013 in what will be their first ever performance at the Donington Park event. But even more exciting than that perhaps is the unconfirmed rumour that Kiss could be headlining the event’s second stage. We’ll let you know when it’s time to break out the black and white face paint!

Also set to perform at Download Festival between June 14 and 16, 2013, are Motorhead, Volbeat, Gaslight Anthem, 30 Seconds to Mars, HIM, A Day To Remember and Alice in Chains.

Bon Jovi rumoured for Isle of Wight Festival 2013

New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi are to play at the Isle of Wight Festival 2013…if you believe what you read in the British tabloid press that is! According to the Daily Star, the band’s frontman and namesake Jon Bon Jovi said about the festival, “It’s legendary, so we’re really glad to be a part of that.”

Since forming in 1983, the band has sold more than 130 million albums across the world. It is now rumoured that they will appear at the island festival after completing their ‘Because We Can’ tour next June, which will see tickets for gigs in Cardiff, Glasgow, Sunderland, Birmingham and Manchester offered for as little as £12.50.

Bon Jovi has been linked with the festival previously but never actually played there. Isle of Wight Festival 2013 dates have now been confirmed for 13-16 June despite last month’s call to review the licence following severe disruption seen at the 2012 event due to flooding.

David Guetta also rumoured for Isle of Wight Festival 2013

Although no acts have yet been officially confirmed for the Isle of Wight Festival 2013, sources have apparently told eFestivals that DJ and producer David Guetta could be on the bill. Since first coming on the scene with debut album Just a Little More in 2002, the French R&B, hip-hop and electro fusion guru has sold five million albums worldwide and appeared at festivals including Creamfields, T in the Park, V Festival and Hackney Weekend. Whether or not he will tear himself away from his regular summer residency in Ibiza and head for the chilly shores of the UK is still a matter of debate, however.

Reverend And The Makers, Asian Dub Foundation and Levellers for Bearded Theory 2013

Family-friendly festival Bearded Theory has announced the majority of its Main Stage line-up for 2013. The organisers, which each year try to break the world record for the most people in fancy dress beards in one place, have given Levellers the coveted Sunday night closing slot after the band was forced to pull out of this year’s event due to their fiddler’s finger injury. They will be joined by New Groove Formation, Ezio, The Farm and Goldbalde.

After the festival is opened on Friday, 17 May, 2012, by Life & Times of Brothers Hogg, the Main Stage will welcome indie chart toppers The Bee Keepers, Scottish folk singer Karine Polwart, and culminate with a headline set from Sheffield showmen Reverend And The Makers.

Punky electronic indo-dubbers Asian Dub Foundation will headline on Saturday night, with reggae legend Macka B, classic rockers The Quireboys and folk singer Seth Lakeman warming up the crowd.

The Derbyshire event, which is moving into its sixth year, still has a whole host of acts to announce, but organisers say many new attractions will be introduced for 2013. Ticket holders can expect a new cabaret area packed with comedy and weird and wonderful performances of all kinds, as well as a special family camping area with a playground and picnic tables.

“A huge effort is going into improving the site visually and we have sourced a number of art collectives from all over Derbyshire to come and create various areas, gardens and add a bit more weird stuff everywhere” the-bearded-powers-that-be told eFestivals.

2012 has been a decidedly turbulent year for the UK festival scene, with all manner of drama and developments keeping us on the edge of our seats. While some events went by in a warm fuzzy glow of success, others were marred by catastrophe and economic woes. So as we hunker down for winter and look forward to the 2013 festival season, what are those busy festival fairies up to behind the scenes? Our scouts have been on the ground, sniffing out all the juicy gossip so you can stay fully informed about your favourite festivals. Check out our PAAM festival software round-up of the end of the 2012 festival season and 2013 festival news, and watch this space for more intriguing insights to come.

New-look Glastonbury Festival Dance Area set for 2013

The Dance Area is “going to have a whole new idea behind it” for Glastonbury 2013, according to Emily Eavis. In an interview with eFestivals, the Worthy Farm heiress said the team is currently brainstorming new options for the dedicated rave area, which first came to the festival in 1995.

“I think that’s going to have a whole new idea behind it. We’re in the middle of all that at the moment. But it’s all good, and we’re definitely in a good place and everyone is really fired-up about it” said Emily, adding that no concrete decisions have yet been made.

There has been talk of Arcadia moving into the Dance Area, but, as all ideas are still firmly on the drawing board, we’ll let you know more as we do…

Record Glastonbury Festival sell-out time and revenues

Shortly after 2013 tickets sold out in a record time of 1 hour and 40 minutes on October 7th, newly published accounts have shown that the ever-popular Glastonbury Festival has weathered the recession in style. In fact, since the financial crisis hit in 2008, revenues have shot up 36% and 5.2% between 2010 and 2011 alone. The Worthy Farm coffers have swelled from the £23.6m taken in 2008 to £32.2m in 2011.

Although directors Michael and Emily have always steered clear of too much commercial sponsorship, gross profits hit a staggering £22.5m in 2011. Michael is paid £50,000.00 for “loss of earnings” when the farm is rented out to the festival, while the highest paid director gets a cool £60,000.00.

The Big Chill Festival ‘to be reinvented’

Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, has hinted that The Big Chill Festival, which was cancelled this year due to poor ticket sales and a clash with the London Olympics, might be back in 2013 – although perhaps not as we know it.

“I’m sure something will return that will have a completely fresh take on what a festival should be,” he told BBC Newsbeat. “The Big Chill 2012 was a clash with the Olympics but, more importantly with The Big Chill, it was me not being absolutely certain where I wanted to take the festival and what I was doing with the festival.”.

Benn went on to say that he is due to visit the Herefordshire site shortly to reassess the options. “I’m actually going down there next week to the very same site to have a look,” he said. “I’ll go with a couple of people that I hope will be working with me on – not The Big Chill – it won’t necessarily be The Big Chill – but a replacement or something to be born out of that.”.

The festival, which has been held at Eastnor Catle in Ledbury since 1994, hosted the likes of Calvin Harris, The Chemical Brothers, Jessie J and Kanye West in 2011. Whatever comes next is likely to be epic in its own way, so watch this space for more news!

Guilfest goes into administration

We’re sad to announce that one of our favourite small festivals, Guilfest, has gone into administration after a particularly tough year. The family-orientated, low-key event has been highly regarded and well attended during its 21-year reign, but it seems it is no longer able to keep up with the ever-expanding festival pack.

A statement from the festival organisers read: “Scotty Events Ltd regret to announce that Guilfest has ceased to trade due to poor ticket sales at this year’s event in July. We assess that this was down to the worst weather conditions we have experienced in history of the festival, combined with intense competition presented this year from other events.”

It continues: “Tony Scott and the Guilfest team would like to extend their thanks to everybody who has been involved in working with the festival in its 21 years, the artists who performed and of course the thousands of attendees, without whom none of the events would have been possible. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to organise Guilfest and see it evolve into the renowned festival it has become.”

New stages planned for 2013 Reading and Leeds Festivals

The Cure by Chris Ensell

Reading and Leeds Festival fans could be in for an extra special treat next year following suggestions that as many as three new stages could be added to the events. The festival organisers Festival Republic say they want to increase the number of stages from six to eight or even nine, in order to “add more music” to the event. Crowd capacity will, however, remain the same at the two sites, with this year’s festivals bringing 87,000 to Richfield Avenue in Reading and 75,000 to Bramham Park in Leeds.

Speaking to the BBC, Reading and Leeds organiser Melvin Benn said “Within those additional two or three stages there will be a lot more diversity of music. We’re changing the arena at Reading and Leeds quite significantly. I’ve got quite a strong buzz and feeling in myself in the changes that I’m making there. I’m still formulating the ideas.”

“There will quite a bit more dance music, quite a bit more other bits and pieces” Benn said, adding that he is hoping to announce at least one of the event’s headliners by Christmas 2012.

Live Nation ‘pulls out’ of Hyde Park tender

According to a report in The Guardian, Live Nation, the company behind Wireless Festival, Live 8 and Hard Rock calling, has pulled out of the “flawed” tender process to host gigs at London’s Hyde Park due to disputes over noise restrictions, “unrealistic revenue assumptions” and crowd safety.

Live Nation was largely given a free run of the central London park this year, adding BT London Live to its usual calendar of events. The company was also permitted to host a series of live shows during the Olympics featuring the likes of Snow Patrol, Duran Duran, Blur, Paolo Nutini, Stereophonics and The Specials.

However, the world’s biggest live music company was clearly as frustrated as the crowd when it was forced to pull the plug early on a legendary duet between Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney at this year’s Hard Rock Calling because the show went past its curfew time.

After Westminister Council ruled earlier in the year that Hyde Park concerts should be subject to smaller crowds and tighter noise restrictions, Live Nation reportedly wrote a formal letter of complaint to the Royal Parks Agency about the bidding process. It’s unclear whether or not the Live Nation move is simply a scare tactic, but it looks like some push and pull over the future of Hyde Park events is definitely on the cards.

MAMA Group helps All Tomorrows Parties out of a tight spot

The MAMA Group, which runs live music events including Global Gathering, Lovebox, The Great Escape and Vintage Festival, has confirmed that it is buying a 50 per cent stake in troubled event management company All Tomorrows Parties (ATP). Following the announcement earlier in the year that ATP had gone into liquidation but would continue to promote gigs under the company title WillWal, many worried that All Tomorrows Parties would become yesterday’s news.

However, the MAMA Group, owned by HMV, has come to the rescue, and the two companies will now work together on their huge portfolio of gigs. In exchange for ATP helping to book talent for MAMA gigs at Barfly Camden, G-A-Y, Jazz Café, The Garage and various HMV venues, the two event giants will collaborate on ATP’s self-titled holiday resort gigs and international festivals.

Speaking about the partnership to Music Week, MAMA Group CEO Dean James said, “Barry (Hogan, ATP founder) and Deborah (Kee Higgins, ATP organiser) run a fantastic business, and it is a real honour for us to be working with them. ATP’s pioneering attitude and its success in the international market, combined with MAMA’s infrastructure of major festivals and venues, is a dangerous combination.”

Calls for Isle of Wight Festival licence review

Aerospace firm GKN has called on Newport Parish Council to review the Isle of Wight Festival licence after the weather-related chaos seen at this year’s event. GKN, which rents land to the festival, is citing concerns about public safety after heavy rainfall at the June gathering saw the site’s car park rendered unusable and severe delays on roads around the island.

The company also stated that the festival could have easily descended into public disorder, as revellers were left stranded and emergency services were unable to function normally.

In its application for the licence review, GKN wrote:  “It is accepted the weather conditions were poor. However, this is no justification for the lack of any clear or credible contingency planning by Solo Promoters (and the Isle of Wight Council) to address the bad weather, which caused unprecedented disruption and disorder to the traffic and travel network on the Island.”

“The overwhelming consensus of residents and businesses is that the festival does not contribute significantly to the local economy and will constitute an on-going public nuisance in its current form. GKN Aerospace, the residents and businesses of the Isle of Wight are now legitimately concerned that if the licence granted to Solo Promoters is not revoked, or at the very lease reviewed and conditioned, any future festival will continue to cause public nuisance and has real potential to cause crime, disorder and a threat to public safety.”

A public consultation is open for comment until November 1. Festival organiser Solo Promoters has so far declined to comment.

Festival No.6 to return in 2013 after amazing debut reviews

The organisers of Festival No.6, which debuted in Portmerion, Wales, last month, have announced that the event will return in 2013 following its overwhelming success. The music and culture festival pulled in a jaw-dropping line-up in its first year, including Primal Scream, New Order and Spiritualized.

The three-day event, which also featured comedy, film screenings and readings, was given a firm thumbs up from both festival goers and critics. Festival No.6 has been nominated in three separate categories for this year’s UK Festival Awards: Best Headline Performance (for New Order), Best Small Festival, and Best New Festival.

Festival organiser Gareth Cooper said: “We always knew we had something pretty special on our hands with Portmeirion hosting Festival No.6, but the response from everybody involved has absolutely blown us away. We surpassed our own expectations and the reviews have been out of this world. We’re extremely proud and excited to be bringing it back next year with more world-class bands and entertainment. I can guarantee it will be another astounding occasion.”

In our next PAAM post, we will be sharing all the news and rumours about who is set to play where at 2013 festivals – so keep your eyes on our blog for more 2013 festival updates!