Chill remains in deep freeze

Last year there was no Big Chill, ostensibly because of the Olympics. Presumably the cancellation of the 2013 event is the Olympic legacy?

Big Chill: Olympics ruins it for music fans

The Olympics - apparently some sort of superannuated sports day - was already a major part of the decision for Glastonbury to take a year off; Now it's claimed the Big Chill as well:

The Big Chill festival's Melvin Benn, Managing Director Festival Republic, said he considered changing the date of the festival but admitted he also faced problems of artist availability: “It is with a considerable amount of regret that I have decided not to go ahead with The Big Chill in 2012.

“I looked long and hard late last year at moving the date so it didn’t clash with the Olympics but with the mix of the festival fans desire to keep the date and an inability to find an alternative date that works, I plumped for maintaining the existing weekend. Sadly, the artist availability and confirmations we were achieving led me to conclude that I couldn’t risk going ahead with the event as an outdoor event this year.”

Never mind, eh, we can all watch the running and the jumping and the egg-and-spoon. That'll make up for it, right?

Big Chill goes hyper-corporate

The Guardian calls the takeover of the Big Chill by Reading-Leeds promoter Festival Republic "quiet" - which is true; it happened in September after the owners went bust.

Still, I don't see what everyone's worried about - it's not like Glastonbury got noticeably more corporate and lost touch with itself after FR got involved there, right?

[Co-founder Katrina] Larkin said Festival Republic would provide much-needed financial security and logistical knowhow, leaving her to focus on the creative side of the festival. "I needed to protect the Big Chill, I needed to take it into a family that would look after it. There is an umbilical cord between me and that festival. I have given up too much to see it fail."

Hmm. Wasn't this pretty much the deal when Melvin Benn got involved down at Worthy Farm, too?

One of the big creditors of the Big Chill parent company was PRS - you do wonder if they were really acting in their members' best interests by not trying to work out a deal. Is it really better for musicians that Reading, Leeds, Latitude, Big Chill and Glastonbury are all in the same hands?

Re-enterting Orbit(al)

After five years away from the stage (literally) Orbital look like they're getting ready to headline next summer's The Big Chill.

Half an orb: Hartnoll tours

Exactly fifty percent of Orbital, Paul Hartnoll is going it alone with a series of gigs and festival appearances. He should have called himself Liverpool Ring Road, you know, what with that project having been abandoned before it was finished so it's not actually an Orbital road, but he hasn't.

The dates:
Sunday, Aug 5 Big Chill Festival Eastnor Castle, UK
Friday, August 31 Electric Picnic County Laois, Ireland
Sunday, September 2 Connect Music Festival Inveraray Castle, Scotland
Tuesday, September 4 The Roundhouse London
Wednesday, September 5 The Bridgewater Hall Manchester

I imagine you could take the Big Chill as read, to be honest; if there isn't at least one of Orbital there at the very least they can't start the generators. Scientific fact.