The Australian V Festival was an Australian music festival, and a spin-off of the British V Festival. Like all V Festivals, the event was primarily sponsored by Virgin Mobile. In Australia the event was also sponsored by airline Virgin Blue. The V Festival was televised exclusively in Australia by MTV, and from 2008, also by its sister channel VH1. In 2008 the festival expanded to four shows, with Melbourne and Perth being added. Since the 2009 V Festival the event has been in hiatus, with the official website stating "V Festival Australia is taking a break at the moment".V Festival website home page retrieved 10 May 2011
Artist line-ups
Artist line-up 2009
The festival's first announcement was made on 18 November 2008, with the second announcement occurring on 11 February 2009. SydneyMelbournePerthGold CoastThe KillersYes Yes Yes Yes Snow PatrolYesYes Yes Yes Kaiser ChiefsYes Yes Yes Yes MadnessYesYes Yes Yes ElbowYes Yes Yes Yes DuffyYes Yes Yes Yes The Human LeagueYesYes Yes Yes RazorlightYesYes Yes Yes The KillsYesYes Yes Yes M83YesYes Yes Yes The DøYes Yes Yes Yes Louis XIVYesYes Yes YesJenny LewisYesYes Yes YesJackson JacksonYesYes Yes YesHowling BellsYesYes Yes YesTame ImpalaYes Yes Yes Yes Wolf & CubYesYes Yes YesChildren CollideYesYes Yes YesThe Temper TrapYes Yes Yes Yes CanyonsYes Yes Yes Yes Black RoseYes Yes No No Vanilla IceYes Yes No Yes
Artist lineup 2008
The festival's first announcement was made on 28 November 2007. The festival's second announcement was made on 10 February 2008. It included the return of the Virgin Mobile Venue, the festival's fourth stage, which featured local and international DJs. SydneyMelbournePerthGold CoastThe Smashing PumpkinsYes Yes Yes Yes Duran DuranYesYes Yes Yes Queens of the Stone AgeYes Yes Yes Yes The Jesus and Mary ChainYes Yes Yes Yes The PresetsYes Yes Yes Yes AirYes Yes No YesCansei de Ser SexyYes Yes Yes Yes The Tough AllianceYes Yes Yes Yes Plug in CityYes Yes Yes Cancelled Modest MouseYes Yes Yes Yes Róisín MurphyYesYes Yes Yes Hot Hot HeatYes Yes Yes Yes The RakesYes Yes Yes Yes Cut CopyYes Yes Yes Yes Glass CandyYes Yes Yes Yes RobynYes Yes No Yes Doom & HoodratYes Yes Yes Yes Munk (Gomma)YesYes Yes Yes Flosstradamus (USA)Yes Yes Yes Yes Mike Simonetti (Italians Do It Better)Yes Yes Yes Yes Andee Van DamageYes Yes Yes Yes Mika*Cancelled Cancelled No Cancelled
*Mika was originally featured in the first announcement, but cancelled due to recording commitments.
Artist lineup 2007
The festival ran two shows in its inaugural year: one at Centennial Park in Sydney on 31 March and one at Avica Resort on the Gold Coast on 1 April.
SydneyGold CoastPixiesYes Yes BeckYes Yes Pet Shop BoysYes Yes Groove ArmadaYes Yes Jarvis CockerYes Yes Gnarls BarkleyYes Yes New York DollsYes Yes Soulwax – Nite VersionsYes Yes 2ManyDJsYes Yes The RaptureYes Yes PhoenixYes Yes SoftlightesYes Yes BumblebeezYes Yes MusclesYes No Mercy ArmsYes Yes GhostwoodYes Yes Lost ValentinosYes Yes The Temper TrapYes YesSeabelliesYes YesKitsuné DJsYes Yes The Bang Gang DeejaysYes Yes Rub-N-TugYes Yes Andee FrostYes Yes
Sideshows and others
Best of V Festival (Mini V) 2007 The promoter of the festival, Michael Coppel, declared Melbourne a "festival graveyard", and did not book a venue for the festival in the city, despite the fact that several very successful Big Day Out festivals had been held in Melbourne since 1993. Adelaide also missed out on the festival, disappointing many Victorian and South Australian fans who were hoping to see Pixies on their first Australian tour.
To make up for the omission, a "Best of V Festival" series of concerts was organised, also called "Mini V", in which the Pet Shop Boys, Groove Armada, Gnarls Barkley and The Rapture played in Melbourne (at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl) on 3 April, while Pixies, Jarvis Cocker, Phoenix and New York Dolls played in Adelaide (at the Thebarton Theatre) on the same night. The following night (4 April) the line-ups swapped cities with Pet Shop Boys playing in Adelaide and Pixies playing in Melbourne.
The move was controversial, however, with tickets for one night at the Melbourne show costing only slightly less ($110 in Melbourne, $99 in Adelaide) than a festival ticket ($124), and double that to attend both nights. The promoter responded that the similar cost was to do with the economics of scale regarding the smaller capacity venues in Melbourne and Adelaide.
V Festival Sideshows 2008
The Best Of shows did not return in 2008, for several reasons. Firstly, Melbourne was given a full V Festival for 2008, due to the availability of the newly renovated Showgrounds. Secondly, Adelaide, after again missing out on a full-scale festival, received, along with other capital cities in Australia and New Zealand, a variety of sideshows from V Festival artists, intended to replace the Best Of shows.
The sideshow schedule was as follows:
CityVenueDateNotesThe Smashing PumpkinsWellingtonTSB Arena20 March 2008with Queens of the Stone AgeAucklandVector Arena22 March 2008with Queens of the Stone AgeChristchurchWestpac Arena24 March 2008with Queens of the Stone AgeSydneyHordern Pavilion27 March 2008BrisbaneBrisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre31 March 2008AdelaideAdelaide Entertainment Centre2 April 2008with Queens of the Stone AgeMelbourneFestival Hall, Melbourne4 April 2008Duran DuranAucklandVector Arena26 March 2008SydneySydney Entertainment Centre28 March 2008AdelaideAdelaide Entertainment Centre1 April 2008MelbournePalais Theatre3 April 2008Queens of the Stone AgeWellingtonTSB Arena20 March 2008with The Smashing PumpkinsAucklandVector Arena22 March 2008with The Smashing PumpkinsChristchurchWestpac Arena24 March 2008with The Smashing PumpkinsBrisbaneThe Arena27 March 2008SydneyLuna Park, Sydney28 March 2008MelbournePalace Theatre1 April 2008AdelaideAdelaide Entertainment Centre2 April 2008with The Smashing PumpkinsHobartHobart City Hall4 April 2008The Jesus and Mary ChainBrisbaneThe Arena1 April 2008SydneyEnmore Theatre2 April 2008MelbournePalace Theatre3 April 2008AIRPerthKings Park & Botanic Gardens27 March 2008BrisbaneThe Tivoli31 March 2008MelbournePalais Theatre2 April 2008AdelaideThebarton Theatre3 April 2008SydneySydney Opera House6 April 2008Sold out in 10 minutesSydneySydney Opera House7 April 2008Modest Mouse w/ Hot Hot HeatBrisbaneThe Arena31 March 2008MelbournePalace Theatre2 April 2008SydneyLuna Park, Sydney3 April 2008Róisín MurphyBrisbaneThe Tivoli1 April 2008SydneyMetro Theatre2 April 2008MelbourneBillboard4 April 2008
See also V Festival (UK) Virgin Festival (North America)
References
External links
V Festival 2007 on Virgin Mobile Official Virgin Group site