GM 2021 - Yes, No or Maybe?

Muddy Holly's picture Submitted by Muddy Holly on

Forums: 
General Discussion

Seems ages since I've been on the forum - what's the current thinking on whether GM 2021 will go ahead?

I'm cautiously optimistic but certainly not over-confident and I'm definitely crossing everything!

Stay safe and hopefully be with you in a field in Wales in a few months time.

alittleotter replied on

I thought June 21st was the end to all legal limits on contacts, indoor or outdoor, so I guess it'll be ok won't it?

If everything go's to plan obviously.

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

It looks like good news for us and building our expectations of summer events going ahead, but for festival organisers it may all still be in doubt.  Nothing announced to indicate festivals would definitely go ahead and there are monitored trials scheduled from April to determine whether events are safe to go ahead.  may be the worst of announcements while organisers need to make a decision whether to go ahead or cancel, with the financial implications and lack of cancellation insurance cover being most important consideration. They need to know what to do soon but have they got enough reassurance yet!

hope Fiona is more upbeat about this than I am.  Perhaps we will have a GM announcement on this soon, I would have more confidence in what Fiona would say regarding the recovery roadmap and the prospects for GM.

 

Wakestock replied on

Feeling a lot more optimistic now, though still need to bare in mind Boris’s roadmap doesn’t apply in Wales. I expect what happens here will be along similar lines though. I’d feel more confident if they were able to grant cancellation insurance in the event things don‘t pan out as hoped. Maybe too soon to start thinking lineup hopes, but I’d like to see Jane Weaver and Dry Cleaning return If it does go ahead. I’ve completely forgotten who was meant to be there last year now, but hope they keep hold of Michael Kiwanuka as headliner. 

Krasnyi's picture Krasnyi replied on

Some cautious optimism but bear in mind that the lifting of restrictions is entirely dependent on the infection and death rates falling. The nonsensical decision to send ALL pupils back to schol on 8th March may well put the kibosh on that.

Also, festivals can't wait until June to decide wther they can go ahead or not, they need to know now. Or at least have the insurance cover changed to cover cancellation (which I understand is not going to happen).

Sorry to piss on everyone's chips (I am a miserable Yorkshireman, I know) but I really wouldn't get carried away right now. I still think that a stripped down festival with UK-based artists only and without enclosed spaces (e.g. Far Out, Chai Wallahs) is the only realistic possibility. I'd certainly be up for it. and happy to pay what I've already paid for 2020. 

I've heard talk about vaccine passports for major events. By August it's unlikely that 16-21 year olds will have received their second vaccine. Don't think I could come and leave my daughter behind! 

ray_rad's picture ray_rad replied on

this is the problem

the uncertainty - and the lead times to organise something of this scale

without taking a massive financial bath

i (desperately) want it to happen

but the hurdles are huge

smithers replied on

Sure I read somewhere (maybe here?) that decision has to made by end of March. If that's the case then hard to see it happening in it's usual form :(

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

I would not trust the Reading and Leeds Festival organisers to put safety of punters above profit.  But that is just my personal opinion.  
 

berthasdad's picture berthasdad replied on

I dunno if, how, or in what format GM is going to be able to go ahead. but an announcement that reading and Leeds plan to do so is pretty good news, I fink. 
let's not forget that the % of GM audience who will have been fully vaccinated by Aug has got to be many multiples the number of those kids at Leeds!! 

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

I do have confidence that Fiona and the team will make the right decision, with support from the Welsh government.  And yes, I am getting optimistic for a safe festival in August.  I just won't get excited at any announcement from the Reading and Leeds organisers 

berthasdad's picture berthasdad replied on

....February 2021...

According to this study the vaccine looks like it works. Really well. 
and in the Uk, all over 50s will have had second jabs over a month before GM (and presumably under 50s start getting their first jabs from April when all us older folk have had at least one. so over 4 months until GM a big % of 'youngers' will have had at least one jab).

I'm clinging on 

https://twitter.com/Nadav_Eyal/status/1364698222346850304?s=20

jedthehumanoid's picture jedthehumanoid replied on

An outdoor stage for the Far Out and no Chai Wallahs to give more space up that end of the site sounds good to me. Fingers crossed that the festival can go ahead in some form. Will be interested to see how line ups start looking for other festivals if international travel is still limited.

blackcatista's picture blackcatista replied on

Guessing there wouldn't be many international bands possible. I'm fine with that- feel like a more modest than usual gathering of GM old favourites and great local acts is exactly what I want to have to look forward to. I mean, wall-to-wall Pictish Trail and friends for a whole weekend would be just lovely.

Still not confident it'll happen, but they've got me hoping.....

Slugger's picture Slugger replied on

 

I'd cope with no international bands.

I'd struggle to cope if that was extended to mean no international punters!

Krasnyi's picture Krasnyi replied on

Wall-to-wall Johnny Pictish and his mates would suit me. Even better if Wave Pictures and Field Music were thrown into the mix. And there are enough phenomenally good bands/artists in Wales right now to justify an all-Welsh line-up.

Muddy Holly's picture Muddy Holly replied on

Still a long way to go, but this is great news - I'm happy enough for now that GM are intending to go ahead and I'll spend a happy few days dreaming about the possible line-up.  Plenty of bands on my 2020 GM playlist would still be available I'd have thought.

blackpumpkinhead replied on

Have to be realistic,tickets cost nearly £200 and over 20,000 people attend,Johnny Pictish and friends will not cut it ( he struggles to sell100 tickets on his tours) and neither will an all Welsh line up---if they went down that route they would need to offer refunds and tickets need to be  massively cheaper.But I doubt very much that route is in their plans.There are many big British based names and if bearded have Patti Smith,Flaming Lips,Primal Scream,Placebo and Black Lace and we have Johnny Pictish and friends I will sulk big time.

Krasnyi's picture Krasnyi replied on

You're probably right though I rarely care for any of the headliners and often struggle to find stuff I want to see after about 8.00pm. For me it's more about being there and discovering great new bands like Adwaith but I'm sure I'm not typical. 

berthasdad's picture berthasdad replied on

Hit chip are provably the only headline set from the last five years to make my top ten (maybe even top twenty) most enjoyable performances over the last 5 years (they were 2015, but absence of 2020 counts as 5 years ago...)

but the new discoveries made are ALWAYS the musical highlight 

blackpumpkinhead replied on

I agree I have only watched Fleet Foxes as main stage headliner in the last five years and Eels were my only Mountain stage viewing last year.Its all about new discoveries to me which is why I do Rockaway Beach,Dot to Dot,Focus Wales,Blue Dot,EOTR and GM( Rising,Far Out and Walled)---after saying that I do watch a good % of previously seen favourites.I know some on here request the same bands every year which is fine but I guess GM would not pay big money for the headliners if they didn't shift tickets.

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

You got it wrong, this government is renowned for its support for the performing arse.  And thanks to this governments support, he is still there leading the country

ray_rad's picture ray_rad replied on

see that deer shed have announced van morrison as a headliner

is he going to do an ian brown if they ask for vaccine passports?

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

Ahh the memorable 2012 performance.  He insisted on starting early so missed the opening numbers.  Never had the decency to acknowledge his band members (who were all excellent) and then could not wait to get off stage leaving the band to play on and finish the set whilst he was rushing to get back home for his bedtime cocoa.

grumpy old git

Pages