Music lovers' European options

23 June 2008 03:17pm

With news that European festivals are apparently considerably cheaper than their British counterparts, we take a closer look at overseas gigs to find out the best places to party on the continent.

:: Roskilde - Denmark, July 3-6

Roskilde Festival is one of the three biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe, after the Sziget Festival and Glastonbury.

It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer.

In 1972, the festival was taken over by the Roskilde Foundation, who has since run the festival as a non-profit organisation for development and support of music, culture, and humanism.

The festival was hit by tragedy in 2000, when nine fans were crushed to death during a Pearl Jam set. Security has since been radically improved at the festival.

Roskilde Festival prides itself on the unpredictability of its acts - offering a mix of little known Scandinavian bands and famous faces.

This year Neil Young and the Chemical Brothers will be sharing a stage, and other acts include Glastonbury headliner Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, Radiohead, Duffy, and Gossip.

:: Rock Werchter - Belgium, July 3-6

Belgium is perhaps not renowned for its rock and roll, but Rock Werchter boasts world class acts including REM, Radiohead, Chemical Brothers, Kaiser Chiefs, Moby, The Verve and Underworld.

Rock Werchter began in 1974, and the 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 festivals received the Arthur award for best festival in the world at International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

This year should be no exception, as many of Rock Werchter's acts are shared with Roskilde in Denmark. Babyshambles are scheduled to perform, along with Ben Harper, Soulwax, Lenny Kravitz and Sigur Ros.

:: Exit - Slovenia, July 10-13

One of Europe's younger festivals, Exit is held in an eighteenth century fortress by the Danube, in Novi Sad, Serbia.

The festival was started in 2000 by three University students from Novi Sad: Bojan Boškovic, Dušan Kovacevic, and Ivan Milivojev.

In 2007 the UK Festival Awards 2007, together with Yourope, the European Association of the 40 largest festivals in Europe, awarded Exit the Best European Festival.

Ths year acts include Pharrell Willaim's N*E*R*D, Manu Chao, Sex Pistols, Primal Scream, and Roni Size. The festival also showcases acts in a dedicated dance arena and world music stage.

:: Benicassim - Spain, July 17-20

Benicassim is a small beach town on the Costa De Azahar located between Valencia and Barcelona.

A cross between a music festival and a summer holiday, Benicassim's popularity has soared in recent years due to its guaranteed hot climate and beachside location.

The festival boasts four days of indie pop and electronica, with bands starting around 6pm, headliners hitting the stages at around 1am and DJs on to 6am.

Benicassim is ideal for all those who prefer to stay up all night and sleep all day.

This year's lineup includes Sigur Ros, The Courteeners, Mika, Babyshambles, Spiritualized, Hot Chip, The Rumble Strips, Gnarls Barkley, The Kills, The Ting Tings, Leonard Cohen and Morrissey.

© The Press Association