Oasis and Foo Fighters to Headline Third Virgin Festival Toronto
Canada's Ultimate Summer Festival is Back for More!
TORONTO, March 25 /CNW/ - The third annual Virgin Festival Toronto is getting ready to rock Toronto Island once more, with the news today that international superstars Foo Fighters and legendary Brit-rockers Oasis will headline Virgin Festival Toronto on September 6 and 7, 2008. Other exciting additions include Bloc Party, Paul Weller, Stereophonics, Wintersleep, Spiritualized, The Weakerthans, Constantines and The Pigeon Detectives.
Currently in the midst of a standing-room-only Canadian arena tour,
international stadium headliners and multiple Grammy Award winners Foo Fighters will close day one. In their first Toronto performance since their 2006 Air Canada Centre show sold out in just an hour, Oasis will take to the stage on September 7 to close day two of the festival.
In its first two years, Virgin Festival Toronto exploded into the biggest rock music festival in Canada, drawing more than 75,000 music lovers and more than 100 world-famous artists (not to mention going through more recyclable beer cups than they could count). More stellar world-famous and up-and-coming
local acts will be added to the lineup as the summer starts to shine.
"The reason why people love Virgin Festival is simple. It's because we love the music, too," said Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group and founder of Virgin Mobile Canada. "When I first started Virgin a huge part of it was inspired by a passion for music. Each year, Virgin Festival Toronto gets bigger and better but is still so authentic. That genuine need to share
and celebrate music runs in everything Virgin does. Coming to Virgin Festival
and seeing fans having the time of their life with their favourite bands -
there's simply nothing better."
"Teaming up with world-famous heavyweights Oasis and Foo Fighters shows
that Virgin Festival Toronto will totally be the music event of the summer,"
said Andrew Bridge, director of Virgin Festivals. "When we announced last
year's headliners Bjvrk and Smashing Pumpkins it kicked off a buzz that grew
all summer long. This year will be even bigger. That excitement will grow as
we announce more global superstars and shine the light on local acts on the
rise. We've got a lot more up our sleeves for Virgin Festival Toronto, so stay
tuned."
And the artists are...
Foo Fighters
Celebrating their first ever Canadian No.1 album - the Grammy-winning
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - not to mention over half a year atop
Canada's rock radio chart, Foo Fighters will bring day one to a triumphant
close as only they can.
Oasis
One of the biggest bands to come out of the UK in the past twenty years,
Oasis have to date sold over 50 million albums worldwide, including
1.25 million in Canada alone. Oasis are no strangers to Toronto, indeed it's
one of their most favourite places to play. This will be their 13th live
appearance here since their debut show at Lee's Palace back in October 1994.
Most recently, Oasis has been in Los Angeles recording their 7th studio album
with producer Dave Sardy.
Bloc Party
English indie/post-punk band Bloc Party exploded onto the music scene in
2005 with their critically acclaimed debut album Silent Alarm. Hailed by NME
Magazine as "Album of the Year", the album went platinum in the UK and paved
the way for their second release, 2007's A Weekend in the City. Shooting to
No.2 on the UK Album Chart, its critical and commercial success cemented Bloc
Party as one of the hottest rising bands in the world.
Wintersleep
Formed in Halifax in 2001, Wintersleep has become one of Canada's hottest
indie rock bands. Following the release of their third-studio album Welcome to
the Night Sky and the heavy rotation of it's lead single "Weighty Ghost" on
Canadian music TV, and its appearance as iTunes "Free Single of the Week",
Wintersleep has toured Canada to sold out shows from coast to coast and
received 2008 Juno Award nominations for "New Group of the Year" and
"Alternative Album of the Year".
Constantines
Nominated for a Juno for Best Alternative Album following the release of
their 2001 self-titled debut album, these art-punkers then went on to release
2003's Shine a Light and 2005's Tournament of Hearts. Orginally from Guelph,
Ontario, the band is made up of Bryan Webb (vocals and guitar), Steve Lambke
(guitar and vocals), Doug MacGregor (drums), and Will Kidman (keyboards and
percussion). Their latest release is 2008's upcoming Kensington Heights.
Spiritualized
Indie space-rockers Spiritualized formed in the UK in 1990. Lead
composer, writer, and singer Jason Pierce is the band's only constant member,
with the rest of the musicians changing on each album. They've release five
full-length studio albums, including 1997's critically acclaimed Ladies &
Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, which was named NME Magazine's Album of
the Year. Their latest album, Songs in A&E, is slated for a mid-2008 release.
Paul Weller
The legendary Modfather, Paul Weller, created and fronted two successful
bands, The Jam and The Style Council, before heading off on a wildly
successful solo career in the early 90s. The 2006 Brit Award Lifetime
Achievement Award winner, all of his eight solo albums have shot to the top of
UK Album charts with 1995's Stanley Road and 2002's Illumination both reaching
No.1. His latest up-coming release will be 2008's 22 Dreams.
Stereophonics
Formed in Wales in 1992, Brit Award winners Stereophonics were the first
band to be signed to Richard Branson's newly formed V2 Records in 1996.
Critical and popular hits right from their debut album, 1997's Word Gets
Around, their last 5 studio albums have all gone to No.1 on the UK Album
Charts: 1999's Performance and Cocktails, 2001's Just Enough Education to
Perform, 2003's You Gotta Go There To Come Back, 2005's Language. Sex.
Violence. Other? and 2007's Pull The Pin.
The Weakerthans
Multiple Juno Award nominees The Weakerthans blend punk-influenced folk
rock with topical, introspective lyrics for a totally one-of-a-kind-sound.
Formed in Winnipeg in 1997, their five full-length studio albums have met with
rave reviews from critics in Canada and abroad, with their 2005 release Left
and Leaving named on the "Top Ten Canadian Albums of All Time" by Chart
Magazine.
The Pigeon Detectives
UK indie-rock bank The Pigeon Detectives were named "Band most likely to
make the jump to the main stage in 2007" by NME Magazine following their smash
2006 performance at the Reading & Leeds Festival. Following the success of the
debut album, 2007's Wait For Me, the band has also gained a steady following
appearing in support of The Kaiser Chiefs.
To stay on top of the latest news, line-up announcements and everything
else that will go down at Virgin Festival Toronto, check out
www.virginfestival.ca.
Ticket News
General ticket sales for both two-day and one-day tickets begin Saturday,
March 29th at 12 p.m. at select Future Shop locations, futureshop.ca, all
Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.ca, and by calling 416-870-8000. Ticket
information is also available at: virginfestival.ca. Two-day tickets are $159
(including all sales taxes, $12 ferry fee, and a $2 donation to Virgin Unite
Canada). One-day tickets are $87 (including all sales taxes, $6 ferry fee, and
a $1 donation to Virgin Unite Canada).
As always, when you're with Virgin Mobile you move to the front of the
line. Virgin Mobile members can get their hands on Early Bird tickets before
anyone else. Plus, myVIP Membership(TM) holders can trade in their rewards
points for specially discounted tickets.