Communiqués de presse

Virgin Mobile's Virgin Festival gets its acts together

Virgin Festival Toronto adds a fourth festival stage and 13 new artists

TORONTO (ONTARIO) 23 août 2007

TORONTO (ONTARIO) August 23, 2007 – It’s almost here! The excitement is heating up as the weekend draws closer and the music event of the year gets ready to take over Toronto Island Park on September 8 and 9, 2007. Today Virgin Mobile’s Virgin Festival added 13 more artists including k-os, Dragonette and The Most Serene Republic to a line-up that already includes festival headliners The Smashing Pumpkins, Björk, The Killers and Interpol. Backing them up will be dozens of hot acts including Metric, The Arctic Monkeys, Paolo Nutini, Stars, and M.I.A.

Taking the stage on Day One will be alternative hip-hop star and multiple Juno award winner k-os, and globetrotting electro-poppers Dragonette. Joining them will be The Wildbirds, The Most Serene Republic, Hayley Sales, The Vincent Black Shadow, Spectrum (featuring Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3 & E.A.R.), Bang Camaro, and Sybris.

Joining the Festival on Day Two are The Heights, The Red Romance, Liam & Me, and The Postage Stamps.

Today’s 13 newcomers are in addition to the acts that were added recently – including Louis XIV, Dirty Vegas, Birds of Wales and M.A.N.D.Y. With a groundbreaking line-up, tickets for the Festival are going fast and there are now only a limited number of two-day tickets left. Stay tuned as the final set schedule is released on Tuesday, September 4.

“As the Festival grows and reaches more and more music lovers, we’re always looking for artists that will add something different to the weekend,” says Andrew Bridge, director of Virgin Festivals, Virgin Mobile Canada. “Today’s 13 new artists, on top of the already announced killer line up, will ensure that we offer an unbeatable live music experience that will blow your mind.”

The winner of the cross-Canada ContraBand contest will fill the one remaining slot. Voting continues at heavy.com and the winner will be crowned at the end of August.

To make room for all that talent, another stage has been added to the Festival site. The Budweiser Stage will feature some of the hottest indie and breaking bands in the world. This stage is yet another addition to an action-packed weekend with four festival stages, including the Bacardi B-LIVE stage, and much more to transform Toronto Island into a full festival experience in true Virgin Mobile style.

As was announced on Tuesday by her management, Amy Winehouse has cancelled all of her scheduled September appearances and will not be performing at Virgin Festival Toronto this year.

Just some of the latest additions…

Day 1

k-os

Following his critically acclaimed debut, 2002’s Exit, k-os’ hit sophomore album, 2004’s Joyful Rebellion, went Canadian platinum and earned him three Juno awards and four MMVAs. His latest release, 2006’s Atlantis: Hymns for Disco debuted at #1 on the Canadian charts and earned him three 2007 Juno nominations.

Dragonette

Globe-hopping between Toronto and the UK, this electro-pop team is made up of husband and wife Martina Sorbara and Dan Kurtz, as well as Joel Stouffer and Will Stapleton. Their first full-length studio album is 2007’s Galore.

The Most Serene Republic

This critically acclaimed indie rock bank formed in Milton, Ontario. After the release of their 2004 debut album, Underwater Cinematographer, they were picked up by the Arts & Craft label and the album was re-mastered and re-released in 2005. Their next full-length studio album, 2007’s Population, is slated for a fall 2007 release.

Bang Camaro

Bang Camaro consists of three guitar players, a bass player, a drummer, and anywhere from ten to twenty singers. Founded by guitarists Bryn Bennet and Alex Necochea, they recently released their self-titled studio debut.

Day 2

The Heights

Playing rock n’ roll with a hard kick and a killer pop edge, The Heights is made up of Owain Ginsberg (Vocals, Guitar), Chris Carr (Bass, Vocals), Geraint Owen (Drums) and Pearse Macintyre (Guitar).

Liam & Me

West Philadelphia four piece Liam & Me mixes "immaculate post punk with a synth factor for a vintage 80s vibe." With a catalogue of catchy original music with undeniable hit potential, Liam & Me is winning over audiences all over the northeast and attracting label attention.

The Postage Stamps

The Postage Stamps have been a staple of the Toronto DIY rock scene for more than six years. Creators of epic walls of sound and subtle dustings of magic, they’ve released a slew of recordings, toured Canada from coast to coast and have shared the stage with And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, The Dears, Death From Above 1979 and The Suicide Girls Burlesque show among many others.

And the full two-day lineup is…

For additional information about Virgin Festival and a full list of artists, please visit: www.virginfestival.ca.

Ticket Availability

Tickets for the festival are going fast and there is now only a limited number of Day Two tickets left! One-day tickets are available for $75.00 (including all sales taxes) plus $1.00 for Virgin Unite and $6 for the ferry to and from Toronto Island. Two-day tickets are $125.00 (including all sales taxes), plus $1.00 for Virgin Unite and $12 for the ferry to and from Toronto Island.

Tickets for Virgin Festival Toronto are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.ca, futureshop.ca, and select Toronto-area Future Shop locations, Rotate This, Soundscapes, and by calling (416) 870-8000. Ticket information is also available at: virginfestival.ca or virginmobile.ca. For additional information about Virgin Festival, please visit www.virginfestival.ca.

The Better Side to the Festival

1. A Good Cause – Virgin Mobile’s Virgin Festival expects to raise more than $100,000 for Virgin Unite in 2007 from the Toronto and Vancouver festivals. This will be made up of a donation from ticket sales and from on-site fundraising. Virgin Unite is the independent charitable arm of the Virgin Group, created to unite people and Virgin's global resources to make a difference. Virgin Unite works on a range of programs around the world, focusing on taking action to inspire grassroots change and make a real difference for people that need it the most.
2. Carbon Neutral – Supporting Virgin Group’s ongoing commitment to attacking the causes of global warming, Virgin Festival is aiming to be a carbon-neutral event. Virgin Festival will:

• Provide recycling on-site
• Use biodegradable food and drink containers
• Purchase carbon offsets for energy used
• Make a commitment to planting trees to ensure future carbon reduction
• Have an on-site TRASHed :: Recycling Store where festival-goers can trade in water bottles for cell phones, CDs and more.
• FLICK OFF tent will be signing people up to join the fight against global warming and learn how they can win a music festival for their own community.

About Virgin Mobile Canada

Launched in 2005, Virgin Mobile is Canada’s first wireless service created for and defined by youth. The country's first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Virgin Mobile has a portfolio that includes monthly price plans, a full range of phones and a broad array of messaging, music and mobile content offerings. J.D. Power and Associates has recognized Virgin Mobile as ranking highest in customer satisfaction with prepaid wireless service for two years in a row[1].

The Virgin Mobile group of companies has attracted more than 10 million customers worldwide. Virgin Mobile phones are available at more than 4,000 locations with top-up cards available at more than 10,000 locations nationally. Virgin Mobile products can also be purchased online at http://www.virginmobile.ca or by calling 877-662-2824.

About Emerge Entertainment

Emerge Entertainment has produced over 800 concerts since 1997 with a wide spectrum of artists ranging from Bj�rk to James Blunt to The Killers and festivals such as the Virgin Festival & Marc Ecko’s “Getting Up” Festival. Emerge strives to deliver the best and most unique concert experiences to both ticket buyers and artists. Emerge has also worked with corporations such as General Motors, Levi’s, Bluenotes in integrating music and musicians with their brands. Emerge has been nominated for and won several national and regional awards.

For more information, please contact:

Erica Faltous
Hill & Knowlton Canada
(416) 413-4695
erica.faltous@hillandknowlton.ca

Chris Baines
Virgin Mobile Canada
(416) 607-8412
chris.baines@virginmobile.ca

Rebecca Teal

Emerge Entertainment

(416) 599-1550 ext. 223