Sugababes, The Feeling and Gnarls Barkley to perform in the Princes Street Gardens on June 1st
This year sees Vodafone Live Music come back with a bang as it kicks off this summer’s music calendar with the first TBA gig in Edinburgh on June 1. Taking the city by storm will be the Sugababes, The Feeling and Gnarls Barkley.
For 2008 the TBA format has evolved; rather than small, secret venue gigs with just one artist, TBA 2008 will reveal the location and line up for the multi artist mini “festival” in advance.
The Sugababes, with more than five million albums sold (including three triple-platinum discs in the UK) and thirteen Top 10 singles notched up to date, Keisha, Heidi and Amelle guarantee that this is one performance not to be missed.
Joining the Sugababes will be The Feeling a band who have firmly cemented themselves on the live music scene. With a number one album under their belt, sales of over a million for their debut album ‘Twelve Stops And Home’ and more than 200 live performances plus behind them, they promise to deliver a true rock- out on the day.
Completing the line up are the Grammy-winning duo Gnarls Barkley, famous for their inventive, elaborate live performances. Having made history when their phenomenal single ‘Crazy’ became the first single to top the charts on download sales alone as well as becoming the longest running #1 single for over a decade, Gnarls Barkley returned in 2008 with their highly acclaimed album 'The Odd Couple'.
Vodafone customers will have the opportunity to win tickets to the first Vodafone TBA for themselves and two friends by texting ACTS to 61500. Those not lucky enough to attend will be able to watch the gig from 1pm on T4 on June 1.
Vodafone will also be premiering a whole host of new exclusive content applications through Bluetooth teams who will be onsite to greet guests. Available content will include the latest videos from all the performing artists and a java application gig guide carrying show times, band biographies and images. Guests will also receive free professional quality event images sent in real time to their handsets, as a memento of their Vodafone TBA experience.
“2008 is another great year for customers to experience Vodafone’s Live Music programme which has seen some of the greatest artists from around the world perform to music fans across the UK.” Said Daragh Persse Head of Sponsorship. We are poised to deliver superior music experience to our customers this year with a tremendous line up of artists and musicians as well as unique services and content for customers and fans.”
Councillor Steve Cardownie, Festival and Events Champion for Edinburgh city says "I'm delighted that Edinburgh has been chosen as a location for a Vodafone TBA event. Princes Street Gardens and the Ross Theatre have to be one of the most dramatic settings in the world, with the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. This concert is yet another opportunity to raise Edinburgh's profile as a city leading the way in festival and entertainment. Of course, this concert will also bring economic benefit to the city and hopefully encourage even more people to visit."
2008 will see Sony Ericsson join with Vodafone as the official handset partner for the second year running, and provide a platform for the manufacturer to celebrate live music, promoting the Espresso Black W890i from its popular range of Walkman® handsets, available exclusively to Vodafone on Pay Monthly and Vodafone Pay As You Talk.
The second Vodafone TBA is planned for August and will lead up to the Vodafone Live Music Awards in September. Now firmly established on the music industry’s calendar, the Vodafone Live Music Awards celebrate all that is good and great about the UK’s booming live music scene. Fans will soon have the chance to vote for the favourite bands at www.vodafone.co.uk/music to be put forward to the judging panel in May. Previous winners have included Iggy Pop, Take That, Razorlight, Amy Winehouse and Mika.
Sony Ericsson will also be supporting the best live acts at the Awards with a dedicated category – the ‘Sony Ericsson Tour of the Year Award’, the winners of which will be chosen by public vote.
For further information on Vodafone Music please contact Shine Communications 020 7100 7100
Roxy.kalha@shinecom.com/ Lauren@shinecom.com
For further information on Sony Ericsson please contact Brando
Jo Wheeler: Jo.wheeler@brando-world.com 020 7419 6954
Ranj George: Ranj@brando-world.com 020 7419 6972
For further information on Endemol please contact UK press office
Katie Nicholls, Endemol UK, 020 8222 4994/ Katie.nicholls@endemoluk.com
Rae Langford, 020 8222 4176/ rae.langford@endemoluk.com
Notes To Editors
Sony Ericsson is the official handset partner of the Vodafone TBA series of gigs and Vodafone Live Music Awards. Under the sponsorship, Sony Ericsson will have a branded presence at both TBA events and the Awards, including an area in the artist’s retreat backstage at the Awards. Both areas will be utilised by Sony Ericsson to demo key Walkman® handsets for maximum customer engagement. The Vodafone Live Music Website will also have a Sony Ericsson presence, including a permanent banner with direct click through to their online retail shop. Sony Ericsson will in addition be pushing the partnership through a range of competitions across media, alongside trips for relevant press.
About Vodafone UK
Vodafone UK has 18.4 million customers and is part of the world’s largest mobile community offering a wide range of voice and data communications. The company is committed to providing mobile solutions that allow both consumer and business customers to make the most of now. Vodafone customers can now use Internet on your Mobile to view and navigate web pages and their favourite sites such as YouTube, eBay and the BBC. In addition, Vodafone connects customers across the globe with roaming agreements worldwide. It provides 3G roaming in 29 countries and offers great roaming value with Vodafone Passport.
Vodafone UK is in the top 20 Best Big Companies to Work For in the Sunday Times Best Companies List, March 2008. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.co.ukIn 2007 the Vodafone Live Music Awards took place at Brompton Hall in Earls Court, featuring live performances from acts as diverse as Kate Nash and Calvin Harris to The Enemy and Stereophonics. Winners on the night included Iggy Pop, The Police and The Arctic Monkeys who walked away with best live act
About Sony Ericsson: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London. The company serves the worldwide communications market with innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories and PC-cards, and it has R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China, India and America. Sony Ericsson is the title sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association, and works with the Association to promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in over 80 cities during the year. For more information, please visit www.sonyericsson.com