Several artists cancel appearances at Portugal's Festival Forte due to lack of payment
- PublishedWed, Aug 28, 2019, 11:45
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- Courtesy, Freddy K, Reeko and others pulled out at the last minute from the techno event, which happened over the weekend.
- Several artists cancelled their appearances at Portugal's Festival Forte over the weekend due to payment issues. Courtesy, Psyk, Reeko, Sleeparchive (who was set to play alongside DJ Pete as TR-101), Anthony Linell and Freddy K all pulled out of the techno festival's sixth edition at the last minute. The four-day event went down at Castelo Montemor-O-Velho in Coimbra. "Well... You know how much I love to play in every condition, but there is a limit to everything," Freddy K posted on Instagram on Saturday. "I am forced to cancel my show tonight at @festivalforte in Portugal due to the event's financial issues. I am sad, and I am taking this decision because it is not only about money, it is also about respect..." Spanish artist Psyk, who was due to play back-to-back with Reeko, also cited "financial issues," saying the "promoter could not guarantee the fee payments." In addition, Courtesy said that the festival had been unable to "provide reliable transport" and, despite her cancellation, had not removed her from the lineup. Resident Advisor understands that Luke Slater also cancelled a month before the festival due to lack of payment. The festival responded on Saturday evening via Facebook, admitting that there had been "a few problems with payments," but it "maintains its commitment to pay every single artist that performs at the venue." A second statement was sent to RA earlier this week. Here's part of it.It is our will and duty to pay. We do not turn our back on any debt. We have informed artists and agencies to kindly wait for the payback time that we need to receive the amounts from pre-sales and have everything paid. We apologize for what happened and stand by our commitments even amid negative comments. Festival Forte is a non-commercial festival; it's not a money machine. It's not a festival with sponsors or big investors behind it. It's a passion project and that's what makes it special. When people say there were many attending, maybe they should know that the capacity is 5000 and only 2000-2500 bought tickets.This post has been updated.
- Thu, Aug 22, 2019
Festival Forte 2019
Murcof, Malo Lacroix, Amulador, Anthony Linell, Abdulla Rashim, Apart, Boston 168, Caroline Lethô, Christinne, Courtesy, Dave Clarke, Forest Drive West, Freddy K, Hedonic2, Jonas Kopp, LAMIM, Justine Perry, Kr!z, Local Suicide, Lotus Eater, Lucy, Rrose, LUXOR, Antigone, Shlømo, Marcus Henriksson, Minilogue, Neon Chambers, Sigha, Kangding Ray, Nørbak, Oscar Mulero, Reeko, Psyk, Paula Temple, Phase Fatale, Polar Inertia, Rhys Fulber, The Empire Line, TR-101, Sleeparchive, DJ Pete, Velez, Voiski