Rock4Life music festival cancelled

Rock4Life music festival cancelled
Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi of Status Quo
Status Quo were among the acts due to appear at the event

A new music festival in the Highlands which was to feature veteran rockers Status Quo has been cancelled.

Rock4Life was due to be held on 1 May at Whiteness, near Ardersier, and raise money for the Highland Hospice.

The second day of the two-day event, at which pop acts Sugababes and McFly were due to appear, had already been cancelled because of poor ticket sales.

Highland Council confirmed they had now been told by organisers the festival would no longer be going ahead.

Rock4Life was expected to attract a crowd of about 20,000.

A spokesman for Highland Council said they had been informed the decision to call off the entire event was taken due to the "knock-on effect" from the loss of the second day, which created a cash-flow problem.

Hospice benefit

He said: "Everything was in place for the event to go ahead and the organisers had the proper permissions.

"This has come as a disappointment."

The website for the festival, which was organised by Caledonian Productions, has been shut down.

David Welch, fundraising director for Highland Hospice, said: "At the end of the day we were to benefit from the profits for the event.

"We didn't know how much that was going to be and it is not something we budgeted for, but we are disappointed if it isn't going to go ahead."

Rocklife event - Anger as parents unable to buy tickets

Promoters deny they are to blame as poor sales lead to second day of Rock4Life event being cancelled
Anger as parents unable to buy children’s festival tickets
By Jonny Muir

Published: 15/04/2010

Parents yesterday criticised the organisers of a Highland music festival, saying they were unable to buy children’s tickets for the event.

One mother was told she could only buy adult Rock4Life tickets – double the price of children’s tickets – when she inquired at two vendors in Inverness.

It emerged on Tuesday that the second day of the inaugural festival at Whiteness, near Nairn, had been cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

Just 477 out of 20,000 tickets were sold, with acts including McFly, the Sugababes and Lemar, failing to “capture the imagination” of the Highland public.

Parents contacted the Press and Journal yesterday, blaming low ticket sales on the apparent lack of availability of children’s tickets.

One mother was told she could not buy tickets, costing £22.50, at two advertised sellers in the city-centre, Number 27 bar and a Highland Hospice shop.

Tobias Leask, of Caledonian Productions, which is organising the festival, countered the claims, insisting children’s tickets are available from both outlets, as well as Eden Court and the Eastgate Centre.

He said: “There is no problem with children’s tickets. I get reports daily and I can see that families are buying tickets.”

Karen Mackay, of Invergordon, who wanted to buy tickets for two adults and three children, said: “This is a family event, I presume, with the Sugababes and McFly, so why no children’s tickets locally?”

She said her only option was buying tickets through Ticketmaster, which she said would have incurred an 8% booking fee and a charge for postage.

She added: “I feel that having the only option of additional booking costs and postage certainly put me off and maybe this is why the event has not sold well?”

Another mother said: “We can’t buy children’s tickets anywhere. All the venues told us to purchase adult ones. The Sunday show would have been more fun for kids.

She added: “We have been waiting and waiting on the tickets to be sorted out, probably like hundreds of other parents in the Highlands.”

Rock4Life will now be a single-day event on May 1, featuring Status Quo, former Runrig singer Donnie Munro, Steve Harley and Cockney Revel and the Vatersay Boys.

Profits raised from the festival will be donated to the Highland Hospice, an Inverness-based centre for adults with incurable diseases.



Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1691130?UserKey=#ixzz0l9kbSaxy

Rock festival second day cancelled

Rock festival second day cancelled
Published: 13 April, 2010

Sugababes - had been due to star on second day of Rock 4 Life.

THE second day of Highland festival Rock 4 Life – featuring Sugababes and McFly – has been cancelled.

Festival organisers Caledonian Productions have confirmed the May 2 line-up for what was to have been a two-day festival has been dropped because of poor ticket sales.



Ticket outlets had been advised in the middle of last week to stop selling Sunday tickets.

Tobias Leask, one of the organisers, said just 420 out of a potential 10,000 tickets had been sold for the Sunday, leaving them with no choice but to cancel the second day.

The festival at the former McDermott's oil yard at Whiteness, near Ardersier, is in aid of the Highland Hospice.

Lined up to top the bill on the Saturday are veteran rockers Status Quo. Other acts include Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and ex-Runrig frontman Donnie Munro.

Sugababes and McFly to perform at charity concert

Sugababes and McFly to perform at charity concert
Sugababes and McFly are the latest acts to sign up for a charity concert at a former oil platform construction yard, organisers have said.

Rock 4 Life is to be held over two days in May at Whiteness, near Ardersier, and will raise money for the Highland Hospice.

The former McDermott construction yard is earmarked for a housing development.

However, the developers have donated the site for the concert, organised by Caledonian Productions.

Sugababes + McFly Rock 4 life Concert Scotland

Charity music event set to Rock Inverness


The Sugababes and Mcfly are today, Friday 26th February, the latest acts to be announced to headline Rock 4 Life’s Sunday’s line-up at Whiteness, Inverness.

Rock 4 Life, taking place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd May will be the first live public show in Scotland of the new line-up of the Sugababes.

R&B singer Lemar will add to the star-studded Sunday line-up, while Saturday sees Status Quo, Steve Harley and Donnie Munro create a rock / pop contrast to the event, providing entertainment for all the family over the weekend.

Caledonian Productions director Tobias Leask said: “We are thrilled to welcome such big names to the Highlands and are glad that we can offer our audience a range of artists to suit every musical taste.

“Playing host to some rock legends on the Saturday and welcoming some fantastic pop acts for the Sunday, we hope to provide a well rounded event for everyone – and all for a great cause.”

Rock 4 Life will raise money for Highland Hospice, the only hospice which serves adults with incurable life-limiting disease in the Highlands of Scotland.

David Welch, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Highland Hospice said: “Rock 4 Life is a fantastic idea and an event which will be gladly welcomed in the highlands. We appreciate all of the work being done by Caledonian Productions to raise money for the Hospice, and for introducing Inverness to such an exciting event.”

Caledonian Productions took the decision last month to move the two day music event to Whiteness situated between Ardersier and Nairn.

Whiteness Property Company Ltd is donating the use of the site for the charity music event.