Promoter Denis Desmond was miffed with press reports linking a murder to the Chelmsford leg of his twinned V Festivals in the UK, saying the victim wasn’t even at the two-day event Aug. 18-19.
Desmond blamed the media for “sensationalising things and always concentrating on the negative” after UK newspapers reported that 10 men from Essex were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police found the body of a 39-year-old in the back garden of a house on London Road, Chelmsford, Aug. 19, following a private party held “opposite the festival site at Hylands Park.”
“Chelmsford has a population of over 100,000 and the incident happened 2 miles away,” Desmond told Pollstar, after Essex police confirmed the murder wasn’t connected with the festival.
Desmond’s Dublin-based MCD recently came under fire after nine stabbings took place on the night of his Swedish House Mafia show at the city’s Phoenix Park July 8, although most of the incidents happened in the streets surrounding the site.
Guests trying to enter even the VIP area at the Chelmsford V were subject to three bag searches before being allowed in.
There was one death at the sold-out 85,000-capacity Stratford leg Of V Festival but police have already said it was not suspicious.
At Chelmsford, 87,500 music fans sweated in temperatures touching 32C (90F), although the Stratford leg was hit by a few unexpected showers.
“We’re fine – we had a good weekend,” Desmond explained, after both the twinned festivals sold out in advance.
The only downside was that U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj was forced to cancel her appearances at both events citing damage to her vocal chords.
The only other downside might be the unfortunate experience of former “X Factor” contestant Cher Lloyd. She was booed off the Chelmsford stage and struck by a bottle that was filled with urine.
“It's hard enough being up here, but it’s not nice having bottles of piss chucked at you,” she said from the stage, as seen in this video.
The V Festival lineups included The Killers, The Stone Roses, David Guetta, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Keane, Snow Patrol, Example, Tom Jones, Tinie Tempah, Madness, Ed Sheeran, and Noah And The Whale.