Lineup Roundup Europe/Middle East: Lolla Stockholm, Down The Rabbit Hole, Soundstorm & More

The promoters of Lollapalooza Stockholm are intent on finally pulling off the festival’s second edition after a celebrated 2019 premiere, which saw 56,000 music fans gather in the Swedish capital.

Pearl Jam, Post Malone, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Doja Cat, Veronica Maggio, Måneskin, Kacey Musgraves, Polo G and many more have confirmed their participation at the July 1-3 event.

Many of them had already been scheduled to appear on the Lolla Stockholm stage at the 2021 edition, which never happened due to the coronavirus lockdowns.

Other confirmed names include Lewis Capaldi, The Kid LAROI, Mitski, Biffy Clyro, Nina Kraviz, Haim, Jack Harlow, Sigrid, GoldLink, Dillon Francis, Meduza, Glass Animals, IDLES and Kaleo. Some of the most beloved Swedish artists join the bill as well, including Veronica Maggio, Alesso, Benjamin Ingrosso, Tove Lo, Timbuktu & Damn !, Miriam Bryant, Little Jinder, Graveyard, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman, Jubël and Galantis.

Lollapalooza Stockholm is produced by Perry Farrell, WME, C3 Presents and Live Nation Sweden. Live Nation’s Anna Sjölund said her team was “already counting down the days to a weekend filled with everything we have all missed so incredibly much.”

Taking place on the same dates as the above mentioned Lolla Stockholm, July 1-3, is Down The Rabbit Hole in the Netherlands. Promoter Mojo Concerts, also a Live Nation company, has announced the festival’s return to the Green Hills (Groene Heuvels) in Beuningen.

The first confirmed 32 acts include Disclosure, Gorillaz, The War On Drugs, Bicep (Live), HAIM, Little Simz, St. Vincent, Two Doors Cinema Club, Kae Tempest, Phoebe Bridgers, and more.

Ticket buyers, who’ve had their 2020 and 2021 Down The Rabbit Hole tickets refunded, have access to the presale, which lasts until Dec. 4, when the remaining tickets will go on sale. The festival has a capacity of 40,000.

Rock Werchter in Begium added more big name to its already stellar 2022 lineup: Pixies, Beck and HAIM, Måneskin, Queens of the Stone Age, Moderat, alt-J, The Streets and Sam Fender, Jamie xx, Jorja Smith, Bicep Live, Nothing But Thieves, Phoebe Bridgers, Keane, Polo G and Sum 41.

They join a bill boasting Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, The Killers and more. After two postponements, Rock Werchter’s 2022 dates have been set for June 30-July 3.

Sónar Barcelona, June 16-18, 2022, is split up into Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night. The night time bill is made up of The Chemical Brothers, Eric Prydz,   Moderat, The Blaze, Charlotte de Witte, AJ Tracey, and more, who will be joined by the just-announced C.Tangana, Bonobo, Agoria, Headie One, among others. The day-time lineup is led by Oneohtrix Point Never, Princess Nokia and Serpentwithfeet.

The current wave of youthful Spanish urban music will be well represented, with Barcelona rapper El Bobe and rising Spanish trap star Juicy Bae, both only 19 years old. They will be joined by prolific emo-rapper Rojuu, “another local artist warping the template of global trap,” according to the lineup announcement. More local talent comes in the form of Mori, Ruskowsky, and DJ Brava.

Promoter Advanced Music also announced that the first edition of Sónar Lisbon will be held April 8-10, 2022, in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The lineup features some of the names from its Spanish counterpart, but adds a lot of acts that’ll only perform at the Portuguese Sónar premiere. 

The Blaze (DJ set), Thundercat, Polo & Pan, Charlotte De Witte, DJ Nigga Fox, Floating Points, Nicola Cruz, Ellen Allien b2b Dr. Rubenstein, Enchufada Na Zona, Eu.Clides, FJAAK Live, Héctor Oaks, Iamddb, Jayda G, Kampire, Nídia, Pongo, and Stingray 313 Live have been confirmed so far.

Promoter ALDA beat many odds when pulling off the SAGA festival debut this year, welcoming 45,000 guests per day to the Romaero airfield in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, Sept. 10-12.

Next year’s edition will move into Bucharest’s National Arena and surrounding park area, June 3-5. Visitors can look forward to some 150 of the most appreciated international and local artists in the name of mainstream EDM, house and techno, including the three headliners, who have just been announced: Afrojack, Marshmello and Timmy Trumpet.

The latter had already been scheduled to perform at the 2021 premiere, but was unable to. ALDA will make use of Romania’s National Day on Dec. 1, to make further announcements accompanied by “a dramatic fireworks display around the stadium” and an exclusive performance by local DJs Du Mad and Kov.

The only event on this list, scheduled to go down this year, is Soundstorm, a four-day music festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 16-19, 2021. The who’s who in EDM will show up for the occasion, including Adam Beyer, Afrojack, Benny Benassi, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Deadmau5, Sven Väth and more.

Nic Fanciulli and Ricardo Villalobos have been added to the list of international stars along with Black Coffee, Chris Lake, and Fisher. The roster of regional talent has grown, as well, featuring, Desertf!sh, Hats & Klaps, Jeme, and Malkin, amongst others.

They join the already confirmed Amelie Lens, Charlotte De Witte, Eli & Fur, Nicole Moudaber, Nora En Pure, Nina Kraviz, Blond:ish, Kayan, Comiscat, Biirdperson, to name a selection of international and regional female DJs.

Talal Albahiti, chief operating officer and head of talent booking and events at Soundstorm promoter MDLBEAST, commented: “Adding to an already stellar lineup, we’re showing our commitment to the regional scene today. We’re ecstatic to be bringing over the biggest and best names of dance music while providing our regional audiences with regional talent to enjoy. For us that’s the future, a clear balance which showcases the best global talent alongside stars from here in the Middle East, with a unique audience loving every minute of it.”