Win tickets to Frequency Festival, Austria

How do you persuade Radiohead to play your event? We ask Austria’s Frequency Fest.

Reading, Leeds and St. Poelten. That - at time of writing - is Radiohead’s festival schedule this summer. The enormous double-header you’ll already be aware of, but the Frequency Festival in St. Poelten, Austria, may well be new to the radar. So how does a festival like this book a band like that? “Well, first you ask the agent if they are around and interested to play,” explains Frequency boss Harry Jenner. “If so, you negotiate the details, then you pray a little bit, and then you negotiate a little further on details. And then you make a party in your head when you read the confirmation email.”

Jenner admits that “as they never have been to Austria I took quite some time to persuade them,” but then he’s had a more-hectic-than-usual planning period anyway. This year’s fest, which takes place from August 20th - 22nd, has moved sites; moved whole cities, in fact, which should serve as a warning to any local councils who don’t fully appreciate their fests. “The decision almost came overnight,” he says, “and in the end we decided to move as Salzburg wasn’t very keen to support Frequency in any way, other then saying ‘thank you, it’s nice to have you here.’ And St. Poelten is very keen to have us.” Which is handy. The move has allowed Frequency to instigate an original new layout for their site: the distinct Daypark and Nightpark.

Joining Thom and the boys at the Daypark are an impressive line-up of indie/pop acts, from Bloc Party, Kasabian and Jarvis Cocker to Grace Jones, MIA and The Prodigy. Then over in the Nightpark, which kicks off at 10pm each evening, are 2ManyDJs, Carl Cox, MSTRKRFT and a playing-live Crystal Castles.

That’s the Frequency, Clashers.

Fancy watching Radiohead do Austria? We’ve got two pairs of Frequency passes to give away. Enter below, and head to www.frequency.at for further info.