WHAT IS WEX GOING TO DO?
WEX wants to invite 5 international bands to The Hague. However, since this is a brand new project, we will start off with a pilot. This means that for now, only one band will be invited to The Hague. The ambition is to have WEX develop into a full-blown festival, adding more and more bands to the line-up every year!
WEX is looking for alternative bands and artists from non-western countries, such as Turkey, Morocco, China, Indonesia, India, Surinam and Curacao. Being a non-profit festival, WEX is primarily interested in the promotion of various live acts in The Hague, and in creating opportunities for non-western bands and acts to come into contact with another music scene and audience.Through workshops, clinics and performances, the international music community will be given the chance to meet the music scene in The Hague and the Netherlands. Well-known acts from the Netherlands will be booked alongside these international acts and be involved with various activities.
The Hague has a wide infrastructure for live performances. The international bands will be performing on several well-known stages in The Hague. The highlight of WEX Festival will be the grand finale in the pop temple of The Hague: Paard van Troje.
WEX will take place alongside the annual festival The Hague Popweek. During this week, live bands and acts will be performing all over the city! This creates extra opportunities for the invited international band to connect with the local music scene.
Planned dates are October 16th until October 23rd 2009.
WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE POP MUSIC?
A characteristic of alternative
pop music is that the quality of the music is considered to be more important
than the commerciality. The Lowlands festival is the standard for measuring
quality alternative pop music in the Netherlands. This development extends
internationally. The number of alternative pop music festivals continues
to grow in countries such as Hungary, where the Sziget festival has become
a worthy competitor of large festivals in England or Germany, for example.
Through international networks such as MySpace and YouTube, a world full
of bands and musicians from non-western countries can easily be discovered.
These developments should not only be acknowledged, but embraced, to bring
the world of alternative pop music closer together!
