For those about to rock

Majorca is starting to buzz with talk of next weekend's Isladencanta music festival in Calvia, but organisers said yesterday that in Magalluf, for example, British tourists do not believe that the real Oasis is headlining the festival “they all think it's a tribute band.” Tribute band it is not and the Calvia concert is listed as the first Spanish date of Oasis's World Tour and tickets for the three-day festival are already selling well in London and on the mainland and a capacity crowd of 20.000 people is expected on each of the three nights. The festival site covers an area of 80.000 square metres, the equivalent of three football pitches and there will be ample public services. Joana Maria Coll, Calvia councillor for culture, said yesterday “this is a great opportunity for Calvia to open its doors to young people from the world of music and culture and show that Calvia is not just about sun and sand.” But to ensure that the thousands of revellers who head to the festival next weekend have a good time, a huge security operation will be in place. Security units will be constantly patrolling the perimeter of the site and a huge watchtower will be erected so police can keep a constant eye on the crowds. Over 100 people, from police to Red Cross life guards, fire men and medics, will be involved in the security and safety operation. The festival is the third, having started off in the summer of 2000 as the Hibritart festival in Esporlas, where the first Isladencanta was staged last year. This year however marks the start of a new era for the festival with the organisers already looking ahead to next year. Apart from some of the world's top DJ's and bands, such as The Charlatans, Oasis and Sweden's The Soundtrack of our Lives, the festival site will also feature a Telefonica tent which was being erected yesterday. Inside there will be 50 computer terminals connected to the internet. There will be an area to relax where easy listening and chill-out music will be played so people can get away from the hub of the festival and recharge their batteries. There will also be a Pool Sound System at the Magalluf sports ground. Between 1pm and 5pm, some of the Balearics' top DJ's will be performing by the pool as people cool down and get ready for the evening entertainment. There will be two stages, one inside a huge marquee used by the Williams Circus which has a capacity for 3'000 people and the main stage, 18 metres wide and 16 metres deep and the biggest in Spain. Toni Plà, one of the festival organisers said the stage has been used by the likes of the Red Hot Chile Peppers and is strong enough to withstand 80 kilometres per hour winds. There will also be a host of exhibitions in and around the multi-media audio-visual tent.