News

The Manchester Rockers that are ‘The 1975’ are one of Media Travel’s favourite new bands for 2013! The band are off on a highly anticipated USA Tour which includes the legendary SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas followed by a UK Tour in May. The band have exploded onto the scene after signing to Dirty Hit Records which saw them gain huge support from Radio 1 DJ’s Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens. Along with their debut album, they plan to release a third EP in 2013 and we can’t wait!

http://the1975.com/tour

May 02 Liverpool Sound City 2013, United Kingdom
May 04 O2 Academy Leeds, United Kingdom
May 16 The Great Escape Brighton, United Kingdom
May 17 The Great Escape Brighton, United Kingdom
May 18 The Great Escape Brighton, United Kingdom
May 21 The Brickyard Carlisle, United Kingdom
May 22 University of Northumbria, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
May 23 Queen's Social Club Sheffield, United Kingdom
May 24 Do To Dot Manchester, United Kingdom
May 25 Dot to dot Bristol, United Kingdom
May 26 Dot To Dot Nottingham, United Kingdom
May 27 Oran Mor Glasgow, United Kingdom
May 28 Library, The Institute Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 29 Heaven London, United Kingdom
May 31 Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Following on from a hugely successful 2012 The Pub Landlord is officially back on duty! Our favourite funny man Al Murray is hitting the road again in 2013 for a string of sold out UK and Ireland dates which will see him performing up and down the UK from Glasgow to Tunbridge Wells and everywhere in between. You can also get your hands on Al’s brand new DVD which is out now

Check out Tour Dates here:
http://thepublandlord.com/tickets

Media Travel favourite and all round star Labrinth has hit the road this month with Plan B and Rudimental for the Ill Manors Tour. The tour kicked off in Newcastle on Friday February 1st and they are due to cover the British Isles for the next 2 weeks.

All 3 acts are Brit nominated this year, with Labrinth and Rudimental competing for the best single award with ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ and ‘Feel the Love’ retrospectively.

This UK tour is due to cause as earthquake with the best of British on show.

Check out ticket dates and availability online at Ticketmaster

tour dates February 2013

5th Feb Nottingham
7th Feb Bournemouth
8th Feb Birmingham
9th Feb London
11th Feb Brighton
12th Feb Plymouth
14th Feb Glasgow
15th Feb Aberdeen
24th Mar London

This year really was one to remember for all Dead Can Dance fans, 2012 saw the legendary Australian duo reform and embark on a hugely successful World Tour many thought would never happen. The band released a brand new album Anastasis and took to the road for the first time in many many years to play to their loyal fans as far afield as South America, Europe and the USA and it doesn’t stop there! Dead Can Dance have recently announced they will hit the road again in 2013 with Australian & Japanese dates in February and a new European Tour set for May & June. It really is going to be an exciting year for all involved and we look forward to seeing them perform live again very soon

03/02/13 Sydney Sydney Opera House Australia
04/02/13 Sydney Sydney Opera House Australia
06/02/13 Melbourne Palais Theatre Australia
09/02/13 Perth Perth Concert Hall Australia
13/02/13 Tokyo Club Quattro Japan
14/02/13 Tokyo Club Quattro Japan
17/02/13 Osaka Akaso Japan

26/05/13 Madrid Teatro Circo Price Spain
28/05/13 Lisbon Lisbon Coliseu Portugal
02/06/13 Florence Teatro Romano Di Fiesole Italy
03/06/13 Zurich Kongresshaus Switzerland
05/06/13 Rome Auditorium Conciliazione Italy
06/06/13 Padua Gran Teatro Geox Italy
08/06/13 Ljubljana Krizanke Slovenia
09/06/13 Vienna Stadhalle Halle F Austria
11/06/13 Wroclaw Hala Stulecia Poland
12/06/13 Sopot Opera Lesna Poland
14/06/13 Zabrze Dom Muzyki I Tanca Poland
16/06/13 Dresden Junge Garde Germany
17/06/13 Berlin Zitadelle Germany
19/06/13 Hamburg Stadtpark Germany
21/06/13 Gelsenkirchen Amphitheater Germany
22/06/13 Brussels Forest National Belgium
24/06/13 Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall Netherlands
27/06/13 Lyon Fourvière Nights Festival France
29/06/13 Nîmes Festival de Nîmes France
30/06/13 Paris Le Zenith France

This weekend will see the closing round of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship and sparks are sure to fly at the famous 59th Macau GP which is hosting the closing WTCC round for the 8th consecutive year.

The Macau street circuit is host to both 2 and 4 wheel racers during the week and see’s the WTCC cars scheduled alongside the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, Formula 3, Macau GT Cup and the Macau Touring Car Cup. Macau’s narrow and windy Guia street circuit is always a firm favourite, on and off track, and stirs memories for many of the competing drivers, due to the spectacular collisions or the chequered flag moments. It is set in the Eastern part of the former Portuguese dominion, and reaches from the Ferry Terminal up to the Lighthouse. At 6.12km is the longest circuit the teams compete on throughout the calendar.

The Macau rounds will mark the close of a chapter for Chevrolet as it ends its factory involvement, having dominated the championship for the last three years. From the start of this season, Chevrolet’s trio of outstanding drivers have led the charge towards the 2012 FIA WTCC title – two-time and reigning world champion Yvan Muller, Alain Menu and Rob Huff, who now lies 35 points clear entering the weekend.

This track is the home event for bamboo engineering’s Darryl O’Young who is no stranger to the perils of the Guia Circuit. His last two years with bamboo have brought only one classified finish as race incidents have plagued him. This will be the first time out in Macau for Alex MacDowall. He has shown continuity in his racing during his maiden year at bamboo and currently lies 4th in the Yokohama Driver’s Trophy. Not bad to be sitting above seasoned veterans like Engstler, Bennani and Boardman who have been racing in the WTCC for some years. Not bad at all.

Team AON are looking forward to Macau, especially as they will be leading from the front on race day as they are launching a new Ford Focus WTCC Limited Edition road car which has been invited by the FIA WTCC to be the official Lead Car for the Championship finale. The event will signify the end to their maiden WTCC year with James Nash and Tom Chilton, and although it presented its challenges the team have done fantastically and collected some points along the way as they have continued to develop their Ford Focus. Qualifying will be important this weekend as to try and not be caught up in the incidents which Macau is famous for and usually occur at the back of the grid.

The weekend’s schedule (GMT+ 8) can be found below to ensure you don’t miss any of the action (set the alarm clock!). The event follows a different structure with a rare day off Saturday.

Media Travel have once again thoroughly enjoyed their participation in the World Touring Car Championship. A truly worldwide calendar which visits South America, the USA, Europe, North Africa and Asia our experience in providing the support to our WTCC teams has been vital to their racing programmes.
We wish RML and Chevrolet all the best in their future projects as Chevrolet withdraws its manufacturer entry.

The Shanghai International Circuit is the venue for one of the final WTCC races of the season this weekend, before the action culminates in Macau mid November. Unlike last year, when drivers raced on the shorter Tianma racetrack, this year they move to China’s home of the Formula One Grand Prix.

The WTCC will use a shorter track than for Formula One, cutting around 850 metres off the Grand Prix circuit.  Just as it did last year, WTCC will share the event with the China Touring Car Championship.  Media Travel clients Team Aon and bamboo engineering are revving their engines and getting ready for the challenge!

The heat will be on as the race follows soon after the World Endurance Championship which took place last weekend. Due to this paddock and container, access for the WTCC has been later than normal on a long haul event, which means a tight turnaround for garage build and re-prep of the cars ahead of Friday’s test session. We hope that all involved will see it through – although we are sure they will!

Darryl O'Young is hoping to do well for bamboo. The Hong Kong driver scored a fantastic win on Saturday, on the Shanghai circuit, as a guest competitor in the Audi R8 LMS China Cup. He claimed pole position and a lights-to-flag victory in Race 1.  He’s more than got his practice laps in here and will be hoping to build on that success this weekend. Darryl says: “It was great preparation for me to compete in the Audi LMS Cup ahead of the WTCC Race of China. I haven't driven on the Shanghai F1 circuit this year, so it was really nice to have some track time before getting behind the wheel of my bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze.”

We wish Team Aon and bamboo engineering the best of luck this weekend – we’ll be keeping a close watch on events as they unfold.

Events schedule

Manic Street Preachers are marking the 20th anniversary of their first album debut next Monday 5th November with a re-issue of their ground-breaking and legendary 18-track masterpiece: Generation Terrorists.

Long-term fans and a new generation of followers will be able to get their hands on what will undoubtedly become a big collectors’ item. As well as the entire album being re-mastered, there will be a raft of extra material including as-yet unheard songs, unseen film footage and even home movies.

James will be performing a unique acoustic set on Tuesday 6 November at Rough Trade East records in London to support the re-release.  Plus there will also be a special screening of the film ‘Culture, Alienation, Boredom and Despair’.

The Anniversary album release will also include unseen photos and artwork from the Manic Street Preachers’ own archives and will come in a total of five different formats.

The band originally recorded each instrument separately for Generation Terrorists, rather than playing it as a live band, over a period of 23 weeks. Recording took place at Blackbarn Studios in Guildford. The sheer skill and craft that went into recording still shines through on seminal tracks such as ‘Slash ‘N’ Burn’, ‘You Love Us’ and ‘Repeat’; ‘NatWest – Barclays – Midlands – Lloyds’ - a prescient swing at the banking industry!

The Manics’ style of androgynous glam-punk imagery and social critique helped rocket the Welsh alternative rock band to cult status and garnered them a loyal following; they have certainly cemented their reputation as one of the most exciting and important British rock bands of the last 20 years.

Commenting earlier this year on the re-issue of this much praised work, bassist Nicky Wire said: “The album and the demos sound young, our ambitions sound ludicrous and considering the polemic portrayed, we were actually really ******* funny.”

Currently working on their eleventh studio album, the boys have marked out their career by performing a number of duets, notably with porn-star Traci Lords, and have covered a wide variety of artists’ tracks from Guns ‘n’ Roses to Rihanna.

The double album will be available as:
1. Anniversary Edition – 1CD
2. Legacy Edition – 2CD/DVD
3. Limited Edition Collector’s Edition – 3CD/DVD/Book/10” Vinyl
4. 12” 180g double vinyl gatefold LP
5. Download
 
The Collectors limited edition can be purchased from the Manics Official Store with other formats available from Amazon, Play and HMV.
 

This weekend the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) stops in Japan as it enters its Asia leg following Europe, South America and the USA. Unlike the F1 Championship which was at Suzuka earlier this month, the WTCC cars will race on the 2.2km East Suzuka Circuit, not the Grand Prix track. With lap times barely exceeding 54 seconds the organisers have extended the races this year by 3 laps to a total of 26 laps. This is the second time the championship has visited the Suzuka track and it will be a first for some of Media Travel’s clients; Alex MacDowall of Bamboo Engineering and both James Nash and Tom Chilton from Team Aon.

Followers of Darryl O’Young will know that he is back driving for bamboo engineering for the remainder of the season where he'll be partnering Alex McDowall at the wheel of the team's Chevrolet Cruze. During his previous two years with the UK squad O’Young scored numerous podiums and is hoping for some repeat results, commenting: 'I am confident we can carry where we left off in the 2011 season.' Darryl is back thanks to sponsors LKM and Interush and he’s laser focussed on making a winning return, 'I’ll do everything in my ability to succeed in the coming rounds,' he adds.

The heat is certainly on to finish the season well and this applies no less for Team Aon with drivers Tom Chilton and James Nash taking on the fast and demanding Suzuka race circuit for the first time.  The team is looking forward to getting back on track as rounds 17 & 18 in Sonoma last month brought bad luck in qualifying and the two subsequent races which meant the team weren’t able to show their potential.

Chilton is looking forward to the challenge - most of the tracks for him this year have been new: 'The circuit looks to be very exciting from what I’ve seen of it so far so I can’t wait to take our car around it!' Enough said!

Best of luck to all our clients this weekend, Arena Motorsport, Team Aon, bamboo engineering, Engstler Sport and Wiechers Sport who are competing.

Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre has called upon the services of Battersea-based travel specialist Media Travel to manage the complex travel arrangements of 63 artists from 32 cities in 21 countries destined for Wide Open School, part of Southbank Centre’s 2012 Festival of the World with MasterCard. Wide Open School is a month-long learning experiment, which kicked off on 11th June and runs through until 11th July, where artists from all over the world will lead classes in a fresh way of thinking on subjects as diverse as Freddie Mercury, dining, singing, sushi-making and cloud architecture.

Many international artists have begun gathering at this cultural hotspot since its opening, and more are expected in the final week. Media Travel has managed a large volume of bookings and ensured that even those flying from as far as Japan arrive on time.

 
With more than 20 years’ experience of moving VICs (Very Important Clients) in the music, motorsport and entertainment industries, the company is accustomed to providing a tailored service to fulfil every travel need. Working to the rule ‘prevention not cure’ it offers an out-of-hours emergency service for any last-minute demands or changes of plan – a perfect fit with the art centre’s requirements.

Media Travel’s Managing Director Fran Green says “Every day Media Travel faces new and bigger challenges without even batting an eyelash. Our specialist team has a pool of knowledge and contacts to solve any logistical problem and the flexibility to meet last-minute demands, no matter how unusual. We are thrilled to be involved in such a great and large-scale learning experiment, especially one on our own doorstep in London.”

- ENDS-

About Media Travel
Founded in 1992, Media Travel works with tour managers and agents to arrange travel and accommodation for tours, festivals, conferences and other events. It has arranged travel for enduring superstars such as the Spice Girls and George Michael, contemporary bands and artists such as Billy Ocean, The Script and Manic Street Preachers, comedians like Harry Hill and Al Murray, World Endurance Championship team JRM Racing, World Touring Championship teams Engstler Sport and Team AON, global brands such as Bacardi, Havana Club and Miller Genuine Draft and international events SXSW and 2012 Wales Rally GB.
For more information, click here

About Wide Open School
Wide Open School
11 June – 11 July, Hayward Gallery
For one month only, the Hayward Gallery is transformed into Wide Open School – a school with a programme devised and fuelled by the imaginations of 100 leading artists from over 40 different countries. This is the first time a public gallery has undertaken a project on this scale. Anything but a traditional art school, it is a wide-ranging forum where artists choose a subject they are passionately interested in and lead seminars, workshops, collaborative projects, lectures and performances. With additional support from Arts Council England.
For more information, click here.

Southbank Centre’s Festival of the World
1 June to 9 September 2012
As London welcomes the world this summer, Southbank Centre’s three-month long Festival of the World with MasterCard brings together inspirational projects from the UK and around the world, which showcase the power of the arts to change the lives of individuals, communities and whole societies. More than 4,000 artists, poets, writers and performers from 195 countries will take part in hundreds of events, many of which are free, and each with an international flavour. At the heart of the Festival experience is the Festival of the World Museum in the Royal Festival Hall, which examines the many ways in which art can be a powerful agent for social change through a series of immersive and interactive environments. For the duration of the Festival, Southbank Centre’s 21-acre site is transformed with a vibrant outdoor landscape, featuring art installations, the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, pop-up restaurants and weekly food markets. For further information please visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk/world

The European tour of Californian blues-rock band, Rival Sons, is well under way having kicked off on 28^th May at PinkPop Festival, Netherlands and is due to finish on 21^st July at Malakoff Rockfestival, Norway. As well as appearing at various European festivals throughout the summer, it will also be headlining a number of shows and playing a live, acoustic session for BBC Radio 2 on 24^th June at 00:00. Over the past 12 months it has been busy touring with the likes of Evanescence, Judas Priest and Black Stone Cherry and even made waves in its hometown, performing in the haunted theatre of the Queen Mary ship.

The band will be releasing its brand new album on 17^_th September, a follow-up to its breakthrough album “Pressure & Time.” Earlier this week the band announced that the upcoming album will be titled “Head Down,” lyrics taken from one of its songs. It was chosen to reflect the process of producing the album and stems from the term “Keep your head down and keep on swinging.” Click here to check out the album’s artwork.
 

This week The World Endurance Championship (WEC) celebrates its 80th edition of the most major event of its calendar – 24 hours of Le Mans. Competitors prepare for round three, the ultimate endurance race, where double championship points will be awarded to all eligible participants. Our client JRM Racing will be participating in the Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) category armed with the Honda Performance Development APX-03a. The first two rounds have proved challenging for the team; it faced suspension failures in Sebring, as well as electrical issues and a pre-race accident in Spa-Francorchamps.

This will be first Le Mans race as a team, comprising drivers David Brabham, Karun Crandhok and Peter Dumbreck. They are set to take to the grid Wednesday afternoon for four hours of free practice, followed by the first qualifying session at 22:00 (CET). Thursday evening will present the opportunity for the team to improve its grid position with two more qualifying sessions. A camera has been mounted onto the team’s car, allowing fans to watch JRM Racing’s debut at Le Mans live on its website here. Coverage will start immediately before the start of the race at 15:00 and will finish 24 hours later.
 

The Charlatans are celebrating the release of their special expanded edition of Tellin’ Stories, 15 years after its first release, with a series of summer gigs where it will play the entire album. The indie rock four-piece kicked off its tour at Hacienda Festival, Japan last month and is due to play in Manchester on 1st June.

To mark the occasion, independent record labels Archive/ Beggars Banquet released the album on vinyl and CD along with the original album on real HD on 28th May. The first disc is the original 1997 album, re-mastered and cut from the analogue studio tapes, and features three top-ten hits. The second disc is a compilation of single B sides as well as featuring an unreleased, early version of 'Don't Need A Gun,' originally titled 'Rainbow Chasing.'

Last week frontman Tim Burgess revealed a brand new look on BBC Breakfast replacing his usual jet black hair with a blonde mop of hair. It created quite the trend on Twitter (although not everyone was a fan).
 

Looks like our client Benjamin Francis Leftwich will be packing his bags again now that he will be performing down under in July. The singer will be playing in Melbourne on 17th July and in Sydney on 18th July. He has spent the past two months touring the USA and Canada alongside Australian band The Jezebels.

Last year The Sunday Times named Benjamin as “serious new talent” and we can see why. Not only does he play the guitar but he also writes his own songs. In June 2011 he released his debut album “last smoke before the snow storm”. He has a busy few months ahead; he will running back and forth between festivals and the studio with the aim of releasing some new material.

This weekend marks the mid-way point in the FIA World Touring Championship (WTCC) season with rounds 11 and 12 at Salzburgring, Austria. The ring is located 15km east of Salzburg and lies at the bottom of the Alpine Valley. This will be the first visit from FIA WTCC although it has previously hosted the FIA European Touring Car Cup (ETCC) in 2008, 2010 and 2011.The superfast and old-fashioned circuit was established in 1968 as a motorbike grid and measures 4.115km. It is designed relatively straight, presenting competitors with plenty of opportunities to overtake each other.

Very few of the WTCC drivers have experience on the grid. Franz Engstler is the most familiar with it, having raced there many times for the German Supertourenwagen Cup and Production Car Championships. Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini have each raced there once: in 1997 and 1999 respectively. Since then there have been a number of upgrades in terms of safety and facilities, although the layout remains unchanged. The only WTCC driver who has seen victory there is Pepe Oriola in the 2011 FIA ETCC.

Team AON drivers Tom Chilton and James Nash are hoping this weekend will bring better luck; both endured a difficult time at the previous round in Hungary. The Chevrolet team is hoping to consolidate its advantage in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championship.

Great news for all petrolheads  –  the 2012 Wales Rally GB route has finally been revealed. The UK round of the FIA World Championship Rally will be hosted in Cardiff between 13th and 16th September. It will be held two months earlier than usual, guaranteeing more daylight. As official accommodation providers for the event, we are looking forward to the busy months that lie ahead.

Undoubtedly this year’s rally will be spectacular so make sure you book your tickets, which go on sale on 18th May. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Wales Rally GB. To celebrate, spectators have the chance to buy limited-edition Gold Rally tickets, priced at £130, which allow access to all stages, car parks, qualifying test and service areas. The pass also comes with a unique gold lanyard, an exclusive key ring and a complimentary DVD of the history of the international event.

The qualifying stage will kick off in Walters Arena, in south Wales on Wednesday 12th September, followed by the ceremonial start in Llandudno, in the north coast on Thursday 13th. Friday is expected to be challenging. It will feature a top-to-bottom drive through the country with stages in Dyfant, Hafren and Myherin. Following a remote service in Newton, these stages will repeated in the afternoon. The weekend’s itinerary will be easier with it running out of the central service located in Cardiff. Day two will include stages in Crychan, Epynt and Halfway, which will be looped. Celtic Manor resort, venue to the Ryder Cup 2010, will host the second evening with a super special stage. The final day will feature stages in Port Talbot, Rheola and Walters Arena which, again, will be undertaken twice. The official finish ceremony of the event will be held in Cardiff Bay.

Andrew Coe, chief executive, says, ‘In such a pivotal year for Britain and its role as a venue for world-class sport, it's a real privilege to be able to take Wales Rally GB to Celtic Manor Resort this year, as well as continue last year's initiative of delivering a truly pan-Welsh route. We made huge strides forward last year in terms of embracing the whole of Wales with our route and we have tried hard to build on that this year, while also bringing more innovation and fresh-thinking to the event.’

Wales Rally GB's schedule:

The Berlin-based duo, Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merziger, will start the Ibiza season at Sankeys Ibiza Opening Fiesta on 25th May. Earlier this week our client Booka Shade tweeted that it will be making an exciting announcement in the next few days, only hinting that it had been working on a “little something” for the Ibiza season. We can’t wait for all to be revealed!

With  the festival season dawning on us, these dance tech pioneers are now heading over to perform live at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton on 12th May before playing at several European festivals over the next few months. Touring is second nature to them– last year the duo toured non-stop following the release of their fourth album ‘More!’.

Upcoming tour dates:

12/5	Live	The Great Escape	Brighton, UK
18/5	DJ Set	Estadio Municipal de Braga	Braga, Portugal
25/5	Live	Sankeys Ibiza Opening Fiesta	Ibiza, Spain
2/6	Live	Forbidden Fruit Festival	Kilmainham, Dublin
16/6	Live	Lovebox	London, UK
22/6	Live	Touch The Air Festival	Wohlen, Switzerland
30/6	DJ Set	Sumol Summer Festival	Ericeira, Portugal
6/7	Live	Les Ardentes Festival	Liège, Belgium
14/7	Live	Magma Festival	Tenerife, Spain
20/7	DJ Set	10 Days of Festival	Ghent, Belgium

                                                                                                                                                                    
  

No sooner have the World Touring Car Championship drivers recovered from last weekend’s races in Slovakia  than the championship commences again in Hungary this weekend. The  Hungaroring is located 20 km north-east of the capital Budapest, and has been home to Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix since 1986. The circuit will host the FIA WTCC for the second time; last year it made its debut as the fourth round. In 2011 Chevy drivers Alain Menu and Yvan Muller took victory, a leg-up on fellow team mate and championship leader Rob Huff, who left Hungary with disappointing qualifying and race results. 

Last weekend at the Slovakiaring, Gabriele Tarquini won race 1, putting an end to the Chevrolet’s unbeaten run of victories, whilst Rob Huff won race 2. Tom Coronel received a time penalty after he punted Franz Engstler off the track, meanwhile Team AON’s James Nash successfully qualified in fourth position but was given a ten-place grid penalty for both races after failing the ride height inspection.

This weekend’s schedule:

Last week our client Billy Ocean set off to tour the UK, kicking things off with a performance at the Jam House in Edinburgh. He is due to play next on 4th May at INEC, Killarney, Ireland. In 2007 the legendary singer returned to the music scene for an international tour after taking a break to spend quality time with his family. Last October Billy received the Lifetime Achievement award at the 15th MOBO Awards.

UK Tour dates

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival returns to California to bring us two consecutive weekends filled with musical delight. There was a lot of hype surrounding the first weekend, with an impressive line up of acts and international celebs showing off their festival-inspired outfits. We expect the second weekend to be even better – after all our client The Horrors will be performing on the first day. Earlier this year fans voted its album ‘Skying’ as Album of the Year at the 2012 NME Awards. The band is currently performing at various venues across California this week. It will return home in May, kicking off its UK tour in Dublin and finishing in London. 

USA tour dates:

UK tour dates:

This weekend sees FIA WTCC return to Marrakesh in Morocco for Rounds 5 and 6, following a one year break. The 4.5 km circuit is set to challenge those competing; it is made up of 2 parallel straight lines featuring fast and tricky chicanes, a long left-handed corner and a slow hairpin.This North African circuit carries fond memories for the Chevrolet team; in 2009 it won both WTCC races. In 2012 there were a number of incidents and safety car interventions.

This North African circuit carries fond memories for the Chevrolet team; in 2009 it won both WTCC races. In 2010 there were a number of incidents and safety car interventions.

Morocco’s event will mark the compensation weight system coming into force for the first time. The compensation weight is calculated by the lap times set in the two previous WTCC events, Italy and Spain. Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T has been identified as the reference model and will be forced to carry an additional weight of 40kg. The Chevrolet car’s base weight was already heavier than its competitors in Italy and Spain; despite this the team is currently in the lead.

This weekend’s schedule: 

Killing Joke are getting ready for the European leg of their tour, featuring 20 dates across Europe. Thought to be their biggest outings in years, the group will be kick off in Holland on the 11th April, followed by performances in France, Spain, Italy Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Finland and finishing in Poland.  

Here is a run down of their European tour.

Welcome home  to Media Travel’s girl, Fiona, who has been basking in the sun in preparation for this weekend.  Round 4 of the World Rally Championship kicks off today, in the country's capital Lisbon, with an opening ceremony at 15:00 in the country’s capital Lisbon. Yesterday saw Ford World Rally driver Latvala take the lead, qualifying in 1st place. Subsequently, Latvala was allowed first choice of start position for today’s opening leg, opting to start 15th whilst world champion Loeb has chosen to go out first on Portugal’s dusty roads.
 

Check out this weekend’s itinerary below.

CEREMONIAL FINISH

With less than 1 week to go, we welcome back our client, You Me At Six, who have been busy touring away in the USA, Indonesia and Australia and will now continue their tour in Ireland and the UK.  This is an exciting month for the five band members who have just collaborated with Thorpe Park to release a track on 18th March, dedicated to the launch of its latest rollercoaster ride, The Swarm.  Following this, the band will be releasing an additional single “No One Does It Better” on 9th April – watch the video here.

United Autosports are in Australia from the 19th February for the Bathurst 12hours on 24th – 26th February. It’s looking like a busy season for them. They have already completed the Dunlop 24hr of Dubai in 19th and 29th position, and the Abu Dhabi Gulf 12hrs  (where they finished in a very respectable 3rd place), and  have announced their entry into the Gulf 12hrs once again which takes place in December 2012 – brought forward  from the regular January spot.

Additional entries this year include  the Blancpain Endurance Series with Álvaro Parente , Matt Bell and our old friend David Brabham – who  also drives for our other client JR Motorsport.. This series visits 6 European race tracks for endurance races – let’s hope it’s a great success for them, and the smiles match the miles!

All in all a busy year for them – we’re glad to be taking some of the pressure of by looking after their travel arrangements. Thanks you for choosing us for a second lap!

Is arranging accommodation for your team becoming a headache? As well as negotiating some seriously good room rates  teams/media/promoters of the WTCC, WEC, GT1 and WRC, we’ve also spent the quiet winter months  working on options for the championships. Not just hotels either – we like to think of ourselves as a one-stop-shop for flights/hire  cars – anything you need to take the pressure off when you want to focus on the important stuff – getting your team on the podium! For a better result than you’ll get from any headache tablet, get in touch with Fiona to help you organize  team accommodation for the season.

Slightly jealous of our motorsports clients, who have migrated to warmer climes this month. JR Motorsport are gearing up for the Dunlop Dubai 24hrs endurance race this weekend (12-14 January) joined by new clients United Autosports, who are also entered into the Dubai event. United Motorsports move onto Abu Dhabi next, with the Gulf 12 Hours at the Yas Marina Circuit on January 20 firmly in their sights. We wish them the very best of British luck!

After seeing 2011 flash by like so much dust in a slipstream, its time to stop staring in our rear-view mirrors and look forward to the year ahead.  2012 promises to offer plenty of incident and entertainment, and will hopefully see further glory for our automotive division.  We’re anticipating a podium laden season as the events come thick and fast and the weeks and months pass.  The WRC Monte Carlo rally will raise the flag on the new motoring year later this month.  Watch this space for further information as the season develops.
 

FIA WORLD TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

FIA GT1

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

BLANCPAIN ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

In a departure from regular form for this news feed, three cheers for... Mediatravel!

Congrats to one and all at the company, as we have been nominated in the “Favourite Travel Company” category for the 2012 TPI awards early next year.  We shall look forward to the ceremony with excitement, and are already optimistically eyeing a good spot on the mantelpiece.  There are also several individuals who are up for awards at the annual event, and we are proud to be represented alongside them.   The nominations are a reflection of the company’s hard work  and dedication to the entertainment industry  – let’s keep it up for 2012.

As the teams return from the World Touring Car’s finale in Macau, RML brought with them the Manufacturers and Drivers World title, courtesy of Yvan Muller. The titles were RML Chevrolet’s before the weekend’s races, but it was in Macau that Muller and Rob Huff had to fight for the all important drivers crown which in the end came down to 3 points.

A fantastic performance by Huff over the weekend saw him take pole position, two race wins and a fastest lap. We told you he has made that tarmac his own! It was a nail biter to the end with Muller moving up a place in race two, closer to the leading Brit’s car, that closed the gap marginally enough for him to take the title at the chequered flag. An unfortunate weekend for Alain Menu saw him keep his third place in the 2011 driver’s championship but an incident in race one meant race two was a non starter where he watched form the sidelines. 

The weekend for Bamboo Engineering was with mixed fortunes. Yukinori Taniguchi was unable to compete in the famous Macau event due to the damage sustained in the penultimate Shanghai race. His team mate and local driver O’Young put in a strong qualifying performance in his Chevrolet and he started race one on the second row behind the RML Cruze’s. It was looking promising until an incident in race one ended his run. A start from the pit lane in race two saw him take the chequered flag in 12th position and 6th overall in the Yokohama Driver’s Trophy.

So that’s another year over for the WTCC, but no rest for Fiona as the 2012 season planning is well underway!

We've negotiated some superb rates for visitors to the most glittering motorsports events of the year. You won't find these elsewhere, so get in touch and book your room now.

AUTOSPORT AWARDS 2011 – SUNDAY DECEMBER 4TH

Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London

Please find below hotel rates in the surrounding area for the awards night 4th December 2011

To book or enquire about any of the above offers please contact Fiona at Media Travel  or call 0207 6272200 quoting the enquiry for the ASAwards 2011.

It’s that time of year - time to start thinking about SXSW 2012. 

Why leave your travel arrangements to the last minute, book early to avoid disappointment.Media Travel will  save you time and give you the widest choice of travel options, with greater flexibility, increased baggage allowance and out of hours emergency contacts.

Examples of some airfares currently available are: -

British Airways from London to Austin via Houston or Chicago: -

World Traveller (economy) / £266.00 plus £309.00 airport taxes

World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) / £979.00 plus £370.00 airport taxes

Club World (Business class) / £2977.00 plus £463.00 airport taxes

Continental Airlines from London to Austin via Houston:-

Economy class / £299.00 plus £327.00 airport taxes

Business class / £3189.00 plus £481.00 airport taxes

Departures also available from other UK regional airports or Europe

Hotels : In Austin, we can only offer hotel accommodation in conjunction with flights on a first come first served basis 

We are waiting to hear from you, so please email our SXSW specialist gill@mediatravel.com for the latest availability on hotels and flights, and for full details of the services we provide please visit our website http://www.mediatravel.com/ 

Congratulations to Media Travels Med, the go-to girl for anything finance related. Today she celebrates her 10^th birthday (as a Media Travel employee...obviously!!)

We’re looking forward to being a part of some historic music action this summer. As has been widely reported, for the first time in 17 years, British musical icon Sade will be going on tour. Exciting news for her legions of fans, but doubly exciting for us, as we have been engaged to manage the tour travel. “Made up” doesn’t even begin to describe how we’re feeling right now!

 Also making some noise are legendary rockers and Media Travel clients Whitesnake. Not only are they planning a gruelling 50 date tour, but sales figures for their new album have absolutely smashed those of a certain pop princess, who released hers at the same time. The North American leg of their epic tour starts in New York City on the 11^th May, they then take a short hop across the pond to take in Russia, Northern and Southern Europe and the Uk, before heading for South America, winding up the tour on the 3^rd Oct in Mexico.

 Of course we feel incredibly honoured to be involved with the gods and goddesses of the music scene, but we also love working  with younger bands, and it’s always particularly exciting when we’re around to witness something really special happening. In the case of One Night Only, we predict that they are about to go stellar, following the news that they are responsible for the track on the new Coca Cola ad. Nice work boys…

 
The RML Chevrolet WTCC team have engaged our services to manage their complicated travel arrangements in 2011. We have been moving bands and brands around the world for 19 years, and this year, we've turned our attention to the WTCC circuit, appointing former RML Chevrolet WTCC Co-ordinator Fiona Rees to develop the motorsports side of the business, and putting in some successful practice laps towards the end of 2010, arranging RML’s travel to the final WTCC race of the 2010 season in Macau, where they won both the Manufacturers Championship and the Drivers Championship .
 
Fran is really looking forward to seeing the motorsports division develop “We’ve diversified a few times over the years. We originally just worked with bands, but nowadays we also co-ordinate travel for big brand events, including Miller Miami, Guinness and Bacardi. We’ve moved orchestras, dance companies and comedians, so touring car crews are just another string to our bow – the only difference being a slight whiff of petrol” she said “Fiona has several years experience of working in World Rallying and World Touring Cars and is the ideal person to have on board to develop a specific motorsports service”.
 
Ron Hartvelt, Project Manager at RML Chevrolet said “Getting people moved around the place is just one more headache for an already frazzled co-ordinator. We’ve chosen to use Media Travel because unlike a normal travel agency, they are available 24/7, they have a little black book of contacts that can solve any logistical problem, they take unusual requests in their stride, and they can be left to just get on with it. We tell them what, where, who and when, and then leave them to it. Every team should have a travel management company...
 

We are really excited to announce a new direction for Media Travel, and the arrival of a new person to help us make it happen. We are looking forward to donning our grid-girl outfits to celebrate a new venture -  our new specialist motorsports travel division.
 
Fiona Rees, formerly Team Coordinator for the RML Chevrolet Team competing in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), has been brought on board to make it happen. She joins us to delve deeper into the world of motorsports and help us to add some overall-clad petrol-headed types to our client list.
 
We have already worked with RML Chevrolet on the final WTCC race of the 2010 season in Macau (where the team won the Manufacturers Championship and the Drivers Championship!) and also for a trip to China as part PR for Chevrolet and part recce for 2011. Both were thoroughly enjoyable experiences – so we are really looking forward to revving up the new division in 2011.

Here at Media Travel, we’re rooting for rapper Aggro Santos, who is currently deep in the Australian jungle, fending off creepie crawlies, rats  and.... Gillian McKeith. The I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here” contestant has remained cool whilst paddling through croc infested waters, eating  unmentionable bits of kangaroo, and finding out that the boys won’t get to share camp with the girls. See how he’s getting on here, and  get voting. We think he’d look lovely in a crown...

G’day!! We’ve imported our latest recruit from Down Under, and after a trouble free probation period, we’re happy to announce that our new Sheila (sorry!) Dominique Olshina is now an official member of the team. Dominique brings youthful enthusiasm to the team (not that the rest of us don’t of course!) and it’s bonza to have her on board.

We know that it’s time to hide those festival wellies and camping essentials somewhere deep in the closet and accept the ending of a long summer of music. But, what an amazing summer it has been! We went all the way to Japan to witness the best in British, American & Japanese indie, dance and world music festival – Fuji Rock, where the stage was taken by storm by Codeine Velvet Club.
 
We also saw one of the most exclusive performances this year at Reading - the reunion of The Libertines and the showcase of fresh new emerging acts such as New Young Pony Club. Furthermore, at V festival we had not one, but two great venues not forgetting to mention the great performances brought by Pixie Lott, Scouting for Girls and The Prodigy.
 
It's been a good stretch and an emotional summer for all of us, but there is no doubt that everyone is probably somewhat relieved that it’s the end of the season. 

Ignore the statisticians. August 27- 29 will be the hottest days of the year . Rock, alternative, indie, punk, metal, big names, breaking acts, and exclusive performances – you name it, Reading Festival has it!

Of particular interest to Libertines fans everywhere is the news that Pete Doherty and Carl Barât have put aside their differences and will be playing together for the first time since 2004.

Headliners at Reading include Guns N' Roses, Arcade Fire, and Blink 182, but as ever at Reading, there is always something new and exciting to get the crowds jumping. Hot new band New Young Pony Club play a set on Friday (27 of August) showcasing tracks from their new and much talked about album - The Optimist.

We all agree that there is no better way to say goodbye to the summer than packing your tent and heading to Reading

A stunning mountain setting and the best in British, American & Japanese indie, dance and world music. The Fuji Rock festival remains a relatively undiscovered gem on the world festival circuit, but the legendary stories of amazing performances from the festival are spreading all around the world and it rapidly becoming known as one of the must-visit festivals for music lovers worldwide.
 
In its first year the festival was struck by a typhoon. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' headline set was played through a major storm despite Anthony Kiedis having a broken arm. We suspect that the biggest storm of 2010 will have something to do with our friends Codeine Velvet Club.
 
 Fuji Rock festival is all about surprises and unexpected performances and who else fits this category better than two-time National Beatboxing Champion – Beardyman. The Artist decided to do it all this year: a new album, a podcast series, collaboration with an orchestra and a herculean tour that sees him popping up at festivals across Europe, North America and finally Japan!

Great news for dance and progressive house fans – legendary electronic dance wizards Leftfield have dusted off the sound system that nearly got them arrested ... several times, and are coming to a stage near you this summer. Neil Barnes is joined by several of the original line up -- although sadly Paul Daley will not be one of them.
The dance music pioneers are looking forward to introducing a whole new audience to old favourites like the iconic “Phat Planet”, used for the Guiness “Surfers” ad. Despite nearly 10 years in retirement, they sound as fresh as ever, and are still cranking up the bass to stratospheric levels. Leftfield are playing several dates in Europe in July, before heading back to the UK for Relentless Boardmasters and the LED Festival

Miller Miami 2010 kicked off with a bang in March. The three day party extravaganza was the climax of two and a half years of rigorous planning and a year-long global competition by Miller Genuine Draft, focusing on up & coming territories such as South America and Russia. The event provided a platform for some of the best emerging electronic artists and DJs to showcase their talents to an audience of competition winners, brand managers and press.
Media Travel arranged accommodation in the trendy Catalina Hotel, South Beach as well as organising flights and transport. Media Travel MD Fran Green jetted off to Florida for the event to manage the travel and accommodation ‘on the ground’ as well as helping with anything and everything. Being the only one who knew the details of every guest meant Fran was ‘drafted’ in to help run the production office and oversee the organisational challenges that tend to come with three days of non-stop partying.
The jam-packed schedule consisted of six parties over three days including the Tikki Beach Boat Cruise and the Miller House Party. Held during the Winter Music Conference (WMC), Miller Miami 2010 also allowed guests the added bonus of attending certain WMC seminars and parties.
Miller Miami 2010 was managed by Splendid Events with the help of event production company DesignScene which developed and set up the parties. The main gathering was the Miller House Party on the final night. The warehouse venue was set up as a beach-house with a cinema, vintage Cadillac and a DJ booth beach-tower overlooking the pool.
Fran was delighted to see the event go off without a hitch. She loved getting involved and seeing everyone work together to make Miller Miami 2010 a true success.

MIDEM - the destination for music business connections and knowledge - will soon be upon us and rooms are selling fast we still have a few rooms available, please find below our  recommended hotels in Cannes:

EDEN HOTEL CANNES - 133 Rue D’Antibes, 06400 Cannes. Located in the heart of Cannes, on the rue d’Antibes, the Eden Hotel offers 115 rooms all equipped with air conditioning, satellite TV and broadband internet access. Hotel amenities include a restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, pool and fitness room.

HOTEL MARTINEZ - 73 La Croisette, 06406 Cannes. Occupies an eminent position on the sea front and on the famous boulevard de La Croisette in Cannes. Offering 412 rooms and suites with excellent facilities including complimentary WIFI, air conditioning and 24-hour room service. Hotel amenities include a spa, fitness centre, pool and private beach.

HOME BUSINESS CANNES CROISETTE - 12 Rue Latour Maubourg Is ideally situated, between the Martinez and the Carlton, 100 metres from La Croisette and a short walk from rue d’Antibes. It offers 110 luxury air conditioned apartment suites from 25 to 100m2. Amenities include 2 swimming pools, indoor and outdoor bar and well being centre.

INTERCONTINENTAL CARLTON CANNES - 58 Bd. La Croisette BP155, 06414 Cannes. Located on the famous Croisette Avenue and close to the Cannes Palais des Festivals, which offers breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. All 343 rooms and suites offer WIFI, satellite TV and air conditioning Amenities include business centre, health and fitness centre.