Latest news with #MooLaLaFestival
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Coachella costs Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins thousands by insisting he change name of his tiny Welsh pop festival 'Cowchella'
Coachella organisers are thought to have cost Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins thousands of pounds after forcing his tiny Welsh festival into a name change. The 49-year-old had been happily organising his 'Cowchella' festival in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, when the 250,000-capacity music venue got in touch. The event's social media pages went down last week, and its Eventbrite tickets page had its name disappear amid a complaint which Watkins said was from Coachella Ltd, the US festival in California. On Sunday, new social media accounts were set up for the renamed Moo-La-La Festival, hosted by Watkins, actress Claire Sweeney and BBC Radio 2 radio presenter Owain Wyn Evans. The post explained the 'fab new name' and that tickets would remain valid for the inaugural event in August. Welsh singer and actor Watkins, 49, said they thought at first the social media sites were 'hacked', before finding an email with an 'official complaint from Coachella'. 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel like that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine,' Watkins said. 'It's a little bit mindblowing... what we're doing is very, very different to what they do. 'We don't have Beyonce performing. We have a Steps tribute act... and also, they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans, hosting, which in my book, is much better than Beyonce.' He also said he was happy the small Welsh festival is a 'talking point' and people 'love that Coachella has put Cowbridge on the map' as well as admitting that 'luckily, it wasn't like, the week before because that would be the disaster'. Watkins did acknowledge that thousands of pounds spent on 'marketing costs, posters and banners' would be 'a financial impact that we have to absorb'. He said: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin... but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' He also said that 'there's lots of festivals' that use this concept including the Welsh event GlastonBarry, with a name inspired by Glastonbury in Somerset, which has not appeared to come up against the same issue. Top performers from across the music scene have participated in Coachella, including the likes of Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion and Grimes. Watkins said the idea of the festival formerly known as Cowchella was to 'make it accessible for families that can't afford to go to Cardiff or London' for music events that can cost hundreds of pounds. 'We wanted... to provide an amazing place where everybody could come have a great time, make it family friendly, accessible,' he said. He said the festival will remain the same, despite the name change, and promised 'great food, great drink' on Saturday, August 2 at Bear Field. Watkins also said 'the number one tribute acts in the country' such as Harry Styled UK, Got to be Taylor Swift, Got to be Steps, Got to be Mamma Mia and Wickedly Hariana would perform. 'Our town is so beautiful, but there's so much untapped potential there, which is why we keep creating events (such as Pride),' he said. 'We do the panto in town, so many amazing things. I decorate the town hall for armistice. I do a lot in the town just to bring a lot of joy, and it's a town that should be celebrated, and that's what Moo-La-La, as it's now called, will be.' Watkins rose to fame in the the dance-pop group, Steps, and has appeared on ITV show Dancing On Ice as well as mystery Dial M For Middlesbrough. His group celebrated 20 years since their formation with a comeback album and UK tour in 2017 and in 2022 they released a Platinum Collection album.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Steps star Ian ‘H' Watkins forced to change name of latest project after he's SUED by festival giant Coachella
FORMER Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins was forced to change the name of his festival Cowchella — because it was too similar to Coachella. Watkins organised a small event including a Harry Styles tribute act and actress Claire Sweeney. 3 But he was stunned to get a complaint about the name from Coachella, the famous festival in California with 250,000 fans. Watkins' show at his home town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan is now called the Moo-La-La Festival. The Welshman, 49, said: 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine. 'It's a little bit mindblowing. What we're doing is very, very different to what they do. 'We don't have Beyonce performing. "We have a Steps tribute act and also they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans hosting, which in my book is much better than Beyonce.' He added: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' 3
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Small Welsh music festival falls foul of Coachella copyright complaint
Steps star Ian "H" Watkins has said it was 'mindblowing' that Coachella asked for his small Welsh festival to change its name. The social media accounts for Cowchella, held in Cowbridge, Wales, were taken down, and its Eventbrite tickets page altered after a complaint that Watkins claims came from Coachella Ltd - the company behind the US festival in California. New social media accounts have been created for the renamed Moo-La-La Festival, which will be hosted by Watkins, actress Claire Sweeney, and BBC Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans. An announcement was made on social media regarding the "fab new name," assuring ticket holders that their purchases would still be valid for the inaugural event in August. Welsh singer and actor Watkins, 49, told the PA news agency that they thought at first the social media sites were 'hacked', before finding an email with an 'official complaint from Coachella'. 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel like that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine,' Watkins said. 'It's a little bit mindblowing… what we're doing is very, very different to what they do. 'We don't have Beyonce performing. We have a Steps tribute act… and also, they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans, hosting, which in my book, is much better than Beyonce.' He also said he was happy the small Welsh festival is a 'talking point' and people 'love that Coachella has put Cowbridge on the map' as well as admitting that 'luckily, it wasn't like, the week before because that would be the disaster'. Watkins did acknowledge that thousands of pounds spent on 'marketing costs, posters and banners' would be 'a financial impact that we have to absorb'. He said: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin… but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' He also said that 'there's lots of festivals' that use this concept including the Welsh event GlastonBarry, with a name inspired by Glastonbury in Somerset, which has not appeared to come up against the same issue. Watkins said the idea of the festival formerly known as Cowchella was to 'make it accessible for families that can't afford to go to Cardiff or London' for music events that can cost hundreds of pounds. 'We wanted… to provide an amazing place where everybody could come have a great time, make it family friendly, accessible,' he said. He said the festival will remain the same, despite the name change, and promised 'great food, great drink' on Saturday, August 2 at Bear Field. Watkins also highlighted 'the number one tribute acts in the country' such as Harry Styled UK, Got to be Taylor Swift, Got to be Steps, Got to be Mamma Mia and Wickedly Hariana would perform. 'Our town is so beautiful, but there's so much untapped potential there, which is why we keep creating events (such as Pride),' he said. 'We do the panto in town, so many amazing things. I decorate the town hall for armistice. I do a lot in the town just to bring a lot of joy, and it's a town that should be celebrated, and that's what Moo-La-La, as it's now called, will be.' Watkins rose to fame in the the dance-pop group, Steps, and has appeared on ITV show Dancing On Ice as well as mystery Dial M For Middlesbrough. His group celebrated 20 years since their formation with a comeback album and UK tour in 2017 and in 2022 they released a Platinum Collection album.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Coachella forces small Welsh festival to change name
A pop star's small festival in South Wales has been forced to change its name following a complaint from the organisers of California's Coachella. Ian 'H' Watkins, a singer from the group Steps, had wanted to call the event in Cowbridge, in the Vale of Glamorgan, 'Cowchella'. But the 49-year-old was forced to alter his plans after those behind Coachella, the 250,000-capacity music festival, got in touch. The renamed 'Moo-La-La Festival' will feature a string of tribute acts and is to be hosted by Watkins, alongside Claire Sweeney, the television personality and actress, and Owain Wyn Evans, the Radio 2 presenter. The change was announced as new social media accounts were set up for the festival revealing its 'fab new name', along with a statement that tickets for the event in August would remain valid. Acts set to appear at the festival include Harry Styled UK, Got To Be Taylor Swift, Got To Be Steps, Got To Be Mamma Mia and Wickedly Hariana. Watkins said: 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel like that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous juggernaut of a machine. 'It's a little bit mind-blowing. What we're doing is very, very different to what they do. We don't have Beyonce performing. 'We have a Steps tribute act and also, they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans, hosting, which in my book, is much better than Beyonce.' The Welshman added: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. So yes, those will have to go in the bin – but let's just do that rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' Watkins said the festival, at Bear Field on Aug 2, will otherwise remain the same with 'great food, great drink'. He said: 'Our town is so beautiful, but there's so much untapped potential there, which is why we keep creating events such as Pride. 'We do the panto in town, so many amazing things. I decorate the town hall for Armistice [Day]. I do a lot in the town just to bring a lot of joy, and it's a town that should be celebrated, and that's what Moo-La-La, as it's now called, will be.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Coachella forces Welsh festival Cowchella to change name
Steps star Ian "H" Watkins has said it is "mindblowing" that Coachella has forced his small Welsh festival to change its media accounts for Cowchella in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, went down and its Eventbrite tickets page had its name disappear amid a complaint which Watkins said was from Coachella Ltd, the US festival in Sunday, new social media accounts were set up for the renamed Moo-La-La Festival, hosted by Watkins, actress Claire Sweeney and BBC Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn post explained the "fab new name" and said tickets would remain valid for the inaugural event in August. Coachella has been asked to comment. Welsh singer and actor Watkins, 49, told the PA news agency he was taking the official complaint as "a massive compliment that they feel like our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine"."It's a little bit mind blowing... what we're doing is very different to what they do," he added. He also said people "love that Coachella has put Cowbridge on the map".Watkins admitted that thousands of pounds spent on "marketing costs, posters and banners" would be "a financial impact that we have to absorb".He added: "We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town."So yes, those will have to go in the bin... but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door." He also said there were "lots of festivals" that use wordplay, including GlastonBarry, that had not appeared to encounter the same said the idea of Moo-La-La was to "make it accessible for families that can't afford to go to Cardiff or London" for events that can cost hundreds of pounds."We wanted... to provide an amazing place where everybody could come have a great time, make it family friendly, accessible," he said.
