Latest news with #OwainWynEvans
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.
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.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘Mindblowing' Coachella forces Welsh festival to change name
Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins has said it is 'mindblowing' that Coachella has forced his small Welsh festival into a name change. The social media accounts for Cowchella in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales 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 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, 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.
BBC News
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Pantomine Awards return to Surrey for a second year
The annual Pantomime Awards are taking place in Surrey for the second year UK Pantomime Association ceremony takes place at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking on Sunday celebrities include Rylan, Owain Wyn Evans and Maisie Smith (starring in Beauty and The Beast at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury) who are all nominated for the Best Newcomer award. The production of Snow White at Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne has four nominations including Best Pantomime (500-900 seats) and Best Director. A total of 52 judges collectively visited 216 venues to see 496 performances across the South East venues nominated across the 22 categories include:Pavilion Theatre, Worthing (two nominations for Lighting and Sound)Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells and Central Theatre, Chatham (both for Magical Being)Stag Theatre, Sevenoaks (Ensemble)The ceremony will be presented by Elaine C Smith, Dave Benson Phillips and La Voix with performances by Basil Brush and Anita Harris. The event was also held in Surrey in 2024 at G Live in Munday-Webb, awards producer and vice-chairperson, said: "The Pantomime Awards get bigger and better every year, and the event has come to be known as one of the highlights of the annual panto calendar. "As well as celebrating excellence and innovation in the art form, this year we are privileged to be showcasing a range of both newer and some of the most established acts. "It will, as ever, be a very special evening."
