May 10, 1998 16:15

NEWSFLASH: PHOENIX FESTIVAL CANCELLED

The [B]PHOENIX FESTIVAL[/B] scheduled for July 16-19 has been called off...

PHOENIX FESTIVAL, which was to have been headlined by Prodigy, NEW ORDER (pictured) and OCEAN COLOUR SCENE has been cancelled.

Scheduled to have taken place at Long Marston, near Stratford-Upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England from July 16-19, the 45,000-capacity Phoenix was called off by promoters The Mean Fiddler Organisation earlier today. Slow advance ticket sales look likely to have caused the demise of the third major UK music event this summer.

Already this year, the Universe dance event scheduled for May 24 failed to go ahead, followed by the Brixton Double-Header dance night devised as a Universe replacement. Low advance ticket sales took both those shows down.

Vince Power, head of the Mean Fiddler group, told NME this afternoon that New Order and Prodigy have been absorbed into the line-up for Reading Festival which is also organised by Power's company. Reading festival takes place over the weekend of August 28, 29 and 30.

More details on Phoenix will be available as they come to hand.