Organisers of the previously reported Little Nan Jo Jo festival, due to take place in venues in Deptford and New Cross this weekend, have announced the event is being rebranded and scaled down somewhat, because the man responsible for booking headline acts seemingly hadn't confirmed any of the acts he said he was booking.
Little Nan Jo Jo organisers yesterday said their festival had been "hi-jacked by a (now sacked) record label representative" who had promised them he was booking Chromeo, Soulwax, The Gossip and Justice as headliners for the South East London event, seemingly providing promoters with details of the deals and fees he was arranging with the headliners. But, they say, said booker finally admitted last week that no bookings had been made after the festival's organisers got suspicious as to his refusal to hand over production or marketing contacts.
In a statement on the festival's MySpace, the organisers say: "[When we started planning this festival] we were introduced to an individual who we understand worked for a high profile record label. In the course of our working relationship with this man he led us to believe that he had personal relationships with headline artists and had booked these artists for our bill. This individual admitted his deception on Wednesday 25th April 2007. This individual had no financial gain in this particular project - which is why it took us so long to come to terms with his games. Allegedly this has happened before".
Neither the MySpace statement nor the email correspondence we've received from the Little Nan Jo Jo people name the "record label representative" in question, but music website Frinkmusic alleges it was Kim St Martin, who they claim was recently sacked from his job at The Gossip's label, Backyard, but who has just secured a £60K a year job at Independiente.
That last claim does tally with the official statement on the matter, with the Little Nan Jo Jo team saying: "This disgraced (but smooth talking) con man has now charmed himself into a new, £60,000 a year job, at another record label!!! Note to record label - if he is sacked, three or four of the DIY promoters [staging Little Nan Jo Jo] could share that wage and do an honestly good job".
The official MySpace statement says the festival is being cancelled and technically it is, however many of those non-headline acts actually booked to perform are still keen to do so, and so a new event under the Rocklands banner (who already stage regular events in South East London) is being staged, with many of the bands due to play Little Nan Jo Jo set to appear. Organisers tell us: "this not-so-great rock'n'roll swindle has inadvertently raised additional support and rallying round from the industry, and the buzz around Saturday May 5th. Tickets continue to sell well. The streets of New Cross and Deptford will be paved with people [enjoying] over one hundred bands chosen by some of the alternative music circuit movers and shakers, next weekend".
The updated line up is due to be posted on the blog section at the MySpace of one of the promoters behind the festival - http://www.myspace.com/nxpromotions. Tickets for the scaled down event will be £10 for all venues or £5 for one venue. People who had bought a £15 ticket for Little Nan Jo Jo can get a full refund, or exchange their wristband for a Rocklands ticket and get a £5 or £10 refund.