Titanic Festival Company In Liquidation

A music promotions company which had to cancel a concert planned for the Titanic centenary celebrations has gone into liquidation.

Hydroponic Music Limited called off the Titanic Lockdown festival on June 1 and 2 due to poor ticket sales.

The Tourist Board-sponsored event, at the T13 former shipyard hangar in the Titanic Quarter, was due to be headlined by the Happy Mondays and New Order.

It would have been the first time New Order played in Belfast for 26 years.

The Titanic Lockdown was described by organisers as a "boutique festival for Belfast’s music lovers".

But when the event was cancelled, organisers said: "No one is more disappointed than us that the event will not now be taking place, but unfortunately the circumstances are simply beyond our control."

Hydroponic, founded by DJ Michael McKeown, is now going into liquidation and owes about £240,000 to artists' booking agencies, Heineken Ireland and local security firms and riggers.

Tickets that were sold for the event have now been refunded.

Anyone with outstanding debts from the company must send their full names and addresses, the name and address of their solicitor and the details of their debts or claims to liquidator Nicholas McKeague, FCA, of McKeague Morgan & Company, 27 College Gardens, Belfast BT9 6BS by July 31.

(NE/GK)