It's Confirmed! Avril Lavigne, Ladytron, Hot Hot Heat, Editors, Juliette Lewis to play Beijing

So this is really happening. We've heard a lot rumors about the Music Valley International Music Festival (former known as Pinggu Music Festival) and all of them were confirmed true yesterday. Ladytron? Yes. Hot Hot Heat? Yes. Editors, Little Boots, KT Tunstall, Juliette Lewis? Yes,yes, yes, yes!

While Midi and Strawberry Music Festival are still tossing between underground and mainstream, struggling with government approvals from time to time, Live Nation China, organizer of the Music Valley Music festival got it all sorted out.

Yesterday, they held a press conference (possibly the biggest press conference of a music festival in China) in the theater at China Millennium Monument. There were officials from the Ministry of Culture among the attendees while officials from Pinggu District came to announce their cooperation with the organizers and a plan to build the Music Valley which will cost RMB 15 billion (and take the next five to ten years.) The organizers confirmed the lineup and Paul Wong – guitarist of the biggest rock band in Hong Kong history, Beyond – was there to play a song he wrote for the festival.

It seems that this is the first festival to go for the populist vote but questions remain. How far can they go? How will Chinese people react to these acts when they can only say "I've heard that they're popular in Western countries?" With big investment and support from the government, will rock & roll soon become nothing more than a slogan on TV in China as well?

No matter what the answers are, there will be a festival from April 30 to May 1 in Pinggu District on the far east side of the city at Yuyang International Ski Resort.

Here's the lineup so far:

Avril Lavigne, Ladytron, Hot Hot Heat, Editors, Juliette Lewis, Little Boots, KT Tunstall, Rooney, Negative, Paul Wong, Free the Birds, F.I.R, Shenhong, Huang Xiaohu, Ligaoyang & Band, Jiang Xin and Huang Shujun.

That's Avril Lavigne performing at Wukesong Arena in 2008

Stay tuned to TheBeijinger.com for updates on the schedule, ticket information and how to get out there.