In light of the shutdown of countless festivals and other events on a global scale due to the coronavirus pandemic, Courier Club is organizing an online music festival through the video game Minecraft. Block By Blockwest: A Minecraft Music Festival will provide users a unique, interactive music, arts and gaming experience to help break the tedium of the current global quarantine on April 25.

Per Loudwire, the festival will aim to unite performers, artists and fans as they collectively play games, partake in “live” shows, view various pieces and installations from up-and-coming artists and even purchase merchandise from their favorite performers through an interactive online merch tent. The festival can be attended through the Java edition of Minecraft. Users will login, select the Multiplayer option and type in “fest.blockbyblockwest.com” for the server address. Once they visit that server they are in the festival.

The full process is outlined below. Those who don’t have access to a Minecraft account can still enjoy live streams of all performances, including audio, through the Block By Blockwest website, Twitch, YouTube and or Facebook. The social media sites are not yet active but are promised in the video and should be by April 25.

Performers will include Russian feminist protest punk rockers Pussy Riot, rap-rock trio Fever 333, emo/indie quintet Citizen and many more. Musical sets will be pre-recorded and released/”performed” at a set time within the virtual confines of the festival. In many ways, the festival will function as something akin to South By Southwest, but within the confines of a video game, adding a gaming component to the music, arts and culture elements inherent with the annual SXSW experience.

Courier Club came up with the idea in response to having to cancel their own tour dates. “When COVID-19 hit, we had to cancel all of our upcoming shows for the foreseeable future, as did every other artist,” they said. “Artists and their communities lost opportunities to connect through shows and we wanted to try to create a new interactive hub. We aren’t the first to come up with a Minecraft festival, this is just our take on the concept.”

The band went into greater detail explaining their ultimate goal for the festival. “Instead of a fan-to-artist opportunity, we’re looking at this as a people-to-people opportunity. We’d like BXBW to be absent of social hierarchies and to bring everyone together as equals, playing games together,” the band said. “The artists will function as beacons to bring everyone together through this portal. The need for community is human and despite the fact that we can’t physically congregate, we can use these virtual worlds as a blueprint for adapting during these times ahead.”

All proceeds from the April 25 event will go to CDC’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund. More information about the festival can be found via its website.

UPDATE (4/16): Block By Blockwest has added even more bands to the festival, including Cherry Glazerr, Idles, HEALTH, Grandson, Sir Sly, Against the Current, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, The Wrecks, Enjoy, Sports Team, Your Smith, Riz La Vie, Phil Good, Billy Lemos, Mood Killer, Fashion Jackson, Rich People and Los Shadows.

UPDATE (4/24): Massive Attack has been added to Block By Blockwest, which will take place tomorrow.

Stage One:

12:00-12:50 – Cannibal Kids
12:50-1:10 – Dangerboy
1:20-1:40 – Idles
1:50-2:10 – Kaonashi
2:20-2:40 – Deal Casino
2:50-3:10 – Phil Good
3:20-3:40 – Dana Dentata
3:50-4:10 – Courier Club
4:20-4:40 – Cowgirl Clue
4:50-5:10 – Enjoy
5:20-5:40 – Against the Current
5:50-6:10 – Fever 333
6:20-6:40 – Grandson
6:50-7:10 – Pussy Riot

Stage Two

12:00-12:20 – Skin Mag
12:40-1:00 – Rubber
1:10-1:30 – Rich Peopl
1:40-2:00 – Sports Team
2:10-2:20 – The Polar Boys
2:40-3:00 – Heart Attack Man
3:10-3:30 – Riz La Vie
3:40-4:00 – Knocked Loose
4:10-4:30 – The Wrecks
4:40-5:00 – HEALTH
5:10-5:30 – Sir Sly
5:40-6:00 – Citizen
6:10-6:30 – Hunny
6:40-7:00 – Nothing,Nowhere

Stage Three

12:00-12:20 – Los Shadows
12:30-12:50 – ????
1:00-1:20 – Mood Killer
1:30-1:50 – Fashion Jackson
2:00-2:20 – Magdalena Bay
2:30-2:50 – Argonaut & Wasp
3:00-3:20 – Billy Lemos
3:30-3:50 – Your Smith
4:00-4:20 – Oliver Francis
4:30-4:50 – Wicca Phase Springs Eternal
5:00-5:20 – Cherry Glazerr

April 26

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford