Dubai Sound City - bringing you the latest news, reviews and interviews...

We'll be getting up close and personal with the first music festival and conference of its kind ever to be held in the emirate.

It is not the first time a Liverpool music business brand has become a global franchise.

Superclub Cream, started by James Barton, is now a world-wide phenomenon, with events in Poland, Spain, South America, Mexico and this year in Abu Dhabi.

Organised by the team behind Liverpool Sound City and New Dawn, Dubai Sound City begins on Thursday and will showcase the best of the British music scene to an international audience.

Echo and the Bunnymen will be joined by a host of acts including Ian Brown, Happy Mondays, The Human League, Super Furry Animals, The Wombats, Alphabeat, Gabriella Cilmi, Ocean Colour Scene and The Farm.

Festival director and LIPA lecturer Dave Pichilingi said: "Everything is shaping up to be the most amazing three days the UAE has ever witnessed. We will be presenting over 40 bands on 10 stages in the most beautiful settings throughout Dubai.

"Everything is coming together and teams in Liverpool and Dubai are burning the midnight oil to deliver what will be the most amazing winter festival in the sun.

"We are flying in over 100 bands, including loads of Liverpool favourites like legends Echo and The Bunnymen, Sound City favourites The Wombats, up and coming starlets Sound Of Guns and the office favourites Wave Machines."

Also heading to the UAE will be South African New Wavers Dirty Skirts and Parlotones, The Courteeners, who are gearing up to release the follow up to their top 10 album St. Jude, electro king Kissy Sell Out, Futureheads, MOBO award winner Nitin Sawhney, Irish rockers Aslan, and Doves.

Dubai's burgeoning local music scene is just as important, and the best local bands will share stage time with the top acts.

The headliners will perform at the Irish Village, while other key events are to be spread across the area's music venues including Chi@The Lodge and 360º.

As well as the musical line-up, there will also be a series of conference panels discussing the emerging music scene, at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, a five-star business hotel.

Speakers will include Bobby Talwar, director of events company Only Much Louder, that recently put on India's first international festival, The Big Chill, in Goa.

Other delegates include Shun Mori, from Japanese publishers Fujipacific; Brian Neilsen, from Danish agents Skandinavian Bookings; and Crispin Hearn, from Primary Talent; who represents acts including Oasis, Babyshambles, The Bluetones, Ladytron and The Wombats. Conference debates will include Dubai and India: The Titans of the Middle East and Asia, which will discuss whether India's growing young population will be the key music market of the future.

Mr Pichilingi said: "The conference side will start off smaller than the Liverpool event but we hope it will grow year on year. The idea is that Dubai, like Liverpool Sound City, will become an annual event.

"Year one is a real statement of intent. We are also taking over 40 speakers from across the globe with Liverpool big wigs such as Alan Wills from Deltasonic Records also getting involved. We've booked 1,000 flights and are sleeping over 5,000 hotel bed nights. Booking this lot alone has been a mammoth task, but it promises to be the world's hottest winter music festival."