It’s January already, where did 2013 go?? Time to get some plans in for the rest of summer before that disappears on us too!
When it comes to making out your 2014 “What to do list…” you have to make sure you have a festive or 2 up the top and if you have a wide eclectic taste range like moi, then you are spoiled for choice, which can pose a problem.
Which ones to go to? Check out the run down, in no particular order, of what’s copasetic for 2014…
Splendour in the Grass
The iconic winter fest of music, hipsters and anything too hot to use the word hot is back in 2014, no doubt with a stellar line up to rival any festie, ever!! The 2014 line-up hasn’t been released as yet, but with artists like Of Monsters and Men, Flume and Empire of the Sun headlining 2013, 2014 should be rife with International super stars! Set in the bosom of mother Byron, Splendour in all its Glastonbury glory is Mecca for the music elite and just plain awesome for the rest of us. Genre wise you will experience everything from the rock, electro, hip hop and alternative and the tics will set you back about $360.00 for the weekend, oh but what a weekend! My recommendation, book accommodation in January as it’s notoriously hard to get closer to the festival!
Meredith Music Festival
Ahhh the serenity! Meredith is nestled in the heart of the west somewhere between Melbourne and Warrnambool and has an amphitheatre that’s hosted an amazing art-house experience for attendees since 1991. Of late Meredith’s avante garde, eccentric festival of zi musac has been raucously devoured by discerning fest hoppers and girly man hipsters alike, spreading the Meredith message, No Glass, No Beenbags and No D*#@heads, after all it’s about the music man. The way to go to Meredith is by ballot, or if you are lucky enough Aunty will choose you as one of her special ones and tics are conditionally handed over. Yes they are scarce and why shouldn’t they be, Meredith is class, unlike others. Tics are around $280 which includes your parking and camping, which is perfect for mid-December. If I only go to one festival this year, Meredith would one of the top few pics.
The Falls Festival
OMG, OMG, OMG I got Falls tics!!!! Nah not really but that’s what I’d probably say if I did. Falls is held for 3 days over the New Year’s period in Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron Bay and the tics are notoriously hard to get, generally selling out in record time! Falls is all about quality artists both international and home grown, old school artists like Neil Finn and Violent Femmes can be devoured along with hip cats like Vampire Weekend and London Grammar, the line up really could be read directly from the JJJ hottest 100…. For the most part, Falls attracts a pretty diverse crowd who are relatively well behaved and is pretty good value at about $410 for the 3 days, this also includes parking and camping. So I say if you can…. DO!
Big Day Out
Ok before there was Future or Soundwave there was BDO… Up until recently Big Day Out was the ultimate music festival in Oz. Held on or around the Australia Day week, BDO has been a staple in the musical diet of the festie aficionado. Huge international acts both mainstream and not so much, have played BDO, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana, Iggy Pop, Soundgarden, the Ramones are just a few of the headliners in BDO history and that’s not even the half of it. Due to its sheer size, side shows were created to accommodate a variety of flavours to make everyone happy and the vaudevillian style of the first few years set the standard for what a true international music festival should be. Of recent times BDO had suffered from lagging ticket sales, costing around the $180 to $290 mark, probably because the patronage became a little unruly for a while there but for the true lover of all things alternative, BDO is a must… FYI Pearl Jam is one of the 2014 headliners, how could you in good conscience miss that…?
Soundwave
First a test, pick the song:
“Youngbloods run free forever…. Forget the death that’s ever nearer…”
If you know this song, you need to be at Soundwave! BTW it’s Youngbloods by the Amity Affliction, insert roar here… Soundwave is metal heaven, if you like it full o’ riffs and loud then get in it! Old school and newbies collide with a bevy of metal royalty, the line-up for 2014 includes Greenday, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots just to name a few. Soundwave isn’t for the faint of heart, it’s loud, sweaty and it goes off. Held between mid-February and the start of March, Soundwave attracts a really solid crowd that are remarkably well behaved. Tics will set you back about $185 and it’s held in most capital cities. WARNING, WARNING, WARNING…. Soundwave may cause momentary loss of hearing and voice, but you’ll love every second of it! ROAR…..
Melbourne International Jazz Festival
Smooth cats and peeps of substance, you have found your niche. If you get immersed in the smooth rhythms and boisterous brassy tones of good, yes I mean good, jazz then you would be totally remiss to miss the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Running from May 30 to Jun 8, the festival encompasses new, old, unique and experimental forms of the genre and is without a doubt the best showcase for jazz contemporaries on offer. Of course beautiful and cultured Melbourne delivers an array of excellent venues for the multiple acts that descend on the city for this festival. Show entry ranges from $10 to $90 and is worth every cent. Don’t you just want to be that cool….
Byron Bay Blues Festival
Byron is the spiritual home of blues on the east coast and is the perfect back drop for the earthy ground roots and blues that will experience at the Byron Blues Fest. International and local artists alike make the pilgrimage to Byron for this 5 day soul cleansing trip to music’s core. Nahko & Medicine For The People, Joss Stone, Joe Camilleri & the Black Sorrows, Jeff Beck are just a few of the artists announced for the 2014 line-up. Running Easter weekend from the April 17 to 21, Byron Blues provides a fantastic, chilled environment and the down home feel of Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm which includes market and natural food stalls makes this an experience that’ll have you going back year after year. Tics will set you back anywhere from $169 up but the Buddy package is probably the most friendly at $1750 (for 2 people) for a 5 day pass including camping. And… it’s family friendly!
Tamworth Country Music Festival
Tamworth is without doubt the home of country music in OZ, we have produced some of the most prolific country artists of modern times and Tamworth is where it all began from there. From humble beginnings in the late 1960’s The Tamworth Country Music festival has risen to one of the most visited and well known music festivals around, in fact in 2007 Forbes ranked Tamworth as number 8 of the Worlds Coolest Music Festivals, giddiup! With names like Troy Cassar-Daley and Adam Harvey opening the festival this year, you really can’t go wrong. The festival runs over 7 days from Jan 17 to 26 and literally takes over Tamworth Shire. What’s on show? Everything from top international artists to some of the most talented buskers you will ever see and most of them are just kids but wow, serious talent. Entry to events will cost you anywhere between $9 and $50 and you will certainly get your money’s worth. Oh and to the haters, Keith Urban makes more in a day then most make in a year AND he’s married to Nic Kidman, so there!
Future Music
What can you say about Future Music; well for starters it is chocca’s with international artists. The likes of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah are what you will experience at Future, some of the best DJ’s in the world put their hands in the air for Future Music, it’s known as one of the top mainstream pop, hip hop, electro festies there is and it’s here in Oz…! The crowd is pretty standard, a little bit of metal head, a touch of muscle shirt lifter, a sprinkle of hipster and a good slosh of screaming fem Gen Y in little shorts and t-shirts makes it a pretty solid mix and the security is pretty good too! Future is on in all major cities running from March 1 to 10 and tics are pretty standard at about $170. Future is a feast for the senses if your senses like good mainstream beats, a big crowd and teeny weeny shorts…. Amazeballs!
A Day on the Green
Ok so you’re a little older, wiser and have grown an appreciation for good food, a nice 2010 Rutherglen Durif or possibly a Pig and Whistle honey microbrew, you prefer to listen to Paul Dempsey or Katie Noonan whist reading the paper on a Sunday morning and you appreciate a good winery tour…. A Day on the Green is for you! Held at award winning wineries, stunning bot gardens and lush theatres all over the country, A Day on the Green is the celebration of an appreciation of great live music, fabulous wine and food and is the essential chill session in the glorious February sunshine. Artists for the 2014 line-up include Hunters & Collectors, British India and You Am I, could you get better…? Tic prices start at around $100 for general admin and go up to almost $300 for the gazebo dinning package, which let me tell you is pretty fantastic! You don’t have to be Gen X to get into A Day on the Green but a mature appreciation of the day is a must, and of course what happens on the green stays on the green, wink wink, nudge nudge…
So there you have it, I still can’t choose!
Any festival organisers reading this post may be interested in checking out our crowd control barriers.
