Dynamic garage seven-piece King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard managed to escape a collapsing festival stage over the weekend, during the band’s set at a boutique music festival.
Taking to one of the main stages at Sydney’s Secret Garden festival on Saturday night, King Gizzard managed to make it through just eight minutes of their set before the Garden Stage roof – damaged in heavy rains – collapsed.
“To anyone who was at Secret Garden over the weekend: We are very sorry we were only able to play for eight minutes,” the band posted on their official Facebook page today of the incident at the two-day festival.
“The stage roof collapsed and almost chopped Cav’s [drummer Michael Cavanagh] head off. Staff were super helpful and dealt with the situation well. Sorry Sydney!”
Secret Garden festival programmer Adam Lewis tells TheMusic that no one was injured in the collapse. “Yep, we close the stage immediately – safety obviously being the number one priority for us.” “To anyone who was at Secret Garden over the weekend: We are very sorry we were only able to play for eight minutes.”
Organisers believe that a section of the Garden Stage roof had been dislodged by the heavy rains that hammered the festival grounds – located at a secret location on a sustainable dairy farm near Sydney (belonging to the Downes family). Mr Lewis added: “People really rallied together and helped each other out in the rain, and the response from punters since the festival has been really positive.”
The eco-friendly, not-for-profit music festival which raises funds for charity, has been running for five years and sold out before even announcing the first acts of its lineup last December.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard were part of the second lineup announcement last month, joining a bill that included World End’s Press, DZ Deathrays, Elizabeth Rose, The Rubens, Cosmo’s Midnight, Client Liaison, The Trouble With Templeton, D.D Dumbo, and many more.
Around 6,400 punters attended Secret Garden over the course of the weekend and police, and as The Music Network reports, a Police operation resulted in a number of drug-related arrests at the festival.
Officers with sniffer dogs searched the festival site and after searching 91 people and 33 vehicles, charged a number of punters for alleged possession of prohibited drugs: including a 23-year-old man (cocaine); a 22-year-old Oakdale man (MDMA and ecstasy), a 34-year-old Sydney man (MDMA and cannabis), and a 25-year-old Vaucluse woman (cocaine and MDMA).
According to the NSW Police report, all four individuals were granted bail and set to appear at Camden Court on Wednesday 26th March, while confirming that a number of additional drug-related cautions were issued.
“As far as arrests go, we advised our punters in advance that there would be police there and that we did not condone the use of drugs whatsoever, and we’re glad that the overwhelming majority took our advice and enjoyed the festival in a safe and responsible manner,” Mr Lewis told TheMusic of the Police statement.
The Secret Garden promoter adds that the “behaviour of the audience was fantastic,” while the feedback from the event “has been almost unanimously positive.” An additional post on the boutique festivals’ Facebook thanked punters, crew, performers, and everyone “who kept the show running smoothly, despite the mud and constant rain…. we will see you again in 2015.”
Meanwhile, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are set for another music festival appearance this weekend – an evening slot in The ‘Sup at Golden Plains 8 – before embarking on an extensive national tour in support of their soon-to-be-released album Oddments
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Australian Tour 2014
Oddments National Tour – TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Sat 08 Mar | GOLDEN PLAINS FESTIVAL Meredith
www.goldenplains.com.au
Further info here
Sat 22 Mar | ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Perth
8-1am plus THE SILENTS + MT MOUNTAIN + PAT CHOW
www.oztix.com.au
Sun 23 Mar | MOJOS BAR Fremantle
6-10pm plus RED ENGINE CAVES + SPACEMANANTICS
www.oztix.com.au
Wed 26 Mar | OLD BAR Melbourne
Doors 8pm. plus GUM plus mystery DJ
$15+bf www.oztix.com.au www.theoldbar.com.au
Thu 27 Mar | TOTE Melbourne
Doors 8pm. plus GUM plus mystery DJ
www.oztix.com.au www.thetotehotel.com
Fri 28 Mar | BONEY Melbourne
Doors 8.00-11.30pm plus GUM plus mystery DJ
www.boney.net.au www.oztix.com.au
Sat 29 Mar | TOFF IN TOWN Melbourne
8-11pm plus GUM plus mystery DJ
www.thetoffintown.com www.oztix.com.au
Sun 30 Mar | CHERRY BAR Melbourne
Doors 7pm plus GUM plus mystery DJ
www.cherrybar.com.au
Fri 04 April | BRIDGE HOTEL Castlemaine
9-11pm plus CHRIS RUSSELLS CHICKEN WALK
www.oztix.com.au
Sat 05 April | KAROVA LOUNGE Ballarat
Doors 8.30pm plus CHRIS RUSSELLS CHICKEN WALK
www.karovalounge.com
Sun 06 April | BARWON CLUB Geelong
4-8pm plus CHRIS RUSSELLS CHICKEN WALK and more.
www.oztix.com.au
Wed 09 April | SMALL BALLROOM Newcastle
9pm Happy Club
plus special guests
Free entry www.thesmallballroom.com.au
Thu 10 April | ROLLER DEN Sydney
8pm door plus special guests
www.therollerden.com.au
Fri 11 April | GUMBALL FESTIVAL Sydney
www.thegumball.com.au
Further info here.
Sat 12 April | FBi SOCIAL Sydney
plus special guests
http://fbisocial.fatsoma.com/
Sun 13 April | FARMER & THE OWL LANEWAY PARTY Wollongong
www.yoursandowls.com.au
