Isn’t it great when rumours turn out to be more than hearsay? Or more pointedly when dreams come true?
Both have been fulfilled this morning with the announcement that – as previously rumored – All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP) is getting resurrected for Australia since it’s last (and only) incarnation in 2009, with a lineup curated and starring Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and a bill handpicked by the band, hosted at Sydney’s Cockatoo Island and Brisbane’s Riverstage and Mt. Buller in Victoria.
Feburary 2013 however, will see the return of an Australian ATP in a big way.
The announcement came late last night that after years of fan demand, ATP fan emails and letters, ATP will return for a very special I’ll Be Your Mirror event in Melbourne. Acting as sister events to the ATP Festivals which usually take place in holiday resorts, I’ll Be Your Mirror is a series of artist curated music, film and art events taking place in cities worldwide, launched by ATP in 2011.
Curating the festival with a stellar lineup of cherry-picked acts is a an Australian act who need no introduction, THE DRONES, who recently took part in the Tokyo leg of I’ll Be Your Mirror last April; and they’ve put together a truly impressive selection of acts.
Firstly, confirming the rumours that they’d be Australia-bound given their Japanese touring commitments early next year, MY BLOODY VALENTINE are topping the bill, and ATP 2013 will be the band’s first visit to our shores since 1992. To say that the UK act’s return to Australia is highly anticipated is somewhat of an understatement, as are reports of a long-awaited follow-up to 1991′s Loveless. Their sophomore record, along with their 1988 debut, Isn’t Anything were both recently reissued, putting their cultural currency at an all-time high.
Joining the noise merchants will be Canadian collective, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR in their first ever Australian show, what seemed an unlikely scenario given their initial separation in 2003 is now becoming a reality.
Another seemingly impossible reunion is at the centre of the bill and confirming yet another, with the original lineup of THE BEASTS OF BOURBON – Tex Perkins, Spencer P Jones, Kim Salmon, James Baker and Boris Sujfovic – getting the band back together for The Drones-curated event. Even after Spencer P Jones mouthed off on stage about an upcoming ATP event, tipping acts like Low and The Jesus Lizard, many thought it unlikely given Jones and Perkins’ falling out, yet here they are.
Rounding out the bill are a number of the finest international noise acts the industry has to offer, including New York post-punk droners SWANS and the influential aural assault of Germany’s EINSTUERZENDE NEBAUTEN. They’ll be joined by New Zealand’s THE DEAD C, USA’s THEE OH SEES and SLEEPY SUN; Australian natives like LOST ANIMAL, HARMONY and the Melbourne-via-London HTRK along with CAM BUTLER & THE SHADOWS OF LOVE and STANDISH CARLYON.
Held over the weekend of February 16 & 17, ATP’s I’ll Be Your Mirror Melbourne isn’t just about the music. There will be two stages, a cinema, art exhibition and an amazing food court. Held at the Westgate Entertainment Centre and Grand Star Recptions, two venues in one combined complex in Altona – a stone’s throw away from the CBD.
Given the quality and legacy of ATP, and that eye-rubbing’it can’t be true’ line-up – this is sure to be one of the events of the 2013 musical calendar.
ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES // I’LL BE YOUR MIRROR MELBOURNE
curated by ATP & The Drones
February 16th & 17th 2013 from Midday
Westgate Entertainment Centre and Grand Star Reception, Altona, Melbourne, Victoria www.atpfestival.com.au
Tickets are priced at $250 (+ booking fee) for a two day pass or $135 (+ booking fee) for a single day pass and go on sale this Monday August 13th at 9am from www.ATPFestival.com
Saturday February 16th curated by ATP
My Bloody Valentine
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Swans
The Dead C
HTRK
Thee Oh Sees
Sleepy Sun
Standish Carlyon
+ more to be confirmed
Sunday February 17th curated by The Drones
The Drones
Beasts Of Bourbon (original line-up)
Einstürzende Neubauten
Lost Animal
Harmony
Cam Butler & The Shadows Of Love
+ more to be confirmed
