The Dalmatian islands have long been home to young Aussies escaping their winter for sun-soaked weeks of partying in Croatia.
This year, backpackers can expect slightly more than the eurotrash club music they’ve become accustomed to as Modular Recordings announce the inaugural FOR Festival, a music event on the Croatian island of Hvar running from June 21st to 23rd.
Described by the label as “an intimate, luxurious music experience”, the weekend will be headlined by none other than Australia’s very own world dominators, Tame Impala.
Having just rocked the stages at Coachella 2013 – so much so that they found a new fan in Danny DeVito – they’ll make their way to Hvar in between playing everywhere from regional Australia (for Groovin The Moo), to Barcelona (Primavera Sound), Germany (Hurricane Festival) and the iconic Glastonbury, to name but a few.
Joining the Perth psychedelic rockers is fellow NME Awards nominee, Solange, with the latest EP from Beyonce’s little sister, True, garnering a 9/10 from our reviewer, calling it a “surprising genre-melding release”.
Fans of the now-defunct LCD Soundsystem will get their fix as James Murphy takes a break from producing the new Arcade Fire record and joins the party, along with Laneway star Nicolas Jaar and Belgian brothers 2ManyDJs. Modular Recordings announce the inaugural FOR Festival, a music event on the Croatian island of Hvar running from June 21st to 23rd.
Beefing up the West Australian contingent on the lineup is Canyons, who are playing a brief run of shows in the States later this month. They’ll be joined by another Aussie duo, Bag Raiders, as well as Norway’s Young Dreams, who paid tribute to both fellow labelmates Tame Impala and Burt Bacharach with their cheekily titled cover, “Feels Like We Only Go Bachwards“.
Also on the bill are Tensnake, Jacquis Greene, Kate Boy, Horse Meat Disco and Symbolone, with “many more acts” to be announced closer to the date.
For those unfamiliar with the area, Hvar is just a short ferry ride from Split, and is revered for its 16th and 17th century architecture, wineries and fishing culture. The festival itself is in fact named after the island’s ancient moniker, as it used to be spelled as “For”, before the Croats replaced the “F” with the Croatian consonant “Hv”.
In such an idyllic location, the promoters recommend that attendees “swim in the aqua Mediterranean waters, explore the island’s historical sites, partake in local activities such as rock climbing, sailing, or kayaking, and feast on local culinary delights” during the day, before the real fun begins when the sun goes down.
The entertainment will run across three venues, though it doesn’t seem as though clashes are a risk as each play host to a different set. Amo Beach will be the scene of afternoon parties, before Veneranda takes care of the evening’s live acts, and when that’s all over, revellers can head over to the aptly titled Carpe Diem Beach Club for all-night DJ sets.
If it wasn’t enviable enough already, tickets to the 3-day event are limited to just 2,000 and go on sale next Tuesday 30th April. If recent festival ticket sales (where Tame Impala are playing) are anything to go by, pre-registering is the way to go to lessen your chances of missing out.
FOR Festival 2013 Lineup
TAME IMPALA || SOLANGE || 2MANYDJS || JAMES MURPHY || NICOLAS JAAR || JACQUES GREENE || TENSNAKE || BAG RAIDERS || KATE BOY || YOUNG DREAMS || HORSE MEAT DISCO || CANYONS || SYMBOLONE || and more to be announced
FOR Festival 2013 Dates
Fri 21st – Sunday 23rd June
on the island of Hvar, Croatia
More details at: http://forfestival2013.com/
Pre-register at: http://forfestival2013.com/register.htm