The first act has leaked for the Melbourne Festival 2013 lineup, just hours ahead of the official reveal this evening, with an international act letting slip their involvement as they unveil new recorded material and tour dates today.
Though organisers have already announced a number of arts, theatre, and dance performances early for this year’s Melbourne Festival, the full roster of music acts is to be revealed tonight as part of the 2013 program launch, but it looks like the choral-voiced Pat Grossi, better known as the harp-abetted musician behind the dreamy Active Child, has jumped the gun in announcing his part in the Melbourne Festival, as FasterLouder reports.
Earlier today a post on Active Child’s Facebook page announced details of a new EP entitled R A P O R, while noting “new release means new band and new tours in Europe, US, and Australia!!” and the tour dates reveal that Grossi and his dream pop cohorts have a date locked in for Friday 25th October in Melbourne, which lines up as the final days of the Melbourne Festival – running from 11th to 27th October this year.
Along with the new tour dates, the first track taken from the new R A P O R EP, which follows on from 2011 debut LP You Are All I See and March single ‘Evening Ceremony’, has been released. Entitled ‘She Cut me’, the new instrumental track features Grossi’s distinctively dreamy cooing cut up into fragmented parts against some haunting electronic textures and percussive rumbling and muted harp plucking.
Active Child last toured Australia as part of the 2012 Laneway Festival, performing sideshows at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory and one of the last shows at Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club before it closed down.
Grossi may have jumped the gun on Active Child’s show as part of the Melbourne Festival 2013 program, but all will be revealed this evening following the official program launch. Festival Curator Declan Forde previously offered some bizarre hints to Herald Sun‘s Rock City column as for what bands to expect on the outcome, stating: “Some hints at who’s playing: Hoboken, a crocodile, a former Parkie, a prolific kid, a father-to-be, two crafty cussers, a misspelled dog and some ‘Castaways’.”
The musical selection for last year’s Melbourne Festival lineup included Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth in respective solo modes, Antony & The Johnsons in a special symphonic performance, cult favourites Shellac, a DJ set from Boy George, and the funkified THEESatisfaction along with an eclectic selection of homegrown talent such as The Laurels, My Disco, No Zu, Sophia Brous, and much more.
Melbourne Festival 2013
11th – 27th October, 2013
www.melbournefestival.com.au
