Harvest 2013 festival-goers have already been told they can look forward to “a hell of an announcement” for the second round of bands that will join the likes of Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand, Goldfrapp, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Drones on the 2013 bill this November.

“It’s definitely our biggest 2nd announcement!” teased Harvest promoter AJ Maddah back in July, and now it looks as if the scale of what he was hinting at has been revealed as the second Harvest 2013 lineup announcement leaks.

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon has revealed that his ‘other’ band will be playing Harvest 2013 this November, confirming in an interview with Triple J this morning that Volcano Choir will be heading up the second Harvest 2013 lineup announcement.

“The answer to your question is ‘yes’,” Vernon told Triple J’s Zan Rowe on air. “We got a great offer to come down to Australia and play at the Harvest Festival, and I’m excited. It’s one of my favourite places to be and to play and I can’t wait to be here in November.”

The Harvest dates marks Volcano Choir’s first ever visit to Australia, arriving off the back of their recently released sophomore Repave, the follow-up to 2009 debut effort Unmap. The group features the vocals and talents of Justin Vernon along with the members of instrumental American group Collections Of Colonies Of Bees.

It seems that Maddah had an inkling that the bands he had booked for the second Harvest 2013 lineup announcement had some loose lips. The promoter originally had the 12th September planned for the announcement, but it is pushing that forward as a result of the Volcano Choir leak.


The collab-happy Bon Iver frontman was last in Australia to perform as part of Sounds Of The South, an all-star tribute to American folk music and writer Alan Lomax as part of this year’s VIVID Live in Sydney, and Vernon hinted that following Volcano Choir’s Harvest appearance he could be back with another of his many side-projects.

“Maybe we’ll get there one more time in 2013 after November, who knows,” Vernon says. “Whenever I come I always spend extra time. I’m very at home there.” But don’t expect an additional tour visit to be from Bon Iver, as Vernon has explained that he’s spending some downtime away from his main musical project, suggesting he’s struggling with writing.

“I don’t really write songs anymore,” Vernon told Triple J. “The last Bon Iver record was a very ‘sitting down with a guitar and writing’ kind of record. I really have to be in a specific headspace to even begin to illuminate an idea that would create another Bon Iver record, and I’m just not there… All of the music I’ve been making shifting away from Bon Iver feels really good … so if I ever do go back to Bon Iver it will be all the better for it.”

The second round Harvest 2013 lineup announcements for the first editions of the festival brought the likes of Mogwai, TV On The Radio and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in 2011, and Dexys Midnight Runners, Silversun Pickups, and Los Campesinos! last year, so along with Volcano Choir, the second Harvest 2013 lineup announcement could be bringing some big international names to the bill.

Meanwhile, the Harvest Festival sideshows will see many of the event’s bands teaming up for co-headline shows in the tradition of previous years, and will likely be announced shortly after the second lineup announcement. Also as per Harvest tradition, sideshows will only happen outside of Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, in the states Harvest won’t trek to. But expect potential sideshows from Franz Ferdinand, Eels, Neutral Milk Hotel, Goldfrapp, and Primus.

Harvest 2013 Dates & Tickets

Sunday November 10: Melbourne, Werribee Park
Saturday November 16: Sydney, The Domain
Sunday November 17: Brisbane, City Botanic Gardens
www.harvestfestival.com.au

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