While many of the biggest names in the Australian music festival market had a tough 2013, with the cancellation of several high profile events, the success of the boutique festival scene continues to flourish.
While established events like Boogie, Festival Of The Sun, The Gum Ball, River Boats, The Hills Are Alive, Secret Garden, and many more continue their status as quiet achievers, a number of new events are popping up all over the country and enjoying great success.
Now the Central Coast is being gifted with another new “boutique and sustainable event”, a brand new one-day music festival that throws the spotlight on a strong Australian lineup in a unique geographical setting “that combines a range of music genres and aesthetics in an attempt to replicate the Australian landscape, culture and way of life.”
Introducing the inaugural Mountain Sounds Festival, launching on Saturday 15th March, where a bill of Aussie indie bands, DJs, and electronic acts will converge on the Mount Penang Gardens in regional New South Wales, described as “eight hectares of cascading waterways and stunning summer aquatic gardens” located an hour’s drive north of Sydney.
As for the soundtrack filling the mountain air, the inaugural Mountain Sounds Festival 2014 lineup offers a mix of established and emerging music-makers for a variety of tastes.
For lovers of indie rock and guitar pop there’s the colourful Jinja Safari, the return of The Holidays, the prodigious Snakadaktal, riff rousers Sticky Fingers, and direct from the Sunshine State, award-winning singer-songwriter Emma Louise and Brisbane’s Ball Park Music.
Electronic fans will enjoy the presence of Flume-approved producers (and popular Triple J Unearthed acts) Cosmo’s Midnight and LDRU, along with Aussie mashup maestros Yacht Club DJs, Rome’s Yolanda Be Cool, plus Canyons and Midnight Juggernauts, who will be on hand to perform winning DJ sets.
Rounding out the first-ever Mountain Sounds 2014 lineup, and sure to get the dancefloors charged, is Modular acts Beni and Wordlife (performing a live set) and some self-described “Jolly Jams” from Softwar, with more acts touted to swell the lineup ranks in the coming months.
Presented by Sydney community broadcaster FBi Radio, Mountain Sounds Festival aims to “promote and showcase the Central Coast as a tourist destination and provide a platform for local artists, businesses and the community.”
The event organisers also promise the event will be eco-friendly, noting that all operations will be driven by “sustainable initiatives and procedures to prevent negative environmental impacts, thus reducing the carbon footprint.
Early bird tickets for the event are on sale now at a budget $79 (plus booking fee), while $129 VIP tickets will offer patrons the chance to skip queues, an exclusive cocktail bar, dedicated concierge, and extra toilets (a festival godsend).
Mountain Sounds Festival isn’t the only event taking advantage of the arrival of Autumn this March. Along with the latest editions of Aunty Meredith’s Golden Plains and the ‘friends of friends only’ The Hills Are Alive, Tasmania is getting the brand new boutique festival, Panama.
MOUNTAIN SOUNDS FESTIVAL – TRAILER from Mountain Sounds Festival on Vimeo.
Mountain Sounds Festival 2014 Lineup
Ball Park Music
Beni
Canyons (DJ Set)
Cosmo’s Midnight
Emma Louise
The Holidays
Jinja Safari
LDRU
Midnight Juggernauts (DJ Set)
Snakadaktal
Softwar
Sticky Fingers
Wordlife (Live)
Yacht Club DJs
Yolanda Be Cool
+ more to be announced.
Mountain Sounds Festival 2014 Dates, Tickets
Saturday 15th March 2014 – Mt Penang Gardens
Mount Penang Parklands, Kariong NSW
18+
www.mountainsoundsfestival.com.au/
Tickets available from Ticketbooth.
Early Bird: $79 + bf
General Release: $89 + bf
VIP: $129 + bf
VIP Benefits
Bypass queues with express entry directly into the event
Exclusive cocktail bar provided by Cointreau with canapés
More toilets
Undercover areas and comfortable seating
Dedicated concierge with cloak room and information services
