Three New Aussie Music Festivals Set To Soothe The Big Day Out Blues

When it’s confirmed that the Big Day Out is bowing out for a year it spells only doom and gloom for the Aussie music festival scene, right? Wrong.

Very wrong. There’s plenty of other music events to enjoy, and aside the fact that Soundwave 2015 is expanding to a new two day format in 2015, we’ve profiled some other boutique festivals that are your worth your attendance.

Now comes the news of three more Aussie music festivals joining the fray: including the return of a regional festival favourite, a coastal event in Noosa, and some solid details on a New Year’s Eve festival at Phillip Island.

First off the mark is the Beechworth Music Festival, which has been confirmed to make its return for the Australia Day long weekend next year after its inaugural launch in the regional Victorian town last year, as Beat reports.

The second Beechworth Music Festival will take place on Saturday 24th January in the unique location of the Madman’s Gully Amphitheatre situated at the Mayday Hills Decommissioned Lunatic Asylum (crazy!) and though the lineup is yet to be announced, judging by the inaugural BMF lineup, the 2015 bill should be doozy.

Last year’s edition featured Poison City’s China-conquerors The Bennies, the 4AD signed Castlemaine hero D.D Dumbo, and the very talented Teeth & Tongue all beating back the rain for the wet crowd, along with Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Sun God Replica, My Left Boot, Batpiss and more. Keep an eye on Beechworth Music Festival’s website for the 2015 lineup announcement.

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One festival that does have its lineup locked in, and a very good-looking one at that, is the Originals Music Festival, a brand new event headed to the Sunshine Coast this September from the team behind NSW’s twice-a-month free live music series, East Coast Originals (ECO).

Having recently lost the main sponsor to their non-for-profit all ages events, ECO organiser Marcus Pluckhahn approached festival promoter Mark Pico (of Big Pineapple Fest and Golden Days) to help launch Originals. The inaugural edition will take place at the Noosa AFL Grounds on 13th September, with two stages of music for an all ages crowd.

Headlining Originals Music Festival 2014 will be multi-instrumentalist Ash Grunwald, performing in his Gargantua guise alongside The Living End’s rhythm section of Scott Owen and Andy Strachan. Also on the bill are Melbourne rockers Kingswood, the genre-dabbling Sticky Fingers, Jimmy Page’s fave Aussie band, The Delta Riggs, plus NZ busking expats Bonjah.

Rounding out the bill are Bec Lauhgton, OKA, Carl Wockner, AYLA, Soula, Sahara Beck, In2nation, and Electrik Lemonade.

“There is so much amazing music in Australia, we want to steer away from big headliners and pick great music that goes with our culture,” Pluckhahn states on the festival website’s blurb. “It’s very important for us to have people come to our festival because they trust the Originals will be a great day no matter who we put on. It has worked with ECO for 14 years so we see no reason to change the formula for the festival.”

Tickets for Originals Music Festival 2014 are on sale now (via Moshtix) for the Early Bird price of $40 (+b/f) for adults, $25 (+b/f) for ‘Youths’ (ages 13-17), and just $6.30 for kids 12 under.

(Image: Beyond The Valley. Source: Supplied)

Remember the news of a brand new New Year’s Eve boutique camping festival set to fill the gap left behind by Phillip Island’s Pyramid Rock cancellation?

Well some more information has surfaced on the event, which is now officially christened, Beyond The Valley.

Taking place on the 30th and 31st December, 2014, Beyond The Valley organisers are hoping to draw over 10,000 patrons in its first year with a range of camping amenities beyond the lineup to excite prospective festival-goers.

The Phillip Island Circuit site will be “set up in the lushest of green fields, with views of rolling hills and the ocean beyond,” organisers describe – (likely utilising the former site of Pyramid) – as well as gourmet food trucks, craft beer, cocktail bars, and even extra accommodation in the form of a “pop-up luxury hotel with its very own concierge and first class amenities including a daily hangover spa.”

As for the Beyond The Valley lineup, there will be two stages of music hosting “a carefully curated line-up of artists” and “a cohesive spread of genres and styles.” The bill won’t be announced until August, but a teaser video for the New Year’s festival is soundtracked by AlunaGeorge’s ‘Superstar’ (make of that what you will).

Further information and details of VIP camping packages will be revealed shortly after the August lineup announcement, but in the meantime you can scope out the faux-Native American themed website and social media pages.

Beechworth Music Festival 2015

Saturday 24th January, 2015 – Madman’s Gully Amphitheatre
Mayday Hills Decommissioned Lunatic Asylum, VIC

Lineup & Ticket Details at www.beechworthmusicfestival.com

Originals Music Festival 2014

Sunday 13th September, 2014 – Noosa AFL Grounds, Noosa
Ash Grunwald with The Living End’s Scott Owen & Andy Strachan, Kingswood, Sticky Fingers, The Delta Riggs, Bonjah, Bec Lauhgton, OKA, Carl Wockner, AYLA, Soula, Sahara Beck, In2nation, and Electrik Lemonade.

Tickets and info at http://originalsmusicfestival.com