Paint the picture in your head: a stage, your favourite artists, wide open spaces of green, long queues and unpredictable weather. Sounds like your average music festival, right?
These days ‘average’ doesn’t just cut it anymore. Overseas, our American festival circuits are filming documentary-worthy performances, fuelling Instagram with a slew of fashionable ensembles, and stealing all the spotlight from us music lovers down under.
Too long have our red, white and blue comrades excelled at defying the expected when it comes to festivals, isn’t it time we raised our own flag? With so much rich talent and scenic locales here in Oz, we should be upping the ante.
Fortunately, with Yours & Owls Festival coming around later this year, Aussie music fans have something to be excited about. Gone with the wind is the ‘average’ descriptor, it’s time for some antonyms, as the ‘Gong prepares to prove once again why Yours & Owls is so much more than just a music festival.
Genre Diversity
In 2019, if you’re not listening to everything genre-wise, then you’re essentially listening to nothing. We’re only halfway through the year and already so many albums have been released from a whole spectrum of genres that are ready to take their places at the top of our Album of the Year lists.
Yours & Owls, unlike many other festivals, reflects this musical phenomenon in their massive setlist for 2019. With how diverse this lineup is, you can see your favourite local hardcore band and pop superstar on the same day.
Rock out to the new Australian anthem ‘Pedestrian at Best’ with Courtney Barnett and then witness the greatest electronic pop songs of the last two decades with Sneaky Sound System. Or perhaps you’d prefer to strain your voice to the magnificent rage of Fucked Up followed by some tear-stained balladry from Vera Blue. The choice is yours, and it’s this very slew of juxtaposing genre choices that makes this year’s lineup so unique.
Check out ‘Everybody Here Hates You’ by Courtney Barnett:
Environmental Initiatives
As of 2018, Yours & Owls has gone completely plastic free in an attempt to make the festival as environmentally friendly as possible. Alongside this, the festival partnered with Wollongong City Council to plant trees around Puckeys Estate in a restoration attempt.
Single-use plastics have been officially replaced with eco-friendly alternatives to last across the two days, a move that sees over 15,000 single-use items switched out for the better.
This initiative was made to not only improve the impact that a festival has on the environment but to also set a benchmark for how successfully an event of this scale can run, with such minimal negative impact.
Location, Location, Location
The real estate agent’s mantra applies to Yours & Owls 1000%. The location alone is far beyond and above your average music festival. Gone are the plain grassy fields you’ve come to expect, the ‘Gong does not play around when it comes to vista points.
Stuart Park, the locale where the festival is held, enjoys the benefit of being right alongside a beach. This means that your dreams of a summer festival can be kicked into overdrive, with ocean-view spots to hang out at, long walks on the beach to be had, and most importantly, incredible food from the festival to enjoy by the sea – there really isn’t any other festival spot like this.
On top of this, the whole festival takes place on one stage, which means the age-old tire of walking from one spot to the other just to make it in time to your favourite act is out the window. Come and go as you please to see the main events, switching easily from the music of the stage, to the beachside spots where you can catch a break from the crowds.
Fashion & Food
Apart from being the two things you’ll probably want to take pics of the most, fashion and food go hand in hand as being specialities of Yours & Owls. Festival fashion is essentially in a whole league of its own, with glitter, denim, band tees and flowing fabrics all being in vogue at the same time.
Due to the beautiful location by the water, you’ll definitely want to coordinate a fresh new summery getup with your team for all of those scenic snaps. The ‘crouching on the grass’ photos of Coachella will have nothing on your effortless beachside shots.
On top of this is all the food that’s available due to the festival’s closeness to coast-side eateries and cafés! Even the grub you grab from the food stalls can be enjoyed by the blue waters. Whatever you do though, do not spill sauce on your all-white festival ensemble.
Check out ‘UFO’ by Sneaky Sound System:
We know for a fact that you’re no average joe, so why settle for an average festival? If you’re looking for something so much more than the music (with some pretty stellar music at that), then Yours & Owls 2019 have got you absolutely covered.
Yours & Owls Festival 2019 Lineup
Amy Shark
Courtney Barnett
Golden Features
Hot Dub Time Machine
Angie McMahon
Love Fame Tragedy
Meg Mac
Ruel
Skeggs
Slumberjack
Sneaky Sound System
Thundamentals
Vera Blue
Bad//Dreems
Baker Boy
Bass Drums Of Death
Eves Karydas
Frenzal Rhomb
Fucked Up
Kwame
No Mono
Odette
WAXX
Yumi Zouma
The Beths
Blank Realm
Ceres
The Delta Riggs
Die! Die! Die!
Genesis Owusu
The Gooch Palms
Good Doogs
Hatchie
Kira Puru
Ocean Grove
The Pinheads
Totally Unicorn
West Thebarton
A.Swazye & The Ghosts
Bugs
Crocodylus
Eliza & The Delusionals
Georgia June
The Lazy Suzans
Low Life
Murmurmur
The Nights
Pacific Avenue
San Mei
Special local guests
Burn In Hell
Chuparosa
Dribs
Ducy Muncs
Fait Accompli
Fika
Friday Park
Hopetown
Husband Wants A Wife
Ivori
Legal Aliens
Lemon Row
Rukus
Sam Allen
Tapestry
Tex
The Bungalows
The Fangin’ Felines
The Hints
Tuff Mustard
Underplay
99 Scapegoast
Saturday, October 5th – Sunday, October 6th
Stuart Park, Wollongong, NSW
More info: Yours & Owls
GA tickets on sale Monday, June 3rd, at 9am
