The Falls Music & Arts Festival has put together a gigantic invite list for their 20th and 10th anniversaries, with friends from near and far journeying to our shores this summer to join in the celebrations. The following acts have just popped their RSVPs in the mail and are now preparing their party hats for Lorne and Marion Bay.
With the full festival line-up featuring over 80 first class artists each year there’s a lot to be announced as the festival draws near. Here’s another delicious taste of what’s to come…
Rapidly rising British group Bombay Bicycle Club pen songs which are full of brooding, atmospheric sounds combined with a strong indie-rock sensibility. These fashionable North Londoners have createdthree contrasting albums in as many years, churning out a kind of soft-serve sweetness that completely neutralizes your critical reasoning skills. Their latest tour de forceA Different Kind of Fix hones in on a more stripped back style of beauty, with songs like “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” and “Beg”, sheer cherries on the top of a majestic musical cake.
Every now and then the Gods of YouTube give you cause to kneel down and just worship them. Sometimes it’s because they’ve given you a great insight into the world of putting kittens in bow ties, on much more relevant occasions however they give you something like First Aid Kit. These heart-on-sleeve indie folk tunes, coupled with almost supernaturally glued together harmonies have seen these Swedish sisters break out of the loading box and into the hearts of an obsessive legion of worldwide fans. From their amazing viral video covering Fleet Foxes “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” (which has now had over 3 million views) to their stunning new album The Lion’s Roar; it’s clear they’re only just at the beginning of what will be a massive rise.
Operating like a devilish grin, Grammy Award and Mercury Prize nominees Hot Chip have retained their sense of humour whilst perfecting a savvy alchemy of dance and modern pop music. Since 2000, they’ve released 5 studio albums with mega hits like “Over and Over”, “Boy from School”, “Ready for the Floor” and “One Pure Thought”. Their latest opus In Our Headsis their most concise and uniformly gorgeous to date – a hedonistic joyride that isn’t afraid to get deep. Ready to play their new starry-eyed tunes live in Australia for the very first time; they’ll make you smile, dance and above all extremely happy to be alive.
What is there to say about the ARIA Award winning Adelaide trio Hilltop Hoods that you don’t already know? You know they’re the pinnacle of Australian hip-hop. You know their music is steeped in massive hooks, epic samples, razor sharp lyrics and heavy beats. You know all the words to “Nosebleed Section”, “The Hard Road” and “Chase That Feeling”. With their incredible new album Drinking from the Sun just dropping, you also know that their set at The Falls Music & Arts Festival this December is going to be off the wall.
Playing it straight since the year 2000 is Newcastle’s quintet, alternative-rock group Maxïmo Park. Having already racked up four progressive albums and a Mercury Prize nomination, they’re heading to our shores with their latest offering The National Health. With a wealth of killer hooks, deftly-timed key changes and gut-punch-simple lyrics, they’re set to hit the accelerator pedal to the floor as they deliver choruses so big they have their own gravitational pulls.
One of the most exciting bands to emerge over the last few months from triple j’s Unearthed is Brisbane 4 piece Millions. These garage pop marvels are a young band overflowing with enthusiasm, pumping out exciting tunes like “Guru” and “Those Girls” – which are receiving 5 out of 5 star ratings from the likes of triple j monarchs Zan Rowe and Dom Alessio. Having already shared the bill with acts like The Grates, Bleeding Knees Club and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, they’re ready to take on The Falls Music & Arts Festival and make the stages their own.
Dance genius Orlando Higginbottom, akaTotally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs has already amassed a swag of feathers in his young cap (or futuristic Indian headdress shall we say). From racking up a whopping 2.5 million views on YouTube, to recording with Damon Albarn and remixing Lady Gaga and Katy Perry – it seems he’s found a fast ticket to success. All of this is incredible; however it’s clear the high point of his career so far is his stand out debut Troubleand his extremely energetic live show. With expertly tweaked synths sitting on a bed of complex beats, he mixes house and techno with subtle nods to many genres.
There we have it, 7 new names to get the heart racing: Bombay Bicycle Club, First Aid Kit, Hilltop Hoods, Hot Chip, Maxïmo Park, Millions and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.
The Falls Music & Arts Festival 2012, featuring over 80 artists and so far including (in alphabetical order): Beach House, Best Coast, Bombay Bicycle Club, Boy & Bear, Coolio, First Aid Kit, Hilltop Hoods, Hot Chip, Maxïmo Park, Millions, Sampology Presents A Falls Anniversary Live AV Show, SBTRTK, The Flaming Lips, The Vaccines, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs with many more to be announced.
The Falls Music & Arts Festival 2012
About: A world-class line-up of music, comedy and arts in a relaxed festival environment.
The coastal locations are beautiful and all camping is free.
Events: Dec 28 – Jan 1 in Lorne, Victoria (established. 1993). 18+ event
Dec 29 – Jan 1 in Marion Bay, Tasmania (established. 2003). All ages
Tickets: To be at The Falls Music & Arts Festival this year enter the ticket ballot which is now open via www.fallsfestival.com- get in before the ballot closes at midnight on Thursday August 02.
Follow the festival here:
http://www.fallsfestival.com
http://twitter.com/fallsofficial
http://www.facebook.com/officialfallsmusicandarts
http://www.youtube.com/user/fallsfestival#p/a
Related:
** Click here for our reviews and photos from previous Falls Music & Arts Festivals
