The Farmer & The Owl Festival First Line Up

The Farmer & The Owl Festival debuts this March, at its new home among the steel lined laneways and lush urban parklands of McCabe Park in the heart of Wollongong, lined with spacious lots and secluded post-industrial alcoves for music consumption and discovery!

Lovingly curated by the Farmer and The Owl label family of Hockey Dad, Totally Unicorn, The Pinheads, TEES and Tropical Strength, it was always going to dish up an eclectic line up of insanely talented artists (you can listen to the official Spotify playlist here).

Beach House | Deafheaven | Snail Mail | J Mascis | Joyce Manor | The Garden | Rhye | Alan Braxe | No Mono | Flint Eastwood | Stella Donnelly | The Aints! | Amyl & The Sniffers | Gavin Rayna Russom (LCD Soundsystem) | A Place To Bury Strangers | Foxing | Banoffee | RVG | These New South Whales | Shogun & The Sheets | Shining Bird | Retiree | The Pinheads | Party Dozen | Flyying Colours | Clea | Milan Ring | Totally Unicorn | Sweater Curse | Lucianblomkamp | Mother & Son | Carla Geneve | New War | Ella Thompson | RAT!hammock | Planète | Wax Chattels | Sunscreen | Lucy Cliché | Godtet

Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House bring their one of a kind, psychedelic pop bliss to Wollongong this March, seven albums of consistent perfection and constant critical acclaim, and a reputation for live shows of evocative airs and celestial sashays that transport fans to another world!

Deafheaven’s genre-agnostic blend of sinister shoegaze guitar tones, post-rock, wraithlike black metal shade has polarized and galvanized fans since their inception in 2010. The San Francisco five piece have been serving up beautiful gloom that has crossed genres and landed them stage slots on mainstream festivals like Coachella!

She has only just graduated from high school, but Snail Mail’s Lindsay Jordan is fast becoming one of the guiding lights of indie rock! The Ellicott City, USA singer songwriter released her debut LP ‘Lush’ to critical acclaim in June this year to critical acclaim thanks to her magnificent voice and liquid guitar skills.

J Mascis needs no introduction. The Dinosaur Jnr frontman and alternative rock icon! By reintroducing volume and attack in his songs Mascis shed the strict limitations of early 1980’s hardcore, becoming an influence on the burgeoning grunge movement. Mascis’ body of work continues to inspire a generation of guitar players and songwriters today.

Californian pop punk four piece Joyce Manor bring their boyish charms, an arsenal of  punchy radio friendly punk jams, with sing along choruses and mosh pit igniting rhythms. Five albums in since their 2008 inception, Joyce Manor shows tend to take a life of their own, make sure you save your energy for this one!

Orange County twins, Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, formed the The Garden in 2011, aged 17! Known for their penchant of experimentation, the underground kings bleed neo punk into sampled beats, creepy vibes and vocals that have no fucks to give.

Hailing from Canada, Rhye have been known to totally silence crowds thanks to Mike Milosh’s otherworldly vocal ability, his high-pitched contralto register and soft, smooth base is fast redefining the sound of modern R&B.

French electronic artist Alan Braxe started making music in Paris in the mid 1990’s, a true legend of house music. He is one of France’s most respected (and played) producers and remixers, who alongside Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter (under Stardust), scored a major global #1 hit with a track most of us have lost ourselves on the dance floor to many a night …. ‘Music Sounds Better With You’.

No Mono is the new project from prolific artist and producer Tom Iansek (#1 Dads/Big Scary) and Tom Snowdon (Lowlakes). Snowdon’s soaring voice backed by Iansek’s production makes for an experience worthy of full body emersion!

Detroit’s Flint Eastwood has built an international audience by writing great alt-pop songs and touring with the tireless work ethic that her city is famous for. She’s a consummate creative, a photographer, videographer, an all-round fierce DIY, boss queen!

Perth singer songwriter Stella Donnelly has the world in the palm of her hand and the patriarchy in her line of fire. The 2017 Levi’s Prize winner has carved a huge space on the airwaves thanks to singles ‘Mechanical Bull’ and ‘Boys will be Boys’ and the news pages thanks to her unrelenting fight for social justice.

When the heavily lauded, heavily influential first incarnation of The Saints split in 1978, Ed Kuepper, the sonic architect and primary songwriter of the original band and their three albums left behind a plethora of unreleased material. Come 2017, he formed The Aints!, recorded it, released it and is touring it!

Amyl & The Sniffers is an explosive punk band from Melbourne, Australia, three chord mega riffs! They have blown apart the past two years since their 2016 formation, relentlessly touring around the globe, giving international fans a taste of Australian music with as much fun as possible and a massive bogan slap in the head!

Multimedia artist and composer of electronic music, Gavin Rayna Russom has produced a body of extremely influential art and music over the last 15 years, she is perhaps best known as the synthesist in the critically-acclaimed band LCD Soundsystem!

New York noise rock outfit A Place To Bury Strangers play a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock! They have become well known for their unwavering commitment to unpredictable often bewildering live shows, and total, some might say dangerous volume!

St. Louis emo tinted indie rock outfit Foxing, often draw comparisons to inventive post-rock groups like Sigur Rós and Explosions In The Sky while still retaining an exciting, emotional edge. Known for their powerful live shows, they are the ultimate crowd pleasers.

Melbourne’s Banoffee has been self-producing her own brand of experimental electronica since 2013.
Originally, Banoffee’s sound was inspired by the sparse minimalism of Arthur Russell, melded with the straight-talking of Laurie Anderson and the sass of Destiny’s Child. Recently though she has taken a new road, the songs remain dark, but instead of wallowing in dread, they seek to inspire happiness.

Hailing from the northern suburbs of Melbourne, RVG, a four-piece, centred on singer-songwriter and namesake Romy Vager, deliver incisive post-punk/retro-pop infused with a liberal dose of downcast catharsis, confessional lyrics and downright infectious hooks!

These New South Whales bring a crisp brand of power and songwriting to post-punk that pools a good dose of punk, garage, metal, new wave and goth in one mangled brand of punk. The combination of their signature nipple tape, obscene strobes lights, smoke machine and deeply pitch bent vocals, create sonic hell-scapes!

Shogun & The Sheets is the brand-new band from ex-Royal Headache frontman Shogun a crystallisation and evolution of Shogun as a musician and songwriter. The Sydney sider is best known for his beautifully forceful voice, unwavering, even when he is booming at velocity. Delivering the rock n soul party wherever he goes!

Experimental pop band from the coastal town of Austinmer, Shining Bird serve up a unique brand of Australiana-infused dream pop. Gorgeous harmonies, spacious delivery and the intertwining of nature’s own music help Shining Bird stand out, and alone in the local musical landscape.

Sydney/ Melbourne trio Retiree delve deep into tropical-pop production, their live set throws all their keyboards, guitar pedals and woodblocks on stage, resulting in long-legged convulsing to a drum machine under honest lyrics.

The Pinheads are one of the Leisure Coasts must-see live bands; no mic stand was left unturned, no face left unmelted, no speaker stack was left unclimbed. They reside within a stylistic purgatory – too weird for punk shows, too free-form for garage rock, too genre-defiant for rock & roll, persevering on their own path!

A sonic partnering of saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet, Party Dozen is a project loosely based around improvisation. Conceived in Berlin, the two Sydneysiders, deliver a set of musical art with a taste that endures.

Emerging from Australia’s vibrant shoegaze scene, Melbourne’s Flyying Coloursarrive at a sound that combines My Bloody Valentine’s wall-of-sound guitars and barely there girl/boy vocals with sun-drenched melodies.

Clea is a true artisan who strives for control and ownership in all aspects of her art, be it photography, film, fashion, graphic design, art directors or her stunning alternative ethereal pop folk songs. Music is the Brisbane local’s deepest passion, and thanks to her velvet voice, what has helped her make her mark over the past three years.

The concepts of duality spirituality and personal evolution are a constant source of inspiration to Milan Ring’s artistry, as is the influence of her environment. From the sparkling city of Angels to humble Australian outback bedroom beats, her music is a rendezvous between polarities, laced with spiced Caribbean rhythms.

Not experiencing Wollongong metal core outfit Totally Unicorn live is like never tasting good coffee, or top shelf champagne, you are missing out! Known for their epic unpredictable live sets, that may or may not feature nudity!

Unabashed dorks Sweater Curse started captivating Brisbane’s local scene with their charm and evocative, jangly melodies. Writing songs that have been described as ‘slightly depressing but still groovy’ and ‘introspective, slightly sparkly indie-rock’ the band carved out a niche for themselves with a throwback feel.

From Cape Town, South Africa, to Melbourne Australia producer Lucianblomkamphe has soared from the lush underground of Melbourne’s electronic scene and made his mark on the world stage. From a childhood where life revolved around the violin (which he learned from the age of six), to his latest three part opus, ‘Sick Of What I Don’t Understand’, and production credits on key tracks from Georgia based singer-rapper 6LACK.

After establishing themselves as a favourite on the Wollongong scene in the later 00’s, playing their last show before a five year hiatus at the inaugural Farmer & The Owl Festival in 2013, swampy/garage duo Mother & Son will end that break back where it began!

19 year old singer songwriter Carla Geneve hails from Albany in WA, her captivating live show, relatable lyricism and shift of dynamic into alt-rock territory saw her burst onto the WA scene in 2017, hailed by Pilerats as one of ’18 Artists to Watch in 2018’, jam packed rooms on the East Coast and streaming stats most artists would die for, they were on the money.

A nasty blur of R & D (rhythm and detonation), open-bordered punk and fevered reports on life, money, and violence, New War are a monstrous, marvelous, entity unto themselves. The four-piece from Melbourne that holler and bark their way under your skin to fester forever.

Musically hinting at both the future and the past, her unique take on electro-realism piled in as much optimism as it could muster without forgetting the dose of reality necessary for the current climate, Ella Thompson is an artist who is always honing her multi-disciplinary craft, moving from production, voice, synthesisers and song writing.

Somewhere between the lo-fi bedroom pop of Alex G and the classic 90s sound of Pavement lie Melbourne four-piece RAT!hammock, Unassuming but delightfully weird, RAT!hammock mine much- traversed indie rock terrain, but prove that there are still many diamonds to be found in the rough.

Melbourne’s Planète has built a strong following over the years, standing out as a unique artist within Australia’s growing electronic music scene. Driving, rhythmic soundscape with introspective qualities, off-kilter sounds, yearning chords, and swinging percussion drawing comparisons to artists such as Bonobo & Four Tet’.

Auckland’s Wax Chattels do not have a guitar player, though you wouldn’t know it based on their overwhelming sound and energy. They create an atmosphere akin to a traditional loud power trio — using a keyboard, bass and 2-piece drum kit to create darkly hypnotic, frenetic music that’s simultaneously sinister and rhythmically complex.

Sydney siders Sunscreen are ready to deliver ultimate UV protection for the emotions and soul. Spearheaded by Alex’s instantly catchy guitar riffs, Sunscreen’s guitar-pop places dreamy Cocteau Twins-esque vocal melodies over driving post-punk-inspired beats.

Sydney’s Lucy Cliché is an ever-evolving project exploring intersections between techno, industrial and electro. Using an all hardware set-up her music delivers a hard-bitten exploration of how physicality and the ethereal can interact in music – heavy bass rhythms lock into pounding drums, washed over with synth chords and acid bleeps.

Godtet featuring Tully Ryan on drums, Jan Bangma on bass, Andrew Bruce keys, Dominic Kirk percussion and led by guitarist, beat-maker, producer, sonic-adventurer Godriguez on guitar,
push the boundaries of improvised music within a framework of hip hop, jazz, soul and atmospheric psychedelic grooves.

Farmer & The Owl is the perfect way to usher in the cool change of Autumn, with 3500 other music fans, some of your favourite artists, and a bunch you are about to discover who will become just that!

Stay tuned for more acts to be announce in the coming months.

Saturday March 2nd 2019, McCabe Park Wollongong