Harvest Makes Hay In Australia

Now here’s a festival that sounds a bit different to the run of the mill “rawk” marathons.

Harvest, might come from the same folks who assault us with Soundwave (which I might add means they know how to run a big event) but it’s a totally different flavout.

Harvest claims to follow a simple design:

Take the line-up of your typical European multi day event, cut out the filler and the acts that everyone has seen once too many times and pack all the greatness into one incredible day for discerning music lovers.

Sounds good so far.

They have made an amazing start by convincing e Portishead to return to Australia after a 14 year absence. Harvest then augments that coup by gathering a collection of the planet’s most outstanding and unique artists and performers in The National, The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Holy Fuck, The Family Stone, Mercury Rev, Death In Vegas, The Walkmen, Dappled Cities, PVT, This Town Needs Guns, The Holidays, Phosphorescent, Foxy Shazam, Kormac’s Big Band (with more to be added)

They are also suggesting they will limit the capacity and exclude under age punters to ensure comfort while substantially increasing the quality and quantity of amenities, services, food outlets and the variety of food & beverage options provided. Good lord – it’s sounding almost…civilised

Last but definitely not least, they will create what they describe as ‘a mesmerizing atmosphere by setting the events in magnificent, natural, green environments; show off all that natural beauty with ambient lighting and visual effects; and place within it art installations, holistic markets, cocktail bars and a plethora of performers — from visual and live art mavericks to neo-cabaret stars.”

Let’s hope it works, cos it sounds really good.

HARVEST DATES

Saturday November 12 – Harvest Presents “The Gathering”, - Melbourne, Werribee Park

Sunday November 13 – Harvest – A Civilised Gathering, - Sydney, Parramatta Park

Saturday November 19 – Harvest – A Civilised Gathering, - Brisbane, Botanical Gardens

There’s a fair chance there will be sideshows announced with a week break between Sydney and Brisbane

 

 

 

TICKETS

 

Very limited Early Bird pre-sale via www.harvestfestival.com.au

 

Tuesday 26 July at noon til sell-out

or Friday 29 July, 5:00pm

$135 inc GST + Booking Fees

 

 

 

General Public tickets go on sale via www.harvestfestival.com.au

www.oztix.com.au & Ticketek

 

Thursday August 4 at 9:00am

$150 incl GST + Booking Fees

 

The National – Palais Theatre

Having discovered The National a lot later than some of their devotees I approached this concert with as much curiosity as anticipation. I’d listened to their latest album High Violet and been impressed, but not excited, if you know what I mean.

Everything about the album was admirable – the songs were strong, the production was impeccable, the lyrics were intriguing and the vocals of lead vocalist Matt Berninger, suggested he was a genuine singer. I’d read enough about them to know that they were valuable creative citizens, contributing to multiple worthwhile musical/social projects.

I actually had allocated them a spot in my musical catalogue alongside The Triffids, who I immediately found myself comparing them to – both sonically and aesthetically.  That’s high praise in itself, but I still hadn’t quite crossed the line from admirer to card carrying fan.

The National concert at the Palais this week (the second of two nights) found me crossing that line.

They were nothing short of outstanding. Musically they offered a much more muscular sound than on record, but it wasn’t a flexing of muscle at the expense of musical dexterity. Rather they took their recorded sound and went somewhere thrilling and intelligently creative with it.  You can only do this when you play like a band that hasn’t forgotten that they are a band first and foremost, and a “performing machine” second. What this means is that The National are actually more excited by the fact that people are digging their music than the fact that they are becoming rapidly more popular. It’s a subtle distinction but an important one and its one that the audience instinctively responds to.

Now it did occur to me that The National are possibly only a couple of hit singles away from turning into Coldplay, such was the ease with which they commanded the stage – you could actually imagine this band making the same connection with a stadium sized audience as they did in this theatre of devotees.  But I suspect that even if that happens they might be able to do it on their terms. And to me that’s something that distinguishes them from their apparent peers like The Arcade Fire, The Decemberists and Band of Horses, none of which I could imagine making the leap to stadia.

Whether The National even have that ambition is questionable anyway, and in a way it’s not even important. What is vital knowledge right now is the vitality with which they play.  The High Violet songs were the ones that leapt out at me, although I’m sure fans of longer standing were equally as excited by older favorites. Bloodbuzz Ohio, Terrible Love and Runaway were examples of very exciting music, but perhaps Afraid of Everyone was the song that made me realize just how good this band is. And the brave and effective semi- acapella (which is of course a contradiction, so sue me) show-closer Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks was a stunning way to round out the show.

It will be really interesting to chart this bands progress from here – they will be faced with a dilemma regarding their own trajectory at some point if it hasn’t happened already. I get the impression that they will work out a solution. They seem to be well equipped to deal with it.

Joan Jett’s In

Joan Jett will return to Australia for the first time since 1995 to headline the four-day Falls Festival at Lorne from December 28. It is not known at this stage whether Jett will be playing any sideshows in capital cities.

In the recent biopic based on the rise to fame of Joan Jett’s seminal 1970’s punk rock troupe ‘The Runaways’, former child star Dakota Fanning portrays lead singer Cherie Currie as an underage minx lost in a haze of drugs, booze and sexual abandon. Jett, played by Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, is her equally decadent but somewhat wiser sidekick. In the 70’s, at a time when American music was dominated by males, The Runaways were an all-girl breath of fresh air.

Since that trailblazing era, Jett has forged a reputation as one of the hardest working American songwriters of her generation. Huge hits like I Love Rock and Roll, Crimson and Clover and Cherry Bomb all feature on the Greatest Hits album released this year and have made her a defining figure in the punk-rock canon. Once described as the “Godmother of Punk” – her songs have been used in shows such as Freaks and Geeks as well as movies like Detroit Rock City and Juno.

“I don’t give a damn about my bad reputation” Joan Jett insists on her 1980 hit Bad Reputation. Even if she doesn’t give a damn, fans around Australia certainly will as she teams up with her faithful band The Blackhearts and unleashes a myriad of fist pumping punk-rock anthems on her devoted audiences.

Concert-goers can also look forward to seeing ground-breaking hip-hop act Public Enemy perform its seminal 1990 album, Fear of a Black Planet, in its entirety

Other acts confirmed for the festival, which tag-teams with the Marion Bay festival in Tasmania for three days from December 29, include major American acts Interpol, The National, Cold War Kids, The Rapture and Sleigh Bells; and from the UK, Klaxons, sibling outfit Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, and dance-comedy act the Cuban Brothers.

Among the local attractions are perennial festival favourites The Living End, Paul Kelly and Dan Sultan. Sweet-voiced Sally Seltmann (aka New Buffalo), psychedelic rockers Tame Impala and brother-sister act Angus and Julia Stone are on the bill.