Yours & Owls Festival will be back bigger and better in 2016 and as promised, today we are stoked to announce our massive lineup. This year our beautiful beach-side Wollongong location will play host to a crew of killer international artists alongside a list of all-star local legends.
It’s time to get planning your road trip down south! Yours & Owls will be taking place over the NSW Labour Day long weekend (1st and 2nd October), across two sun-soaked days at Stuart Park near the North Wollongong Beach. You spoke and we listened, this year Yours & Owls will be running across two main stages and the site will be expanded to create a breezy, comfortable space to give y’all even more room to chuck down shapes. Be warned: there will be a whole bunch more tickets, but if this line-up is anything to go by they’re sure to go even quicker than last year.
Antwon (USA) * Ball Park Music * Bec Sandridge * The Belligerents * Big Scary * Black Mountain (CAN) * Bleached (USA) * Chastity Belt (USA) * Client Liaison * The Coathangers (USA) * COG * DMA’s * The Hard Aches * Hermitude * Hockey Dad * Kilter * KLP * Ladyhawke * Little May * The Living End * Nicole Millar * Pinheads * PUP (CAN)* Remi * Sampa The Great * Skeggs * The Sonics * Stonefield * TEES * Thelma Plum * Tired Lion * Tkay Maidza * Totally Unicorn * Vera Blue
October 1 & 2 Stuart Park North Wollongong NSW
One of the world’s most electrifying new hip hop talents, San Jose’s Antwon has been making a name for himself thanks to his boundary crossing sound and buzzed-about mixtapes ‘Fantasy Beds’ and ‘End of Earth’, featuring production from Salem and Pictureplane. His individual style and approach has seen him rap over everything from Suzanne Vega to Goldfrapp samples, and he will be bringing his sex, sex (and more sex) driven flow to sex up Y&O!
One of the country’s most loved indie troupes, Ball Park Music, have their forth album ready to roll. The band want you to fetch a comfy chair and enjoy ‘Pariah’, the first epic cut off their yet to-be-named album, which follows on from the band’s #2 ARIA and j award nominated LP Puddinghead. The album went on to be nominated for an ARIA award for Best Rock Album and singles ‘She Only Loves Me When I’m There’, ‘Everything Is Shit Except My Friendship with You’ and ‘Trippin’ the Light Fantastic’ all made the 2014 triple j’s Hottest 100. You can listen to the bands first official lead single ‘Nihilist Party Anthem’ off the new album, which is set to land mid-year.
After winning last years’ Y&O’s triple j Unearthed comp, Stanwell Park local Bec Sandridge is an official starter on this year’s festival line-up. Fast forward 5 years after a chance encounter with musician Passenger whilst in Edinburgh, Bec has released four EP’s, including her debut into experimental pop In The Fog, In The Flame, named after the first track released from it. Continuing her migration from folk to self-proclaimed spaghetti disco pop, Bec has released her cheeky new single ‘You’re a Fucking Joke’, which will feature on a forthcoming 7”, via local imprint Farmer and the Owl.
It’s been a whirlwind ride for Brisbane indie-psychedelic super group The Belligerents most recently coming to the attention of the nation with a jaw dropping rendition of Fat Boy Slim’s ‘Praise You’, for triple j’s Like a Version. The re-imagination even got Fat Boy Slim himself talking, retweeting the video with a “LOVE THIS COVER!” and “GREAT WORK!”. With the success of their last two singles, ‘In My Way’ and ‘Voices’ receiving high rotation on triple j and community radio across the country, the fellas have given us a taste of their debut album with single ‘Before, I Am’.
Big Scary have returned. The super-talented Melbourne duo have recently revealed their new single – and accompanying video – ‘Over Matter’, ahead of their upcoming third album ‘Animal’, set for release in September. It’s the second single from the album, following on from last year’s stunning ‘Organism’, which was their first release since 2013’s AMP award-winning LPNot Art.
Canadian heavy rock outfit Black Mountain hit Y&O with their new album IV in hand, home to radio faves ‘Mothers of the Sun’ and ‘Florian Saucer Attack’. Known for their roaring riffs, throwback sound production, brilliant melodic underbelly, and the hypnotic vocal harmonies of bandmates Amber Webber and Stephen McBean, they are one of the darlings of both the stoner and indie rock worlds!
California has birthed its fair share of punk bands, but Bleached have quickly earned a reputation as the flag bearers of a new generation of fast guitar stars from the sunshine state. Two sisters and their mate are our underground heroes for 2016, described as “the Shangri-las on speed”, their sun-soaked pop punk tunes like ‘Wednesday Night Melody’, ‘Keep on Keepin On’ and ‘Dead In Your Head’ from their new album Welcome The Worms will leave you California Dreamin’… or Californicating.
Washington all-girl outfit Chastity Belt bring their unique energy, jagged rhythms, and refreshingly honest lyrical perspective to create incredibly clever and emotive indie rock. Taking experiences from the long nights out, crappy relationships and the bad party experiences of their past and turning them into inspired sources for song writing, they’ve been heralded as leaders of a new wave of influential feminist rock by the likes of Noisey. Check them out live here for US radio station KEXP, and their clip for ‘Lydia’.
Client Liaison are the definition of cool. Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller know how to party; the CEO’s of sass will be transporting Y&O’s to an 80’s disco-tech with their feel-good anthems ‘Feed the Rhythm’, ‘Queen’ & their brand spanking new single ‘World Of Our Love’. After recently wrapping their biggest Australian tour to date, the fabulous pair will finally be dropping their debut album later this year & we can’t wait!
Songs that resided somewhere between no-wave’s caustic stabs of dissonance and garage rock’s primal minimalism, that is where you will find Atlanta trio The Coathangers. Their charisma is contagious, their songs exist outside of fads, and their spirits can weather the inevitable ups and downs of life as touring musicians. Watch ‘Nosebleed Weekend’ here.
Prog rock fans across the country lost their minds earlier this year when the mighty COG announced their return to the live stage after a five-year hiatus. Since their inception in 1998, they have completed endless tours around Australia and the world, have spat out a string of radio hits, ‘My Enemy’ and ‘Run’ from 2004’s ‘The New Normal’, and ‘Bird of Feather’, ‘What If’ and ‘Are You Interested’ from their ARIA #2 follow up ‘Sharing Space’. Welcome back!
From the DMA’s humble beginnings in their bedroom-come-studio in Newtown, to playing slots at Australia’s and the world’s biggest festivals including Governor’s Ball, Coachella, Bonnaroo, The Falls Festival, Laneway and SXSW to making their Burberry-wearing US TV debut earlier this year singing their debut single ‘Delete’ on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert; it’s clear DMA’s are one of countries biggest exports right now. The fellas are currently on a sold out tour of the country in support of their debut #8 ARIA album and triple j feature Hills End.
The Hard Aches are a two-piece who, believe us, make enough noise to more than make up for their lack of numbers. The Adelaide rockers released their debut album Pheromones last year and have found themselves playing in venues as diverse as car parks, backyards, bedrooms & record stores. Honing a sound that is unmistakably their own, brought to life by the technical brilliance of drummer Alex Upton and the frenetic guitar work of Ben David. This year the fellas have jumped on the road with Frenzal Rhomb & Snowdroppers, and hit the main stage of the Laneway festival. Their new single ‘Glad That You’re Gone’ was added to high rotation of triple j.
Hermitude will be the little devil on your shoulder at this year’s Y&O’s festival! 2016 has already seen the Sydney duo voted at #8 on triple j’s Hottest 100 chart with single ‘The Buzz’, before playing to sell out crowds on the international Laneway tour. But it was 2015 that was the Sydney duo’s biggest year to date, owing it all to ARIA #1 album Dark Night Sweet Light, a sold out tour of Australia (including Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion) & New Zealand, not to mention a headline tour of the US, plus festival appearances at SXSW, Governor’s Ball and Lollapalooza and a not-too-shabby total of 7 ARIA nominations.
Hockey Dads will be at home at Y&O and are certainly living up to their childhood pact of becoming “the greatest band… out of Windang”. The local surfers were coined by Consequence of Sound as one of the “most exciting” bands at this year’s SXSW and will dropping their hotly anticipated debut Boronia in August. Put a helmet on / wax up your board and listen to the fellas lead single ‘So Tired’, you’ll feel like Y&O’s has come early!
Riding at the forefront of the new wave of electronic producers coming out of Australia is Sydney-based producer Kilter. Kilter’s infectious and atmospheric sounds have been driving people to the dance floor, but it is his live show that keeps them dancing for hours and sets the electronic whiz kid apart. Kilter strutted into the triple j studio late last year to put his own take on Muscle’s 2007 classic ‘Ice Cream’, for Like a Version, and play his own summer anthem ‘Want 2’. Expect to be listening to Kilter’s latest track, ‘Fool For You’, on repeat ‘til you see it live at Y&O’s.
Operating under the moniker KLP, Sydney-based artist Kristy Lee Peters is a synonym with a bloody good time! KLP is one of the country’s shiniest (and not to mention hardworking) producer, songwriter, vocalist, DJ and radio host. Hosting triple j’s House Party each Saturday and amassing a huge 14 million plays for her solo work on Soundcloud, including tracks ‘Medicine’, ‘Recover’ featuring her Y&O’s festival brother Remi and her latest ‘Air’.
Ladyhawke, yet another Kiwi we love to claim as our own, hit the big time with her self-titled 2008 crossover album that spawned radio hits ‘Paris Is Burning’ and ‘My Delirium’. Top 10 chart positions, ARIA and NZ Music Awards followed. Her second LP Anxiety followed in 2012, and the accolades continued. Now in 2016, she returns this month with a new LP Wild Things, and along with it brand-spankin’ new bangers, like ‘A Love Song’ live at Y&O!
Indie outfit Little May made huge waves last year with the release of their debut album For the Company. The Aaron Brooking Dessner (The National) produced record was a triple j feature album and FBi’s ‘Album of the Week’, as well as scoring huge international acclaim thanks to stunning singles like ‘Home’ and ‘Remind Me’. They followed that success this year, playing to thousands as the main support for Canadian superstars City & Colour on their March/April tour of the country, as well as embarking on their own massive national headline tour in May.
The legendary Aussie trio The Living End returned with their first album in 5 years back in May, with the release of the mighty Shift. Premiering at #4 on the ARIA charts, it reminded legions of TLE fans across the country just what they’d been missing all those years, while inspiring a whole new generation of listeners thanks to epic tracks like ‘Monkey’ and ‘Keep on Running.’
Still recognised as one of the greatest rock and punk outfits this country has ever produced thanks to anthems like ’Prisoner Of Society’, ‘Roll On’, and ‘All Torn Down’, the onslaught of noise produced by Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan will shake you to your core now more than ever.
You may know her name from featuring on Peking Duk’s ARIA Award winning#1, triple platinum selling single ‘High’, which also reached #2 on triple j’s Hottest 100. Yet, 2016 is set to be the year Nicole Millar makes her mark as a solo artist, with the release of her second single ‘Tremble’, from her forthcoming debut EP. After cutting her touring chops with the likes of Peking Duk, RÜFÜS and The Kite String Tangle, Nicole will be rocking out at Y&O with her newly revealed three-piece band.
Ten-pin bowling and pizza enthusiasts, Illawarra lords The Pinheads are guaranteed to rock the Y&O’s hometown crowd. The Pinheads have released their debut EP I Wanna Be A Girl, which was mixed by Owen Renglis (Royal Headaches, The Grates, Straight Arrows) and features title track ‘I Want To Be A Girl’ & ‘If I Have To Wait’. You’ve been warned, the local lads will scare and swoon you, you won’t know whether to run, dance or scream. But either way their spell will have you falling in love and howling for more.
Toronto punk renegades PUP are making huge waves internationally, so it only seems fitting they hit a beachside festival. Hailed as one of “The Hottest Bands In The World” by Kerrang, they’ve been declared as a breakthrough act to watch by Rolling Stone, won a JUNO (the Canadian ARIAs) for Video Of The Year for ‘Darker Days’, and they land in Oz hot off the back of the release of their new, triple j feature album The Dream Is Over.
A unique voice who has been making waves all over the world since the release of his smash hit single ‘Sangria’, REMI and musical collaborator Sensible J have shared the stage with Danny Brown,Vic Mensa, De La Soul, Joey Bada$$ and were invited to perform Gorillaz tracks with Damon Albarn on each of his Australian Tour shows. 2016 has already been massive for REMI dropping the first taste of his follow-up to 2014’s J Award nominated/Australian Music Prize winning Raw x Infinify ‘For Good’ with Y&O’s bestie Sampa The Great. The pair first performed the track whilst Sampa was supporting the one and only Kendrick Lamar at his massive history-defining Sydney show earlier this year – fingers crossed they do it for us at Y&O’s!
Fast becoming one of Australian hip hop’s finest emerging stars, Sampa The Great further cemented her reputation, nailing a coveted opening set for Kendrick Lamar earlier this year. Hailing from Sydney by way of Zambia, and already being compared to the likes of (no big deal) Lauryn Hill, Sampa has a penchant for poetry and is one of those multi-talented singer/ songwriter / rapper / genius types. Sampa released her fresh AF debut mixtape The Great Mixtape last year and has followed up this year with singles ‘Blue Boss’ & ‘Black Dignity’, as well as featuring on Urthboy’s track ‘Second Heartbeat’.
The first ever signees to Dune Rats’ record label Ratbag Records, Skegss are a Byron Bay trio whose music will remind you of walking bare foot and being sunburnt, with a head full of stiff hair (thanks to sea salt). Asked to describe themselves in three words, “Naïve, fun …and drunk. No, wait, idiot, band, beer”. Skeegs won the triple j’s Splendour In The Grass Unearthed comp last year & released their debut EP 50 Push Ups For A Dollar, which was recorded at Rubber Tracks Converse studio in New York City last year. The lead track from the EP is the beach-ready Fun; we recommend you listen to it a minimum of 567 times before you make your way to Y&O’s!
We are beyond excited to welcome Washington garage rock legends The Sonics, bringing cult cool wherever they go, playing a mixture of standards like ‘Louie Louie’ and ‘Have Love, Will Travel’, early rock ’n’ roll classics like ‘Jenny Jenny’ and ‘Skinny Minnie’, and a plethora of originals like ‘Strychnine’ and ‘Psycho’. They count the likes of Nirvana and Bruce Springsteen as fans – see them live and you will see why!
Since the release of their debut self-titled album in 2013, Melbourne’s favourite psych-rock sisters Stonefield have spent the last three years hard out gigging. Locally and internationally, they’ve secured sought-after spots on the world’s biggest stages including Glastonbury, The Great Escape and a recent electrical stint at SXSW 2016. The fierce four-piece have recently released ‘Changes’, a swirling new sound that fortifies the high anticipation for the band’s sophomore album As Above, So Below, which is slated for release on July 15. Last year saw the collective share a taste of new music with ‘Golden Dream’, win ‘Best Rock Work of the Year’ at the 2015 APRA Awards for their single ‘Love You Deserve’ and capped off a dream-like 2015 opening for Fleetwood Mac.
Difficult to Google but easy to dance to, TEES is a Sydney based duo made up of Lizzy Tillman and Sean Duarte. Their dancehall 90’s acid-soaked tracks strike an impressive balance between hypnotic, cloudy, sweetness and bangers you can dance to. I-D has just premiered the duo’s latest ultra-colorful video for track ‘Got The Feeling’ feat. straws, watermelons, polo shirts and 80’s interpretive dance moves – which will be testing you on at Y&O’s.
Thelma Plum is a Gamilaroy woman, an Indigenous singer-songwriter who captured the hearts of Australians when her first demo ‘Father Said’ won triple j’s Unearthed competition in 2012. The then 17-year-old also became the first winner of the triple j Unearthed National Indigenous Music Awards that same year. She went on to release her debut EP Rosie and a second EP Monsters, which included hit ‘How Much Does Your Love Cost?’, that ranked in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2014. Thelma is currently on a national tour, teasing us with new ‘unromantic breakup’ music, which is set-to-be released later this year.
After seizing Australian rock fans by the scruff of their necks in 2015, including winning triple j’s prestigious Unearthed Award, tearing down the main stage at Splendour In The Grass, claiming the WAMI for Best Rock Song, and supporting the likes of The 1975, Kingswood and Luca Brasi – Perth rockers Tired Lion returned in 2016 with the barnstorming single ‘Not My Friends’, and further cemented their place as one of the most exciting Aussie outfits to emerge in years. Having already played the gigantic stages of Glastonbury and Latitude (just to name a few) this year, the combination of Sophie Hopes, Matt Tanner, Ethan Darnell and Nick Vasey are all fired up and ready to tear the Y&O’s stage a new one with another one of their fearsome live shows.
Tkay Maidza is seriously blowing up! Rising Australian rapper, singer and songwriter Tkay Maidza will be strutting the same American red carpet as Beyonce and Drake after a shock nomination at the 2016 BET awards. Maidza’s endearing and electric presence on stage has made her one of the most popular festival acts in the country with Maidza drawing big crowds and loud cheers for sets and has also been in-demand as an opening act for Mark Ronson, Charli XCX, Rita Ora and Years & Years. Tkay’s biggest bangers include, but are not limited to, ‘Switch Lanes’ and ‘M.O.B’ and her latest summer party anthem with French DJ and Producer Martin Solveig ‘Do It Right’. Tkay is currently writing music for her debut album, which will be released just in time for Y&O’s.
Bring the booze and they’ll bring the snags and a party! Sydney metal core party monsters TOTALLY UNICORN are back and ready to rip y’all some new ones with their blistering new single & video for ‘Customer Service Station’ , that you’ve got to watch immediately….if not sooner! Totally Unicorn have built an unassailable reputation for being masters of metal core, as the go-to party act to book when you want your party to get wild and real weird. Whilst this formula clearly works for them, on their forthcoming LP (more on that later) we’ll get a bit more of light and shade. But by no means will these lads be staying sober and clothed 100% of the time. Don’t be ridiculous.
Meet Vera Blue, the new project from one of Australia’s most promising talents. The debut singles from Vera Blue are ‘Hold’ and ‘Settle’, the bewitching tracks off her five-track breakthrough EP Fingertips. A short 48 hours after Blue’s first ever headline shows in support of her debut EP went on sale, all 3 Melbourne shows were sold out, with Brisbane, Perth and 2 Sydney shows following suit. In addition to her own headline tour, the rising young artist has supported Matt Corby on his ‘Telluric’ tour through Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, and Melbourne. Vera Blue will also be supporting BROODS on their Australian tour in July. Do yourself a favor and check out Vera’s cover of Jack Garratt’s ‘Breathe Life’ – it will give you life!