It’s time to start planning your New Year’s Eve festivities and the recently announced Pyramid Rock Festival lineup should help you make the all important party decision!
From Thursday December 29 to Sunday January 1 Victoria’s beautiful Phillip Island will once again be overrun with more than 50 of your favourite international rock stars and home-grown heroes to provide the best New Year’s party atmosphere around.
We know you’re all just itching to find out who’s playing at this year’s festival, so without any further ado, here is the first line-up of acts…
If pop music had a curfew, SCISSOR SISTERS would be the band sneaking out the window while their parents were asleep. For nearly a decade the New York collective – led by the enigmatic Jake Shears and Ana Matronic – have been pushing the boundaries not only of pop music, but of what it means to be a pop star.
Since the day they burst onto Melbourne’s underground rock circuit in the late ‘90s, it’s been a long and steady rise to the top for THE LIVING END. Over the course of their six albums the Aussie rock icons have never put a foot wrong.
GOTYE is destined to finish 2011 on a high note, and that’s not only because he’ll be gracing the Pyramid Rock main stage in front of a massive crowd of adoring fans. Having already gone platinum with his surprise #1 smash hit Somebody That I Used To Know, you get the feeling it won’t be the last time Gotye is lavished with precious metals before the end of the year. His third album Making Mirrors has only just been released and will surely catapult Wally de Backer into the next echelon of superstardom.
Legend. Innovator. Icon. They’re all apt descriptors but they barely come close to encapsulating GRANDMASTER FLASH’s enduring musical legacy.
Taking out triple j’s Unearthed J Award, globe-trotting with Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons and lighting up stages at festivals all around the world – it’s all in a day’s work for Sydney’s BOY & BEAR. After putting in years of hard yards, DRAPHT is finally living the life of Riley. At least that’s how it seems since he released his fourth album The Life Of Riley. With an endless bag of Aussie rock staples from Buy Me A Pony to Calypso and Black Betty, SPIDERBAIT have been leading the pack for far too many years to remember. And now, following a lengthy hiatus, Kram, Janet and Damian are getting the band back together to celebrate Spiderbait’s 21st birthday at the Pyramid Rock Festival!
CLOUD CONTROL recorded their all-conquering debut album Bliss Release in their native Blue Mountains and it breathes out a certain invigorating fresh air familiar to those in the countryside. BLUEJUICE, Australia’s most obsessive penguin-fanciers, are returning to Phillip Island for the 2011 Pyramid Rock Festival with their handsome new live show. It’s been four years since Melbourne electro producer MUSCLES released his explosive debut album Guns, Babes, Lemonade and four years later it still bangs as hard as it ever did, with its long awaited follow-up Manhood slated for release in early 2012.
SPANK ROCK, together with producer and co-conspirator XXXchange, played a vital part in giving hip hop a much-needed facelift in the mid-‘00s, infusing elements of scratchy electro and punk rock, and serving it up readymade for the dancefloor. In 2006 he dished up a game changing debut in YoYoYoYoYoYo and five years later Spank is finally backing it up with Everything Is Boring And Everyone Is A Fucking Liar. THE PANICS are fast emerging as the greatest story tellers in Australian pop rock. Or have they passed that point already? Callin’ out to all area crew: LYRICS BORN is heading down to Phillip Island for the Pyramid Rock Festival! The Japanese-born, American-raised rapper has come a long way since free-styling with classmates in California’s Bay Area in the early ‘90s.
THE HERD are not your average band. They’re an eclectic, bombastic, outspoken, fire-stokin’, genre-hopping, heart-stopping, eight-strong force of nature – and they’re coming to the Pyramid Rock Festival in 2011! Fuzzed up to the max and dripping in West Coast cool, DUM DUM GIRLS announce their Australian live debut as part of the 2011 Pyramid Rock Festival. It gives us great pleasure to announce that ILLY is backing up last year’s blistering Pyramid Rock triumph with a victory lap in 2011. For nearly 20 years SALMONELLA DUB have been carving out a musical path that few have dared to follow. With their unique mix of dub, electronica, reggae, rock and drum ‘n’ bass, this legendary Kiwi collective have conquered festival stages, club rooms and dance halls everywhere from Brisbane to Brussels. The inclusion of pop chameleon BERTIE BLACKMAN on the 2011 Pyramid Rock line-up has got us excited. There are prospects, prodigies, whiz kids, wunderkinder…and then there’s JONATHAN BOULET. At the tender age of 21 Jonathan wrote, produced and played all the instruments on his self-titled debut record. Tour veteran and festival junkie ASH GRUNWALD will be rolling back into Pyramid Rock in 2011 in typical carefree style.
Newcomer to the Pyramid Rock fold, LA’s HANNI EL KHATIB is sure to be a name on everyone’s lips come the year’s end. The son of Palestinian and Filipino migrants, Hanni describes his gritty mix of soul, garage rock and ‘60s R&B as “knife fight music”. Widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest funk and soul outfits, THE BAMBOOS have wowed global audiences with their lively and energetic shows and perfectly constructed studio albums for nigh on a decade now. There are few bands as hard working (or rocking!) as Melbourne’s own CALLING ALL CARS. Their new album is Dancing With A Dead Man and it’s a monster! With a once-in-a-lifetime voice and talent to burn, GRACE WOODROOFE has a long and no doubt successful career ahead of her. Hammers, chains and washboards aren’t exactly your everyday musical instruments, but then again GRAVEYARD TRAIN aren’t exactly a conventional band. Their mix of swampy blues, beat-down country and tortured folk – infused with their trademark mad and macabre motifs – seems to appeal to everyone from the potato farmer to the punk rocker. Providing the feel good synth pop vibes at this year’s Pyramid Rock Festival will be TIM & JEAN. One of triple j Unearthed High’s impossibly talented alumni, the Perth duo have gone from strength to strength since they were first discovered in 2009.
The #1 DJs in the country THE ASTON SHUFFLE will be bringing their party stylings to Pyramid Rock in 2011. Recently in the country for a quick-fire east coast tour, JIM WARD is returning Down Under with the Pyramid Rock Festival in his sights. Sydney hip hop crew THUNDAMENTALS have really come into their own on new album Foreverlution, and they’ll be coming into Phillip Island this New Year’s Eve to celebrate. Gracing the Pyramid Rock stage last year alongside It Can Wait collaborator Illy, OWL EYES has graduated to play her very own set in 2011. Channelling the long lost spirits of Australian pop icons of yore, SPLIT SECONDS make a welcome Pyramid Rock debut in 2011 with their jangly, vocally-driven indie pop paragons. There’s no French horn in FRENCH HORN REBELLION, but there are two crazy, party-loving brothers from Wisconsin by the names Robert and David Perlick-Molinari. As a special treat for early bird ticket holders, the team at ROCKWIZ will be taking over the Pharaoh’s Annex on Pyramid Rock eve (Thu Dec 29). Julia Zemiro, Brian Nankervis and the RocKwiz Orkestra are putting on an extra special festival show featuring all the madcap hysterics and special guest stars of the TV show. So who’ll be appearing on the RocKwiz panel at the Pyramid Rock Festival? Well you’ll just have to wait and see…
There you have it, the first announcement! What do you think? Now for all the important stuff like how to make sure you don’t miss out on this unbelievable festival…
As already announced, Pyramid will once again be rolling out in its favourite format, which includes free camping for all tickets and the ever popular early arrival 3-Day Pass. The 3-Day Pass allows punters to arrive and set up a day early on Thu Dec 29. This year those lucky enough to secure the limited release 3-Day Pass will get to see the incredible RocKwiz Live show taking place on Thu Dec 29, and as usual take in movies on the big screen under the stars.
2-Day passes will also be available, giving punters access to the entire band line-up starting on Fri Dec 30. Bands kick off from 10am each day and play until the wee hours of the morning.
More good news on the ticketing front, prices have remained the same as last year! With the festival returning after its best year yet and with this year’s staggering first announcement, tickets are not expected to last long.
So make sure you’re logged onto www.thepyramidrockfestival.com when tickets go on sale on
Wednesday 14 September at 9am sharp!
And lastly, 2011 will unfortunately be the last year punters under the age of 18 can come to Pyramid Rock. The event is currently a licensed all ages festival and you can attend THIS year if you are 16+. Those under the age of 16 will, however, need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Pyramid Rock Festival intends to operate for many years into the future, delivering the best possible acts to Phillip Island, and plans to do so working in conjunction with liquor licensing requirements.
Keep your ears peeled for a second announcement in the coming months but until then, happy hunting!