The Falls Festival has secured the return of the Violent Femmes for this year’s event.
Violent Femmes played at The Falls Festival 14 years ago. They were also the first band ever to headline the Big Day Out, performing over Nirvana.
Violent Femmes announced their reunion for Coachella in January this year but after playing the festival drummer Victor DeLorenzo exited the band and was replaced by Brian Viglione from Dresden Dolls.
Founding member and bass player Brian Ritchie now lives in Hobart, Tasmania and has been nationalised as an Australian citizen. “We did those two Coachella gigs and two more including Milwaukee with Victor to celebrate 30th anniversary of the first album,” Brian Ritchie tells Noise11. “And now for the future we want to play with Brian Viglione”.
Brian also performs with members of Midnight Oil in The Break.
The New Years long weekend event has expanded this year to include Byron Bay, New South Wales as well as the original site in Lorne, Victoria and the more recent addition of Marion Bay, Tasmania.
Falls Festival will be held:
Dec 28 – Jan 01 in Lorne, VIC (est. 1993) 18+ event
Dec 29 – Jan 01 in Marion Bay, TAS (est. 2003) All ages
Dec 31 – Jan 03 in Byron Bay, NSW (est. 2013) 18+ event
The first line-up and artist details from The Falls Festival is:
!!! (CHK CHK CHK), freewheeling party monsters radiating sunny vibes with new album Thr!!!er.
ASTA, 2012 triple j Unearthed High winner and top notch ethereal pop songstress.
BIG SCARY, Melbourne’s alt-pop duo with a knack for catchy vocals and melodic undercurrents.
BOMBINO, acclaimed guitarist and songwriter from Agadez in Niger.
BONOBO, hipnotising crowds with heady mix of electronics, trip hop and sonic storytelling.
THE CAT EMPIRE, an Australian music institution coming back with a new album Steal The Light. CHET FAKER, winning Rolling Stones’ 2013 ‘Best Independent Release’ with Thinking In Textures.
CRYSTAL FIGHTERS, travelling folktronica Londoners, with their latest album Cave Rave.
CYRIL HAHN, one of the most in demand producers on the planet at the moment.
FLIGHT FACILITIES, navigating the dancefloor with gems like ‘Crave You’ and Clair De Lune’.
GOSSLING bringing her sweet music style from Melbourne that is both distinctive and alluring.
GRIZZLY BEAR, these Brooklyn natives are one of the best-loved indie bands on the planet with their string of hit albums Yellow House, Veckatimest, and Shields.
HANNI EL KHATIB, with new LP Head In The Dirt – produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.
HERMITUDE, respected force on the local music scene with their unique brand of Aussie hip-hop.
JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW, stealing the hearts of many with his debut Early In The Morning.
LONDON GRAMMAR, Following up their popular EP Wasting My Young Years with a highly anticipated debut album, If You Wait which is set for release this September.
MGMT, everyone’s favourite space nerds are back with a new self-titled album & set of live tricks.
NEIL FINN, a member of Crowded House, Split Enz, as well as a solo career spanning over 30 years!
POND, the WA psychedelic devotees are coming to Falls with their latest album Hobo Rocket.
THE PREATURES, slinky bass-lines with tracks like ‘Take A Card’ and ‘Is This How You Feel?’
THE ROOTS, hip-hop soul legends with the Grammy Award winning full line-up are coming back to Australia with a new album and treasure trove of hits amassed over the past 26 years!
RÜFÜS, Sydney synth warriors with their debut Atlas (recently the feature album on triple j).
SOLANGE, undeniable queen of cool with rich in soulful harmonies layered over up-tempo beats.
TOM ODELL, 2012 #1 British Chart album debut and 2013 British Critics’ Choice Award winner.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND, wildly successful follow up to Contra with their sun drench, super intelligent, bite-sized pop in the format of their new album Modern Vampires of the City.
VIOLENT FEMMES, Grandfathers of folk-punk with timeless tunes ‘Blister In The Sun’ & ‘Kiss Off’.
WHITE DENIM, their Texan woozy-punk-rock has established cult followings all over the world.
THE WOMBATS, staples of your daily radio diet, toting hits like ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ and ‘Jump Into The Fog’ and this Falls they’ll be toting some exciting new material.
BOOGIE NIGHTS!
Rhythm is a dancer and it’s what the first night of Falls is all about! Collaborative, celebratory and interactive; the following acts will be playing across all three venues for the opening night of each festival and as always, it’ll be a fancy dress affair!
HOT 8 BRASS BAND, HOT DUB TIME MACHINE, LATE NITE TUFF GUY, LEGS AKIMBO, MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO, THE CORRESPONDENTS, TOM THUM.
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