When the Big Day Out ended after more than 20 years of serving music-lovers it spread a very dark cloud over the industry.
Large Australian festivals were failing to appeal to the masses leaving a graveyard of good times.
The decline in popularity saw stalwarts like Good Vibrations, V Festival, Homebake, Soundwave and Future Music all turn to dust.
But festivals are not dead.
Instead smaller boutique events that combine music, art and gourmet food are on steadily on the rise.
Wollongong’s Yours and Owls festival has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2010.
Organisers have just announced it will incorporate a nine-day “fringe festival” in the lead up to the Labour Day weekend music event and it will be the first time it incorporates two stages to ensure a smooth flow of music.
Sydney band The Jezabels are one of the headline acts at Yours and Owls and their frontwoman believes the festival scene is “like rock and roll” in that it won’t die but simply keep evolving.
“People think it’s going away and then someone’s going to come and save it but I actually think festivals are fine,” Hayley Mary said.
“Like bands they have an arc, they start out small and just grow and grow and sometimes they get too big for what they were ... then they kind of disappear.
“I don’t think the festival thing is ever going to die, people need to have physical and spiritual engagement with music, it’s a basic requirement.”
Dean Hanson from Brisbane’s Ball Park Music, also heading to Yours and Owls, agreed festivals were making a resurgence.
“Lots of festivals have become a bit defunct over the last few years but then there seems to be ambitious young people, who haven't been through that hell hole, who think they can start a new festival,” he said.
Yours and Owls Festival line-up
SATURDAY:
• Jezabels • Antwon (USA) • Ball Park Music • Client Liaison • COG • Hockey Dad • Kilter • KLP • Ladyhawke • Nicole Millar • Remi • Sampa The Great • The Sonics • Stonefield • TEES • Thelma Plum • Tired Lion
SUNDAY:
• Bec Sandridge • The Belligerents • Big Scary • Black Mountain (CAN) • Bleached (USA) • Chastity Belt (USA) • The Coathangers (USA) • DMA’s • The Hard Aches • Hermitude • Little May • The Living End • The Pinheads • PUP (CAN) • Skegss • Tkay Maidza • Totally Unicorn • Vera Blue
Ball Park Music and Hermitude will be the close the Stuart Park event on October 1 and 2 respectively.
- Details: yoursandowls.com.au