The Gum Ball 2014 lineup is expanding with the news that the music festival is going three-days this year.
The independent boutique music and arts festival is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, and the birthday celebrations are getting even bigger with the addition of a third day, on Sunday 13th April, to accommodate a special lineup.
The Sunday Songwriters Showcase will highlight some of the country’s best singer-songwriters on The Gum Ball’s intimate lawn stage, where patrons can enjoy the soundtrack whild downing breakfast among the leafy surrounds of the infamous Dashville site in the Belford Valley, New South Wales.
Kicking off at 9am on Sunday morning, The Gum Ball 2014 lineup will now include the majestically bearded, blues-blasting Steve Smyth, fresh from delivering his ace new single ‘Shake It‘ after inking a deal with Ivy League Records; along with Hunter Valley songbird and crowdfunding conquerer Melody Pool, who though peaking 20 years old, evokes the 60s spirit of Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne.
Also joining The Gum Ball 2014 lineup is Darwin’s Dave Garnham and his backing band, The Reasons To Live – together crafting “country-tinged ballads about booze and women” – and The Septembers, a musically eclectic duo that weave intriguing melodies, grooves, and vocals together into a tapestry of ethereal soultronica.
This third batch of artists joins the already impressive 10th Birthday guest list that is The Gum Ball 2014 lineup. The birthday celebrations are getting even bigger with the addition of a third day to accommodate a special lineup.
Headlining the 10th Anniversary of The Gum Ball is legendary rock-a-bouts Hoodoo Gurus, along with Jinja Safari, Ngaiire, Wolf & Cub, as well as Ed Kuepper, Dyson, Stringer & Cloher, The Hello Morning, Damien Dempsey, Lindi Ortega and a no-doubt rollicking set from King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard.
King Gizz ahve got a swag of new material from their new album Oddments (their fourth in two years!) to deliver to The Gum Ball – let’s just hope they get to play longer than the last boutique festival they played; turning in an 8min set at The Secret Garden owing to the band having to evacuate a collapsing stage roof.
In addition to the latest inclusions to The Gum Ball 2014 lineup, organisers will soon announce an online band competition, giving fans a chance to select their favourite acts to join the festival bill. Details on the competition will appear via the mail-out, which can be joined here.
This year’s edition will once again be held at its pristine country home, ‘Dashville’, located in Lower Belford in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales but takes place slightly earlier on the calendar – the first weekend of April (coinciding with the school holidays) – in a move that will helpfully better suit families looking for a musical adventure ahead of Easter.
“We’ve been through a lot in this time, a rollercoaster of passion, fatigue, joy and hindsight. In the end though, it’s about the people that come to Gum Ball,” says The Gum Ball’s Matt Johnston about having made it to 10 years in the highly competitive Australian music festival market.
Johnston attributes the unique atmosphere and family-friendly nature of The Gum Ball as the reason it has sustained a growing popularity over the years.
“People have become ‘festival experts’- they go to so many events they begin to realise what they want out of an experience,” Johnston says. “For The Gum Ball, it’s almost like the headline bands take a back seat to the comfort, serenity and supreme laid back vibe.”
Tickets for the Gum Ball 2014 are on sale now, available as full weekend-long passes or single tickets for the Saturday. Read our Festival Guide to The Gum Ball here.
The Gum Ball 2014 Lineup
Steve Smyth
Melody Pool
Dave Garnham & The Reasons to Live
The Septembers
Joining the already announced lineup of:
Hoodoo Gurus
Jinja Safari
Wolf & Cub
Ngaiire
Adrian Edmondson and The Bad Shepherds (UK)
Nicky Bomba All Stars
The Gin Club
Swamp Thing (NZ)
Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes
Lindi Ortega (CAN)
Jordan Rakei
Pow Wow
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Ed Kuepper
Dyson, Stringer, Cloher
Damien Dempsey (IRE)
The Hello Morning
Tropical Zombie
The Dennis Boys Band
Zombonimo
The Soorleys
Dashville Progress Society
The Gum Ball 2014 Dates, Tickets
Friday 11th, Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th April 2014
Belford, Hunter Valley NSW
www.thegumball.com.au
Adult (18-59yrs) Full Weekend – $195.00 + bf | Saturday Only $130.00 + bf
Senior (60+yrs) Full Weekend – $185.00 + bf | Saturday Only $110.00 + bf
Teenagers (13-17yrs) Full Weekend – $90.00 + bf | Saturday Only $60.00 + bf
Child (7-12yrs) Full Weekend – $45.00 + bf | Saturday Only $30.00 + bf
Kids (6yrs and under) Free!
