Occasionally an event comes around that really grabs our attention by creating something completely unique, and Chopped does exactly that. In fact, building something unique is what the festival is all about.
Chopped is a car and music-lover’s paradise, where you’ll find pristine custom show cars parked beside hand-built, dirt-encrusted rat rods, their drivers all brought together not only by a love of car culture, but also by a killer lineup of some of the best rock, punk and rockabilly bands on the planet. Both guitars and tyres get shredded as the buzz of amps mingles with the roar of engines – for some, a dream come true.
The music, though, is what we’re really all about, and Chopped has plenty to offer those of us who don’t have fuel running through our veins. Rockabilly icons The Reverend Horton Heat headline this weekend’s three-day event alongside Melbourne punk rock legends The Meanies, and the lineup also packs some of our favourite rockers in Drunk Mums, The Cherry Dolls, Guantanamo Baywatch, West Thebarton Brothel Party, The Shabbab, and Amyl & The Sniffers.
To find out how such a distinctive event has come to thrive for almost a decade, we spoke with Chopped head honcho Kyle Ford about the passion for rock and racing that led to such a one-of-a-kind Aussie festival.
Photos by Chris Cooper
“There’s no better way to have fun than mixing joy through the exhilaration of all your senses at once!” Kyle enthuses. “The sound of the music against the power of the cars, the exhilaration of the drags and passion on the stage.”
So, how did this festival of dirty rock and even dirtier cars all begin? Kyle tells us it was just a natural evolution from Chopped’s humble beginnings almost a decade ago.
“It just sort of happened. We started doing a small zine called Chopped back in 2007, covering the traditional Hot Rod and Custom car scene in Australia. The next year, we decided to put on a show.
“The first Chopped event was about 70 cars and 400 people spread over 2 days on a football oval; the idea was to put something on that we wanted to go to ourselves, and it was great. We had a ball with a bunch of likeminded people, so we did it again and everyone brought a friend, because they’d had a ball the year before.
From there the festival’s popularity has shot through the roof, with the lineups getting bigger and bigger each year, but Kyle is sticking to the ideals that made it a success from the start.
“Organic growth continued to double and triple from year to year into the Chopped that we have today, which still runs on that original model of putting on a festival that we would want to go to ourselves.”
The Chopped crew clearly know their music as well as they know their cars, as the lineup is stacked with big name acts that fit perfectly with the mud, exhaust and smoking tyres of the drag strip. The entire festival packs the distinctive rockabilly feel that can only come from that perfect combination of classic cars and classic rock – and on the latter point, Kyle reckons Australia is spoilt for choice.
“The whole lineup is the Chopped vibe – that’s one thing that makes it easy when choosing the bill,” he explains. “Straight away, a band is either Chopped or not, and if there’s any doubt then its a ‘no’. We’re just super lucky that there is such a great selection of Australian bands that are ‘Chopped’ to be able to choose from – the hard bit is not being able to play them all.”
Like many, Kyle’s passion for cars began at an early age, passed down by his family. “I was born into cars,” he tells us. “Our father is one of the Australian Hot Rod pioneers, so we grew up in hot rods and yank tanks. Hauling around like that was a hell of a way to spend your childhood – it’s definitely the way that I want my kids to spend it.”
You can tell immediately that Kyle is enamoured with the cars that flood to Chopped each year, and the love and effort that makes each one special.
“What’s amazing is that every car is a one-off; they’re all personally shaped, tuned, and remodelled to become each person’s individual artistic dream. It’s an amazing thing to be able to look out a a field of cars, with 30+ cars of the same make, year, and model, and none of them are the same.”
With self-driving cars on the horizon, and music being made on laptops, Kyle considers it his responsibility to keep some traditions, and the passions that they inspire, alive.
“It’s super important. We’re moving into the third or fourth generation from where this scene began, and its amazing. It’s all about passion and roots, sharing this and inviting others to be a part of something that runs through the blood of so many people.
That passion is clear when Kyle rattles off a list of dream vehicles, but also when speaking fondly about his own somewhat famous custom set of wheels
“Apart from a Lamborghini Countach, a Delorian, a wild ’32 Ford Roadster, a ’34 Ford Drag Coupe, Bill Kenz 777 Lakester, and a Citroën SM… my favourite car is my panel van, ‘Innervisions’. This thing is the top of the pile when it comes to Australian vanning from the ’70s and ’80s!”
And a favourite Aussie classic of the musical variety?
“SixFtHick – all Aussie rawness in all the right ways! It was a great day for me when we had them head up the festival back in 2011.”
So, what can punters expect from this year’s Chopped?
“Three days of dirt drags, hot rods, customs, bobbers, choppers, 25+ bands, cocktail & cabin bars, a Tiki palace, and plenty more…”
Sounds good to us. Chopped runs this Friday to Sunday in Newstead, Victoria, just outside of Castlemaine, with tickets and more info available here.
Chopped 2016 Lineup
The Reverend Horton Heat -The Meanies
Guantanamo Baywatch – The Cherry Dolls – Drunk Mums
Puta Madre Brothers – Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk
The Pinheads – Flour – The Shabbab
La Mancha Negra – West Thebarton Brothel Party
Amyl & The Sniffers – Shepparton Airplane – The Reprobettes
Slim Customers – King Puppy & The Carnivore
Thee Cha Cha Chas – Tape Wolves – Red Brigade
Itchy Scabs -Double Ya D
