McLaren Falls Festival Moves To Auckland, Changes its Name and Drops Second Lineup

Goodbye lakeside camping, waterfall and glow-worm forest. Hello Jamie XX, Mac DeMarco and Elliphant.
Stephen Heard
October 28, 2015

A festival that promised to “bring a taste of Glastonbury and Coachella to the Pacific,” has been forced to moved from its lush parkland site to a less appealing location in the big smoke. Goodbye lakeside camping, waterfall and glow-worm forest.

After hitting a brick wall with concerned neighbours and failing to gain resource consent for the 190 hectare McLaren Falls Park in the Bay of Plenty, the newly-labelled Echo Festival (formerly McLaren Falls Music & Arts Festival) will now be held across two days at Auckland’s Vector Arena and its surrounds from January 11 - 12, 2016.

The good news is that the festival’s wide-ranging lineup will remain the same, with more than 40 acts taking the stage. Already announced international acts include: Disclosure, The Flaming Lips, Alison Wonderland, Kurt Vile, Young Fathers, C.W. Stoneking, The Preatures and Jordan Léser.

An equally impressive second lineup has now been revealed and features none other than: UK producer and beatmaker Jamie XX, Canadian ‘jizz jazz’ songwriter Mac DeMarco, Swedish singer/rapper Elliphant, experimental art-rocker Kirin J. Callinan, Wellington metal band Beastwars, a newly reformed Die! Die! Die! and haunting folk singer Aldous Harding.

The announcement is rounded off by Borneo, Neddwellyn Jones, Dictaphone Blues, Mel Parsons, Maala, Anthonie Tonnon, Tom Lark, New Gum Sarn, Voom, Margaret, and Race Banyon. A final major international artist will be announced on Monday 2 November.

The full lineup includes,

Disclosure // The Flaming Lips // Alison Wonderland // Kurt Vile // Young Fathers // C.W. Stoneking // The Preatures //Jordan Léser // Jamie XX // Mac DeMarco // Elliphant // Kirin J. Callinan // The Chills // Beastwars // Die! Die! Die! // Aldous Harding // David Dallas & the Daylight Robbery // The Datsuns // Avalanche City // Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders // Tiny Ruins // Racing // The Eastern // Fazerdaze // Arthur Ahbez // Borneo // Neddwellyn Jones // Dictaphone Blues // Mel Parsons // Maala // Anthonie Tonnon // Tom Lark // New Gum Sarn // Voom // Margaret // Race Banyon

See the Echo Festival website for more information.

Published on October 28, 2015 by Stephen Heard
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