Overview
Having completely sold out tickets last week, beloved two-day camping festival Secret Garden Festival has just announced one of its biggest music lineups to date. With over sixty bands and DJs across four stages, Secret Garden is cranking things to 11 — without losing that intimate Secret Magic magic.
Headlined by two huge international slam dunks — New York City's brutally honest story-weaver Sharon Van Etten and punk-as-fuck Parquet Courts — the Secret Garden lineup has gone next level this year under returning festival programmer Adam Lewis (Opera Bar, formerly Goodgod Small Club).
Loyal fans of synth, beats and glitches have a lot to look forward to, with Client Liaison, Donny Benet, Hot Dub Time Machine, Fishing, Japanese Wallpaper, LUCIANBLOMKAMP, Willow Beats, UV Boi, Stereogamous ft. Shaun J. Wright (AUS/USA), NO ZU, San Holo (NL), Holiday Sidewinder, Frames, Juan Du Sol, Luen, Oisima, RY4, Total Giovanni, Yon Yonson, Tees, Softwar B2B Slow Blow. Gear up for spontaneous dance-offs with Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Levins, Shag, Mike Who, Ariane, Love Bombs, I Oh You DJs, Purple Sneakers DJs, Le Fruit DJs, Yo Grito! DJs and Heartbeat DJs.
If you're down for tossing the feathers to a different type of harmony, the folk, roots and country element of the lineup is top notch. Sharon Van Etten is joined by Sydney's harmonic trio Little May, the likes of Pepa Knight, Heather Woods Broderick (USA), Steve Smyth, Jeremy Neale, The Morrisons, Wintercoats, Stolen Violin and Luluc.
Hip hop-wise, Secret Garden have handpicked some of Australia's best; the names changing the game for Aussie hip hop — Remi, Baro and Milwaukee Banks, alongside Canadian producer Lunice.
Garage, punk, psych, indie and alt-rock blares thick and fast at this year's festival, with those cheeky Parquet Courts heading Gooch Palms, Oh Mercy, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, Lake Street Dive (USA), Gang of Youths, The Griswolds, Devotional, Little Bastard, Joseph Liddy and the Skeleton Horse, Spookyland and Rolls Bayce.
And if you thought call-and-response wasn't going to make an appearance at Secret Garden this year, Peter Combe and the Bellyflop in a Pizza Band are locked in to dredge up that nostalgia and have you washing your face with orange juice before you can clean your teeth with bubblegum.
Secret Garden takes place 27 - 28 February on a 3,000 acre 'garden' on Sydney's fringe. Tickets are currently sold out. As always, the festival will be donating all proceeds to those who need it most, with all proceeds from ticketing and bar sales going to a range of charities. For more info on this year's festival, head to secretgardenfestival.com.au.
SECRET GARDEN 2015 LINEUP (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER):
Ariane
Baro
Client Liaison
Devotional
Donny Benet (Solo)
Fishing
Frames
Gang of Youths
Gooch Palms
Grace
Heartbeat DJs
Heather Woods Broderick (USA) Holiday Sidewinder
Hot Dub Time Machine
I Oh You DJs
Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders Japanese Wallpaper
Jeremy Neale
Joe Liddy & The Skeleton Horse JU?AN DU SOL
Lake Street Dive (USA)
Le Fruit DJs
Levins
Little Bastard
Little May
Love Bombs
LUCIANBLOMKAMP
Luen
Luluc
Lunice (CAN)
Mike Who
Milwaukee Banks
No Zu
Oh Mercy
Oisima
Parquet Courts (USA)
Pepa Knight
Peter Combe
Purple Sneakers DJs
Remi
Rolls Bayce
RY4
San Holo (NL)
Shag
Shantan Wantan Ichiban
Sharon Van Etten (USA)
Softwar B2B Slow Blow
Spookyland
Stereogamous ft. Shaun J. Wright (AUS/USA) Steve Smyth
Stolen Violin
Tees
The Griswolds
The Morrisons
Total Giovanni
UV Boi
Velociraptor
Willow Beats
Wintercoats
Yo Grito! DJs
Yon Yonson