Party in the Paddock, Pangaea, A Festival Called Panama: A guide

While Tasmania is still mourning the loss of Falls Festival Marion Bay, our summer of live music is set to be bigger than ever. In fact, we have three multi-day events to sink your teeth into.

One of Tasmania’s favourite music festivals has dropped their 2023 line-up, and it’s packed with some serious summer heat.

It comes amid a packed schedule, with a new, sustainable camping festival to also debut in the same month, while another favourite is returning the following month after a few quiet Covid years.

Party in the Paddock, which held its first event at White Hills in 2013, have announced Gang Of Youths, Benee, The Presets, Vera Blue, Meg Mac, Methyl Ethel, Hockey Dad and Genesis Owusu will all feature in what’s their most stacked artist list in history.

They have also declared a secret headliner is yet to be announced.

The festival, running from February 10–12 at Carrick’s Quercus Park, 25 minutes from Launceston, will mark a stunning return to Tasmania’s music scene: it earlier announced its 2020 edition would be its last.

Jesse Higgs, artistic director of Vibestown, the festival’s organisers, said Secret Sounds’ decision to exit Tasmania played a big part in the PITPs return.

“It was to fill the void of the large-scale, multi-day camping festival that the state has clearly been missing,” Mr Higgs said.

Party in the Paddock founder and creative director Jesse Higgs at Launceston. PICTURE CHRIS KIDD

“We heard the call from punters and also to be honest, it’s more engaging for us too.

“The Paddock breeds a special kind of magic and the thought of stepping up to fill the larger boots of a ‘Falls’ sized festival is an exciting destiny for the once-boutique festival and its infamous stage built of hay bales.”

This will be the first year PITP has expanded to three days.

“We’ve added Sunday to the original Friday and Saturday as it makes sense in a lot of ways – it’s a public holiday for the south of the state and who doesn’t love a Sunday sesh?” Mr Higgs said.

Party in the Paddock 2020. Picture: PATRICK GEE

“Additionally, this new era with a much larger and dynamic festival site gives us a great opportunity to expand our arts.

“Think immersive experiences, rad local artists getting involved with large installations, comedy, cabaret, dance aerobics, yoga and other zen activities to get lost in.”

At the other end of the state just one week before PITP, off-the-grid Dodges Ferry couple Sean Le Rossignol and Alison McCrindle – the former owners of North Hobart live music haunt The Homestead and directors of Fractangular Gathering, which held its last event in 2020, have returned to centre stage.

Their new festival, Pangaea, a celebration of “music, arts, culture and sustainability,” will be held at Buckland from February 3–6.

Alison McCrindle in 2015. Picture: File

“Since grasping where we are in terms of our global crisis, which is socially, economically and climate driven, we’ve changed the way we wanted to operate a festival. It’s really informed by circular economy systems, with a strong sustainability agenda that is guided by UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Ms McCrindle said.

“Our biggest point of difference is really on the sustainability side of things, we are 100 per cent putting all our effort into a circular system,” she said.

“We hope we can be an event model that can be adopted and adapted by other events to suit.”

Not to be left out is A Festival Called Panama, a boutique festival founded in 2014 and which uses a ballot system to sell its 1500 tickets.

Billed as a “three-day celebration of music and community”, this year’s event will be held from March 10–12 at Lone Star Valley, near Golconda.

MUST-SEE ACTS

Gang of Youths, PITP:Australia’s most renowned indie rock act this millennium, Gang of Youths have gone from strength to strength since their 2015 debut, ‘The Positions’. Frontman David Le’aupepe communes with his crowd.

Peach PRC, PITP: Her scathing debut single, ‘Josh’ launched Peach PRC into stratosphere. She sold out Melbourne’s Max Watts earlier this month.

Holy Holy, Pangaea: Soulful Tasmanian-Victorian duo Tim Carroll and Oscar Dawson have just released their fourth album, ‘Hello My Beautiful World’. Triple J regulars who create cathedrals of sound.

Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, PITP: Like Peach PRC, an Australian act whose time is now. A Riot-Grrl four-piece, these Canberra girls are in your face. They’re also all over your radio.

Yothu Yindi, Pangaea: Legendary – up there with Midnight Oil, The Go-Betweens, AC/DC and INXS in the pantheon of Australian bands.

Confidence Man, Panama: A Brisbane duo making waves internationally. Bubblegum dance pop which, at times, drips with sarcasm and irony.

Jack Ladder, Panama: Gothic baritone dripping with emotion. His spacious rock has so far flown under the radar.

PARTY IN THE PADDOCK DROPS HUGE 2023 LINEUP

By Sam Flanagan

One of Tasmania’s favourite music festivals has dropped their 2023 line-up, and it’s packed with some serious summer heat.

Party in the Paddock have announced Gang Of Youths, Benee, The Presets, Vera Blue, Meg Mac, Methyl Ethel, Hockey Dad and Genesis Owusu will all feature in what’s their most stacked artist list in history.

They have also declared a secret headliner is yet to be announced.

Gang Of Youths have gone from strength to strength since their groundbreaking 2015 debut album, ‘The Positions’.

Gang of Youths. Picture: Supplied

In 2017, they released ‘Go Farther In Lightness’ which won them ARIA’s Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock and Producer of the Year.

Earlier this year they released their third album, ‘Angel in Realtime’, which hit number one in Australia and went top 10 in the UK.

New Zealand’s Benee has been described as the “dreamy voice of a disaffected generation” and broke through in 2020 with her single ‘Supalonely’, which amassed over four billion streams.

New Zealand musician Benee.

Her ‘Hey u x’ album was released at the tail end of the same year and was listed as one of Billboard’s best 25 pop albums of 2020.

Party in the Paddock will be held February 10–12 at Quercus Park, 25 minutes outside of Launceston. 

Pre-sale tickets will be available this Thursday from 8am.

Originally published as Party in the Paddock, Pangaea, A Festival Called Panama: A guide