Lime Cordiale, The Rubens and Gangs of Youths curate their own festivals for 2022

Pop rock stars Lime Cordiale have invited the bands they want to see for The Squeeze and introduced a “Solar Slice” carbon offset ticket.

When award-winning, chart-topping band Lime Cordiale kicked off The Squeeze in 2018, the goal was to stage a couple of all-day gigs with a bunch of artists they liked in small clubs in Sydney and Melbourne.

For its pandemic comeback in 2022, the indie pop rock brothers Oli and Louis Lembach are taking on the big players with their mini-festival, expanding to a massive 12-date musical travelling circus.

As Australia prepares for the live music touring circuit to kick back into gear in early 2022, some of the country’s most popular acts are curating their own events instead of waiting for festival gatekeepers to book them.

Louis and Oli Lembach have expanded The Squeeze to a national festival. Picture: Supplied

Lime Cordiale enter the risky festival field with the assistance of their tenacious managers, concert legend Michael Chugg and Andrew Stone, and a $600,000 RISE grant.

“When we started it, we weren’t really getting booked on festivals ourselves so much,” Oli said.

“So we made our own festival and booked a few acts that we liked who maybe weren’t getting the exposure we thought they should be getting.”

Thelma Plum is an artist on top of a lot of festival wishlists. Picture: Supplied

For the 2022 line-up, the band have curated a genre-diverse line-up including indie pop star Thelma Plum, electronic party starters Client Liaison, rockers The VANNS and Teenage Dads and rising singer songwriter Merci, Mercy.

The Squeeze plays the length and breadth of Australia next April from Mandurah in WA to Cairns in far north Queensland, including A Day On Green winery shows.

“We just put the word out to everyone to see who might be keen and we weren’t really expecting to get so many people wanting to be involved; if we were going to a festival, they were all the acts we would really want to see,” Louis said.

Gang of Youths were announce their new festival shows this week. Picture: Supplied

Other artists preparing festivals next year include globally acclaimed rockers Gang Of Youths, who will return home from their London base next year for a national tour plus two events called A More Perfect Union in Brisbane and Hobart, also assisted with a $400,000 grant.

Much-loved rockers The Rubens will finally realise their dream of staging a festival in their hometown of Camden, on Sydney’s rural outskirts, with Valleyways in February, featuring Skegss, Middle Kids, Slowly Slowly, BLESSED, Stevan, Becca Hatch and more new artists.

Vance Joy said he wanted to create the vibe of a “school camp” road trip with his Long Way Home national run next year by inviting The Rubens, Middle Kids and breakthrough artists Budjerah and Mia Wray to join him.

The Rubens finally realise their dream of a hometown festival.

“I’ve been talking about doing a tour like this one for years, so it’s incredibly exciting that it’s becoming a reality,” Vance Joy said.

Lime Cordiale are relieved to leave the logistics – toilets, food, bars, transport, security – to the legendary Chuggi who has more than 50 years of experience producing festivals in Australia.

But the creative and environmental vision for The Squeeze remains in the control of the Lembach brothers who also design their own artwork, merchandise and banners.

They have partnered with artist-led initiative FEAT. which aims to offset carbon emissions generated by touring, with a “Solar Slice” of $1 per The Squeeze ticket to be invested in their renewable energy project.

Vance Joy wanted a “school camp” road trip vis for his Long Way Home tour. Picture: Getty

“As well as wanting to be creative with how it looks, we wanted this to be a green festival, as much as we can,” Oli said.

The Lembachs accept festivals are risky business and see The Squeeze as not only an investment in their touring future but the wider Australian music industry.

“It feels riskier than a savvy business idea; if we were going to invest in something it probably wouldn’t be a music festival after the last three years of bushfires, flood and Covid,” Oli said.

“Australian has been starved of events like this for a while now so we’re getting into it to hopefully help fans discover more artists and also help people who work in the industry.”

Tickets on sale this week with all tour details via http://www.squeezefest.com.au/