A Festival of Soul, Dub, Reggae and Island Culture3 Days: Fri Oct 30, Sat 31 & Sun Nov 1Home Beach, Point Lookout, Nth Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah)FIRST LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENTWe’ve already given you a sneak peak at a few artists on the bill, but now comes the first MASSIVE line-up announcement. Introducing in 2009:
Natiruts [Pictured] (Brazil), Sunshine Sound System (NZ), The House Of Shem (NZ), The Bamboos (Melb), Mista Savona (Melb), Ngaire (Syd), Josephine (New Caledonia), The Nomad (NZ) and Chocolate Strings (Bris)
+ MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!!
Not to mention Circus Performances, Traditional Dance, Speakers’ Forums, Cultural Workshops, and a whole bunch more – all taking part over three days on Stradbroke Island. Now in its fourth year, the annual Island Vibe festival has established itself as one of the leading cultural and musical festivals in the South Pacific.
The annual Island Vibe Festival at Point Lookout on Minjerribah, (Stradbroke Island) has established itself as one of the leading cultural and music festivals in the South Pacific. The three day event encompasses a large variety of roots and contemporary music, emerging circus performances, traditional dance, speakers’ forum and cultural workshops.
ArtistsNatiruts: Brazilian reggae pioneers Natiruts are set to make their first trip to Australia to headline the 2009 Island Vibe Festival. Formed in Brasilia in 1996, Natiruts have led a reggae revolution in their home country, bringing their uniquely Brazilian sound to the forefront of the musical landscape. Their 1997 release Nativus sold 450,000 in Brazil alone, starting a remarkable trend they have continued over the group’s 5 other albums, including their most recent Raçaman.
Mixing traditional reggae techniques with their Brazilian roots, Natiruts incorporate elements of bossa nova, dancehall and backbeat, creating a distinctive sound that has been recognised worldwide. Coming off a recent tour to Europe which included a highlight set at the Rotonton Sunsplash European Reggae Festival, Natiruts are preparing t make a massive splash at this year’s Island Vibe.
Sunshine Sound System: Sunshine Sound System formed when DJ Downtown Brown (aka Simon Hendl) and P Digsss (aka Paora Apera) got together for a jam in Queenstown in 2000. They unashamedly jam the whole range of music that they love, typically including lots of fresh bootlegs, a bit of reggae & dub, plenty of hip hop, dancehall, original skool soul and funk including a few crate-digger breaks – plus if the mood takes them a badboy fusion of old skool ragga junglism, breaks and D&B. With the Sunshine Sound System Crew often busy with other collaborations and projects, this is a rare chance to catch them in Australia live.
House Of Shem: hail from Aotearoa, New Zealand and like many legendary reggae groups this band is built around the classic harmony trio format. At the helm is Carl Perkins, a man with over thirty years experience writing and playing reggae music. As a former member of Herbs, Mana and the Twelve Tribes of Israel Band amongst others, Carl’s musical credentials are impeccable. Joining him up front are two of his sons, Te Omeka and Isaiah who not only provide harmonies but both of whom also write, take turns at singing lead and play keyboards as well. It is this blood link and family bond that renders the sound of their combined voices as something really extraordinary. Each of the three has their own distinct song writing style and voice, effectively giving the band three different lead singers. The harmonies are sublime and the precision of their ensemble performance is phenomenal.
The Bamboos: (pictured) are Australia's masters of Deep Funk and Super-Heavy Soul. Forming in 2001, the Melbourne eight-piece have amassed a barrow-full of LP’s, 7-inches and single releases, gaining acclaim at home, throughout the UK and around the world. After signing with illustrious UK label Tru Thoughts in 2005, they’ve had their music featured everywhere from Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty to the multi-platinum selling Nintendo Wii video game de Blob, whilst playing some of the biggest festivals on the planet through the UK, Europe and Aus. With the release of their 2008 album Side-Stepper The Bamboos have solidified themselves at the pinnacle of roots music in Australia, leading to their inclusion in The Age’s prestigious ‘Top 100’ list of influential people in Melbourne for 2008.
Mista Savona: One of the few Australian reggae producers to be making a name internationally, with collaborations with top Jamaican artists such as Anthony B and Horace Andy. Mista Savona’s album ‘Melbourne meets Kingston’ was a milestone in Australian reggae. Mista Savona, who is also an acclaimed keyboardist and band leader, will be touring later this year with a full band and will be taking the mainstage at this year's Island Vibe.
The Nomad: Multi-talented with achievements to match, The Nomad (Daimon Schwalger) has taken the road less-travelled in search of the good groove. Seamlessly fusing hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass, soul and jazz, with trip hop and dub, The internationally-renown DJ/producer has crafted a significant and successful career for more than a decade both behind the decks and in control of his production studio. Having released five albums to date and with his sixth due to drop in late 2009, The Nomad’s return to Island Vibe will showcase his latest offerings, as well as his much-loved old faves.
Chocolate Strings: have been described as one of Brisbane’s finest purveyors of grooved out dub. A range of diverse backgrounds and influences give them a smorgasbord of sounds, a veritable buffet of fresh beats, bass and acoustic grooves to please the most discerning appetite. From the rich deep Polynesian vocal harmonies of female vocalists Ofa Fanaika, Nia Falekakala and Nicole McWalters to the smokin' sax of Josh "Bachelor of Jazz" Appleby, these cats serve up a set where the only thing you can be sure of is leaving with a smile on your dial and sore legs from dancing.
Island RhythmThis year Island Vibe also launches the Island Rhythm cultural program, a series of workshops, performances and forums where artists and presenters from Minjerribah and Pacific Island Communities share music, stories and skills with festival patrons. Island Vibe is free for children under 12 (accompanied by an adult), and has a bustling food and craft market and licensed bar. Island Vibe is dedicated to environmental sustainability and encourages the use of renewable resources, recycling, composting, car-pooling and cycling.
WebsiteThe brand-new Island Vibe website
www.islandvibe.com.au is online now. Check it out for all the latest news, including camping information, transport, merchandise, ferry discounts, and heaps, heaps more. And while you’re there, make sure you sign up to the Island Vibe Mailing List, to ensure you’re on top of all the latest Island Vibe announcements.
EARLY BIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!
But hurry, Early Bird tickets are only available until August 31st
Tickets are available now through www.moshtix.com and the usual outlets
Adult (18+): $140 + bf
Youth (U18): $77 + bf
Children (U5): free
Day tickets will be available closer to the date
The Island Vibe Festival is benefiting from funding under the Queensland Events Regional Development Program (QERDP). The QERDP is an investment program designed to extend the flow of economic and social benefits of events to regional Queensland. A state-wide initiative, the program is committed to enhancing existing events in regional Queensland, as well as assisting in the establishment of new events. Since the QERDP began in 2001, more than $12.5 million has been invested in 600 regional events, an indicator of the important role these events play in their communities and wider Queensland.
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