This year’s Castlemaine State Festival program is jam-packed. MainFM is an official media partner – we’ll be delivering an Outside Broadcast during the festival and are lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview some of the artists.
Please get in touch with Sue sponsorship@mainfm.net if you’re interested in interviewing any of the following artists and state what dates/times would suit you best.
KIAN https://castlemainefestival.com.au/events/kian/
This will be quite the homecoming. By the time he was 16, Kian Brownfield had surpassed the status of local legend and became an international sensation with his 4x-platinum single ‘Waiting’. Five years on, KIAN has been polished and held up to the light by Republic Records – home to his idol Stevie Wonder but also his contemporaries in chill melodic style, The Weeknd, Lorde, Drake and Jack Johnson. His latest EP, Shine, was produced by Ariana Grande collaborator Willie Tafa, with guest spots from Jerome Farah and members of 1300. Shine details the pressures and growth that KIAN has experienced over the past few years. While he still has “feelings deeper than a swimming pool” – as he sang on his previous EP, BLISS, the waters now seem distinctly more sparkly.
THE SOUTHERN RIVER BAND https://castlemainefestival.com.au/events/the-southern-river-band/
Tight pants, retro riffs and yell-along choruses guarantee a good time if you’re game. Western Australia’s Southern River Band were put on this earth to write soundtrack-to-the-rest-of-your-life songs, and three albums in, they’re making the leap from ‘cult’ to ‘classic’ in the annals of rock. Putting aside the stage swaggering and innuendo-fuelled lyrics, not to mention the entertaining live banter from energetic frontman Cal Kramer, this band takes classic guitar licks and vintage-sounding production very, very seriously.
JAGUAR JONZE https://castlemainefestival.com.au/events/jaguar-jonze/
“Don’t wanna stand in front of a silent crowd with no weapon,” Jaguar Jonze, sings in ‘Know My Name’, from her blistering alt-pop debut album BUNNY MODE. At turns claustrophobic, furious and liberating, it reflects the artist’s experiences in the music industry, as well as sexism and racism, and has resulted in a fusing of artistry and advocacy in her dynamic live performances. Having now featured in Vogue Australia’s 21 Women of 2021 and The Australian’s 100 Cultural Leaders List 2022, Jaguar Jonze herself has become the ultimate weapon.
SNOG https://castlemainefestival.com.au/events/snog/
Snog have been making dance floors decadent since 1992. Formed at art school by David Thrussell, a DJ at the notorious Hellfire Club, their bump-and-grind industrial techno music has been described as “electro-conspiracy pop”.
Thrussell has played with Kraftwerk, remixed Aphex Twin, performed in East German castles, Roman amphitheatres, DJ-ed privately for Quentin Tarantino and headlined festivals as far afield as Japan and Hungary. He’s been described as a “true antipodean subterranean”, and has made Castlemaine his bunker. In the past three years, Snog has put out a swag of new material, including the albums Lullabies for the Lithium Age and Eight Offerings For The Undead.
ALTER BOY https://castlemainefestival.com.au/events/alter-boy/
Are they false idols or merely leading a communion?
This provocative electronic group from Perth is fronted by Molly Priest, who often bares her torso, tattooed with a thick black cross, and top surgery scars. Alter Boy have a shared love of avant-garde theatre, and many of their songs dissect religion and their experiences of queer community and gender fluidity (the alternate spelling of ‘alter boy’ is deliberate).
Several band members identify as members of the deaf/hard of hearing community, so Auslan interpretation is integral to, and features in their work.
MAMA KIN SPENDER https://castlemainefestival.com.au/events/mama-kin-spender/
This duo of mischief-makers share a primal connection, breathing soul and vitality into every space they inhabit. Their rootsy music echoes like a rattle and hum call across the desert plains, possessing a lyrical depth pushing us to our far-flung edges.
Mama Kin, aka Daniella Caruana, and Dingo Spender have an instinctive way of harmonising and dream-weaving; Kin drumming upright as she sings and Spender on a multitude of instruments.
Their EP, Are You Listening? and the ARIA-nominated album, Golden Magnetic, delve into life’s complexities with a soul searching vigour.
A live show guaranteed to be a feel-good fare.
Many thanks, Sue