Now in its second incarnation, Sapphire Coast destination music event, Wanderer Festival offers three days of glorious live music and hangs with your bestie buds.
The 2023 line-up is populated by the likes of Ocean Alley, The Jungle Giants, Thelma Plum and Spiderbait, plus international arrivals Django Django, Sampa The Great, Kevin Morby, Son Little and Lonnie Holley as well as much, much more.The extensive music programme is complemented by art, comedy, theatre, and circus performers plus a host of artisan workshops and stalls.
"I'm thrilled with how Wanderer is shaping up this year. We're curating a really strong programme consistent with what Wanderer is all about," festival organiser Simon Daly says.
"It is diverse in every sense and includes plenty of well known favourites as well as amazing new talent.
"We are really proud to be delivering such a world-class event in the Sapphire Coast. It is really rewarding creating something so equally loved by both the local community as well as travellers coming from all over Australia for an unforgettable experience in this stunning part of the world."
Two of the artists on the 2023 line-up are alternative singer-songwriter Alice Skye ('Friends With Feelings', 'Grand Ideas', 'Party Tricks', and 'Stay In Bed') and indie rock, alt-pop artist (and indie fashion designer) Annie Hamilton (formerly of Little May).
Signed to Briggs' Bad Apples label, last year Skye featured on Ziggy Ramo's 'Sugar Coated Lies' (which featured on the Stan series 'Black Snow'); while her most recent album was 2021's 'I Feel Better But I Don't Feel Good', that was followed by winning Best Pop Act at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards.
Currently gearing up for a run of shows through UK and Europe ahead of her Wanderer appearance, this week Annie released her newest single 'DYNAMITE ●~*' that teases her new album (the follow-up to last year's 'The Future Is Here But It Feels Kinda Like The Past'. "I love this song. I can't wait for you to hear it."
Here Alice and Annie interview each other.
ALICE SKYE INTERVIEWS ANNIE HAMILTON
What is your biggest influence or inspiration in songwriting?
I feel like I'm influenced and inspired by anything and everything. . . I carry a notebook with me at all times and make sure I sit down and free-write for at least half an hour a day, usually first thing when I wake up.
It's always interesting to see what springs out of my subconscious when I'm not really trying to write about anything in particular. When I'm songwriting I usually sit down with my guitar or a synth and just start making noise, playing something, taking the pressure off myself and just seeing what sticks and what makes my ears prick up.
Then when I feel like a chord progression or a melody is starting to emerge, I flick through my notebook to see if any words illuminate themselves. Sometimes the most seemingly insignificant or mundane scenes or conversations can morph into the most powerful songs.
What gets you motivated when you're feeling flat?
Going outside, jumping in the ocean, spending time with friends and family, being in nature, cooking, reading. I try to go for a long walk or run every morning and swim all year 'round – jumping into a freezing body of water is the world's best reset.
I've also really learnt to prioritise rest in the last year or two – after going through a pretty hectic period of burnout last year, I've realised that once I start overworking myself my entire creative output (and general mental/ physical health and happiness!) goes downhill fast.
So I've been trying to re-train myself to chill out a bit, hahaha. I think I'm used to being a workaholic, but sometimes you've gotta stop and sit in silence and stare out the window for a while.
What's coming up for you in the near future, any news you can share?
Right now, I'm deep in the process of my next album. . . I've been chipping away at it for a long time but it really feels like it's starting to finally reveal itself, and I'm super excited about it.
I'm also heading back to the UK and Europe in September for a co-headline tour with Clews, which will be soooo fun – cannot wait to get back overseas (home in time for Wanderer though!).
Do you have any book recommendations?
Right now I'm re-reading 'The Order Of Time' by Carlo Rovelli. He's this incredible Italian physicist who writes in the most beautiful and poetic way.
I dropped science as soon as I could in high school (it just never clicked in my brain), but I'm obsessed with Rovelli's books. I can 100 per cent recommend 'Seven Brief Lessons On Physics' as a starting point – it's like physics for dummies but written in this magical, playful and accessible way that seriously makes you rethink the way you see the world.
Who are you looking forward to seeing at Wanderer?
You!!! And also definitely Kevin Morby – I listened to 'I Have Been To The Mountain' a lotttt when it first came out.
I'll be flying home from my European tour a few days beforehand, so will most likely be in a bit of a jet-lagged haze, so also just excited for the festival to be my soft-landing back into reality – keen to see some amazing music, hang out with friends, lie on the beach and eat oysters. <3
ANNIE HAMILTON INTERVIEWS ALICE SKYE
How are you? What has been filling your cup lately?
In this moment, I'm ok! Sat under the heater with my dog, eating congee, watching TV. Filling my cup, and it sounds like a cliche but, is music.
After the Narrm lockdowns and everything it's felt even more important to me to reconnect with that adolescent type love for music, which I think I never stay too far away from – sending music back and forth with your friends, spending hours on YouTube watching live shows or interviews and things like that.
Also having time off the last few weeks I've managed to go to some gigs; if I'm playing shows the last thing I want to do is go to more! So it's been really fun to go and just be in the crowd absorbing it all.
You've had a huge couple of years since the release of your album 'I Feel Better But I Don't Feel Good' in 2021 plus some pretty huge collaborations with groundbreaking artists like Ziggy Ramo, Midnight Oil and Moby. How do you generally approach the collaborative process and what have you learnt through these collaborations?
I think I've learned to be more open to collaborations over time.
Personally, my writing process is more often isolated or something I like to do by myself – however lately I've been collaborating with friends much more.
Ziggy and I first met doing something for triple j. I think we had a week to write a song together and we met for coffee to talk about it and then ended up bouncing off each other so much we finished it later that night. His sister called to say she was having a baby not realising I was in the background of the FaceTime and now that baby is I think five! It's been such a special thing to watch him grow and do amazing things.
I've been doing more collaborating lately and think that will be a huge part of my next album.
What's your karaoke song?
'Bring Me To Life' - Evanescence.
Who are you most excited to see at Wanderer Festival?
I'm always excited to watch Thelma [Plum] perform – I feel like she does joy and emotion in such a special way. Keen to see Haiku Hands, Freya Josephine Hollick and the Duurunu Miru Dancers as well.
Any new music on the horizon?!
As I see it. . . yes! :-)
Wanderer Festival returns to Pambula Beach, (Sapphire Coast) 29 September to 1 October, 2023.
Wanderer Festival 2023 Line-up
MUSIC
New additions:Batts
Ben Lee
Cash Savage And The Last Drinks
DJ Dadbod
Hold//Fire
Little Quirks
Lonnie Holley
Mourning [A] BLKstar
Northeast Party House
Sampa The Great
Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers
This Way North
Tijuana Cartel
WILSN
Who join the already announced:
Alice Skye
Annie Hamilton
Art Vs Science
Babe Rainbow
Bega Sound Collective
Ben Ottewell & Ian Ball
The Big Lost Band
C.W. Stoneking
Dice
Django Django
Djinama Yilaga
Flavuh
Freya Josephine Hollick
Goldie
Haiku Hands
Jack Biilmann & The Black Tide
Jacoténe
The Jungle Giants
Kim Churchill
Lisa Mitchell
Melbourne Ska Orchestra
Montaigne
Ocean Alley
Prodikal-1
Robyn Martin
Rum Jungle
Son Little
Spiderbait
Steph Strings
Stonewave
Taiko
Thelma Plum
Thin White Ukes
Urthboy
Whiskey Dram
ARTS
New additions:Bega Valley Female Voices Choir
Bronwyn Kuss
Claire Hooper
Feetbus
Gulaga Dancers
Wear Wanderer Workshop
Tom Ballard
The Big Lost Band
The Bioluminescence Project
Who join the already announced:
Flying Fruit Fly Circus
Adam Page
The Super Amazing Dolphin Show
Welcome To Country
Duurunu Miru Dancers
Fling Physical Theatre
Frankentoys
La Petite Grande
Liam Power
Polite Mammals
We Shaped Up Like This
