With a commitment to shine the light on regional centres across New South Wales, Next Exit Festival is the newest event to join the Australian festival circuit.
The event will travel to Tamworth, Gosford, Batemans Bay and Mudgee (across two weekends in May), bringing together the talents of psych-rock outfit Ocean Alley, the current 'it' act of the Australian scene Spacey Jane, and Sydney's Northern Beaches indie rockers Dear Seattle.'Tequila & Lemonade' songstress Merci, Mercy and sisters Lily and Grace aka CLEWS round out the line-up.
"After only a scattering of shows in the last six months, most of them in capital cities, we are super excited to be touring with Next Exit Festival to four awesome spots across country and coastal New South Wales," Ocean Alley's Mitch Galbraith says.
"We spend most of our time working and relaxing near the coast, so we love playing in smaller cities anywhere near the water. We also get to take our show out west to Mudgee and Tamworth, and we're stoked to visit the state's interior and have some good times with the folks there.
"These regional places are so much fun to tour because of the locals that are so welcoming and always up for a good-old town blowout," Mitch adds.
"Their support means we can keep coming back to play shows and festivals, and give these awesome places the live music experience they deserve."
As the local, independent music scene begins to return to some semblance of pre-COVID activity, the focus of regional locations of Next Exit Festival is driven to aid local economic activity, encourage regional tourism and highlight local tastemakers and artisans.
"We pass so many 'Next Exit' signs on the highway and often drive past with only our destination in sight," MJR Presents' Head Of Touring Australia, Scott Mesiti says.
"The original concept for Next Exit Festival was to help bushfire-affected towns, regenerate tourism and hire as many local suppliers as possible.
"So much has happened since then but our aim remains the same. We have designed a safe festival that can be delivered under current restrictions and will employ many people from our industry who have sat on the sidelines for too long."
Next Exit Festival has been made possible by being a successful applicant of RISE funding.
Tickets go on sale at noon (local time) 9 March. More information.
Next Exit Festival 2021 Line-up & Dates
Ocean AlleySpacey Jane
Dear Seattle
Merci, Mercy
Clews
Fri 21 May - Bicentennial Park (Tamworth)
Sat 22 May - Westport Park (Port Macquarie)
Sun 23 May - Entertainment Grounds (Gosford)
Fri 28 May - Mackay Park (Batemans Bay)
Sat 29 May - Mudgee Showgrounds (Mudgee)
