Turin Brakes Lead The Gum Ball In 2013

17 December 2012 | 2:51 pm | Dan Condon

The first 12 acts have been announced.

More Turin Brakes More Turin Brakes

The first line up announcement for the 2013 instalment of The Gum Ball festival has dropped and it's already looking incredibly appealing.

Turin Brakes, Mia Dyson, The Beards, Saskwatch, The Preatures, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, Katalyst, Jordie Lane, Mojo Juju, Steve Smyth, Little Bastard, King Of The North

TURIN BRAKES:

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This UK folk duo have sold a bucket load of records in their home country and have enjoyed a fair amount of success out our way as well. Turin Brakes ought to suit the family friendly, relaxed vibe of The Gum Ball just perfectly when they headline the event in April and with the promise of a series of tunes from throughout their lengthy career as well as a smattering of brand new material, fans will be stoked to see them gracing the event's stages.

MIA DYSON:

She has come back into our lives recently after far too long away from us and, particularly given the quality of her new record and recent live performances, we couldn't be happier to have Mia Dyson back with us. The young singer-songwriter went to the US to pursue her musical dreams further and came back with an absolute ripper of an album in The Moment under her arm. If you haven't seen her playing on the back of the record, you ought to fix that as soon as possible.

THE BEARDS:

What a year it has been for these hirsute gents from Adelaide. Most of the country would consider them a novelty act but we reckon there are quite a few faces out there who've been genuinely inspired by The Beards and their unflappable dedication to facial hair.

SASKWATCH:

One of Melbourne's most polished and accomplished soul groups, Saskwatch have been a welcome addition to the Australian deep funk and soul scene in recent years and their live show just keeps getting more and more appealing every time we see them. They will have The Gum Ball dancing like no one else this year.

THE PREATURES:

Could this band be the next big thing? That seems to be the word on the street and goodness knows they have the groundswell of support from the public to make it a very real possibility in 2013. The Preatures play catchy tunes with a swaggering sense of cool that somehow seems kind of unpretentious.

EUGENE 'HIDEAWAY' BRIDGES:

Now here is a guy who just bloody loves Australia. Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges tends to spend most of his time on the road and, luckily for us, he spends a fair amount of it on Australian soil. Over the past few years he's played hundreds of shows over here and amassed a huge, supportive fan base, many of who will be there for The Gum Ball, one would suspect.

KATALYST:

Deep Impressions the latest LP from Sydney producer Katalyst is one of the better Australian “urban” records we have heard in a long time and we hope that there are plenty of people who took the time to get behind the diverse 2011 LP. Katalyst's appearance at The Gum Ball will be another chance for the masses to hit the dance floor and we can't wait to see what he has in store for this big performance.

JORDIE LANE:

This Melbourne based singer-songwriter ought to have a new LP released very soon and if its first single Fool For Love is anything to go by, we could be in for another excellent release from the hard-working artist. Jordie Lane is an endearing live performer and you can bet he';ll have you captivated if you make it along to see him at The Gum Ball in 2013.

The three day music and arts event will take place at Belford in the Hunter Valley, NSW, from Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 April. Early bird tickets sold out before there were even any acts announced (we reckon ticket holders will be pretty pleased with themselves, too) but you can still get pretty cheap ones from the festival website now.