Chic Feat. Nile Rodgers & Melvins Lead Meredith First Announcement

You probably couldn't get a much more disparate two-band announcement than the one Aunty Meredith has dropped on us this morning, but it's one that sets the 23rd Meredith Music Festival up very nicely indeed.

Anyone who caught Chic featuring Nile Rodgers' legendary late-night set at Golden Plains last year will be grinning widely when they hear that the man himself is bringing the party back to the Supernatural Ampitheatre for another round later this year. The all-singing, all-dancing hit parade is just about the most fun you can have

Since he was last here, he's kept pretty busy…

But you can bet there'll be plenty of classics on show when he makes his way back in December.

Another legendary act, though for altogether different reasons and in completely different circles are the mighty Melvins, who are the other big act announced on the 2013 Meredith line up this morning.

Sludge rock royalty for the past 30 years, their performances are constantly spellbinding and completely punishing. Their influence on everyone from Nirvana to Tool to Mastodon and more has been well documented, but they're no nostalgia act and would still crush pretty much any younger band if they felt the need to. Their presence at Meredith will be more than welcome.

The ballot is open now, for the next 23 days, and you definitely need to get on that as the festival has decided to cut the capacity by around 500 people this year. Tickets are on sale from Thursday 15 August for existing subscribers, Thursday 22 for newcomers and they'll set you back $309 + booking fees and postage.

It happens at the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre from Friday 13 December through to Sunday 15. The rest of the bill will be revealed in the coming weeks…