My Bloody Valentine Will Be Your Mirror
Imagine The Drones make you a mix tape. It’s really good. I mean, it was compiled by The Drones. They sat there, and waited for all the best songs to come on the radio and recorded them onto a spool of tape. You pop it in your cassette player and listen and think about how nice it was that they took the time to make your ears so happy.
Thee Oh Sees are on there. Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Beasts of Bourbon, reformed because The Drones must have asked really nicely.
Wait. Stop daydreaming. The Drones haven’t made you a mix tape. Let’s face it, no one makes mix tapes anymore. Things are so much better now.
The Drones made you a festival, Melbourne, co-curated with All Tomorrow’s Parties, a different kind of music festival last seen in Australia in 2009, when Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds picked their favourites to play at holiday resorts up the east coast.
‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ runs in the same vein, with artists curating a two day festival of music, film and art. Saturday February the 16th (yes, in 2013) and Sunday the 17th will see the Westgate Entertainment Centre and Grand Star Receptions in Altona transformed, indoors and out, into The Drones’ mix tape come to life.
The Drones and ATP have put together a pretty magical lineup considering the combination of ‘reforming for this festival because it will be awesome’ and ‘up and coming and loved by The Drones so pay attention’.
My Bloody Valentine (pictured, top) will play their first Australian gig in twenty years. There are around 30 acts set to perform over two days, and it’s clear from the bits of the lineup already released that no two will be even a little bit similar. Germany’s Einstuerzende Neubauten are described as both ‘post-punk’ and ‘noise therapy’. There’s Cam Butler & The Shadows of Love playing 21st century guitar. Thee Oh Sees psychedelic pop-folk.
That’s just the acts which have been announced. There are more, including the art and cinema, to follow.
Tickets are $250 (+ booking fee) for a two day pass or $135 (+ booking fee) for a single day pass and went on sale Monday August 13th at 9am from www.atpfestival.com.
Words by Jess O’Callaghan.
