After almost a decade in hibernation, Canberra's original music festival Stonefest is making a triumphant return.
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The University of Canberra confirmed the festival's return last Tuesday, and has now announced the October 19 event will be headlined by two previous Stonefest acts, indie rock band British India and English singer and rapper Example.
Joining the line-up are Australian acts Skegss and Mallrat. Clumsy Love singer Thelma Plum, Zambia-born rapper Sampa The Great, party band Raave Tapes, former Unearthed High winner Japanese Wallpaper and emo favourites Ceres are also on the bill.
Canberra acts are well-represented with Genesis Owusu and Moaning Lisa heading up a local contingent that also includes Sputnik Sweetheart and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
Emerging acts Cry Club, Good Doogs, Ninajirachi, Pagan and Fritz round out the line-up.
"I feel like we're doing a lot of things at once with this line-up," university music manager Kelsey Bagust said.
"We want it to be a specifically Canberra festival. Something which really speaks to where the music industry and the Canberra scene is at right now."
First held in 1971, Stonefest was a rite of passage for Canberrans for more than 40 years and marked the laying of the university's foundation stone in 1968.
The event has gone through many incarnations. First as a week-long event in the 1970s, before hitting its heyday in the '80s, '90s and naughties.
"There's been quite a lot of diversity in those music experiences," Ms Bagust said.
"They've done a lot of different genres. They've done some pretty crazy techie stuff, they've done some banging rock, like classic Aussie rock. There's been kind of one of everything."
But the introduction of events like Groovin the Moo and Foreshore Summer Music Festival in the early 2000s saw Canberra's festival market change.
"They didn't feel like they had a spot for themselves in the market at that point and that maybe it was time to let go of the torch, and pass it on to different events," Ms Bagust said.
"And I think the last year they did it they had sort of dwindling attendance.
"I guess the point of difference for this year is that we're going to take it into the university and what we've been building for a little while now, which is the UC Refectory and the UC Hub, across those two stages.
"Ultimately the goal of Stonefest is to keep growing and seeing where the right fit for us is as we go."
Discounted Stonefest tickets for University of Canberra students and alumni go on sale from Moshtix on Tuesday, while tickets to the general public go on sale from 9am on Wednesday.
Stonefest's 2019 line-up
(In alphabetical order)
- British India
- Ceres
- Cry Club
- Example
- Fritz
- Genesis Owusu
- Good Doogs
- Japanese Wallpaper
- Mallrat
- Moaning Lisa
- Ninajirachi
- Pagan
- Raave Tapes
- Sampa The Great
- Skegss
- Sputnik Sweetheart
- Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers
- Thelma Plum