November 28, 2024
Meadow music festival to end
INTERNATIONALLY renowned neo-soul four-piece Hiatus Kaiyote and psychedelic rockers Pond will headline the 10th and final Meadow music festival.
Set to take place between March 21 and March 23 at the Bambra Bowl, the three-day festival boasts a massive line-up that includes Floodlights, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist MJ Lenderman & The Wind, Geelong heavyweights ORB, Kaiit, the Los Angeles-based Empress Of and First Nations hip hop artist Miles Nautu.
They will be joined by a multitude of local and international DJs and curators who will deliver sets across the weekend, while rural artists still have time to apply to perform in a dedicated talent showcase as part of this year’s “Retreat Creek Hotel Presents” program.
For Meadow’s small and dedicated team of music lovers, who have been managing the festival as a side-project to their day jobs, next year’s event will also mark the end of an era.
Festival founder Cameron Wade cited rising operational costs, reduced demand from buyers and growing administrative pressures as factors in the decision to close the chapter on the much-loved event.
“We understand that events like Meadow add an immense amount of cultural value to our region, while in parallel providing a critical stepping stone for emerging artists to perform to larger audiences,” he said.”But right now, there just isn’t the support available to balance the inputs required to make a festival like Meadow a reality in the long-term."
“After 10 years, we felt it was the right moment to step back and give ourselves a break and leave Meadow with one last celebration to wrap up something we’re incredibly proud of.”
Meadow joins several other high-profile music events to call it quits in recent months, including Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo and Byron Bay’s Bluefest, as the country’s live music scene continues to battle a post-COVID world and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
“I’d like to say that overall there’s going to be a Meadow shaped hole in the South-West Vic music community’s calendar for the next few years,” Wade said.
“But I hope in time other events will be born out of passion and hard-working groups of mates that want to try and build the next party to celebrate contemporary music and regional Victoria.”
He said it would take a lot of good work at a government level to drive change back towards an environment that can nurture festivals and Australian live music again.
“In time, some financial pressures will ease when the Australian dollar recovers a little and ticket buyers have a little more discretionary spending money in their pockets.
“However, other pressures driven by climate – insurance and site preparation costs – will probably continue to climb and are difficult to offset.”
Changing buyer behaviour, administrative red tape and fees and the impact of streaming services on the popularity of Australian artists, along with several other factors, are also increasing the challenge of operating a viable event, he said.
“Maybe one day we’ll get the itch to return to live music, but at the moment it’s just goodbye.”
Image credit: After 10 years of supporting young musicians and promoting Australian music, the beloved music festival that evolved from a 21st birthday party, has announced its final lap around the contemporary genre-sphere. Photo: KIRSTY RENEE HILL
