One of the Hunter Valley’s most cherished cultural escapes, The Gum Ball returns in 2020 for three days of discovery over the school holidays, 24-26th April, signalling its 15th year of operation.
Held at Dashville, an idyllic bushland property at Lower Belford, Hunter Valley, the family friendly cultural jamboree brings some of the best musical acts from around the globe to showcase them in an intimate setting one by one, alongside a whole list of other bits and pieces, including comedy, pro skateboarding, markets, workshops, camping and more.
Dashville is very pleased to reveal the first taste of The Gum Ball’s musical program for 2020, with Australian rock royalty THE CHURCH heading a superb list of 20 acts heading to the idyllic bushland site.
THE CHURCH will enter their 40th year as a band in 2020 and, as fate would have it, will finally make their debut appearance on the hallowed soil of Dashville. It will certainly be a moment to remember when the haunting strains of ‘Under the Milky Way’, and other classics like ‘The Unguarded Moment’ and ‘Reptile’ roll across the starlit Gum Ball arena.
HARTS PLAYS HENDRIX sees one of the virtuosic rising stars of Australian music, Harts, pay homage to the greatest guitarist that ever lived, Jimi Hendrix. As a scorching three-piece, Harts and his band channel the Jimi Hendrix Experience in such a pure unadulterated form that you’ll believe Dashville has been transported to 1969.
As a tip of the hat celebration to 15 years of The Gum Ball, Dashville welcome back one of their fondest headlining acts from the very first festival, the incredibly talented and four times Helpmann Award-winner iOTA. This is a huge inclusion for the festival and fans of iOTA, with his renowned theatre career in full swing and mooted appearance as a Eurovision 2020 contestant… the festival has pleaded… and won!
DYSON STRINGER CLOHER return to The Gum Ball, having reformed to record a long-awaited debut record. The wait was well and truly worth it, with these three modern luminaries – Mia Dyson, Liz Stringer and Jen Cloher – delivering a stunning self-titled songbook. Prepare for some sublime harmonies.
Celebrated Canadian songwriter FRAZEY FORD will make her Dashville debut. With a soulful take on alt-country and Americana, Ford’s forged an international career as one third of The Be Good Tanyas. But her solo work is equally impressive, with ‘The Kids Are Having None of It’ being the first taste of her third studio album.
The Gum Ball also brings you the smouldering and seductive singing of STEVE SMYTH, Melbourne punk-blues growlers CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS, Sydney’s soulful RnB hip hop singer-songwriter OKENYO, the psychedelic alt-country soundscapes of LOST RAGAS and the sophisticated indie pop and sonic space rock courtesy of COUSIN TONY’S BRAND NEW FIREBIRD.
Rounding out the first announcement is the dream-pop of CODA CHROMA, the enigmatic songwriting of M.E. BAIRD, rising Irish singer-songwriter SON aka Susan O’Neill, the funk-multi-faceted grooves of EAGLE EYE JONES, Hunter-based rocker TORI FORSYTH, Newcastle-based psych aficionado LACHLAN X. MORRIS, pop-punk upstarts JONES THE CAT, rockin’ Port Macquarie trio PALOMINO, the soul-pop bluesy sounds of THE SOUL MOVERS and Australian folk singer and distiller of culture BUDDY DINGO.
The Gum Ball runs from 2pm Friday, April 24 to Sunday midday, April 26, incorporating a special Anzac dawn service on Saturday 25th April.
There will be more artist announcements ahead, alongside the line-up of comedy performers, pro skate boarders, food and market stalls.
Tickets are on sale now through new ticketing partners Humanitix, with booking fees going to help Nutrition for Aussie School Kids.
FIRST GUM BALL LINE-UP 2020: THE CHURCH + HARTS PLAYS HENDRIX + iOTA + DYSON STRINGER CLOHER + FRAZEY FORD (CA) + STEVE SMYTH + CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS + OKENYO + LOST RAGAS + COUSIN TONY’S BRAND NEW FIREBIRD + SON – SUSAN O’NEILL (IRL) + EAGLE EYE JONES + TORI FORSYTH + LACHLAN X. MORRIS + CODA CHROMA + M.E. BAIRD + JONES THE CAT + THE SOUL MOVERS + BUDDY DINGO + PALOMINO + DASHVILLE PROGRESS SOCIETY + MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED…
