Headlined by Ella Hooper, the annual festival features a huge list of the hottest local music talent.
The three-day re-imagined Aireys Inlet Music Festival spectacular has unveiled its star-studded, strong local lineup for its return this March, going ahead once again as a specially curated music festival.
Returning for its 17th year, the Aireys Inlet Music Festival is set to take over this coastal town from Friday 17 – Sunday 19 March 2023, with Ella Hooper headlining another cracking lineup of homegrown talent. It’s a return to the Aireys Festival stage for Hooper after performing with the RockWiz Orchestra in 2016. With her epic band, she will be playing songs from her new album, Small Town Temple, an ode to her hometown of Violet Town.
Aireys Inlet Music Festival 2023 Lineup
Ella Hooper band
Rocket Science
Andy Golledge Band
Bones and Jones
Belaire Lip Bombs
Foggy Notion
Zoe Fox and the Rocket Clocks
Immy Owusu
Forever Son
Sin City
Beachniks
Queen of Hearts
Dear Buffalo
De Porsal
Matt Bourke and the Delusional Drunks
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Ella Hooper follows an illustrious list of past headliners including Hoodoo Gurus, Tash Sultana, Ross Wilson, Pierce Brothers and Adalita.
The festival, now in its 17th year, continues to draw on the cream of Geelong and Surf Coast bands this year, including Rocket Science, Bones and Jones, Foggy Notion, Immy Owusu, Forever Son, the Beachniks, Matt Bourke and the Delusional Drunks, Dear Buffalo and De Porsal. They will be joined by Sydney country star Andy Golledge Band, Frankston’s finest rockers the Belaire Lip Bombs, space disco popsters Zoe Fox and the Rocket Clocks, all female mariachi group Queen of Hearts, and boisterous country rockers Sin City.
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Incoming Artistic Director Patrick Donovan said this year’s lineup was a celebration of local talent. ‘’We didn’t have to look too far to source a great line-up,’’ says Donovan, who has been visiting Aireys for 40 years.
‘’There’s such a wealth of talent from the area. Whether these musicians still live in the region, have moved to Melbourne or relocated here for a sea change, there’s a certain roosty, carefree surfy sound that washes through many of the acts.
‘’We’re also thrilled to invite Ella Hooper back – her great new album is all about longing for her regional hometown of Violet Town, so she will fit right in. And we couldn’t resist inviting one of the rising stars of country, Andy Golledge, to come down and close the festival on the Sunday.’’
The main stage will once again be located in one of the State’s best beer gardens at the Aireys pub (which is ticketed), but once again the festival will take over the town, with free intimate performances taking place at gin bars, cafes, hotels and restaurants around town. The Push’s youth FReeZA stage will showcase the best young acts from the region at Great Ocean Road Mini Golf on the Sunday.
Donovan, the former CEO of the state’s music peak body Music Victoria, said that the event brings the community together, supports its creatives, and is a shot in the arm for businesses.
‘’According to credit card data from Spend Map, there was a $90,000 – or 26% increased spend in the town compared to a normal March weekend. Regional music festivals are good for the local economy and good for the soul, and we’ve deliberately kept ticket prices low at $60 for the three days so everyone can join in the fun.’’
With a new name, the forthcoming festival builds on the format of the 2022 edition which saw the likes of headliner (aka Mystery Guest) Josh Teskey from The Teskey Brothers alongside a slew of artists performing across stages at the Gin Tasting Room, The Captain of Aireys, Ala Grecque, Great Ocean Road Mini Golf and of course the Aireys Pub. Running in a slightly modified format, the festival also saw performances from the likes of Checkerboard Lounge, Forever Son, Owsley, Mojo Corner, Smoke Stack Rhino, CJ Commerford and the Supertones, Honk, Strathmore Collective, Lucy Lorenne, Libby Steel, Dear Buffalo, Seb Szabo, Localles, Tin Pot Clayman, among many others.
Tickets can be purchased for $60 for the weekend here or for $25 on the door each day (until capacity is reached). You can find out more at the festival website.
