Headlined by US indie heroes Pavement, the festival features twelve acts across two stages and a no-holds-barred attack on your aural senses. Come for the music, stay for the experience.
Taking to the famed grounds at Mt Duneed Estate, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree is the newest festival headed for our region in 2023.
Promising to turn the festival experience on its head with a line-up curated for maximum enjoyment over two stages, the inaugural event takes place at Geelong’s Mt Duneed Estate on their newly developed Top Paddock site on Saturday 4 March.
The best bits
- New festival on Victoria’s Surf Coast – Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree.
- Inaugural festival headlined by Pavement – featuring 12 bands over 2 stages at Geelong’s Mt Duneed Estate on Sat 4 March.
- Joining Pavement will be Spiderbait, Magic Dirt, Floodlights, The Schizophonics, Black Rock Band and Clamm with more to be announced soon.
- Tickets on sale Wednesday Sept 21 at 1.00pm local time
Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
More than just the music, Tent Pole is a cross-generational, neo-nostalgic celebration and gathering for like-minded music, art and culture lovers; the weird, the wonderful, the outsiders and everyone in between. Remembering, discovering and absorbing. All-inclusive and accessible. All senses catered for. All sensations welcome.
Heading up the ground-breaking one-day festival is influential and iconic US indie heroes Pavement. One of the most popular bands to come out of the American underground in the last three decades, Pavement will feature the unbeatable line-up of Stephen Malkmus, Scott ‘Spiral Stairs’ Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West.
The band last toured Australia in 2010, and have just celebrated the 30th anniversary of their seminal 1992 debut album Slanted and Enchanted, a timeless record that not only changed indie music but one that continues to inspire musicians to this day.
Alongside Tent Pole, Pavement will also be heading out on a six-date headline tour across Australia.
Joining Pavement will be indie-rock royalty Spiderbait, legendary Geelong locals Magic Dirt, alt-pop-rock faves Floodlights, San Diego rock’n’soulers The Schizophonics, NT rockers Black Rock Band and punk trio CLAMM, with more acts to be revealed soon.
Tent Pole is the first collaboration between Roundhouse Entertainment (the team behind Australia’s iconic outdoor summer concert series a day on the green), Love Police (led by music maverick Brian ‘BT’ Taranto, promoter of excellent international tours Out On The Weekend & Boogie, merch guru, book publisher and record label wiz) and Johann Ponniah, founder of I OH YOU (home to one of the country’s most successful independent record labels).
Lucky for us, these music industry legends are combining their decades of expertise in booking the finest bands from all over the globe to give music fans the ultimate experience.
“After 21 years and nearly 500 shows, it’s exciting to launch a new event to complement thea day on the green experience. It’s been fantastic to curate a smaller boutique event with BT and Johann,” says Roundhouse Entertainment Director Michael Newton.
“The Zoom calls have been fun so far. Mt Duneed Estate is a great site, and with more bands to come we look forward to firmly stamping Tent Pole as a mainstay on the Victorian festival calendar for many years to come.”
“Let’s go back to those gold soundz with Pavement on the Surf Coast and a bunch of other sweet acts we wanna see. That sounds pretty good,” says BT of Love Police.
“Let’s call it Tent Pole and deliver a sweet event with a lovin’ team who all bring good shit to the scene. See ya in March.”
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And in a celebration of art, music and retro road trips, the epic team at OK Motels will take over the second stage, curating a line-up featuring Geelong’s own Magic Dirt, indie pop-rockers Floodlights, as well as US garage duo The Schizophonics, hailed by Spotify as the “wildest live band in America”. Embracing their unique love of all-things local, rural and retro, and with a nostalgic nod to the ’70s – Kate Berry, the founder and photographer behind everyone’s favourite Instagram account – with Shaun Adams, will produce a very OK program celebrating music, nostalgia and the great Aussie road trek.
Gifting Geelong a completely new music experience that we haven’t seen before, music lovers should prepare for iconic, indie, lo-fi, hi-fi, post-punk, alternative, renegade rock across two stages.
Celebrating an eclectic mix of artists, while showcasing a musically diverse mix of seminal and highly influential international and Aussie acts, as well as local, up-and-coming and emerging artists. So magnificent, it will take two stages to contain them all!
Better still, early bird tickets are just $149.90, so run, don’t walk. Capacity is strictly limited.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday 21 September at 1.00pm local time from Ticketmaster, with a day on the green, AAMI and Love Police members’ pre-sale beginning Monday 19 September.
Sign up here for membership details and updates on the full Tent Pole experience, including further line-up announcements, and full food and beverage details.
