Fans are still flipping over the batshit crazy lineup for UNIFY Gathering 2017, and rightly so.
The heavy music bush bash has served up its biggest bill yet for its third trip to South Gippsland, which includes Alexisonfire, Violent Soho, Northlane, Every Time I Die, The Getaway Plan, Letlive, Thy Art Is Murder and loads more.
The now three-day punk, hardcore and metalcore party may still be a fair few months off, but that hasn’t stopped promoter/booker Luke Logemann, logistics whiz Joe Miles and ticketing guru Aaron Smith from hitting the Reddits to answer all of your burning questions about the 2017 event right the fark now.
Their AMA has just wrapped up, and we’ve collected all of the most froth-worthy news pellets about UNIFY 2017 and mashed them into this handy breakdown (cause we know how much y’all dig a good breakdown).
Read below and try not get so turnt you slamdance your laptop.
1. If you want tickets, you’d better grab ’em SOON
Ticket sales are currently sitting at just over 75% (which is more than this time last year), meaning there’s only about 1,800 left up for grabs so you stragglers had better HTFU.
Also, organisers are “working on making it as easy and painless as possible” to get in to the festival next year (i.e. minimise lineup times) by setting up “more employees and entrance lines” and also installing “new technology that can scan people through quicker”.
2. It’s not going to be as crammed as you’d think
When faced with concerns about how they planned to fit 7,500 people into next year’s fest when this year’s 5,000 cap event felt like a bit of a squeeze, organisers said:
“We’re super confident that there is enough to fit even more than 7,500 people in. We have extra camping space, there is plenty of space in the arena. We’ve made sure that we’ve got all the necessary approvals before deciding to go ahead with the festival again in the same location. This is something we’ve given a lot of thought to.”
3. And they’re working on minimising the ‘dust bowl’ effect
Pretty much everyone who attended this year’s festival at Tarwin Meadows came back coughing up dust. And with the festival set to return to the same location in 2017, UNIFY’s head honchos say it’s a concern they’re taking seriously:
“We’re working hard on this one to try and tackle and potential dust issues. As you’ve pointed out we were somewhat unfortunate with how dry it was last year, one of the driest days in god knows how long. We’re speaking with local earthmoving companies and currently planning the best way to address the situation. We’re exploring various dust suppression methods to make sure we address this situation best!”
However they also raised a valid counter-point: “The dust did make some pretty epic warrior like photos!”
4. There will probably be no full band performances on Day 3
“We haven’t decided what the Sunday will be but the last two years we found most people didn’t want to watch music,” organisers explained. “We may have some DJs and Acoustic Artists and maybe launch some kinda rad market stall and happy hour scenario.”
“So far we’ve only programmed music on the Friday (which will be roughly 2pm – 1am) and the Saturday (12pm – 1am),” they said.
5. But rejoice, stinklords! There WILL be showers on site
“There are certainly going to be showering facilities at UNIFY 2017,” promoters promised. “Which is a relief as you lot stank after a few hours last time… as did we! ;-)”
6. And the mini-games will return
“100%, how could we not? Let us know what your favourite game was, and any other you’d like to see there. We love a challenge,” they said.
7. Looks like there’ll only be one more lineup addition, though
The UNIFY head honchos have confirmed that the lineup will pretty much stand as is, bar the addition of a triple j Unearthed comp winner – and they’ve got a good reason for keeping it so compact: “We’re a one stage event and we like it that way – every artist gets the time of day and no clashes.”
8. There could be more opportunities for things like band meet & greets and signings
In response to one fan who suggested the addition of a fully fledged signing tent in 2017 could be cool, where fans could, say, “pay a gold coin donation in advance… [which] could go to the local community or a valuable foundation like cancer or such” in exchange for getting merch inked by one of UNIFY’s many awesome artists, organisers replied: “Expect some announcements here soon!”
9. Anyone complaining about the lineup’s genre breakdown can STFU
In response to one fain complaining that the last two years’ lineups haven’t been as “heavy” as the debut event and resultantly haven’t sold as quickly, organisers responded: “We want to book a diverse heavy lineup that represents the entire world of heavy music, which is why we love all three [years’ worth of UNIFY] lineups – they capture that diversity within the culture. 2016 was 5000 cap which is why it took longer to sell – not to mention Amity are probably the fastest selling ticket in Australia, and them headlining in 2015 was a huge win for us.”
10. We won’t see UNIFY expand outside of rural Victoria any time soon, but there’s good news for interstate punters
“UNIFY will remain in Gippsland, but thats not to say we won’t do other events in the major cities some time in the future.”
11. The bands on the top of organisers’ wish list for UNIFY 2018 are…
The Ghost Inside and Modern Life Is War.