As previously reported, Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art, (MONA) is adding to its acclaimed festival repertoire with the addition of a winter counterpart to January’s MOFO music and arts festival, titled DARK MOFO.
Dubbed the “darker sister” of the summer series, DARK MOFO follows on from the growing success of Tasmania’s MONA FOMA Festival, which this past January coaxed the likes of David Byrne & St Vincent, Dirty Projectors, Death Grips, and Amanda Palmer to the Hobart-based Musuem’s 2013 festival, organisers have announced an exciting addition to the state’s winter festivities.
Upon the reveal of DARK MOFOS plans, with prospective festival-goers expected to be offered a rich exhibition of arts, storytelling, and – fitting for its winter tone – a large-scale ‘fire and light’ event, there was also the promise of a full lineup announcement.
We already knew Martha Wainwright was confirmed as the first act for the festival’s inaugural bill, as part of the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter’s forthcoming Australian Tour this June, and now DARK MOFO has unveiled its stunning program of musical delights.
There are 83 acts already confirmed for the festival with more to come, it seems MOFO’s darker little sister is set to match if not outshine, its original counterpart.
Among the musical selections, Sydney’s The Presets will be playing a show with Brisbane punk boys DZ Deathrays and hip-hop boys Hermitude. The Drones, currently on tour in support of their latest opus I See Seaweed, will play support to Japanese experimental rock band Boris for the Satanalia showcase, featuring fellow Japanese post-rock veterans Mono, Aussie metal stalwarts Barbarion, post-rockers Fourteen Nights At Sea, the dark, dreamy sounds of A Dead Forest Index and more.
You Am I will also be taking to the fest with a back-to-back nostalgic re-take of two classic You Am I albums: Hourly Daily and Hi Fi Way, performed at the City Hall in an extension of their upcoming Hi Fi Daily Double Tour.
Frontman Tim Rogers will also take part in Vandemonian Lags – New Songs From The Prison Without Walls, where the “dark, creepy and sometimes funny Tasmanian convict history has been turned into song.” Featuring “performance and projections by the likes of Mick Thomas (Weddings Parties Anything), Tim Rogers (You Am I), Mark Wallace, Jen Anderson, Michael Barclay and a heap of others, including Darren Hanlon, Ben Salter, Jeff Lang and Brian Nankervis.” There are 83 acts already confirmed for the festival with more to come, it seems MOFO’s darker little sister is set to match if not outshine, its original counterpart.
Japanese sound artist Ryoji Ikeda is creating what is sure to be one of the fetsival’s highlights with his sine wave installation. Fifteen kilometres of pure white light blasted into the Hobart sky, at the base of the tower, forty-nine custom-made Xenon searchlights are set into the ground in a seven-by-seven grid; combined, they point a fleshless finger at the town straight down, it seems, from some sort of imagined, omniscient seat in the sky.
Sine waves – the purest kind of sound wave – form invisible sonic patterns at the base; your movement alters their composition in a way that only you can specify.
Along with the heavily conceptual installations and performances, there are some straight up music gigs bound to get punters out of their own heads and onto the floor.
Dark Faux Mo is another of the leading events with the likes of Miles Brown, Super Wild Horses, Zond, My Disco, Zanzibar Chanel, Fascinator, Andee Frost, The Dc3, Rainbox Connection and more performing.
MOFO are also serving up some of their signature trippy happenings including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra playing live to a screening of Disney’s Fantasia.
The opening night festivities on June 14 will see indie label Modular joining forces with MONA to present an exclusive evening of sound and light. Experience 100 Million Nights – the mysterious new project from Canyons and Sydney artist Daniel Boyd which recently debuted at GOMA in Queensland, live performances from Movement and Naysayer & Gilsun, plus Melbourne stars Otologic on the decks.
Tickets for individual events go on sale on April 23rd and the folks at MOFO are also offering $100,000 worth of free flights to Tasmania to get to the festival. More details on that on the DARK MOFO website. The playing dates and times have already been released and can be seen below.
DARK MOFO 2013 Lineup
A Dead Forest Index
Alfredo Jaar
Andee Frost
Andy Reed
Angel Eyes
Anish Kapoor
Barbarion
Ben Milgate + Elvis Abrahanowicz
Ben Salter
Bill Hart
Boris
Brad Hammond
Brian Nankervis
Cal Young
Canyons + Daniel Boyd
Christine Manfield
Chronox
Clagg
Craig Pilkington
Darren Hanlon
Dirk Dresselhaus
Domenico De Clario
Dylan Sheridan + Laura Hindmarsh
DZ Deathrays
Ethno Tekh
Fabien Giraud + Raphael Siboni
Fascinator
Fourteen Nights At Sea
Frank Camorra
Giuseppe Penone
Gordon W
Gregorio Zanon
Hermitude
Ian Burns
Ivana Franke
James Baker
Jeff Lang
Jen Anderson
Joanna Dudley
Julius Popp
Kangaroo Skulls
Kirsha Kaechele
Kit Webster + Chiara Kickdrum
Kurt Hentschlager
Lara Favaretto
Lawrence Weiner
Liz Stringer
Mark Wallace
Martha Wainwright
Mathieu Briand
Michael Barclay
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Mick Thomas
Miles Brown
Mixmasters
Mono
Movement
My Disco
Naysayer + Gilsun
Oscar Ferreiro + Heath Brown
Otologic
Patricia Piccinini
Rainbox Connection Djs
Robin Fox
Rufus Didwiszus
Ryoji Ikeda
Sal Kimber
Sally Rees + Rodney Berry
Super Wild Horses
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Dc3
The Drones
The Hunter + Jason James
The Presets
The Stickmen
Tim Bruniges
Tim Rogers
Todd Mcmillan
Van Walker
You Am I
Zanzibar Chanel
Zeal + Cycle
Zond
+More
DARK MOFO 2013 Event Details
June 13th-26th
The festival takes place at various festivals around Hobart.
Presale starts Monday April 22 at 10am, tickets on sale Tuesday April 23 at 10am
http://www.darkmofo.net.au/
DARK MOFO 2013 Calendar
Click image to enlarge
