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THE GUM BALL 2022
announces bumper first line-up

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Bad//Dreems // Photo credit: Ian Laidlaw

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One of Australia’s most cherished musical escapes, The Gum Ball, returns to its long weekend roots in 2022 for three days of discovery over the school holidays, 22-24th April 2022.

Held amongst idyllic bushland of the Hunter Valley, in the heart of Wonnarua country, The Gum Ball is the grandest event on Dashville’s calendar. In 2022 the family friendly cultural jamboree will celebrate a 17th birthday and the hard working team at Dashville are eager to get back to business, counteract the community’s disruption and deliver a much needed cultural escape with a positive return to days of old.

The festival continues to connect community and culture, with distinct homage to the traditional owners of the land, the Wonnarua, featured through a one-off artwork by local Indigenous artist Debbie Becker.

At the previous festival in 2021, Festivals Australia project funding assisted in the creation of the Young Gums Youth Mentorship Project. This five-day mentorship project was a huge success in its pilot year and organisers await eagerly the determination of their funding application for the project in 2022.

The Gum Ball brings a selection of the best musical acts from around Australia and showcases them in an intimate setting one by one, alongside comedy, pro skateboarding, markets, workshops, camping and more.

Dashville are pleased to reveal The Gum Ball’s musical program for 2022:

BAD//DREEMS + SKUNKHOUR + MIA DYSON + HORRORSHOW + DIDIRRI + ED KUEPPER & JIM WHITE + CLAIRE ANNE TAYLOR + WOLF & CUB + ISOBEL KNIGHT & HER BAND + HOT POTATO BAND+ SWEDISH MAGAZINES + BABY VELVET + VAUDEVILLE SMASH + BANANAGUN + JAZZ PARTY + BOBBY ALU + POLLYMAN + THE BOTTLERS + RUBY GILL + FOOLS + VAN WALKER & THE FERRITERS + BONES & JONES + HORSE DRAWN CADILLAC + PEACH FUR… WITH MORE TO COME.

The Gum Ball runs from 2pm Friday, April 22 to Sunday midday, April 24.

Limited tickets are on sale now through Humanitix, with booking fees going to help Nutrition for Aussie School Kids.

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GUM BALL 2022
Artists In Focus

BAD//DREEMS

Bad//Dreems were born during an Adelaide heatwave in the summer of 2012. Ben Marwe, Alex Cameron, James Bartold & Miles Wilson began playing together in a whitegoods warehouse on the banks of the River Torrens.  Their first release, the Badlands EP led to attention from Triple j & US college radio, seeing them sign to Ivy League/Mushroom. The debut LP Dogs At Bay (2015) and its follow up Gutful (2017), both produced by Mark Opitz, cemented their place as one of the most exciting Australian guitar bands of recent times. Over this period they toured extensively both in Australia and abroad, appearing at Splendour in the Grass, Falls and Laneway festivals and supporting acts such as Midnight Oil, At The Drive In, The Avalanches, Wolf Alice, Scientists and Cold Chisel. 2019 saw the addition of long time live member engineer Ali Wells to the band.

Their 3rd album, due for release on October 18, 2019, was recorded in Adelaide with production from Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett, Julia Jacklin, DZ Deathrays) and Jack Ladder.

Musically the band play a rough and tumble brand of jangling rock & roll, that draws influence from Antipodean groups of the 70s and 80s, as well as US acts such as Wipers, DEVO and Television. To date the band have explored ideas of Australian dystopia and isolation, suburban ennui and male identity. Their new album deals with the absurdity of the post truth world, via a dark psychedelic vision of the end of days.

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SKUNKHOUR

Australian music in the early 90’s was having an identity crisis. The golden days of Aussie pub rock were over, pokies were moving in, and clubbing /rave culture was taking hold. While the alternative music scene was dominated by grunge and indie rock, some were looking elsewhere to get their kicks. Hip Hop was on the rise, and from its melting pot of influences new genres were starting to take shape.

One group that emerged from this landscape, and forged a path through the Oz music landscape all of their own were SKUNKHOUR.

A group that fused eclectic musical influences to form their own unique brand of Mongrel Funk. A sound that combined Funk, Rock and Hip Hop with elements of New Wave Pop.

With the funky powerhouse rhythm section of Mike and Dean Sutherland and the melodic blues funk stylings of Warwick Scott on guitar, combined with Aya Larkin’s ethereal and powerful lead vocals. Their unique sound was cemented by brother Del rapping in Australian accent which was unheard of on Australian airwaves at the time.

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MIA DYSON

Mia Dyson is an award-winning guitarist and singer/songwriter who has toured the country with the likes of Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Chris Isaak and many more. A multiple ARIA & APRA award-winning artist, Dyson has been named one of Australia’s top 25 guitarists of all time.

Growing up in the Australian bush and in the sleepy beach town of Torquay, Mia Dyson became fascinated by the mythology of American rock & roll when she was just a kid. “I was raised listening to American music almost exclusively—my dad was a big blues fan, my mom loved Bob Dylan and all the poets,” says the L.A.-based singer/songwriter. “Very early on I was aware of all the places in America where this incredible music was made, like Memphis and Detroit and Muscle Shoals.”

Since moving to Los Angeles in 2010, Dyson’s triumphs have included opening for Stevie Nicks at the Santa Barbara Bowl, in addition to self-releasing Idyllwild, The Moment  and If I Only Said So Far I Take It Back to critical acclaim.

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HORRORSHOW

Horrorshow are a hip hop duo from Sydney, Australia, comprised of Solo (Vocals) and Adit (Producer). They’ve released five studio albums and cultivated one of the most loyal and dedicated fanbases in local hip hop culture.They wrote their debut album, The Grey Space, in high school and signed to Elefant Tracks shortly after, hitting the road and touring heavily. An ARIA nomination followed as well as their much loved second album, Inside Story. At just twenty years old they had two albums under their belt and a reputation for eloquent lyricism and soulful production.

Their third album, King Amongst Many, landed at #2 in the ARIA charts; going on to be nominated for a J Award, ARIA Award and a shortlisting in the Australian Music Prize. They further developed an acoustic version of their live shows, utilising their musical experience to create a fresh and organic take on live hip hop performances.

Horrorshow are part of the One Day collective, alongside Joyride, Spit Syndicate and Jackie Onassis – their debut album Mainline, debuted at #2 on the ARIA Chart. Their explosive presence was mirrored by a wildly successful club party called One Day Sundays, a nationwide series of day and night events. They were the first people to introduce Anderson Paak to Australia.

In 2017 their fourth album Brado State once again charted in the top 5, and lead single Dead Star Shine landed in the triple j Hottest 100. Their fifth album The New Normal arrived in 2019, an uncanny title given how tumultuous 2020 has been, and a record that dealt with some of the heaviest personal journeys of their lives.

Refreshed and inspired, Horrorshow are deep in the studio working on album #6 and a surprise collaborative project.

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DIDIRRI

In a world craving transparency, where young people are marching in the streets demanding the right to it, alternative artist Didirri captivates his peers with his magnetic charisma and honest approach to song writing. His music openly explores subjects, questions and themes many people in their early twenties are encouraged to avoid.

Didirri Peters grew up in the coastal Australian countryside, in the town of Warrnambool. He began writing songs as a challenge to himself to be honest. His candid storytelling comes from wanting to face the truth, however beautiful or confronting. His poetic lyricism began as a private conversation, that now brings hope to his listeners.

Live, the experience is electric. Confidence without ego, whether together in silence, erupting in singalong or feeling the joy of a moment, although personal, it’s always a shared moment. Didirri sings with both conviction and vulnerability and together strangers are connected to think and feel, be open to good, the fun, a surprise, the grey, raw or dark, always gently inspiring hope against all of life’s intricacies.

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AMNPLIFY – DB