Leaps and Bounds Music Festival Announces Augie March, Jess Ribeiro, The Pink Tiles and more for 2017 Opening Night

Leaps and Bounds Music Festival 2017 Opening Night featuring Augie March, Jess Ribeiro and The Pink Tiles
The Corner Hotel – Thursday 13 July

Yarra City Council is excited to announce the launch of the fifth annual Leaps and Bounds Music Festival opening Thursday 13 July featuring Augie March, Jess Ribeiro and The Pink Tiles plus a very special guest to perform Paul Kelly’s ‘Leaps & Bounds’.

Taking place at Richmond’s iconic Corner Hotel, the Opening Night show will be the first of over 100 events that the 10-day music festival will deliver across 24 participating venues and local record stores in Australia’s busiest and most diverse gigging municipality – The City of Yarra from Thursday 13 – Sunday 23 July 2017.

Having cut their teeth in classic Yarra venues including The Punters Club, Empress of India, Truffula Tree and The Evelyn, with some members still strongly connected to the area, Augie March are a fitting act to launch the 2017 instalment. They are regularly touted as one of Australia’s ‘greatest’ or ‘finest’ bands; albums and songs make ‘best ever’ lists and their songs get played at weddings and funerals. Children have been named after them, and the characters featured in their songs.

The music of Augie March is impossible to categorise; they have traditional elements at times, and then get wildly avant-garde at others. They’ve enjoyed both critical and commercial success – a rare feat for any band and their songs have been on almost every radio format in the country. With gold and platinum albums to their credit, they remain perennial outsiders.

Joining Augie March on the evening will be local favourite Jess Ribeiro with her band. No stranger to critical acclaim, with her 2012 debut record My Little River being shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize, and awarded the ABC National Album of the Year, and the AIR Awards Best Country Album of 2012. Having supported and performed with the likes of Nick Cave, Steve Earle and Tim Rogers, and most recently appearing on the bills of Meredith, Riverboats and St. Kilda Festival, Jess Ribeiro’s hazy rock, landscape ambience and melodious 60’s psych songs will be a perfect addition to the launch.

The Pink Tiles led by Victoria de Fruita and Mara Williams will kick off the Leaps and Bounds opening night with their snarling riffs and 60s pop sweetness from their recently released critically acclaimed sophomore album, #1 Fan, earning them feature album of the week on Edge Radio, PBS Breakfast and in Beat Magazine. Be prepared for when The Pink Tiles to bring their California garage-pop sounds insistent, gutsy rock, boldfaced power-pop, starry-eyed love songs and social commentary to the Corner Hotel stage, as The Pink Tiles are sure to impress anyone aged 8 to 80.

Augie March, Jess Ribeiro and The Pink Tiles will join over 200 diverse acts across this year’s multi-genre Leaps and Bounds program with new family friendly events catering to all budgets, as well as the return of some unique festival favourites such as ‘Smith Street Dreaming’, PBS’s Acid Country Live to Air, and the Professional Development and Youth Services Programs.

What originally began as a push to back local venues, musicians and business through the quiet of winter, Leaps and Bounds Music Festival continue to nurture our thriving music community, showcasing homegrown talent from up and coming locals, to internationally acclaimed artists alike.

The full program will be revealed on Tuesday 9 May.

Leaps and Bounds Music Festival 2017 Opening Night
featuring Augie March, Jess Ribeiro and The Pink Tiles
+ mystery special guest to perform Paul Kelly’s ‘Leaps & Bounds’
The Corner Hotel, Richmond
Thursday 13 July
Doors 7.30pm
Tickets on sale now
$30+BF from Corner Hotel

For more information visit: Leaps and Bounds Music Festival

AMNPLIFY – BS