PROGFEST: A festival that celebrates all things progressive is back for 2016! The Corner Hotel in Melbourne will play host to the return of Progfest! Headlined by none other than Brisbane progressive powerhouse Caligula’s Horse, who will be playing as their exclusive Melbourne show on their Hands Shape Stone Australian tour. They will be joined by some of the nation’s finest progressive bands on Saturday, December 3.
Featuring progressive bands of all styles and genres, from prog, post, psychedelic, art rock, metal and everything in between, PROGFEST is about showcasing bands that think for themselves; bands who rather than following the latest trends, have decided to challenge themselves musically and create music with depth and vision.
Progfest was born in Melbourne in 2008 and soon expanded nationally to become a centrepiece of the Australian prog scene. In the intervening 8 years, the progressive scene in Australia has exploded and the bands associated with it are now a global force to be reckoned with. Many of the acts have gained huge followings from all over the world. Ne Obliviscaris, sleepmakeswaves and Twelve Foot Ninja have all headlined Progfest in the past and each of them have gone on to crack the Aria Mainstream chart and have global success.
Four more bands have been added to the already stellar line up of Progfest 2016 bring the total to 12. In addition to Caligula’s Horse, Circles, We Lost The Sea, Chaos Divine, AlithiA, Orsome Welles, Transience and Dyssidia are:
BEAR THE MAMMOTH: These local progressive, post-rockers are fast becoming known for their moody,atmospheric sonics that ebb and flow ‘like an ocean of melody’ Their sublime debut album Yamadori will soon be followed by an album of new material that further expands on their atmospherics.
FIGURES: The collective resume of the members of Figures is quite impressive. Several key Melbourne bands can be found on the list and together their combined forces have a technical, progressive focus. Mixing heavy riffs with emotive and melodic vocals, Figures capture a side of the genre that’s been missing for some time.
QLAYE FACE: Fusing atmospheric soundscapes with complex timing and rhythm, Melbourne proggers, Qlaye Face, convey their moody music with ambition, precision and integrity. With a desire to constantly push their creative boundaries, the band are continually constructing sounds, patterns and journeys that see them scoring support slots with some of the country’s biggest bands. Their fanbase is growing rapidly as a result!
ENLIGHT: Female fronted prog bands are very few and far between but Enlight’s mix of progressive, jazz, metal, pop, folk and post-rock surround Rachael Graham’s dreamy yet intense vocals perfectly. As if they were written just for them. With 5-part vocal harmonies, acoustic sections and odd time signatures, Enlight describe their sounds as ‘music that glows in the dark’.
Saturday, December 3
The Corner Hotel – Melbourne
Tickets onsale via
wildthingpresents.com Oztix & The Venue