Missy Higgins, The Living End, Boy & Bear head up Wanderer 2025 line-up
Good things come to those who wait, and you've been waiting for a boutique arts and music festival experience situated among a tree-lined, beach-adjacent paradise, then biannual event Wanderer Festival is here with the goods.
Taking place on the picturesque Pambula Beach on the New South Wales South Coast on Yuin land, Wanderer returns the first weekend of October with a finely curated bill of Australian and international acts.
The incomparable Missy Higgins needs little introduction and is the star of the Saturday night programme. The Hall of Fame inductee and Double J Artist of the Year joins Wanderer off the back of a sold out tour celebrating both her inspirational blockbuster debut The Sound of White and chart-topping spiritual sequel The Second Act . Expect sing-alongs, euphoria and — let's face it — tears.
Homegrown indie-folk legends Boy & Bear are festival staples, and if you've never experienced their soothing harmonies and innovative pop angles in the flesh? You're in for a treat.
The ever electrifying The Living End will have you moving Sunday night. Fresh from releasing 'Alfie', a new single reconnecting with their rockabilly roots, you'll be treated to a setlist of new treats alongside blistering classics
Fronted by the iconic Adalita, Magic Dirt still play with the same energy and presence they always did. They'll make a great pairing with Hockey Dad – Windang rock royalty whose mix of grunge, surf rock and punky pop makes them a must-see live act.
Jetting their way to the Sapphire Coast will be L.A. quartet Saint Motel. For more than a decade they've been crafting silky, theatrical pop that the grandest of '70s acts would approve of — the perfect cocktail-sipping soundtrack.
Also on the international front: soulful Nigerian-born, London-shaped singer-songwriter Jacob Banks, America's self-styled 'First Lady of Outlaw Country', Nikki Lane, and if you're looking for a boogie, then there's young Netherlands producer Lavern and French electronic maestro Petit Biscuit.
Also joining the party is vocal powerhouses Emma Donovan and Grace Cummings. Both released some of the best albums of last year and are rarely less than brilliant on stage.
Why not indulge in the stunning vocal harmonies of Folk Bitch Trio, or how about a DJ set from bloghouse heroes Cut Copy? Or heading to the Wanderhaus stage for back-to-back sets from turntable masters?
You've also got roots sensations Pierce Brothers, Dublin duo DUG, self-built indie rockers The VANNS, and Double J's very own Henry Wagons playing Johnny Cash's esteemed American Recordings.
If all that wasn't tempting enough, know that there's even more acts to be added to the bill. And if the 2023 edition is anything to go by, the calibre will remain high.
Debuting in 2022 from Falls Festival founder and The Lost Lands impresario Simon Daly, Wanderer festival is a family-friendly affair that offers a full arts program and activities for all ages, for when you need a breather from the live music.
It all goes down in Pambula Beach near the Sapphire Coast, situated halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, or a three-hour drive from Canberra. It's worth the trip for the pristine location, alone. Plus, you'll have to wait until 2027 to get the Wanderer experience again.
Here's the line-up so far for Wanderer Festival 2025, proudly co-presented by Double J
Saturday:
Missy Higgins, Saint Motel (USA), Hockey Dad, Magic Dirt, Lavern (NL), Pierce Brothers, Grace Cummings, Folk Bitch Trio, Johnny Cash Recordings w Henry Wagons, O And The Mo (NZ), Jack Botts, The Tullamarines, Dust, MAD.DAY, Groove Society, Jimi The Kween, Bec Sandridge, Prodikal — 1, Sixten b2b Benjamin, Sunday Lemonade, Bega Sound Collective
Sunday:
The Living End, Boy & Bear, Jacob Banks (UK), Petit Biscuit (FR), Nikki Lane (USA), Cut Copy (DJ Set), The Vanns, Dug (IRL), Emma Donovan, Sylvie (USA), The Bures Band, MAD.DAY, Groove Society, Jimi The Kween, Bega Sound Collective, Lotte Gallagher, Mika James, Radium Dolls, Val Moogz, Lillian Mcveity
Plus, Wanderhaus acts Chicka b2b Rangz, Darcy M. & Carlo T., Jai Cole b2b Kurtis Markwort, Just Andrew, Swell Records DJs, Usual Suspects DJs
Wanderer Festival happens at Pamula Beach on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October. Tickets are on sale now.
Ticketing info, including an opportunity to win VIP upgrades, can be found at the Wanderer Festival website.
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