Although the talk of music festivals dropping like flies is ongoing, December’s Spilt Milk has managed to pull in a zeitgeisty lineup that almost guarantees a swift sell-out.
US rappers Doechii and Kendrick Lamar lead an unseasonably large and of-the-moment stack of artists penciled in for the travelling festival, which makes stops in Ballarat, Perth, Canberra and the Gold Coast, without major cities like Sydney and Melbourne on their radar.
Much like Laneway did with Charli XCX in February, the organisers have clearly nailed it with some Coachella-grade flare this year. Lamar and Doechii will be joined by an eye-popping list of recognisable names including ScHoolboy Q, Skin on Skin, Sara Landry, Dominic Fike and “Friday” singer Rebecca Black.
This is easily the biggest lineup the highly regarded music festival has managed to date, officially taking it from “kind of niche, slightly regional” festival to one of the country’s biggest events for music fans.
Kendrick Lamar, the only rapper to ever have won a Pulitzer Prize, is the biggest shock here. The past 12 months has been nothing short of monumental for him, launching him to an even bigger audience with a much-discussed performance at Superbowl, a seemingly never-ending feud with Drake, a stunning album with GNX, and a current co-headline tour with SZA over in the States.
But it might be Florida’s Doechii that’ll move the most units for Spilt Milk once tickets go on sale on Friday 9th May. Thanks to social media and a few viral performances, the poetic Grammy-winning rapper has quickly shot up to become one of the most acclaimed names in music today, with her Gotye-sampling “Anxiety” now immortalised as a TikTok trend.
However you slice it, this is a massive win for music fans in stops like Ballarat and Canberra, which typically have to travel to Melbourne or Sydney to see big-ticket artists like this. Therein lies the value of Spilt Milk; it’s a great chance to also travel to smaller pockets of Australia.
Kendrick labelmate ScHoolboy Q, multi-hyphenate Dominic Fike, Boiler Room staple Sara Landry and meme-cum-bonafide-electro-pop-princess Rebecca Black speak well to Spilt Milk’s range.
The music festival has always managed to put balance at the forefront. It’s boutique in scale but large in ambition, and this is clearly it’s biggest growth year yet. If you’re heading along, make sure to pop into the festival’s curated art exhibitions and lifestyle options including the karaoke powered Howdy Howdy Country Bar and disco-pocked party bus “Bus Da Move.”
Spilt Milk will kick off at Victoria Park in Ballarat/Wadawurrung on Saturday 6th December before making stops in Perth/Whadjuk, Canberra/Ngunnawal and Gold Coast/Kombumerri.
Spilt Milk
Saturday 6th December – Victoria Park, Ballarat
Sunday 7th December – Claremont Showground, Perth
Saturday 13th December – Exhibition Park, Canberra
Sunday 14th December – Gold Coast Sports Precinct, Gold Coast
Sign-up at spilt-milk.com.au to access presale, the best chance at securing a ticket. Or, you can guarantee yourself a ticket right now with Moshtix Ticket Request. Find out more.
Header image supplied by Spilt Milk
