While the festival circuit has been exceedingly turbulent lately, co-director Lex Fletcher had a vision for what he wanted to create. Beechworth Music Festival isn’t competing with the larger festivals or even the other regional Victorian festivals. You see, we’re all invited to Fletcher’s big idea that came to him while spinning vinyl alone in his shed (not while hoping for world domination) and for that reason, it’s sure to be a inimitable weekend.
“[This is] a monumentally long held pipe dream,” Fletcher says, “that came about after too many late nights in my shed listening to vinyl…and germinated over a round of beers with my co-organiser Rikki Raadsveld. I still get a totally unique pleasure, every time, witnessing live music. I want to translate that to all BMF goers.”
Fletcher doesn’t deny that it’s a scary to be launching a festival, but his enthusiasm is infectious and his plan is realistic enough to succeed. “It’s a battle I liken to the South Park episode where City Wok goes into full scale military battle – it’s mightily hilarious and very bloody,” he says. “Today there are an abundant number of cracking festivals, from the biggies to the boutique, all vying for punters to engage. At BMF Central we have really paid attention to the little idiosyncrasies as well as the big picture stuff and so our nerves are pretty well settled leading into this, the preceding week of our festival.
“The very first weeks were the opposite, jagged, jaded nerves ruled the roost and after many sleepless nights mainly due to obtaining all the official paperwork, we didn’t have time to be nervous. There were truckloads of work that needed to be done so we just ran on pure energy all the while and all the time constantly crackin’ ourselves up that we were actually running a music festival,” he says. “Occasionally vomiting due to an email that’s arrived in the inbox isn’t nerves, is it?”
The audience’s experience is front and centre for the organisers of BMF and their unique location holds more tricks up its sleeve than just a nifty story. “Madman’s Gully Amphitheatre is going to blow festivalgoer’s minds; it is purpose built and in the beautiful farmland setting of the decommissioned Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum it feels both spacious and intimate,” he says. “The sunset fading over the back of the stage coming onto night is illuminating and so chilled. The campground is so close to the stage – it’s only about a one minute’s walk – and you can watch the stage from so many unique places: on the grassy banks, front and centre, or standing at the bar knocking back a cold beverage. We don’t want to compete with any regional festivals – the north east area has so many important events – we just hope to create our own style and legacy.”
When putting together a festival lineup there are many frustrating practicalities to consider – budget, logistics, availability – but Fletcher knew what he was shooting for and basically got his wish list.
“Initially the very first reason was personal, in that I needed to attempt to get all the bands I dig that would bring their own great complexities and sound individually but in a shape that melded and immersed so that the lineup followed a thread from start to finish,” he says. “That thread being, each act is sonically immersive but are completely different beasts to one another, be it in sound or visually. It is so hard to define criteria for me on choosing a wish list, sound, feel, originality, but in the end I just thought, ‘Fuck it, take a punt Lex and go with what musically flips your switch.’ So I did!”
The biggest problem with creating the living and breathing art that is a festival is that as its curator, you hardly get to enjoy any of it. You work and work until the gates open – when the real work begins – and finally get to breathe once the last chord is struck. Fletcher, however, is determined to be both music fan and festival organiser.
“My festival-going, gig-loving devil on my right shoulder is telling me that I can just cruise on May 10 and enjoy the BMF lineup all day long without a care or worry in the world,” he says. “The ever party poopin’ fun police little devil on my left shoulder (no room for angels on these world bearin’ shoulders) is whispering in my ear, ‘Don’t listen to him because on May 10 you cannot sleep in, you must stay alert and sober, get your act together ‘cos you’ve got a long day of work.’ I have made one pact with myself on the day of BMF 2014 – I am going to experience at least 10 minutes of every band/act on our lineup. I just want BMF to be all about the bands, artists, the music and the festivalgoers. At the end of the night I’m looking forward to crackin’ the top off a cold beer, sittin’ back and having a yarn about BMF 2014.”
BY KRISSI WEISS
