Ray chats with Dan Nahum, the organiser of Essence Festival in Canberra, set to be held October 3-5 at The Baso. We discuss what went well last year, what will be different this year, and what some of the highlights might be for the 2025 iteration. There is also a brief guest appearance from Dan from Irreparable who wandered by while we recorded in The Tote beer garden.
Essence:
In the traditions of Canberra's Metal for the Brain and SoundOut, as well as Dark Mofo, Essence is a diverse underground music festival, taking in various metal subgenres (death, black, doom, sludge, and more) as well as other genres: noise, post-punk and post-rock, experimental, industrial, ambient, improvised, and even dark and contemporary takes on traditional music. The bill is from across the Australia and features a mix of impressive live stalwarts, cult artists that perform only rarely, and new and exciting acts. Many have never performed in Canberra before. This year Essence is co-presented by NSW/Qld label Gutter Prince Cabal, and has also added an explicitly visual element in the form of NSW visual artist Greallach.
Links:
Tickets
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/8e1e8ce6-2061-4037-8f12-285520dc45f4
https://www.instagram.com/essence_festival
Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6AiuxATeB2UGdNkk16cL6g?si=2ed3ac3ba03847b1
Full band list
Life Cult
Pod People
Diploid
Contaminated
Convulsing
Tir
Growth
Teeth Dreams
Golgothan Remains
Mammon’s Throne
raven
ZCluster
Nontinuum
Bacchus Harsh
Burden Man
Živa
Shay Doe and Jack Napier
Josh Shipton
Oar
Lithik
Bruxist
Knife
Marlēné Claudine Radice
Fukno
Canary Bones
Atavus Infectum
External Organ
Futility
Essentia Vermis Friday night pre-fest:
Destruktor
Aglo
Hebephrenique
Grotesque Bliss
Leaker
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