Oztix | News | You Want It And So Do The Artists: Aussie Acts Back Calls To Revive Homebake Festival

It started with some of Australia's biggest promoters saying we shouldn't expect international acts to tour the country this year on the back of the COVID pandemic.

Then, we wondered what an all-Australian Splendour In The Grass line-up would look like this October.

And then, we took a trip down memory lane to revisit Homebake - the festival that celebrated all things Australian music - and wondered: Could this be the chance to bring back the homegrown festival?

We want it. You want it. And we can now confirm, so do the Australian artists.

We spoke to a bunch of the acts that have performed on the festival, which ran from 1996 all the way through to 2012, and the message was clear - it's time to bring back Homebake.

John "JC" Collins - Powderfinger

I remember playing the first ever Homebake very well at Byron. I was still finding mud in my bass speakers many months on. I always felt there was something special about playing on an all-Australian bill. It was a great chance to see other artists and a good opportunity to get to know some of the other musicians and crew. With the situation the way it is currently is, I think it would be fantastic to see a festival with an Australian line up, it would be a great chance to get out and celebrate the talent we have in this country and to support the music industry, an industry that is always willing to throw its weight behind many other causes.

Stuart "Ruddy" Rudd - The Superjesus

Having been fortunate enough to be included a few times in '98/'01/'03 on the Homebake line-up, I can honestly say, and I speak on behalf all of us in The Superjesus, that it was one of the most premier events you would look forward to throughout the year. It was almost a celebration whereby everybody could get together, collaborate and enjoy the day, and really take in the fantastic showcase of Aussie music and culture. You only need to look through the history records to see the exceptional line-ups and whose careers started due to the exposure! Australia has seen its fair share of battles recently, and along with today’s climate, I could think of nothing better in the future, either as an artist or punter, than once again, heading along to a Homebake festival, and taking in the amazing festival that Homebake is, supporting our Aussie music.

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Something For Kate

Homebake was always one of our favourite festivals to play and year after year they proved again and again that it is not hard at all to fill a massive festival line-up with purely local talent and that people will turn out in their tens of thousands to enjoy it.
I think Homebake also holds a special place in the heart for many of its alumni because the atmosphere backstage was always like an amazing reunion party of Aussie bands who were always bumping into each other in airports and hotels, year in, year out, and it was awesome to have this one day to all share the same stage (and backstage) and hang out into the night.

We would be over the moon to see Homebake make a return and given current circumstances around international travel, there’s never been a better time….

Correne Wilkie - Manager of The Cat Empire

Once large scale gatherings are enabled again, Australian artists are going to rule Australian stages. There is a solid chance international acts won’t be allowed in to this country for the rest for 2020, well in to 2021 (and maybe beyond), which presents a major opportunity for Australian bands to fine tune their live offering and grow their live audience exponentially. Last week I said in jest to Richard Moffatt, "Now is the time to bring back Homebake", and this week it hit the music industry headlines as an idea! The Cat Empire would absolutely be all for it, and if the promoters want to license us the Homebake brand, we will happily put that show together for Australian artists to make a big, national, united comeback!

Sneaky Sound System

We have very fond memories of Homebake, in particular the last one we did performing right before a reunited Crowded House (even if we stuffed up the first 20 seconds of our opening track Pictures thanks to a technical glitch). The setting was perfect, the atmosphere was electric, and it felt like a genuine celebration of Australia’s finest acts for the year. There has been an invasion of overseas dominated festivals since Homebake wasn’t a thing anymore, and in the typically cyclical nature of music… most of these other festivals aren’t a thing anymore. And now the entire music scene has been shattered by the coronavirus and it’s hard to see when it might return to some sense of normalcy. Given the strict border controls that will remain in place for the foreseeable future, there couldn’t be a better time to bring Homebake back, the original supporter of the local scene. It stands for everything we need to stand for over the next couple of years, and that is to support your own, and showcase the incredible talent we have on offer in our own back yard.

Adalita - Magic Dirt

We always looked forward to playing at Homebake 'cause we knew that we would get to hang out and catch up with good friends and fellow musicians. There was always a great warm vibe and we would look forward to checking out what everyone else in the local Aussie scene was doing. It was also an honour to be playing to such a crowd and to our own peers. Now would be a great time to bring that local vibe back to showcase what a great music scene we have in this country and to support not only the bands and artists that have been affected by this pandemic but as a hats off to all the lovers of Aussie music that are out there.

Pete Murray

The best thing about Homebake was that the line-up was 100% local artists – which of course helped support the Australian music scene. Personally, this was one of the most fun gigs I have played. Not only was I able to see a heap of bands that I really liked at the festival, they were all my mates as well! The afterparty was great ‘cause you knew everybody and just got to hang out with friends.