The first headlining acts for the 2023 iteration of Melbourne’s St. Kilda Festival have been announced today (January 6) – with Confidence Man, the Hoodoo Gurus and Christine Anu all set to perform on the foreshore.
The first two acts will perform at the festival’s second day, dubbed “Big Festival Sunday”, on February 19. Anu, meanwhile, will perform as part of an all-Indigenous line-up on the Saturday, February 18 – titled “First Peoples First”.
“We’re stoked to have these superb artists on our bill, and we can’t wait to be down on the St. Kilda foreshore with you all basking in the good vibes,” the promoters wrote in a statement. The full line-up is set to be shared in the coming weeks.
The festival announced its 2023 return last month, with its free and all-ages program serving as a staple of the St. Kilda community since 1980. Its last iteration, held across nine days in February 2022, included performances from Baker Boy, The Lazy Eyes, Barkaa, Gordi, Romero, Good Morning and the late Archie Roach in what turned out to be one of his final public performances.
Confidence Man are currently touring in support of their second studio album, ‘TILT’. It was selected by NME as one of the 25 best Australian albums of 2022, coming in at number 18. “Those familiar with the band know the stage is where they really come alive, but ‘TILT’ does a stellar job of bottling the infectious, outlandish energy you can expect from a Con Man show,” wrote NME’s Greta Brereton.
Hoodoo Gurus, meanwhile, completed a national tour in September to commemorate their 40th anniversary, having been postponed from April on account of members of the band contracting COVID-19. The Dandy Warhols supported on the entire run, with The Buoys also serving as opener on several dates.
Christine Anu recently appeared at both the First & Forever festival at Hanging Rock in Victoria and at the NITV 10th anniversary concert at the foot of Uluru in the Northern Territory. In November, a 1998 version of Joe Geia’s ‘Yil Lull’ that features Anu, Roach, Paul Kelly and the late Judith Durham was released to streaming for the first time.