Scene News: SCENE & HEARD FESTIVAL returns to Newcastle February 2021 feat. Grinspoon, Regurgitator, Ratcat, Frenzal Rhomb and more…

This summer in Newcastle is set to get hotter as Scene & Heard Festival returns with another epic line-up, featuring the cream of the Australian 90s/noughties alternative music scene.

Following up its successful 2018/19 events, with Covid putting a stop to live music throughout most of 2020, Scene & Heard had set its sights on 2021 to bring you more of your favourite classic acts – jam-packed into a full day of live music & entertainment. Pull out your Hottest 100 compilations in preparation and get ready for Grinspoon, Regurgitator, Ratcat, Frenzal Rhomb, COG, Killing Heidi, Custard & Caligula, along with the Discovery “Daft Punk Tribute” show, Minx and more, as they hit Wickham Park on Sunday February 21, 2021. The Covid-safe 18+ festival will see pre-sale tickets for members on sale Tuesday December 1, with general tickets on sale Thursday December 3.

With 13 ARIA nominations and a catalogue of seven albums (over half a million records sold) spanning across 25 years, you can expect plenty of rock riffs & anthems from GRINSPOON as they headline the Sound & Heard stage. From the multi-platinum selling rock outfit’s Guide to Better Living, to their ARIA-winning ‘Best Rock Album’ Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills and through to Top Ten chart-topper Black Rabbits, rest assured that ‘Grinners’ will be pulling out plenty of loaded classics such as Chemical Heart, Hard Act To Follow, More Than You Are and more…

REGURGITATOR are sure to have the masses uniting in song when they bust out the likes of Polyester Girl, ! (The Song Formerly Known As), Black Bugs and more… The multi-platinum, multi-ARIA award winning outfit is known for merging rock with a mixed bag of styles including electro, punk, funk, rap & pop. With nine albums across 25 years, including their ’96 platinum debut Tu-Plang & triple-platinum follow-up Unit through to 2018’s Headroxx (as well as last year’s Best of – Quarter Pounder: 25 Years of Being Consumed), there’s no doubt the ‘Gurge will bring the party.

After 5 years of treading the floorboards of countless venues across Australia, 1990 saw RATCAT forge an unexpected path into the mainstream with their melodic fuzz pop/punk rock. The groundbreaking Sydney indie trio’s 1990 EP Tingles changed the Australian musical landscape with its breakthrough tracks That Ain’t Bad & Don’t Go Now and rose to the #1 spot in ’91 – becoming the highest selling EP of that year. The band’s popularity exploded the same year with the release of their critically acclaimed, platinum-selling album Blind Love, claiming the #1 ARIA Album spot and topping the ARIA Singles chart with Don’t Go Now at the same time. 2021 will mark the 30^th anniversary of the guitar-driven outfit’s phenomenal album Blind Love – while their live shows are rare these days, this will be one performance you will not want to miss.

Laying on the punchy punk rock anthems is the one & only FRENZAL RHOMB. Since Frenzal’s formation in 1992, the four-piece have released nine studio albums, including 3 x ARIA Top 20 releases – A Man’s Not a Camel, Smoko at the Pet Food Factory & Hi-Vis High Tea. Always a live favourite, due to their speedy, tight & tongue-in-cheek tunes, you can bet their set will be chock full of melodic belters such as You Are Not My Friend, Never Had So Much Fun, Mum Changed The Locks, Punch in the Face and more.

For a three-piece, COG are a total force with their heavy Prog rock sound. Following a bunch of independent EP releases in 2002 and sell-out shows, the popular live act hit the ARIA Top 20 with their 2005 debut album The New Normal before following up with their 2008 Gold-selling album Sharing Space. After a brief respite from recording, it was welcome relief when COG released their first new music in 10 years – their 2018 singles Altered States and Drawn Together.

Multi-Award winning power pop/rock outfit KILLING HEIDI are sure to offer up a solid, energetic performance when they hit the S&H stage. Who can forget their timeless killer hits Weir or Mascara from their 4 x Platinum debut album Reflector? With both singles hitting the 1999 Hottest 100 at #2 (Weir) & #14 (Mascara), Reflector went on to pick up four ARIA awards and saw Ella & Jesse Hooper take out the APRA Songwriters of the Year award in 2001. With three critically acclaimed albums under their belts – Reflector, Present and Killing Heidi – there will be plenty of catchy hook-laden hits to keep you pumped.

Always full of surprises and renowned for their infectious pop hooks and witty lyrics, indie-rockers CUSTARD are sure to put a smile on your face when the likes of Girls Like That (Don’t Go For Guys Like Us), Apartment, Music is Crap and latest singles Funky Again & The Min Min Lights blast out. Throughout their career, the ARIA award winning act have released nine albums including 2 x Gold selling albums in We Have The Technology & Loverama, and sees them back in fine form following the release of their critically acclaimed 2020 album, Respect All Lifeforms.

Backtrack to 93/94 and you’d have found Sydney Techno/grunge outfit CALIGULA packing out venues, picking up an ARIA nomination for ‘Best New Talent’, and airing across the country on Triple J & commercial radio with their radio hits Tears of a Clown, Before and Roundabout from their Top 20 ARIA album Rubenesque. The alternative electro outfit toured with the likes of Depeche Mode, The Beastie Boys, The Buzzcocks, Jesus Jones & Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and in 2018, reunited to tour with Pop Will Eat Itself.

Head on over to the DON’T COME MONDAY STAGE and you’ll find the DISCOVERY “DAFT PUNK TRIBUTE” SHOW, MINX and more pumpin’ out the sounds & beats. Stay tuned for more announcements.

For those needing to replenish, you’ll have plenty of food & drink options on offer – from fast food, organics, vegan & wholesome wholefood to fine thirst-quenchers courtesy of Six String Brewing Co, Gordons, Smirnoff and more…we’ve got you covered.

SCENE & HEARD FESTIVAL 2021
February 21 – Wickham Park, Newcastle

GRINSPOON
REGURGITATOR
RATCAT
FRENZAL RHOMB
COG
KILLING HEIDI
CUSTARD
CALIGULA
+
DCM STAGE featuring
DISCOVERY “DAFT PUNK TRIBUTE” SHOW
MINX
and more tba…

For more info, head to

SCENE & HEARD FESTIVAL

facebook | instagram | spotify