Caravana Sun’s Summer Escape Fest
Sydney band Caravana Sun have always written music with the festival stage in mind, so it was only a natural transition that they would one day create their own festival. Summer Escape Fest is a family friendly, all-ages event happening on the Sunshine Coast this September, and with the support this festival is already receiving you can be sure this will be a regular event added to the festival calendar. MFA wanted to ask the Caravana Sun lads about what inspired them to tackle organising their own festival, and what punters can expect from this solid Australian music line-up.
Firstly congratulations on the new album, 'Burning Palms'. Are you happy that it's now out in the world for fans to enjoy?
Yes! We worked for a few years there to really craft a sound we’d be happy to share with everyone. Now we’re on tour in Europe, it feels amazing to bring these songs to the live stage!
You have just finished touring WA & Qld, showcasing the LP. Are you happy with the reaction from attendees about the new material?
The reaction has been overwhelming at our shows. We wrote and released a few of these songs during Covid so we had no gauge to see how they were landing. Now, to have everyone singing the words back at shows is truly epic.
Are you glad to be back playing in front of live audiences?
Caravãna Sun has been a live band since the beginning. It’s truly incredible to be back on the stage and connecting with people in that way. There’s an exchange that happens in the live scenario that you just can’t recreate!
What’s the one essential you HAVE to take on the tour?
The one essential would have to be a towel. No matter where we go, we always find a way to enter some body of water. There’s nothing worse than coming back to the tour van and realising you’ve got nothing to dry yourself with!
That brings us to the Summer Escape Festival. The Summer Escape Festival has been curated entirely by Caravana Sun, is that correct?
Yes, it's been a B-hag (Big, hairy, audacious goal) for a very long time
“we decided to put all our friends on the bill and have a huge celebration”
What made you decide to take on such a huge project?
We knew that after the crazy couple of years that we’ve had, people would be keen to get out and about. We’ve had so many artists that have been affected by this pandemic, so we decided to put all our friends on the bill and have a huge celebration, In an effort to boost morale amongst everyone and generate some healthy business for our friends.
Is the name Summer Escape and holding the festival on the Sunshine Coast in September an almost subliminal way of targeting a certain demographic?
We just wanted a name that wasn’t going to isolate or target anyone. We’ve always had such incredible shows in outdoor venues so we thought, let's lean toward summer!
“By having it all ages, we can ensure it’s open to everyone!”
Summer Escape is an all-ages event which brings with it a whole lot more regulations and rules. Was it important to you to make this an all-ages show? Why?
Yes! We had to make it accessible to young families. For us, nearly all of our shows over the years have had such a broad range of ages at the shows. By having it all ages, we can ensure it’s open to everyone!
Was it difficult to decide which bands to approach to be a part of Summer Escape? Was there a huge list that had to be whittled down?
For this event, everyone was very keen once they found out about the idea! At the end of the day, artists just want to play music with friends and make sure it’s worth their time. We’re so stoked with the turn out!
How will you prepare yourself for an event like the Summer Escape Festival?
We’ll be rolling into this festival on the back of our European tour so all of our prep will be done on stages throughout Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands. We can’t wait to bring it to the stage!
What can we expect from your performance on the day?
You can expect high energy, deep grooves and soulful moments. We’ve always danced through these moments and can’t wait to have all 6 of us humming in tune
Apart from your own, which set are you most looking forward to seeing play at Summer Escape?
Gosh it's so hard to pick, in fact I can’t. We’ve literally reached out to not only friends, but people we really look up to. We’ll be side of stage the whole day watching everyone!
If you could collaborate with any artist from the line-up, who would it be and why?
I think for us, having Hot Potato Band with so many horns, it makes clear sense to get them on stage! We love playing with horns and would love to see a big jam somewhere in Summer Escape Fest.
Do you enjoy playing festivals and being a part of that festival scene and atmosphere?
We love it soooo much. We’ve come back to Europe for over 10 years for that exact reason. People are just in another place when they go to festivals. Some different zone. You just can’t get enough!
“We’ve always written music for this similar world and will continue to write for the festival stage.”
Do you find that festivals present your music to a new fan base, including people who have never heard your music before?
Yes for sure but even more than that, I think festivals present our music in the best way given the vibe. We’ve always written music for this similar world and will continue to write for the festival stage.
Is this a one off festival event or are we able to add Summer Escape to the yearly festival calendar?
You can. Be sure to put it in your diary. With the way people have been talking and spreading the love, we’ll be running this festival for many years to come. Maybe even start roaming!
SUMMER ESCAPE FESTIVAL LINE UP
SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER - NightQuarter, Sunshine Coast, QLD
tickets
Caravana Sun
Hot Potato Band
Peach Fur
Toxic Fox
Jazzelle
Steph Strings
Make The Moon
Olivia Ruth
Caravana Sun Show Dates
SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER - Howler - Melbourne, VIC tickets
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST - Factory Theatre - Sydney, NSW tickets
Joined by special guests Steph Strings + SULT + Rochelle Natoli
Photo credit Chloe Hutchison - Havana Productions
Interview by Michelle Symes
July 2022