Everything you need to know about your favouite artists who will be performing live on the VJAM Stage at Festivale 2025 is below. Get ready to rock at Festivale 2025.
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Formed in Perth, Birds of Tokyo have grown from independent roots to become one of Australia’s most popular contemporary rock bands.
The band has released six studio albums including Human Design which topped the ARIA charts. Classic songs like “Good Lord”, “Two Of Us”, “Plans”, “Lanterns”, “Brace” and “I’d Go With You Anywhere” have all been top 10 airplay hits and more than seventy Birds of Tokyo tracks have featured on Triple J, making them one of the National Youth Broadcaster’s three most played artists of this millennium.
They have played major festivals like Splendour In The Grass & Falls and appeared as special guests for Muse, Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel and Bon Jovi. They have also toured across Australia with some of the country’s most prestigious Symphony Orchestras.
Birds of Tokyo have won “Rock Work Of The Year” on a record setting five separate occasions at the APRA Awards.
Late 2021 the band released single “Superglue (feat. Stand Atlantic)” alongside their headlining appearance at the AFL Grand Final in Perth. In March 2022, new single “Smith Street” was released which perhaps surprisingly for a song written during the Victorian and NSW lockdowns, celebrates the feeling of running free. The band then closed out the year with a summer arena tour with Keith Urban, and dropped the infectious, California-tinged tune “Daylight”.
In April 2023, Birds of Tokyo announced they will team up with the West Australian, Queensland, Tasmanian, Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras during August and September for an electrifying concert experience called “Birdsongs”. Fans will enjoy the soaring melodies and raw energy of classic anthems alongside new songs, all reimagined with stunning arrangements by acclaimed orchestrator, Nicholas Buc, who will also conduct all dates.
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Killing Heidi are officially forever. Twenty years ago, when the disarming folk-pop of Kettle launched Ella and Jesse Hooper into high radio rotation, it was something neither expected. But tour after tour, the Violet Town siblings are finding their explosive power pop more entrenched in the Oz rock pantheon.
There’s a whole generation that doesn’t need reminding that the early ’00s belonged to Killing Heidi. Weir hit #2 and Mascara #14 in Triple J’s Hottest 100. Debut album Reflector won four major ARIA awards and sold 4 times platinum as Ella and Jesse took out the prestigious APRA Songwriters of the Year award in 2001.
After a fruitful decade of diverse solo and duo pursuits, the pair reignited the flame for the 20th anniversary of Queenscliff Music Festival in 2016: a perfect reflection of their first teenaged performances under the Killing Heidi banner.
Blown away by the warm welcome and electric energy of a capacity crowd, they went on to meet snowballing demand at the Zoo Twilights concert series at Taronga and Melbourne Zoos.
In 2018, they kicked it up another gear with a SOLD OUT capital cities tour backed by Live Nation and followed by an extensive regional run of shows. A year later, they hooked up for a co-headlining national tour with ’90s rock icons, Baby Animals.
Summer 2020 saw Killing Heidi return for a monster 23 dates across every state and territory of Australia as part of the epic Red Hot Summer Tour, with fellow Australian rock giants Hunters & Collectors, James Reyne, The Living End, The Angels, Baby Animals and Boom Crash Opera.
“What Killing Heidi’s music meant and still means to the people that shared that amazing time with us really blows me away. I meet so many people, especially young women, who tell me how Killing Heidi inspired them to be themselves, back themselves or even start a band, and I’m completely honoured that it had that effect on people” — Ella Hooper
“Ella’s performance is as alive as ever. Vibrant and rockin’, it was clearly evident she was enjoying being back onstage fronting Killing Heidi, especially during the harder hitting songs such as ‘Superman/Supergirl’, ‘Mascara’ and set-closing crowd favourite, ‘Weir’ – Rolling Stone
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Pete Murray continues to be one of Australia’s most cherished and respected singer-songwriters, with over 1.2 million records sold across his amazing career so far.
Starting from humble beginnings in 2002, Pete has achieved three ARIA chart-topping albums and a whopping 17 ARIA Award nominations. Known for his world-class live performances, his concerts are a testament to his years of experience and passion for music. His most recent Greatest Hits Tour sold over 13K tickets across Australia, with performances at iconic venues such as The Forum in Melbourne, Enmore Theatre in Sydney and the Astor Theatre in Perth.
Renowned for his emotive and compelling songwriting, Pete’s songs like “Better Days,” “Feeler,” “Opportunity,” and “So Beautiful” have become the soundtrack to many people’s lives.
With exciting new music currently in the works, Pete Murray continues to cement his place as one of the country’s most iconic artists.
closeFind out more about our hilarious Festivale comedy artists who will be entertaining you at the Chefs in Action marquee on Friday and Saturday at Festivale.
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Mel Buttle Comedian / Writer / Presenter
Fearless, funny, and frank, Mel Buttle is a super star of Australian comedy. She is the genius creator behind Australia’s favourite online mum character ‘Lyn’; an award-winning stand-up comedian; a popular television and radio presenter; and the self-declared number one fan of the Matildas.
Mel is currently touring her hit comedy show Not Here to Put Socks on Centipedes after sell-out performances at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney and Brisbane Comedy Festivals.She appears regularly on TV in her own hilarious regular segment for The Project (Ten) and will soon be in the upcoming Series 3 of Taskmaster Australia (Ten). She also writes a monthly column for The Courier Mail’s QWeekend and pops in to chat with Robin & Kip on KIIS 93.7FM Brisbane each week.
Mel Buttle first burst onto the comedy scene in 2010 scoring a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (with Sista Got Flow). She then won the 2012 Sydney Fringe Best Show (for Stop It, You Are!), followed by the 2013 MICF Directors Choice Award (for How Embarrassment). Mel has since written and performed 10 solo shows in 10 years. She has facilitated comedy workshops, created and performed live shows with Nikki Britton, Anne Edmonds, Dave Thornton, Cal Wilson, and Susie Youseff, and supported the likes of Wil Anderson, Marc Maron and Merrick Watts. Mel also still gigs regularly in local comedy clubs and rooms around the country.
Mel has co-hosted the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (ABC) twice and The Great Australian Bake Off (BBC/Foxtel). She is a former Australian Team Captain for Patriot Brains (SBS), survived the jungle in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (Ten), and has also appeared as a guest on 7 Days (TV3 NZ), The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (ABC), Question Everything (ABC), The Hundred (Nine), Celebrity Letters and Numbers (SBS), Hughesy, We Have A Problem (Ten) and The Cheap Seats (Ten).
An ingenious comedic content creator, Mel Buttle is sought after for brand collaborations, corporate speaking, script-consulting, screenwriting and speechwriting. Her recent credits include the 2024 AACTA Awards, Mother & Son (Wooden Horse), Ronny Chieng International Student (ABC), The Drum (ABC), You’re Skitting Me (ABC3), Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me (ABC2), This Week Live (Ten).
Mel Buttle is a social media phenomenon. Her beloved mum character ‘Lyn’ is a break-out star in her own right. As Lyn, Mel gives voice to a generation of refreshingly honest no-frills working mums, that we either remember having, or are trying to avoid becoming! Lyn’s hilarious observations on her daughter, extended family, neighbours and work colleagues always reach millions of engaged fans.
Comedian, rock musician, mental health advocate and award-winning, best-selling author Nat’s What I Reckon had been creating online content for close to a decade when his early 2020 isolation cooking content rocketed the channel to a new level – blowing up an existing fan base already in the hundreds of thousands to a global following now approaching five million.
Coupled with hilarious social commentary, Nat’s sweary message of kindness and inclusivity and open sharing of his mental health struggles has resonated with champions the world over, earning him a staggering 275 million+ views on his videos.
Nat’s love for taking the playful piss had seen him riff on everything from trade shows and tattoo events to burnout festivals and exploring “the wrong” Area 51, when in response to the craziness he was seeing at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic Nat declared war against processed food.
Unable to bear continually seeing pasta jar-sauce shelves picked clean by hoarders while fresh produce sections were bursting with untouched fruit & veg, Nat launched a video featuring one of his one of his own favourite home-cooked pasta sauce recipes. With his classic sweary style and signature spin and whistle the clip rapidly took Nat to a new level of viral. This new pivot for the channel saw Nat’s audience expand exponentially and win him A-list fans including Courtney Act, Dave Grohl, Yael Stone and frequent collaborator Briggs – but most importantly, successfully got people into the kitchen and away from packaged meals.
Nat with his co-creator, designer and producer Julia Gee as equal partners in the channel have used their platform to hold a tongue-in-cheek mirror up to antiquated culture norms and societal politics, delighting in unveiling irony and making light of how strange everyday life can be. As Nat told The Guardian, “I’ve always made fun of that narrow-minded boofhead thing. The trade-show reviews I did were all about sticking it to boys’ clubs. Boats, burnouts, that kind of shit.”
He is the author of four bestselling books, all published by Penguin Random House. The first, Un-cook Yourself: A Ratbag’s Rules for Life, an “unhelpful self-help guide”, went straight to the #1 Bestsellers spot on both Booktopia and Book Depository on pre-orders alone. The 25 recipe illustrated cookbook Death To Jar Sauce: Rad Recipes For Champions debuted at #2 on Booktopia immediately on announcement, swiftly going on to take out the top spot in the charts in just a week. And Life: What Nat to Do – Nat’s “hot take on the advice you never asked for” was also an immediate and acclaimed best-seller, once again taking Nat straight to number #2 on the Booktopia charts on release.
In March 2022 Nat and Jules launched their joint Spotify Original podcast, Food Crime. A hilarious investigation into the seedier side of food, the smart, funny and biting buffet of educational and interesting information went straight to the top of the podcast charts on its release. The fact-packed and funny podcast revolves around stories about food getting caught up in the world of crime. Murder, poison, heists… all with a side of piss–taking and taste testing.
When he’s not filming, cooking or purloining rosemary from a local bush, Nat can often be found indulging his love of rock’n’roll and comedy, playing in bands and stand-up rooms around Australia and abroad.
closeRead more about our wonderful celebrity Chef Manu Feildel and some of Launceston’s fabulous chefs that will be creating incredible dishes with locally sourced Tasmanian produce at Chefs in Action. The full program will be announced later in 2024.
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Manu Feildel was born to entertain. As a young teenager, he trained with a local Circus group before heading off to start his Chef’s Apprenticeship. So, it’s no surprise he has become one of the most popular personalities on Australian television as co-host of the successful “My Kitchen Rules” series on Channel 7, which debuted in 2010 which has run for 14 years. Manu’s TV career has taken many different paths in recent years, including judge of “Australia’s Got Talent” on Seven, a challenge he took on with gusto, he participated in and won the 2011 series of “Dancing with the Stars”, and is a regular guest presenter on Sydney Weekender. There is no end to the diversity of his presenting skills. In 2020 he was a co-host on a new series alongside mates, Gary Mehigan, and Matt Preston, “Plate of Origin” for the Seven Network.
In 2016, Manu realized a dream of co-producing his first TV series, called Around the World with Manu, which aired on 7Two. He has hosted two series of My France and Manu’s American Roadtrip for Channel Seven.
Manu first appeared on Australian television with Ten’s Ready Steady Cook, his other TV credits include co-host of “Boys Weekend” alongside friends Gary Mehigan, Adrian Richardson, and Miguel Maestre, which now airs to over 110 countries worldwide.
Manu is currently Ambassador for a number of brands, including Spotlight, Home Group, Ingham’s and Finish Dishwasher products, bringing his effervescence and authenticity to the campaigns he works on. He launched his Sauce range nationally in Australia in 2019, which continues to grow in its range and popularity.
It seems that Manu Feildel was destined to become a talented chef from the moment he was born – his great grandfather was a pastry chef, his grandfather and father were chefs, his cousin is a chef in the United States and his mother is a great cook. But, as a child, he saw his future on the stage rather than in the kitchen, and at 13 years old he joined an amateur circus school. By the time he turned 15, Manu had decided that the road to becoming a professional clown was a very long process, so he started as an apprentice in his father’s restaurant. After a year, he progressed to a fine dining restaurant where he finished his apprenticeship. Shortly after, the travel bug bit Manu and he packed his knives and headed for London.
closeThe full program of our local talented chefs will be announced later in 2024.
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