With regrets still lingering from missing out on the stellar line-up last year, with Nancy in my heart and good friends coming along for the ride, it seems I am going to Rhythm & Vines for NYE this year. I say this with the certainty of someone that has a ticket, somewhere to crash and extremely vague plans to get there.
I have my ticket in a world where we have had two of the usually three R&V line-up announcements, and the line-up looks good. As it currently stands, and with clearly understood regard for those acts I’m actually interested in seeing, the line-up is as follows:
- Moby : yes his last album is a serious downer and yes he has been fairly hit and miss over the years, but “Go” would be phenomenal live.
- 2 Many DJs : a random entry on the line-up given I didn’t think Soulwax were hanging out in the Southern Hemisphere this summer, but always impressive sets from the Belgian brothers DeWaele.
- Empire Of The Sun : This will be the one man band of Luke Steele while Nick works on the next PNAU album, but then Nick never really did a lot in the music videos but gesture awkwardly.
- Major Lazer : Diplo x Switch + fictitious alter-ego = fun fun fun times.
- LCD Soundsystem : it may only be a DJ set but it’ll be so super-disco that substances should not be required.
- The Juan Maclean : they were amazing in Melbourne, their album The Future Will Come is like modern-day Human League, and Nancy is the future mother of my children.
- The Proxy : I regret not getting around to seeing this Russian wonder when he was here earlier this year. Producer of killer remixes and one of the most ubiquitous songs in the sets of other DJs.
- Bag Raiders : events conspired against me being able to see these guys in Auckland, “Shooting Stars” is swiftly becoming song of the year and word is that their debut album is in the works.
- Bang Gang Deejays : Gus and Doom are always fun and rarely disappoint.
- Bionic Pixie : she covered Robyn’s “Cobrastyle” at a NeonSleep night late last year and I long to hear it once more.
- Lotion : a Wellington electro institution and an always welcome addition to any lineup.
I either don’t know the others or have no interest in seeing them. For the full lineup, head here. Feel free to extol the virtues of the other acts. My musical tastes are narrow but not so narrow I won’t be open to checking out other acts, schedule-permitting of course.
Just one line-up announcement to go. Who would you want to see on it? I’d be keen to see Birdy Nam Nam again, maybe Friendly Fires / Joakim / Phoenix for the first time, Midnight Juggernauts on the back of their Australian tour, maybe even G.L.O.V.E.S. or MEN for flavour.
