Kangaroo Island’s largest music event, New Shoots Music Festival, has this week announced the multi-ARIA-winning alt-rockers The Rubens and the incomparable Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock, Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons) will co-headline a stacked lineup at Penneshaw Oval on March 25.
The multi-ARIA award winning headliners will be joined by some of the best South Australian musicians across the weekend: Mell Hall, Dusty Lee’s Blues Jam, Busseys, Bermuda Bay and Nathan May along with KI locals Xavier Wadsworth, Jacky Winter and Double Header who nabbed a spot on the festival’s main stage as winners of the ‘New Shoots Home Grown’ open mic competition.
About The Festival
New Shoots is a grassroots initiative organised by a local not-for-profit committee, East End Events Inc. who have the vision to produce a world-class, annual event that attracts more than 3,500 people across Kangaroo Island and Australia by 2025.
“We are thrilled to have one of Australia’s true music icons, Ross Wilson, who has been an integral part of the Australian music scene with Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, as well as his work as a producer with Skyhooks and Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons,” says East End Events Inc. Chair, Andy Gilfillan.
In the wake of the 2019/20 bushfires which destroyed close to half of Kangaroo Island (a massive 210,000 hectares), the committee, who are made up of local residents and sheep/cattle farmers, created New Shoots as a way to raise much-needed funds to support their fellow Kangaroo Island residents and landowners.
Eat, drink and stay
Festival punters will be pleased to know local beverages will be on offer by Dudley Wines, KI Spirits, Tattoo Me Coolers hard seltzers and False Cape Wines. They’ll be joined by a selection of local food trucks including Squid Squad, Saigon Tuckerbox, Gypsea Wagin and more to be released soon.
For those wanting to stay the night, camping is available at the Penneshaw Golf Club, which is right next to the festival site, between Friday 24 March – Sunday 26 March. If that’s not enough to entice anyone to make the short trip over for the weekend from South Australia’s mainland, SeaLink is offering a special 50% discount for ferry travel! Simply enter the discountcode ‘NEWSHOOTS23’ when booking via the SeaLink website. Terms and conditions apply*.
Raising funds for a good cause
A portion of Event proceeds at this year’s New Shoots will raise funds for the Clontarf Foundation – a not-for-profit with a mission to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.
New Shoots Music Festival
Saturday 25 March 2023
Penneshaw Oval, Kangaroo Island
