Are you ready for the madcap chaos of Australia’s largest travelling music festival? Good Things season returns with a head-spinning line-up fit for a fever dream. Across three East Coast dates, this year’s Good Things Festival will deliver a trip down the rabbit hole with a stacked bill of international heavyweights, old favourites, hungry up-and-comers, and Aussie staples. And in a boon for younger attendees, Sydney’s Centennial Park festival date will be a 16+ event for the first time!
In the lead-up to Good Things 2024, HEAVY will be running a small feature on the bands playing so you can get up to speed before the big day. Today we bring you Violent Femmes.
Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.
After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Pretenders’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.
Violent Femmes eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification- eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs, and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.
More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music, and inspire people of all ages.
Focus track Blister In the Sun. Good Things tickets HERE