Milk Bar’s Bite-Sized Guide to Sugar Mountain

Melbourne’s premier multimedia arts festival Sugar Mountain returns for the third year running this Saturday, taking place over three stages at The Forum Theatre.

Musicians performing on the main stage will be accompanied by visuals from Kit Webster and Markus Hofko, while The Summit stage will feature an meltsplosive evening of musical experimentation and collaboration with trippy psychedelic visuals.

Hosting a strong local contingent and a mix of delightfully eclectic international acts, we’ve brought you tasty sampler of a handful of the artists worth checking out at Sugar Mountain this Saturday.

Boomgates and Lower Plenty
It’s somewhat apt that these two bands should open the festival in succession. Both are Melbourne based “indie super groups”, the former featuring members of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Twerps and Dick Diver and the latter Deaf Wish, The UV Race and Total Control.

Both have overcome the unfortunate stigma of being “super groups” and stand as accomplished bands in their own right. Both bands released a couple of Melbourne’s favourite albums of 2012, in “Double Natural” (Boomgates) and “Hard Rubbish” (Lower Plenty).

Finally, both play a charming and honest style of contemporary urban (and sub-urban) Australian pop that Mess and Noise has affectionately deemed “The New Melbourne Jangle”.

If Boomgates and Lower Plenty joined forces they would form a “mega-ultra group” called Lower Boomgates.
Boomgates – Whispering or Singing
Lower Plenty – Nullarbor

ESG
ESG (Emerald, Silver and Gold) are a group of sisters from the Bronx who released a bunch of fantastic proto-hip-hop / percussive dance music in the early 80s and went on to influence everyone from Wu Tang Clan to Liars.

Using the adjectives “funky” and “infectious” together in the same sentence usually implies lazy journalism or a narcissistic band biography. ESG are the exception to this rule.

This is their first trip to Australia and Sugar Mountain is probably the only chance you’ll ever get to see them. ESG will make you dance.

Action Bronson
New Yorker Action Bronson is a gourmet chef of some renown who also happens to be a completely badass rapper.
Just let me sharpen my knives, thrown on the apron
Xs mark the steak and the salad crumbled with bacon
And bleu cheese, caramel complexions on two knees
Or two skis, carving up the Alps is what this dude needs.

Bronson’s rhymes are crisp as his delivery is sharp and his beats are served raw, seared on both sides. In short, he’s the shirazit. Action Bronson – Brunch

HTRK
It’s been almost a year and a half since the release of “Work (work, work)”, the stellar sophomore album from electro-brooders HTRK.  Since then they’ve recorded an as yet unreleased EP in New Mexico and released an LA radio session 12” split with Tropic of Cancer.

Their Sugar Mountain performance should feature an interesting mix of old and new material.

HTRK – Fascinator

Sugar Mountain takes place from 5pm this Saturday. Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster or at the door if not sold out prior.