Angus & Julia Stone, The Jungle Giants + more talk their hometown secrets

Header image by Miranda Stokkel.

Across the last twelve months, there's been an increased emphasis on regional centres and how they're catered to in regards to live music, with many festivals away from the capital cities - or even just Sydney and Melbourne - finding themselves struggling due to increasing costs and even government pressures, like Mountain Sounds. "It provides incredible, largely Australian line-ups to regional attendees that typically don't get your headline tours, your Laneway Festivals or Listen Outs," we said on the Central Coast festival earlier this year. "Festivals like Mountain Sounds are crucial in ensuring that the young, music-loving communities still find the chance to see artists they otherwise don't get the opportunity for, which down the line, can perhaps influence major involvement in music down the line."

Luckily, there are still the odd few thriving. Groovin the Moo, for example, recently wrapped up what may have been their best year yet, topped by pop explosion Billie Eilish. Splendour in the Grass, out in North Byron, shows no signs of slowing down, and then there's The Drop - a multi-date, stretched out festival that tours alongside the WSL Championship Tour. They've already done much of the tour, but on June 1st they come steaming into Busselton with a line-up full of triple j favourites: Angus & Julia Stone, The Jungle Giants, Client Liaison, Hockey Dad and Alex The Astronaut included.

Among celebrating music and the arts, the festival have a strong push towards giving something back to the regional centres they tour, and it's something that has been somewhat of a defining force for the festival as it strengthens and blossoms into one of the best on the market. To highlight this strong link to the community, we've gotten their 2019 lineup to put together their hometown secrets and favourite local spots and it's quite a list. Check it out below, and grab more info and tickets to the Busselton event HERE.

Artists from The Drop 2019 on their favourite hometown secrets:

Angus & Julia Stone

Well home for me now is Melbourne and New York. I go between the two places.

For Melbourne, my favourite Italian food (we have Italian on our mother’s side) is in St Kilda at Cicciolinas restaurant on Ackland Street and for breakfast, I still love the Galleon Cafe in St Kilda. Elwood beach is lovely on a still day… you can ride your bicycle all the way along the water.

In New York, I love Keens Steak house on 36th street midtown. It’s one of the oldest steak houses in New York and is so incredibly beautiful inside. It started as a pipe club in 1885. You can look up and the ceiling is covered with all the old smoking pipes of people who were members of the club through. people like Einstein and Babe Ruth… you can feel the history. And the Northern beaches, where I grew up, the boathouse is a great place to have a coffee. Whenever I have friends from overseas in Sydney and I’m there visiting mum and dad, I take them to the boathouse. Then a walk up to the lighthouse. And if you have longer, a ferry from Palm Beach over to the Basin is incredible. The walks in the national park there are stunning.

Client Liaison

Sonido & Arepa Days in Melbourne have the best South American food and drink going around. Also, Swell Cafe in Jan Juc is a classic lunch institution for all those who’ve just returned from getting tubed at Bell’s.

Hockey Dad

Rad Bar (Wollongong). Well look, it was once a hometown secret, but it is now one of the main and only hosts of all touring bands coming through Wollongong. A blink of an eye and you’ll miss it, but we have made some of our most fond memories in that little hole in the wall. You should definitely roll in some time.

(editors note: Last month, it was announced that Rad Bar would be closing in June :( ).

The Jungle Giants

I reckon best hangs are drinks in New Farm Park on any sunny day.. it's especially stunning in winter. And for food, I can never go past Lucky Egg. They are the fried chicken lords of Brisbane.

Alex the Astronaut

I always go to freshwater and get bread from Bakers Delight and hot chips, butter and BBQ sauce for lunch there. It’s a perfect snack, you do need to lie down like a beached whale for the hour after you eat it but its truly glorious.

Follow The Drop: FACEBOOK