PROGFEST AUSTRALIA
Eli Chamravi and Tim Charles reveal how they took on the Antipodes’ longest-running prog event.
Australia: home of Neighbours, Vegemite, and for the last decade, Progfest. Originally founded as a one-off event by Mushroom Giant’s Craig Fryers, it’s grown into a multi-city extravaganza that unites thousands of prog fans Down Under.
“The original aim was simply to open people’s minds to different types of progressive music while showcasing the incredible prog scene that we have in Australia,” says co-promoter Tim Charles, also vocalist with Ne Obliviscaris.
Under the banner of Welkin Entertainment, Charles revamped the event into a touring festival in 2010, hosting more than 30 bands across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. A change in Charles’ touring schedule and the closure of their Melbourne venue forced a break in 2015, but the festival returned the following year with co-promotion from Wild Thing Presents’ Eli Chamravi.
Says Chamravi, “I came from more of a classic rock/grunge/ alternative rock background, and didn’t really know much about the scene until my first Progfest in 2013. I was totally blown away by the level of playing, the
performances and by how strong the prog community was. I fell in love with the scene and I started managing Caligula’s Horse, and bringing international acts out, like Orphaned Land and Haken. The Australian prog scene is just amazing: it’s very supportive with a real community vibe and there are a lot of great bands coming from here.”
Previous line-ups have included the likes of Ne Obliviscaris, Twelve Foot Ninja, Caligula’s Horse and Plini, as well as Voyager and Orsome Welles who’ll both be returning for next year’s 10th anniversary. This multicity event, which takes place in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne at the end of January, is the second Progfest that Chamravi has worked on and features the festival’s very first international headliner, Leprous.
“It’s only going to get bigger from here,” he says. “Progfest is a celebration of the last 12 months, it’s one stage, one after the other for nine hours.
It’s all about the music and all about the bands. We’ll hopefully be expanding it to another city and have more international bands, but it’s step-by-step at the moment.” NRS
“It’s all about the music and all about the bands.”