Groovin' The Moo unleashes mammoth 2018 line up

It seems the legends at Cattleyard are stopping at nothing to hold on to GROOVIN THE MOO's already long reign as Australia's quintessential touring festival. A long reign, but a deserved one. Every year around April/May, they bring a downpour of live music to regional areas of Australia that long experience a drought of it.

2018 is shaping up to be no different, as they have delivered an absolutely monstrous lineup that will bang as hard from 12pm to 12am, even if there's one disappointing omission. Here are the standout observations, the highs and lows, of this year's massive bill.

PORTUGAL. THE MAN ARE GONNA HAVE ONE OF THE MOST DIVISIVE SETS OF THE DAY

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By far the craziest thing about 2017 in music was that PORTUGAL. THE MAN, the highly alternative rockers from Alaska, produced one of the year's biggest crossover hits in 'Feel It Still' - a track that everyone admittedly loves. However, if you venture deep in their earlier stuff, you'll find tracks that are adventurous and exciting, but far less accessible. We'll see how this one plays out, but let's be honest - 'Feel It Still' is gonna be the party track of the day regardless.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER FESTIVAL LINEUP UNDER-REPRESENTING WOMEN

With only 10 female acts on the bill (inc. marshalls) and 2 more acts that have female members, it was somewhat shocking to see that gender diversity was off the mark for this year's line up - especially surprising given they're the same folk that run The Plot which had an outstanding 50/50 male/female split in 2017 (and made a special note of such a fact, which we also did in turn). Cattleyard literally proved that gender equality on a lineup is possible and helped raise the bar for other festivals. It's highly disappointing they've fallen below their own standard this time. With more announcements tipped to come, we're optimistic that this statistic might improve.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, LOTS OF LOVE IS BEING SHOWN FOR WOMEN OF COLOUR

Relative to the amount of women on the lineup, of course. A truth people often ignore is that people of colour receive nowhere near as much representation as women on lineups, which is already dismal. While there are only 8 POC acts on this lineup (inc. marshalls), the majority of those are women! TKAY MAIDZA, SAMPA THE GREAT, LADY LESHURR, FLEXMAMI and FUZZY are holding it down for perhaps the most under-represented group in society, and they're surely going to be massive highlights of the day.

WE'RE ALREADY LOSING OUR MARBLES OVER BAKER BOY'S SET, AND HE PROBABLY IS TOO

With only two songs out - both of which charting in the Hottest 100 FYI - young gun Baker Boy is going to absolutely tear up the stage. His electric energy, infectious smile and actually really impressive dance moves make for a conquering live set. As 2018 shapes up to be his year, we can't wait to see the entirety of Australia fall even more in love with Aussie hip-hop's brightest star.

TYPICAL TO GTM FASHION, THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

It's hard to find a lineup that accommodates for all popular genres, but Groovin The Moo 2018 has given it a red hot crack. The energetic hip-hop of LADY LESHURR and AMINÉ, the pop-rap fusion of MALLRAT and TKAY MAIDZA, the unapologetic thrashers of ROYAL BLOOD and THE AMITY AFFLICTION, the nostalgia of GRINSPOON and PAUL KELLY, the indie-rock optimism of ALEX LAHEY and BALL PARK MUSIC and not to mention the overwhelming party to be brought on by acts like CONFIDENCE MAN and COSMO'S MIDNIGHT. Flaws aside, this lineup is a people-pleaser and we're sure, come April, the people will be more than pleased.

GROOVIN THE MOO 2018 FULL LINEUP

Alex Lahey

Aminé (USA)

The Amity Affliction

Baker Boy

Ball Park Music

Claptone (Ger)

Confidence Man

Cosmo’s Midnight

Dean Lewis

Duke Dumont (UK)

Flight Facilities

Grinspoon

Lady Leshurr (UK)

Mallrat

Ocean Alley

Paul Kelly

Portugal. The Man (USA)

Public Service Broadcasting (UK)

Royal Blood (UK)

Sampa The Great

Skegss

Superduperkyle (USA)

Tkay Maidza

Vera Blue

Winston Surfshirt

Marshalled by:

Coda Conduct

Ella Hooper

Flexmami

Fuzzy

Pre-sale begins 8am local time Wednesday, 31st January

Tickets on sale to general public from 8am Tuesday, 6th February for Wayville, Maitland, Canberra or 8am Wednesday, 7th February for Bendigo, Townsville, Bunbury

Friday, 27th April

Adelaide Showground, Wayville

Tickets: Official Website

Saturday, 28th April

Maitland Showground, Maitland

Tickets: Official Website

Sunday, 29th April

University of Canberra, Canberra

Tickets: Official Website

Saturday, 5th May

Prince of Wales Showground, Bendigo

Tickets: Official Website