May last year saw independent record store and label Clarity Records take over the East End for an all-day music festival in celebration of their fifth birthday, bringing a variety of free live music acts to the public across some of Adelaide’s favourite venues.

This year, owner-operators Matt and Laura Horvath are bringing back A Day of Clarity on Saturday, May 21 with an enormous lineup of both local and interstate acts. The 2016 event will comprise ten stages across five venues within walking distance of one another, meaning that punters can move from venue to venue hassle-free.

Headlining the event will be Australian punk-rock legends Hard-Ons (NSW), the nation’s most commercially successful independent band with over 250,000 record sales.  After leaving the group in 2002, original drummer and vocalist Keish de Silva returned as a guest vocalist in 2014 and permanently rejoined in 2016. Melbourne hardcore outfit Outright will also be a highlight of the festival.

A Day of Clarity will make use of several themed stages across its five venues, showcasing the best of Adelaide music in all genres. The main stage at the Crown and Anchor will feature bands including ska-punk legends Hightime and punk group The Lizards, while The Exeter’s beer garden will see ripitup.com.au’s 2016 Hot Six champs West Thebarton Brothel Party take to the stage alongside blues-rockers St. Morris Sinners, both of whom are set to release new music this month.

The Producers warehouse  will showcase hardcore/doom bands including Space Bong and Swamp Lung with 10-piece folk group Dr. Piffle & The Burlap Band headlining in the beer garden, while Rhino Room will see names like Raccoon City Police Department and Sincerely Grizzly.

The Clarity Records store will also be a venue for the festival, with Post War set to launch their latest EP on the night.

Matt Horvath was eager to bring the festival back for a second time after receiving rave reviews from attendees of last year’s event.

“I created A Day of Clarity to encourage people to get out and see some awesome local bands in the best venues in town. We keep the event free so that people who might not be able to afford to go to shows can go,” Horvath tells ripitup.com.au.

“The festival is all about the music, having a good time and hopefully checking out some bands people haven’t had the chance to check out yet.”

Horvath states that although a lot of work goes into planning the festival, Clarity Records will consider making it an annual fixture if the 2016 event receives positive feedback again.

Make sure to note down the date in your diary and catch some bands to support Clarity Records’ fantastic efforts to keep local music alive.

Stay updated via Clarity’s Facebook page.

A Day of Clarity 2016 lineup

Hard-Ons (NSW)
Outright (Vic)
Space Bong
Hightime
West Thebarton Brothel Party (single launch)
Sewercide (Vic)
Dr. Piffle & The Burlap Band
Reactions
Rebirth (Vic)
Raccoon City Police Department
Crypt
Swamp Lung
The Lizards
No Action
Glass Skies
Battlehounds
St. Morris Sinners
Sincerely Grizzly
Brothers Goon
Thrashboard
Glass
Blood Plastic
Post War (EP launch)
Siamese
The Yabbies
Grimalkin
Culture Shock (demo launch)
Level
Colonised
Stranger Things Have Happened
Bec Stevens
Aidan Jazzy Jones
Heath Anthony
Todd Fogarty
Lachy Bruce
Ry Kemp
If I Were A Boy
Paroxysm Press Spoken Word

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The Hot Six: West Thebarton Brothel Party

What

A Day of Clarity 2016

When

Saturday May 21, 2pm – late

Where

Crown and Anchor, The Exeter, The Producers, Rhino Room, Clarity Records