Mona Foma 2019 will be closed this year with a set from Australian dance legends Pnau, and if they have anything to do with it, it will be a night to remember.
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The trio, consisting of Nick Littlemore, Peter Mayes and Sam Littlemore, were a late edition to the line-up.
The were plucked out of thin air when previous co-headliners Underworld cancelled, for unknown reasons that they said in a statement were out of their control.
In a matter of days, however, Pnau had been announced as the replacement.
They aren’t taking the responsibility of being the festival’s last impression on Inveresk lightly.
“Go hard one last time, and really celebrate life and love,” band member Nick Littlemore said to potential festival-goers.
“You can unlock some pretty ancient, crazy energy inside of you, with the repetitive beats.
“If you really let yourself be entranced by it, it can be a very powerful feeling.”
Pnau have released four albums, with high-rating singles including Go Bang, Chameleon, and Good Morning to the Night (with Elton John).
In the words of festival director Brian Ritchie, they are the ideal ship captains for a “party in flamboyant, outrageous, fun, danceable, intercontinental, hedonistic fashion.”
You can unlock some pretty ancient, crazy energy inside of you.
- Nick Littlemore
And the band is just as effusive about the festival.
“A lucky late edition, for us,” said Littlemore.
“We’re normally playing dance festivals – which are great, and we’re unlocking that joy and the love of togetherness – but to play such a prestigious event is very exciting for us.”
They will be debuting several new tracks at the show, to be heard by audiences for the first time at Inveresk before their inclusion on the trio’s next album.
There will also be new visuals, and the addition of New York singer Kira Divine.
Their billing will be the second in a month for the group, who also played the Forth Pub on January 6 – a show that Littlemore said was “one of the most enjoyable shows that I’ve played for as long as I can remember.”
“There’s just something about Tassie,” he said.
“Something in the air, it smells like a feast of deliciousness. We just felt this wave of emotion and love and appreciation.
“But we never get to play arts festivals, so I’m thinking that [Mona Foma] may be our favourite thing to do – we’ve always wanted to play something like this.”
- Pnau will play at 9pm at the Northern Stage, Inveresk, on Sunday, January 20. Tickets through mofo.net.au.