MUSIC

Mofo

Museum of Old and New Art + various venues, Hobart

January 13-18



The website says the event formerly known as MONA FOMA is eight years old, which is correct but seems misleading: the 2016 model is more or less an entirely different beast to what has come before.

Bubble boy: Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips performs at Mofo 2016. Credit:MONA/Remi Chauvin

After years based at the Princes Wharf No 1 shed on Hobart's waterfront, the music and art festival curated by Violent Femmes bassist and habitual collaborator Brian Ritchie this year shifted back to its spiritual home, taking over the site of the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) on the city's northern outskirts for three days. The new venue coincides with a name change. With its younger winter cousin Dark Mofo having surpassed it as a draw card, the summer version has now formally adopted its nickname Mofo.

The change in site brings a change in tone best captured by the slogan on the T-shirts worn by staff: "Weekend at Walshy's". With crowds spread across three stages plus several ad-hoc sites within the museum, and owner David Walsh an ever-visible presence – whether over-seeing proceedings Gatsby-style from the elevated restaurant balcony or dancing to the south London hip hop of Kate Tempest on the lawn – the festival has the atmosphere of a lavish garden party thrown by a wealthy benefactor. Which, of course, is what it is.