Blue Vedder hits up Spilt Milk again in 2023

After scoring the Triple J Unearthed spot in 2023, the band returns with their '90s inspired, dreamy sound - Seth says the band has come "full circle".

Seth, 22, said he got into making music during the 2020-2021 lockdowns and was in Melbourne studying audio engineering.

"During that time, I was writing a lot of music and making it all in my room during lockdown," he said.

Blue Vedder came together when Seth, along with his fellow Ballarat local Lachlan Birch, joined up with Lauren Eddy and Bryce Gardiner, who Seth met at a house party.

"We all just liked the same music style," he said.

"I brought them together and we started writing."

The name itself comes from Seth's "obsession with '90s grunge music growing up".

"The name Blue Vedder came about because I feel most of our songs are blue in feeling and colour," he said.

"We really like to relate our songs to a colour, we like that theme.

"In the past we've done red, for one song that was very lustful, and for our EP we did blue, and this new song coming out silver, it gives off chrome."

Seth said their music was a "weird blend."

"It's this rumination of '90s, noisy, shoegaze genre but with a lot of indie rock influences," he said - despite not being alive in that particular decade.

"Our new single is a bit more fast-paced, energetic, but it's also a really noisy, trippy, dreamy experience."

Spilt Milk Ballarat will be held on Saturday, December 2 at Victoria Park.

Blue Vedder played the opening spot in 2022.

"We were very lucky we got to [play Spilt Milk]," Seth said.

"We won the Triple J opening slot, so it was really exciting they asked us to come back again this year."

Seth said playing at a festival was a "whole different experience", and playing in Ballarat, his hometown, means a lot to Seth, who is now based in Melbourne but continues to play in regional spaces.

"For me personally, it brings things back into perspective when you get to return to your hometown," he said.

"A lot of old friends will be there, and family.

"To play a massive festival stage shows the journey and the work you've put in. It kind of proves to a lot of people if you work hard at something, it can pay off."

Seth said regional music was a huge part of being a budding artist.

"There's so many people that miss out on opportunities with festivals just being in cities, because a lot of people can't make that travel especially after the festival, if it's just a single day," he said.

"It's really good tourism for the town, it brings a lot of people from outside of Ballarat and people get to showcase their city."

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Split Milk goers can expect to be "put into a trance" by the dreamy noise from Blue Vedder.

"We've been working a lot on our production, there's a lot of new elements," Seth said.

"We've stepped it up a level from last year and we've got some pretty cool visuals that will happen on the big screen and it's like a dreamy journey."

Blue Vedder are looking to tour more regionally in 2024.

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