ew Year’s Eve. One of the most highly anticipated, actively celebrated times of the year. To some, it provides an opportunity to embrace a fresh start, and reflect on the year just past. To others, it’s the perfect time to get absolutely buckled. And for a special few, it’s a time to do both.

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There’s no shortage of things to do on NYE in Perth. There’s bound to be plenty of parties, events, gatherings and bonfires. As for us, we’ll be heading to Origin.

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Arguably one of the biggest NYE festival in Australia, Origin has spent years providing thousands of Perth punters with the chance to countdown to the New Year alongside some of the biggest artists in the world.

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In this article, we’ll be looking at Origin’s diversified lineup for 2018, the new direction the festival is taking, punters responses, and who we’re most excited to see. So sit back, relax and enjoy the read as we breakdown Origin Festival 2018.

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Earlier this year, Origin dropped a relatively heavy announcement on Facebook, one that proved quite divisive amongst Perth crowds.

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Origin had made the decision to re-brand, changing direction to now become ‘Origin Fields’, and switching from a single-day festival into a two-day one.

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What was typically a festival dedicated to DnB, Hip-Hop and EDM we’re now seeing expand into an event encompassing a far wider range of genres.

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Punters used to seeing names like Skepta, Andy C and DJ Snake on the lineup were now greeted by far more unexpected names like The Kooks, Tash Sultana and Winston Surfshirt.

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Divisive seems almost too soft a word to describe this lineup. To some these changes were sacrilege, to others they were fantastic.

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Particularly disappointed was the EDM community in Perth. Origin is renowned for bringing in some huge DnB and dubstep artists over the years, but this time these genres feel relatively under-represented.

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Instead far more space on this year’s lineup has been dedicated to what many would call mainstream artists.

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What these changes seem to reflect is a goal of diversifying what was once a very genre-specific festival, something we’re starting to see far more frequently throughout Australia.

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By diversifying, festivals appeal to a far wider range of punters than they would otherwise, but the reason this seemed to cause such an uproar among many festival-goers in Perth, is because it really didn’t seem like Origin needed to.

Origin has had no trouble shifting tickets the last few years, and the lineups have proven popular for as long as I can remember.

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So the question being asked by so many disgruntled fans, is why did it need to change at all?

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The reality is we can’t say for sure why this might be. Maybe they didn’t want to get caught in the trap of being constantly expected to provide a particular lineup. Maybe they wanted to break away from their roots and try something new. Maybe the organisers really like Cardi B, who knows.

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Despite many pissed off fans, it seems Origin isn’t having too much trouble shifting tickets, and if you look at the lineup from a neutral perspective, you can still see that there’s plenty of names on their worth seeing.

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We at PinkMilk all have our tickets ready to go, and we’ve broken down the artists we’re most keen to see over the two days.

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So if you’re struggling to work out who you want to see, take a look at our most anticipated performers, and see if we can’t help you decide.

Hailing from the UK, Chase & Status are a much-loved DnB duo heading back to Perth for the first time since 2016. This time round they’re hitting Australian shores with a bunch of new songs, some of which were nominated as the DnB tracks of the year.

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Their sets are widely regarded as some of the best in the DnB scene, and their rise to fame has come alongside the release of some incredibly popular tracks, including ‘Blind Faith’ and ‘Alive’.

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Combining their fresh tunes with the feisty mic-work of MC Rage, their set is bound to be full of energy, and even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of DnB, you’d have to really try not to enjoy their set.

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We could watch this guy play every day of the year and still be amazed by the insane energy he manages to bring onto the stage. Despite having an early set at Origin 2016, Habstrakt was always guaranteed to pack the place out, and this year won’t be any different.

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With big tunes like ‘Vibin’ and fan-favourite ‘Chicken Soup’, there’s no shortage of wobbles for Habstrakt to throw down on this years bass stage, and his diversity as both a producer and performer ensure all of his sets have a unique feel to them.

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You can never be certain about what Habstrakt might hit you with, so he’s definitely one to keep your eye on this year.

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We’ve seen plenty of big dubstep artists head down under the last few years, but it’s always nice to see some fresh talent heading our way.

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Space Laces has been around for a while, but his name is one that many bass-heads are only just starting to get used to. He’s produced plenty of bangers over the years, and his close ties with Excision have seen him collab on some nasty tracks in the past, including fan-favourites ‘Throwin Elbows’ and ‘Rumble’.

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His heavy-hitting, crunchy metallic sounds make his music an instant standout, and if you’re one with a taste for a bit of bass, you certainly won’t be disappointed if you catch his set. Come the 31st, I know exactly where I’m gonna be.

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SaSaSaS is comprised of some of the hottest talents in the DnB scene, with a solid mix of MC’s and DJ’s. Harry Shotta, Skibadee and Shabba D take control of the mics, while Phantasy and big boss Macky Gee work the decks, providing a show unparalleled to anything else in the DnB scene.

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The two on the decks are bound to bring some heat, and paired with the rapid wordplay from the MC’s, SaSaSaS will provide a level of energy that’ll be difficult to match at this years festival.

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Bring on Macky Gee - Tour.

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Once again, thanks for the read, we very much hope you enjoyed, and we'll see you next time. Bye for now.