ABOUT FORMIDABLE VEGETABLE
After several appearances at Glastonbury and a load of international tours to over 20 countries, independent permaculture/EDM (ecological dance music) act, Formidable Vegetable is more committed than ever to cultivating dancefloors worldwide with seeds of grassroots community action and active hope for a sound future.
Nailing the balance between hyper-niche and genuine connection to their audience over the past decade, Formidable Vegetable have gained a cult following on Australian and international festival circuits, having played everywhere from community halls to crowds of thousands at some of the biggest events in the world alongside acts such as Radiohead, Tame Impala, Dolly Parton and The Rolling Stones.
The band expands from a compact lineup all the way up to a 10-piece live-electro dance orchestra, but regularly packs a punch as a 3-4-piece, with live horns, strings & a ukulele alongside heavy bass & beats.
THINK LOCALLY, ACT GLOBALLY
At the heart of Formidable Vegetable is a spirit of community connection and the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share (borrowed from permaculture). Songwriter Charlie Mgee grew up in a simple mud-brick shack in southwest Western Australia surrounded by trees, chickens and a veggie garden, later upgrading to a waste vegetable oil-powered fire truck converted into a tiny house. In 2019, Charlie gave a TEDx talk about making music with the purpose of communicating complex information in entertaining ways inspired by ancient, land-based cultures at home and around the world that have been doing it for thousands of years.
With songs for all ages about ideas for living a good life in today’s world, Formidable Vegetable is most at home on the live stage, whether it be to heaving festival crowds, in solidarity with grassroots community groups and movements or at school shows rocking out for the kids.
REGENERATIVE MUSIC
Originally inspired by the principles of permaculture, Formidable Vegetable have delivered their simple message of community, connection and ecological-restoration to crowds of thousands at some of the world’s biggest festivals, even shaking up the United Nations at the World Food Forum with their song ‘You Are What You Eat’ declared the official soundtrack to the International Year of Soils. For four and a half years, the band avoided flying altogether (and in 2019 according to the BBC, became the first band in the world to turn down an offer to perform at Glastonbury Festival due to the ecological impact of international air travel) but have since been finding new ways of using their unique style of musical activism to stay true to their ethics, while also spreading an important message. Having taken down all of their music from Spotify in 2025, Formidable Vegetable are increasingly movers and shakers alongside with countless other artists demanding a more ethical ecosystem for music and the arts.
DANCING THE TALK
Whether it’s getting to gigs via public transport, hitchhiking or powered by waste veggie oil, handing out heirloom vegetable seeds at their shows or teaming up with local sustainability initiatives, Formidable Vegetable walk the walk of the regenerative life wherever possible on the road and at home, inspiring others to do the same.
Through their tireless ongoing commitment to their music and love for the living World, Formidable Vegetable have cemented themselves as favourites at Australian and international festivals and continue to strike the balance between being responsible ecologically-minded humans and having fun.
Nannup Festival – Photo: Matilda Angel