If there were any fears that Groovin’ The Moo Canberra would be a repeat of Outbank’s groovin-the-mud, they turned out to be unfounded as the Sunday (3 May) dawned bright and warm. Well – warmish.
A standout line-up of Flight Facilities, RL Grime, Hilltop Hoods, Charli XCX, Hermitude and more brought crowds from Canberra and Sydney alike, but it was 11-year-old producer Black Summer who was making headlines the following morning. Yes, 11-years old.
The Canberran local, whose real name is Rhys Toms, recently caught the attention of Triple J Unearthed. The ridiculously talented pre-teen can now count Flume and Deadmau5 among his fans. He was invited by Triple J to play a surprise ten-minute performance to a crowd of ten thousand in the Moolin Rouge tent, sandwiched between San Cisco and Carmada. Not bad for a first gig. And he’s still in primary school.
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Let’s take this back for a second to a place where we all, don’t feel like massive underachievers. Groovin’ The Moo, like any good festival, started with sunshine and chilled-out vibes. Festival fashion staples of the past – ie. denim cut-offs and dropped arm singlets – were almost non-existent. Instead, there was a definite '70s vibe floating 'round in the form of high-waisted bell bottoms, and more than a few girls had Coachella-inspired metallic-flash tattoos. Festival punters basically fell into three categories: fashion show, #iwokeuplikethis (read: whatever jeans and top happened to be clean that day), and onesies. Why are there always onesies?
Sticky Fingers - Image © Justin BakerSydney act Sticky Fingers energised the crowds early on, with mates One Day – who had just finished their set on the next door stage – joining them for a cheeky rendition of ‘Gold Snafu’. Straight after, that crowd migrated to the adjoining stage to catch The Preatures in action.
The Preatures - Image © Justin BakerHere’s the part where I make a confession: before last Sunday, I was a Groovin’ The Moo virgin. Somehow the festival had never made my hit list before, but a chance to see RL Grime again, and a road trip to Canberra was too good to pass up. I can’t compare it to previous years, but I CAN tell you that the crowd was a friendlier, more chilled-out version of one-day Sydney festivals (maybe it’s just those cool Canberra vibes?).
Hermitude took the day from dusk to dark, and made the crowd bounce like bed springs on a honeymoon. A crowd of ten thousand or so belted out every word of ‘HyperParadise’, but only a few tried to recreate the insanely good, hip hop routine from the music video. Lucky too, or there might have been injuries.
Hermitude - Image © Justin BakerAfter that, it was straight back to the Moolin Rouge tent for crowd pleaser Hot Dub Time Machine. This guy has just come off the back of headlining Secret Garden Festival. Once you see the show in action, it’s no wonder why he's pulling bigger and bigger crowds.
If you’re not familiar with the antics of Hot Dub, he plays hits from the '50s onwards, taking you on an auditory journey through the last 70 years of music. So, for example, you might be belting out the Ghostbusters theme song early in the set, doing your best to keep up with Eminem during ‘Lose Yourself’, and end it with Alison Wonderland’s smash hit of 2015, ‘You Don’t Know’.
There are two guarantees when it comes to Hot Dub: you’ll know (almost) every word, and you’ll be going so hard a sit down afterwards isn’t just nice, it’s necessary.
But I didn’t rest for to long: New Zealand brother-sister duo Broods were on soon after, for one of the standout performances of the night. Lead singer Georgia Nott belted out song after song with magnificent stage presence and a killer Adidas tracksuit (Jesus Christ, the girl can SING), and her brother Caleb (on production, backing vocals, and the keyboard) was dead cheeky. “If you don’t know the words, just make them up!” Georgia told the crowd. Caleb replied: “It’s what I do.” And then they both performed their set to perfection, of course; the talent game is strong in that family.
RL Grime, currently performing everywhere you look across the country, packed the crowd in nice and tight right after. The LA producer is having a hot and heavy love affair with the Australian music scene right now, and all I want to know is: can we make it a permanent thing?
Flight Facilities ended the night on a perfect note, joined by Owl Eyes for haunting vocals and a crowd ready to dance the rest of the night away. Well, before they joined the fight for Canberra taxis.
There’s a heartbreaking fact about any music festival, and that is the inevitable clashes you’ll have to face. Hilltop Hoods, Charli XCX, Peaches – I wish, wish, wish I could have caught you, too. Come back next year? I’ll be the one groovin’ in my festival-worthy outfit. These Canberra kids have set the bar high.
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