There is a degree of sympathy to be had for those driving up the Calder Freeway to get to Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showgrounds on Saturday morning and having to deal with the torment of a busted tire or engine failure, which will most definitely send people reeling in frustration.
Luckily for the group of us driving up there, the only panicked moment we had was straying slightly away from the directions that iPhone’s Google Maps gave us. Two and a half hours later after starting up in Melbourne, we finally found ourselves in sunny Bendigo at half past twelve, a nice change from the gloomy weather in the city.
“Alright, let’s run for it!” my friend Pat said, right after getting our tickets checked. We were already late for our first act, Hungry Kids of Hungary, and had to run through the man-made sandstorm kicked up by festival punters to make sure we soaked up every single bit of their remaining performance. This Australian four-piece band was certainly a good kickstarter to the rest of our day, singing their hearts out to songs such as ‘Let You Down’ and ‘Sharp Shooter’, as the audience engaged in round after round of ridiculous dancing.
The Amity Affliction was next on my list, as I made my way back to the Moolin Rouge stage after downing a cider. This Queensland post-hardcore band was possibly the only band that ignited a session of moshing and headbanging for the day, and I was excited to get a little of that action. Moments later, the band came on and they played song after song, finally reaching the only song of real enjoyment, ‘Youngbloods’. Finding myself increasingly irritated by the constant elbowing and bodypushing, I left promptly after.
Making my way back to the Channel V stage, Alpine was already making waves among the crowd, with frontwomen Phoebe Baker and Lou James enticing the audience with hits such as ‘Gasoline’ and ‘Seeing Red’. At this moment, my mind was juggling between thoughts of enjoying the music, noticing how much Lou resembled Alice Glass of Crystal Castles and reading the expressions of people riding the reverse bungee ride beside the stage. Shortly after they were over, Scottish band Frightened Rabbit took the Triple J stage right beside.
Taking a break from all the action, my friends and I took a cider and nachos break before we braced ourselves for the crowd that was going to amass at Tame Impala, the most highly anticipated band. This psychedelic rock band performed just as well, if not better, at their live gigs. Strumming longer, more resonating solos in songs such as ‘Elephant’ and ‘Keep On Lying’, they offered much more than their already stellar album recordings. It would have been a fantastic gig, had a group of douchebags not decide that it would be funny to crowdsurf using a swimming board. It annoyed a large portion of the audience frustrated enough by the constant crowdpushing, an occurrence in metal gigs that made an unfortunate appearance at a gig as mellow as Tame Impala.
After the energetic performances of Canadian girl duo Tegan and Sara and British rock band The Kooks, the final band of the night, The Temper Trap, took the Triple J stage, drawing the biggest crowd of the night. Lights in floral patterns adorned the screen, as the group dished out hits such as ‘Fader’ and ‘Drum Song’. A long solo signalled the beginning of the final song, ‘Sweet Disposition’, as frontman Dougie Mandagi sang it passionately with his mellifluous voice. It was a fitting conclusion of the band’s gig, as the melody enveloped the audience. There is a distinction between artists who just sing and artists who are able to connect with the audience through an outstanding song, and ‘Sweet Disposition’ belonged to the latter.
Despite all the sand-kicking and crowdsurfing that ensued among other shenanigans, it turned out to be a fantastic day of good tunes, good vibes and good camaraderie between fellow music lovers. Now to battle the exhaustion of the long drive back to Melbourne town, the remnants of a great day left lingering in our minds.
Check out our Groovin The Moo artist photos here.
