An exciting newcomer to Australia's festival scene, New Bloom Fest made a loud entrance debuting at Brisbane's The Fortitude Music Hall on Friday (15 March).
From the masterminds behind Good Things and Knotfest, Destroy All Lines have put together a festival that felt like an Australian call to the UK's Outbreak Festival, or Sad Summer Fest held in the US.With a line-up boasting a wealth of international punk and emo talent, as well as some well deserving locals from around the nation, the festival was the talk of the town within the alternative scene. So did it live up to fans expectations?
Differing from the one stage, no clashes timetable featured at the Sydney and Melbourne legs, the Brisbane show was split between The Fortitude Music Hall's two stages, the second being the tucked away upstairs at the Outpost Bar – with the mezzanine level surprisingly closed.
Fans traversed up and down between stages, packing out each stage within five minutes of an act starting, enough time for punters to have a smoke and a drink. Up first was Sunbleached, a dynamic rock band emerging from the depths of South East Queensland.
Sunbleached - image © Justin Gittins
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting local acts of the night, the band treated a half-filled Hall to their infectious noisy rock. Saving the best for last with their track 'Flowers Grow From Ugly Places', frontman Josh Baker stormed the crowd sending unaware punters flying.
Screaming the track's refrain with fans in the crowd, the band ended on an absolute high. In a short, 20-minute set, Sunbleached had well and truly set the mood for what was going to be a raucous night.
As a large amount of the crowd rushed upstairs, Bad Neighbour wasted no time getting into their set. Having just finished a career-highlight tour with Hot Mulligan, the four piece was well rehearsed for their New Bloom set.
With The Outpost already packed deep, it was hard to get within 15 metres of the band as it seemed everyone in the city had come for them. An addition of 'When The World Explodes' was a warm welcome to the set for those familiar with the band, which brought the fan energy up 10-fold.
Softcult - image © Justin Gittins
On the main stage, Softcult eased the crowd in with a more relaxed vibe in the form of grunge shoe-gaze anthems. The band looked right at home onstage, regardless of this being the first time on Australian shores.
A fan favourite, 'Uzumaki' looked to be the peak of some fans experience only half way in, with a loud sing-along erupting and overtaking the main hall.
With a large amount of gear to be swapped after each band, and a mix of some technical difficulties, upstairs had fallen a little behind schedule, but not enough to tarnish anyone's experience. Regardless of timing, those downstairs were ready to kick off the first proper mosh of the night to the sounds of No Pressure.
No Pressure's frantic pop-punk-hardcore hybrid connected perfectly with their audience, with a large circle opening up in the middle of the crowd. The Story So Far's Parker Cannon's swagger and maestro-like energy enthused the crowd, with each song seeing either a circle pit, moshpit or some two-steps not to be messed with.
What was only a 30-minute run for the Americans felt like a full set, with the band leaving it all out on the stage with no corners cut. If there had to be a best pit of the night, it would've been No Pressure's without doubt.
No Pressure - image © Justin Gittins
Being thrown a little behind schedule, World Of Joy made the best use of their set time. Not phased by technical issues or time pressure, the band came through with the heavier side of hardcore, contrasting the sound from the main stage. They felt huge on the small Outpost stage, lead singer Liam making sure everyone in the crowd knew what was up.
Touché Amoré came out swinging from the beginning of their set. Diehard fans packed into the middle, hundreds of fingers pointing and singing each word right back to the American post-hardcore rockers.
Each song was emotionally charged back to front, with a tracklist revolving around fan favourites. It felt like a reintroduction to the band for newcomers, and a long awaited reunion for those more familiar, with the band last landing on Australia shores in 2017.
Touche Amore - image © Justin Gittins
When looking at the line-up, it felt like each band had their own subset of mega fans that really showed up. While there were a few veterans experienced with the entire line-up, it was clear to see some fans only attending for one band, or at times one song.
With the unfortunate late cancellation of the highly anticipated Fleshwater, New Bloom had to scramble to find replacements. Landing well and truly on their feet, the festival locked in the addition of Blind Girls, a brilliant thrash screamo band from Gold Coast.
Finishing their soundcheck in a fashionable way, by screaming into their microphones, the band was prepped to kill. Their distinct piercing sound instantly summoned a violent moshpit full of deadly hands and borderline mixed martial arts. Punters on the outskirts of the pit kept their arms raised in defence.
Highly anticipated Orange County emo heavyweights Movements took second last position on the bill, but well and truly could've headlined with a huge crowd amassing before them.
Opening with three tracks from their latest record 'Ruckus!', Movements finally seized the crowd by their throats at the opening of 'Full Circle'. It was like a completely different crowd stood in front of the band cramming forward, voices loud and arms outstretched.
Movements - image © Justin Gittins
Compared to their last Australian tour with Boston Manor, you could tell lead singer Pat was off, likely kept back by a sickness that forced a cancellation of their Gold Coast headline earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, the band admirably powered through giving an emotional and moving set, capped by their biggest track, 'Daylily'. There wasn't a voice in the room that didn't join the heartbreaking sing-along. The track echoed a feeling that all attendees of New Bloom had or were feeling, and in doing so provided an incredible sense of community throughout the venue.
Reigning in the night were US post-hardcore legends Citizen. Having featured across the world on similar line-ups with Basement, Title Fight and more, and completed many of their own headline shows internationally, Citizen was a must-see for most of the crowd.
Frontman Mat Kerekes brought an infectious energy from the get-go, asking the same of the crowd: "Everyone move their feet! Everyone!" The crowd couldn't refuse as a bouncy mosh formed through the middle of the crowd.
While the set suffered from a similar issue to Movements' set list where new songs weren't too well know, there was much more of a focus on Citizen's old material that had the crowd up in arms.
It seemed almost unfair, as if the Brisbane crowd couldn't quite match the energy the international act brought to the stage. Song's like 'The Summer' and 'How Does It Feel?' off the revered 'Youth' album received a much better reception than performances of 'Hyper Trophy' or 'Can't Take It Slow'.
Citizen - image © Justin Gittins
One of the main event's for the night was the track 'The Night I Drove Alone', a song that everyone knew. Fans barrelled forward on top of each other, screaming the same words. With a second half of the set still to come, the track felt like a spiritual ending to the night.
After a huge closer with the track 'I Want To Kill You', the night had officially met its end. Fans rushed the merch stand to scramble over what was left as mass exodus led punters from the venue into the Valley.
For its first ever run and the difficulties it faced, New Bloom ended with a strong feeling of accomplishment. The festival has hit the ground running, with a hopefully likely prospect to return for another round next year.
More photos from the festival.
