Blessed under gorgeous blues skies, with Perth's scorching heat somewhat muted with a lovely coastal breeze throughout the day, Wildlands descended on Arena Joondalup just north of Perth on Saturday (4 January).
With a stacked line-up of EDM, hip hop and dubstep heavyweights and a smattering of indie goodness, the day promised a sonic assortment of joy and delivered on all fronts.As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, an already ballooning crowd had arrived early to soak in the festival feels, with the Sahara main stage (located on the football oval, home to the West Perth Football Club) already half full to witness English dance-pop star Becky Hill.
Although only catching the last 10 minutes of Becky's set, she'd warmed up the early arrival patrons judging by the ecstatic crowd getting their festival vibes flowing, despite being concerned pre-gig no one would show up.
Next up on Sahara was London-based Australian indie electro pop band Confidence Man. My first live experience of Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Reggie Goodchild and Clarence McGuffie, Con Man were one of the highlights of the day with their bubble electro pop creating merry vibes as the crowd continued to build steadily.
It only took Sugar Bones one song before shedding his shirt, the sultry choreographed dance moves between the two singers adding plenty of spice to an engaging selection of the group's back catalogue. From Manchester rave to ethereal house, slammin' EDM and '90s pop-house Con Man is the ultimate party band.
With Reggie Goodchild and Clarence McGuffie dressed in their patented black bee keeper uniforms (giving off Nic Cage vibes aka 'The Wicker Man') Janet Planet and Sugar Bones wasted no time with three costume changes in first 20 mins; those LED cone tits though. . . Madonna would be proud/ envious.
The crowd up front didn't stop dancin' all set and went into overdrive when Janet sat atop Sugar's shoulders, entering the photo pit creating an even more frenzied response from their diehard fans. Definitely not my last time seeing Con Man live.
It was then time to trek across to the Summit stage to catch the fierce hip hop of Barkaa. With a deadly spirit that firmly stuck the middle finger to the establishment, Barkaa (wearing a dope Tupac glitter shirt) premiered a number of new songs including one about the police 'Ready, Run'.
An upbeat set featuring hard beats and luscious grooves giving off uber strong '90s hip hop vibes, Barkaa also showed her personal side, detailing it'd been eight years since being in prison, and eight years since she'd done ice – role models come in all forms. 'Blak Matriarchy' was a highlight of the performance, while another new song, possibly titled 'Preacher', had Barkaa joyously proclaiming: "Something empowering about telling someone to suck my dick!"
It was then time to head back to Sahara, with Royel Otis owning the main stage. One of the few guitar bands on the bill, yet one of the biggest crowds, the Sydneysiders indie rock infused with grunge-pop with a blend of Manchester Britpop creating plenty of crowd sing-alongs.
An awesome set of original tunes, yet it was their Like A Version cover of 'Murder On The Dance Floor' getting their biggest reactions. . . even the ladies in the VIP grandstand were on their feet dancing. Their Cranberries cover of 'Linger' was another highlight from a band emerging as a genuine stadium-filling act.
Being from Brisbane and a Big Day Our regular attendee, the similarities between the main stage oval was reminiscent of Big Day Out's Gold Coast Parklands (if you know, you know). . . the vista was akin to grazing animals on the African savannah congregating at the oasis of music.
My first serving of bangin' EDM was delivered by Berlin DJ horsegiirL at Summit, who brought Tomorrowland feels to Perth. The crowd had quadrupled since Barkaa, with the masses spilling outside the big top's tent poles, yet everyone wore beaming smiles as horsegiirL dropped happy hardcore bangers like 'My Barn My Rules' and 'My Little White Pony'. Thoroughly enjoyable, the intensity was at fever pitch throughout.
Needing a breather, the first sampling of The Wilds stage brought Joy (Anonymous) whose bangin' set of EDM kept an enthusiastic audience bopping throughout. Headed back to Sahara, Ice Spice arrived on time looking like an urban Red Riding Hood the crowd burgeoning drawn to the trap, broken beats.
It was also the first use of the smoke cannons as the sun began its slow descent. Not sure who the 30-foot blowup figure was onstage. . . to me it looked like Jon from Garfield. The Auslan signer was kept busier than Ice's dancers. . . who didn't stop all set.
Chase & Status emerged from the depths of dubstep hell. . . a fricken glorious 20,000 outdoor rave with incessant energy and non-stop beats. It was nasty dubstep interspersed with high-energy drum & bass, the football oval now a sea of people, packed from front of stage to the very back.
Fisher then capped off Wildlands with a house-heavy set that kept the party vibes buoyant, the crowd not slowing one iota especially when the 'Ghostbusters' theme song was dropped mid-set.
It was also around this time when I needed to take my 'old man' legs home after an insanely amazing day of live music that reinforced that while the local festival landscape remains a volatile market, there is still demand for the festival experience (not sure of the crowd numbers, but it felt like 30,000-40,000 the crowds were that massive).
Also, kudos to event promoters Untitled. Each stage was well separated with zero noise bleed, lots of free water stations, and plenty of shade throughout the site. After almost 25 years doing this, it was easily the best VIP experience too, with the entire football oval grandstand utilised. Plus there was a distinct lack of dickhead behaviour from the crowd as well, all combining for a thoroughly enjoyable experience that I highly recommend next year.
- co-written with Daniel Holgate
