Among all of the fun and festivities of Brisbane’s annual Valley Fiesta were: umbrella bars, men with plastic bags on their head, a sea of poncho wearing under age music fans and the looming threat of rain and bad weather, though that did not effect the spirits of the crowd that gathered to fiesta through the night and all weekend.
In 2014, Brisbane’s biggest street party came with a new two-day program and a celebration of vibrant Brissie culture that included a swap shoppe, a crate diggers music market, rooftop rollerblading, a Chinatown Chow Down and a line-up of bands including international lo-fi sensations The Preatures; ARIA dual winning blues and roots rock and roller Dan Sultan; Brissie shoegaze sidekicks The Creases; and hip hop wonders Allday and Remi.
© Matt YoungSpread across two days, Valley Fiesta gave punters plenty of opportunities to shop, swap, blade, eat, drink and explore the Valley Mall precinct as it came alive this year like never before.
Despite the doom and gloom of the weather there were a surprising number of people littering the streets by 5:30pm on Saturday to see The Creases play; and they lit up the stage like it was 1975 and Brunswick Street was CBGB’s.
© Matt YoungJarrod bops around that stage with a mop of hair that screams ‘Joey Ramone Jnr’ with that scratchy, amateur and lanky style that Joey had a punk-patent on. The Creases’ four-chord, simple, rock and roll coupled with the group’s nonchalance and the dark, wet and humid sky breaking above them set a mood and standard that followed the entire weekend.
The cultural epicentre of this year’s Valley Fiesta was the very first Chinatown Chow Down – and man, it was true to its name. I wandered into Chinatown after The Creases and awaited my banquet style, multiple-course, and culinary delight chow down fit for an Asian emperor.
Featuring dishes from local restaurants including chicken pad thai, spare rib in Peking sauce and salt and pepper calamari as well as a generous serving of entrees and sides, Chinatown Chow Down was a welcome induction to the growing Valley Fiesta program and a perfect way to break up the music and experience this burgeoning Brisbane culture scene. Let’s not forget the pole-walking lion dancers and stilt-walking geisha girls that I saw after my meal, either.
At the main stage’s green room I ran into Jarrod from The Creases (or Joey Ramone Jnr). I asked him how he thought their set went. “It was really fun and atmospheric,” he said. “I think it really suited our mood and style and a lot of people were getting into it.” The Creases played the recent Splendour In The Grass, so I wonder how a street party like this in their own backyard compares to the big stages they’ve played. “There is no pressure, everyone is here having a good time, it’s just more a party. It’s way more relaxed and the vibes are really chilled.”
It was then I said my goodbyes and left Jarrod; I was heading straight back down to Brunswick Street to see The Preatures rock the Valley to its core. And man, they killed it. What a great way to finish the first night of Valley Fiesta; probably the best one yet - kudos Brisbane.
