Thousands made the trek out to Lardner Park, with the success of last year’s Beyond The Valley festival still fresh in their minds. Organisational hiccups in the lead-up to this year’s event, such as not providing any details on the food available or publishing their set times just days before opening, did suggest the festival was having problems, but hey, as long as the lineup was good we could deal, right?
Well, not as much as we originally thought. The action on day one was assigned to the dance pavilion, and even though the whole thing was under cover it seemed even hotter in there than in the afternoon sun. Dance circles kicked up clouds of dust that swirled and settled through the area, the crowd looking well and truly fucked by the time Odd Mob closed out the night.
Festival goers nursed early hangovers the following morning while young singer/songwriter E^st opened up the main stage. In a strange scheduling move, Jamie xx took on the main stage at 3pm, in 35 degree heat no less, but it didn’t stop him from getting the biggest turnout of the entire festival, barring the day-three headliners. A lot of people bought tickets just for this set and he didn’t disappoint, playing tracks from 2015’s In Colour amidst ‘80s disco hits he’s so obviously influenced by.
Trap producer RL Grime’s set was as excessive and over-the-top as his own material, pairing robotic communist imagery with his signature bass heavy sound. Dropping confetti bombs during set finisher Core, the LA local vacated the stage to let Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs see the night out with some ‘00s classics (Ignition (Remix) went off, but doesn’t it always?)
Both the band and the crowd had a ball during Northeast Party House’s day three set, and you suspect that’s how most of their gigs go down. The triple J hit Youth Allowance was the clear winner of the afternoon. Heaviest band on the bill Kingswood soon followed, packing the same level of heat, but ultimately it didn’t resonate as well with the less rock-focused crowd.
Melbourne rapper Ivan Ooze’s performance reached much higher highs than his studio offerings ever have, most notably on his latest single Fire. After heading back to the tent for a quick booze top up, San Cisco were suddenly on the main stage, signalling the beginning of the end for 2015 with their smash indie rock hit Awkward.
Hype machine Tkay Maidza took on the last set of the year and absolutely nailed it, piling on bangers like her breakout singles U-Huh and M.O.B, while covering modern day rap staples Niggas In Paris and Hotline Bling. George Maple even returned after killing it in the Pavilion earlier that day to join Maidza for Ghost, icing on the cake for what was surely the festival’s highlight set.
You’d think a festival taking place over New Year’s Eve would have a big countdown planned, and the organisers’ hints of a big bang yet to come seemed to confirm something special was ahead. But oh how anticlimactic it was when the music playing in between sets suddenly faded away into “10, 9, 8…”
There was just enough time to go ‘what the fuck was that?’ before ushering in the New Year. Luckily, Flight Facilities soared, saving the moment with special guest vocalists Owl Eyes and Kurt Kristen. Their stage presence is something others should aspire to, and in fairness to the festival, the band’s celebratory electro-pop style meshed perfectly with the young audience’s vibe. What a great way to bring in the New Year.
BY MICHAEL CLARK
Loved: Watching Tkay Maidza kill it in front of thousands.
Hated: Dust, dust everywhere.
Drank: 600ml bottles of vodka and Sprite.
