“This feels familiar.” It’s early in the AM on Sunday and Kiwi-based vocalist Jon Lemmon is addressing a resilient congregation, gathered inside the shed that acts as Camp Casual’s hub. The stage he’s performing on faces inwards, a sweeping rain has taken out the main stage lighting, which forced in The Courtneys and Sugar Fed Leopard to perform in the dark, with the side stage having its setup appropriated for indoor use. It’s the rain Lemmon finds familiar, having experienced a more unrelenting deluge at the last ever Camp A Low Hum a little over a year prior. It’s not just the game plan-skewing rain that Camp Casual shares in common with the much-loved New Zealand festival, with many acts having appeared at Camp A Low Hum before christening the maiden Camp Casual, as well as invoking less stringent aspects of the CALH philosophy.
The comparison was never going to be fair to Camp Casual. I loved Camp A Low Hum, more so than any other festival I’ve experienced. The scope was never going to be matched, and the scope was something Camp Casual didn’t try to match. It took a slight while for me to embrace Camp Casual – the introductory Friday was mainly contained at the main stage, proving to be the least spectacular setting on the Wild Dog Valley property, and with the PA and lighting passable, but rarely inspiring. Parking Lot Experiments’ spasmodic wont was a breezy escalation into the party zone, but momentum diminished a little by an unsuccessful attempt to recreate their Shake It Off cover, which would have been heaps preferable to their Ting Tings resuscitation. New single Live Long was a delight, as was a brief run-through of certified classic Love Is In The Air.
It was Mangelwurzel who kicked things into overdrive, the populous outfit emanating individualistic energy, a flurry of sick riffs and tasty brass. It was pure rock‘n’roll adulation. Now we’re getting somewhere.
A look at the timetable in the week preceding (unlike Camp A Low Hum, the lineup and schedule is known to attendees before arriving on site), the question was raised – Where’s the farkin doof m8? The first night, Adelaide producer Strict Face opened the side stage, which was adorned with an impressive lighting array, kicking off his set with the just-released Drake cut Legend, while in an OVO tee. Hours earlier, Drake signed off his first ever Melbourne show with the song. The OVO FOMO was mitigated somewhat. The night wrapped up at a respectable hour, when the desire for an unrespectable hour dwelled. The next day, Strict Face took to the shady Creek Stage for a more chilled selection of tracks.
The Saturday night, threatened with immense rain, powered on inside the barn, the sweaty rave eventually carrying on into a nearby yurt, into an unrespectable hour beyond official timetabling.
The sense of adventure that resonated so strong at CALH was present here, in a fashion befitting the grounds. A ten minute, uphill walk led to the Dam Stage, which wasn’t much of a stage, but it was one hell of a dam. DJs pumped from a diminutive shed while everyone frolicked in the waters, a makeshift rave taking place on a cruise-lining tinny. Camp Casual’s fundamentals were nailed, bang on, hitting the mark with a rock-solid lineup, BYO, and brilliant food offerings, but arriving at the Dam Stage, you realised this festival was something special.
Camp Casual did feel familiar, but it harnessed a spirit of its own. The music was great – The Ocean Party, Strict Face, the new Pikelet lineup, Mangelwurzel’s unhinged brilliance, Kiwi duo Carb On Carb (who proved to be Main Stage MVPs), and Jon Lemmon’s weirdly palatable EDM were all highlights. It felt good, dancing with friends to the weekend’s closing set by DJ Pinga Dick.
Camp Casual was a success. 300 people felt something special this weekend.
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
Loved: The unstoppable chilled party vibe.
Hated: Not being able to work out a proper way to spell the abbreviation of casual.
Drank: Water.
