The fifth year of Bendigo’s Groovin The Moo proved a mixed bag, with a line-up that delivered in fits and starts. Lyrical-miracle Tuka and MC Ellesquire were among the festival’s first acts, the locals playing to a packed marquee. They were met with an excess of enthusiasm, their slick fusion of house, hip hop and RnB delighting punters. While there was a distinct absence of anything ground-breaking of spectacular on offer, Tuka and Ellesquire combined well to ignite spirits, the crowd primed for an enormous day of music.
Brisbane’s own Hungry Kids Of Hungary were next to the Moolin Rouge stage, an avalanche of toms signifying Wristwatch as their opening gambit. A terrific live act led by the dynamic duo of Dean McGrath and Kane Mazlin, Hungry Kids had no trouble electrifying proceedings with their infectious indie rock. Their chirpy, seesawing single When Yesterday’s Gone emerged a key highlight, along with the epic rock swagger of Coming Round. Their bittersweet single Let You Down allowed the band to exit just as they arrived, a rapturous ovation in full swing. It was a brief but brilliant set.
The V-Stage hosted Brooklyn-based duo Matt & Kim, the pair pedalling syrupy pop music strangely reminiscent of polyphonic ringtones. They were a hollow novelty and the only thing more irritating than their super-saccharine tunes were their stage personas. Take a moment to imagine an indie incarnation of Jedward – annoying, right? More often than not, Matt & Kim’s tacky shenanigans and off-the-charts exuberance reflected the roles of kids entertainers. At times, they barely resemble a band. Bursts of confetti, balloons and YouTube clips accounted for just some of their antics, only exacerbating the core issue: their act is one with more style than actual substance. It may defy popular opinion, but Matt & Kim’s appearance was little more than a juvenile spectacle, the best clearly yet to come.
Seth Sentry, another representative of Australian hip hop, enjoyed a warm reception. Sentry displayed a knack for making the most of the mundane, touching upon everything from share-house etiquette (Room For Rent) to habitual cafe behaviour (Waitress). His finale divulged a disillusionment with science and progress (Dear Science). Sentry spruiked substance beyond simply playing to the crowd, which emerged a definitive strength of an enjoyable set. Tuka, Urthboy and Ellesquire joined him for a freestyle rap – a memorable segment, if only for the audacious rhyme of ‘pistol’ with ‘tissue’.
For all the hype behind Alpine, the sextet were outed as a fairly formulaic band by the end of their set. While undoubtedly impressive live, accomplished and well-suited to a festival stage, they tend to rehash their indie-pop expertise with hit-and-miss results. Gasoline emerged the song most people came to see, along with their final song Villages. For the most part, though, the crowd couldn’t care less, perhaps yearning for the variety apparently lacking in Alpine’s repertoire. It was the only issue plaguing the young band, but a nagging point nevertheless.
Shortly after Alpine, patrons’ enthusiasm began to taper off, the dissolution of energy almost palpable. Scottish indie-rockers Frightened Rabbit were saddled with the unenviable position of playing the afternoon lull. The band were obviously at odds with most of the line-up, their gloomy, introspective alt-rock inaccessible by comparison. While they staged a serviceable set, theirs was the portion of the day most likely to be jettisoned from memory. It hardly seems fair, but as fans ought to know, they’re a band best experienced in an intimate setting anyway.
Regurgitator were next in line to resuscitate proceedings and, in the process, experienced much more success. Dressed in pristine white, Regurgitator presented a perfectly eccentric set, indulging in everything from hysterical stampedes of alternative-rock to hip-hop-tinged interludes. Naturally, as veterans, they were every bit as polished as you would expect. They’re stalwarts of the scene and had no trouble reminding the festival crowd of their standing. Classics Polyester Girl and The Song Formerly Known As were thrown together with more recent gems, including All Fake Everything and rapid-fire ridiculousness of Game Over Dude. There was the sense that Regurgitator had perhaps bewildered Groovin The Moo, but in the best way possible.
“We come in peace from the northern hemisphere!” proclaimed They Might Be Giants before launching into flamboyant classic Doctor Worm. Their dose of quirky pop-rock raised the bar for the rest of the bill, their set arguably the most fun of the entire festival. Few matched their showmanship and charisma, the band connecting with the young crowd easily. The prevailing highlight was a game of ‘People Vs Apes’, the audience split in two in the name of a wild instrumental hoedown. The set ended on a triumphant note, their thunderous rendition of Istanbul (Not Constantinople) serving as a crowd-pleasing finale.
An amorous reception awaited Tame Impala, punters eager to soak up their vintage psychedelic rock. It was everything you’d expect, executed to the letter. Dreary hypnotic trips bled with warped distortion, Tame Impala staging an arresting affair. They peaked with grunting single Elephant, its hairy-chested swagger giving way to a scintillating drum solo, only to slip into a disjointed jazz-tinged detour, to wind up where it began via a brush with reggae. Combined with the dreamy melancholy of Feels Like We Only Go Backwards and the ever-exciting Alter Ego, Tame Impala seemed capable of anything and everything. It was a thrilling set, the band rising to meet the hype.
The crowd would erupt upon Tegan & Sara’s arrival, ready to embrace their accessible pop. Their latest album, Heartthrob, has elevated the twins to new heights. The likes of Closer, I Was A Fool and Now I’m All Messed Up each ensured epic sing-a-longs, the sisters’ pop expertise perfectly irresistible to Groovin The Moo’s punters. It was a fun but by no means flawless performance, with both Tegan and Sara making uncharacteristic mistakes. Brief slip-ups aside, though, they otherwise staged a comprehensively brilliant set. Overall, both in song and banter, Tegan & Sara proved intensely likeable, adding another chapter to their love affair with Australia.
The Kooks, one of the festival’s chief headliners, proved serviceable at best. The fact that the band continue to fly the flag for a now-defunct post-punk revival era means that, occasionally, they come off as stale. Their Groovin The Moo set demonstrated as much. Some songs – notably those from their breakthrough debut album – Eddie’s Gun and She Moves In Her Own Way – showcased a timeless quality, contributing to a relatively pleasing set. However, much of their material failed to measure up by comparison, sounding lame and dated in the live arena.
In the hands of The Temper Trap, an epic finale for Groovin The Moo was a foregone conclusion. From Love Lost to the anthemic waltz Trembling Hands, the band capably weighted the evening with overblown theatrics. The Temper Trap demonstrated their live credentials, though their aspirations to become the biggest arena-based band in the world shone through, becoming irksome in the end. Their pursuit of greatness shows strange side-effects, namely the resemblance of their songs with those that soundtrack, for example, One Tree Hill finales. For all their grandeur, they’re actually a bit bland. Throw in the notion that their songs make a strained transition from studio to live performance and there’s more than a few ways to nitpick at The Temper Trap. Put simply though, the chief annoyance of The Temper Trap headlining Groovin The Moo was that they took the spot ahead of many bands, each capable of more interesting things.
Overall, Groovin The Moo ‘13 presented an enjoyable if hit-and-miss cross-section of local and international acts, with diversity among its chief strengths.
BY NICK MASON
Photo credit: Rebecca Houlden
LOVED: They Might Be Giants. They earned themselves a new fan.
HATED: The ever-impending autumn chill eventually arriving.
DRANK: All things carbonated.
