Meredith music festival proves some things are worth destroying your knees for.
Nothing prepares you for the sheer bliss of being in a crowd that feels safe, moving your body non-stop for hours until your hips start filing for divorce. My first Meredith Music Festival was a masterclass in going in blind and coming out changed; lineup mostly unknown, expectations abandoned, knees absolutely cooked.
Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice kicked things off on Friday with the kind of loud, boisterous energy that says we’re doing this whether you’re ready or not. Dougal Shaw wore a giant sculpture of his own head for most of the set while the sun beat down, which felt very Meredith. Folk Bitch Trio gave us a 6pm serenade, harmonies drifting across the crowd as the sun started to set and a collective tenderness wove through the captivated punters.
Then came Saya Gray, one of the highlights of the weekend for me. Electric guitar is having a moment and Gray absolutely understood the assignment. There wasn’t a still foot in the ‘Sup; she belonged up there and we all knew it. Mildlife sent the crowd into a trance-like groove, track after track of pure hypnotic bliss, before Pa Salieu came on at midnight and, in all honesty, kinda freaked me out. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the midnight hour, maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood, but it wasn’t giving me the boogie-ing juice I needed so we retreated to our brown corduroy couch for some recovery time. Spoiler alert: this brief respite did nothing for me, my knees, calves and hips are still sore, so recovery schmovery.
Sam Austins brought his own flavour of anti-pop to the evening lineup, the crowd lapping up his insanely quick wordsmithery and high-energy fun. But Ninajirachi at 2am? Absolute highlight of the entire weekend. Imagine your favourite club night except 10 times better and led by a woman horny for her computer. You just know she’s going to produce something hectic. The perfect kind of niche for Meredith.
Saturday delivered Radio Free Alice with their unique post-punk laments, this is a band with real character to it and I was stoked to see them on the Meredith stage. Peep Tempel reminded us what tight, serious rock sounds like when guys can actually shred. One of the best rock performances I’ve seen in a hot minute.
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Syrian singer and producer Omar Souleyman brought his modern take on traditional dabke and had everyone on their feet. Lyrics were sparse, but who needs words when the music is that interesting and party-starting.
Chet Faker knew his audience and knew his setting. Favourite songs we’ve heard a thousand times, songs he’s sung a thousand times; but nothing repetitive found here. Chet reminded us he’s ultimately a jazz guy, giving us moments with his guitar and keys that felt intimate despite the thousands of bodies around us. Smooth, soulful, and really getting into it up there. We were right there with him, stank face for the jazz riffs.
I’m hesitant to talk about TV On The Radio. Not because I don’t like the band or their sound; I had a few songs saved before the weekend, but that time of day, with frenetic energy rippling through the crowd, their very slow, mellow sound was doing nothing for me. In saying that, it may well have been tactical by organisers because if we hadn’t had an hour and 10 minutes of near-drowsiness, the next act would have sent us even more feral than they did.
The all-women Japanese group Atarashii Gakko! were insane. They were the top performance for me for the entire weekend. Their music online doesn’t compare to how deep and hard the bass went on Saturday night. I went in blind and was blown away by their performance and energy. One friend next to me (legitimately sober) was cry-laughing, mind being blown in real time. They told the crowd about their Festival Hall show on Monday night and I saw so many people pull out their phones and book tickets right there and then.
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From there the night was just dance, dance, dance, jump, jump, jump with Rona., HAAI and Wax’o Paradiso leading us into 7am.
Yes, I did not sleep. Yes, I went home Sunday afternoon and proceeded to sleep for 12 hours straight.
As the sky began to lighten and we made our way to the hill for sunrise, my knees finally gave out and I surrendered myself to the damp morning grass and basked in the sheer joy I felt from dancing for hours and hours and hours (and hours and hours).
I sadly can’t speak on Sunday’s events; I was dead to the world until 2.20pm and had to catch a 3pm bus home. Guess I’ll just have to go next year to catch the tai chi, Sunday tunes and the Meredith Gift, which I’m sorely bummed I missed.
My tips for any other first timers? Please, please pack warm clothes. Take a drink bottle (and refill it!). The middle of the crowd is fun but the real spot is to the side, way more room to bop around. Let loose, be safe and don’t get spooked in that one toilet that the aliens took over…
In all seriousness, this festival has something special buzzing through it. The kindness, camaraderie, safety and bliss can be felt the whole weekend because its thousands of people all there for the same thing; to escape any pesky worries and stress and responsibilities attached to the ‘real world’ and be among a crowd of people who only have one thing to concern themselves with; a boogie!!
Until next time, thanks Aunty.
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