It’s always a special time of year when Paradise returns to Lake Mountain. After its third instalment, it’s fair to say the festival is one of the most unique experiences on Victoria’s robust live music calendar. Attendees are surrounded by endless rolling hills of burnt-white trees, looking like a thousand tiny bones poking towards the open sky. On top of this, due to an insane amount of fog, everyone had the pleasure of partying in an actual fucking cloud.
Day one kept everyone busy with a diverse pool of performers. Melbourne four-piece Jaala put on a notable performance, incorporating jazz-like riffs and tempo changes to create spectacular, jagged soundscapes. They lacked a conventional rhythm, so anyone who tried to dance looked like they were having a seizure. But the sheer technical skill and intrigue created by their unique stop-start style left a pretty strong impression.
In the depths of Friday night, electronic stirrings dominated the stage. Roland Tings appeared from a cloud of smoke on the main stage, and ripped out a memorable set of spiralling synths with scraping drum hits. Later on, the savage techno of Friendships kept people busting serious shapes in the Clubland area until the cusp of dawn. The beats would occasionally cut-out for a split second before chief audio bandit Nic returned to cranking out skull shattering bass, booming like the voice of a giant. However, all good things must come to an end. Both Friendships and night one were over – the sun rising as if to make everyone painfully aware of this fact. As an ocean of clouds filled the valleys below and the sun turned waves of fog into conduits of golden light, day two had begun.
Those who hadn’t burnt themselves out early were treated to something a little different on Saturday night, with My Disco performing tracks from their most recent album Severe. It was a set dedicated to spaciousness and unnerving sounds, which felt a little out of place next to the upbeat rock and dance sets from previous artists like Black Vanilla. However, they were absolutely amazing. Tracks such as Recede dominated the amphitheatre with stubborn, thumping bass and haunting wails of feedback. From the unnerving whispers of King Sound right up to the tribal thump of Careless, My Disco’s performance was a breath of fresh air from start to finish, due to their ability to turn a dance party on a mountainside into a sludgy nightmare.
With its diverse lineup, breathtaking views and unforgettable experiences, Paradise truly lived up to its name.
BY THOMAS BRAND
Photo By Tegan Louise
Loved: The 12. Also I think I caught the sunrise with some of the fellas from Lurch and Chief. They were great.
Hated: Napping like a sucker on night two.
Drank: Hah.
