This year’s run of the Groovin’ the Moo festival came to a close at Bunbury’s Hay Park on Saturday. Though the festival has been running for a couple of years now, this was the first time I’d ventured along, drawn in part by an eclectic line-up of both Australian and international artists.

There is no denying Matt & Kim know how to put on a show. The mosh pit was writhing with visceral mayhem, killer music and a whole lot of inappropriateness led by the twerkin’, booty shaking force that is Kim. Starting the night off, well known Brisbane duo Tiger Beams put on a messy set full of charm and potential, ending with intergalactic synths and brilliant dance moves to rival even my own. Live long and prosper. The cheeky grin of Citizen Kay then whips the crowd into a frenzy of flow and tunes before the Brooklyn duo took over the stage at The Zoo.

The final stop of the Groovin The Moo festival tour landed in Hay Park, Bunbury where the likes of The Temper Trap, The Kooks, Tegan and Sara, Midnight Juggernauts, The Amity Affliction, The Bronx and more entertained the huge crowd for the day. Our man Stuart Sevastos was there to bring the highlights of the day.

Thebarton Theatre is packed tonight; there’s a plethora of girls and guys dressed ready for the beach (even though it’s a balmy Wednesday night), teenagers walking around excited because they get to drink underage and get away with it, and everyone else who is here to see the 21 year old Sydneysider commonly known as Flume demonstrate why almost every corner of the Australian music industry (and now beyond) is so eager to have a piece of him.

You can tell when a show hasn’t sold well at the Thebarton Theatre; the seated area is halved by a black curtain and the large floor space look barely full even there is a decent few hundred people littered throughout it. Canadian sister act Tegan and Sara are in town tonight and it’s beyond me why this show hasn’t sold more tickets; having scored a spot on the popular Groovin’ The Moo Festival as well as a lucrative gig at the Sydney Opera House, the twins unfortunately fell victim to Adelaide-on-a-weeknight-itis.

If you live in Victoria, you would know that Bendigo and Ballarat are typically your country town rivals. Aside from Geelong, these two regional cities are the next best thing after Melbourne. Now without sounding biased, my good old hometown of Ballarat has a lot going for it. Home of the Gold Rush, the iconic Lake Wendouree, chips cheese and gravy...we are doing alright down here! But there’s just one thing that Bendigo has that we don’t, one thing that dare I say, really puts it ahead of the old ‘rat a tat – Groovin the Moo.

The sight of Enmore Road tonight was a sea of school aged punters showing copious amounts of butt cheeks and puppy fat. “I obviously didn’t get the memo to wear denim hot pants to The Kooks tonight” was my very ‘clever’ status I posted on Facebook. I entered The Enmore Theatre and reminded myself that I’m getting too old for all-ages gigs at a quarter of a century old.

As a Brisbane girl it’s an exciting experience to make a special trip out of my city and state for a festival. And with the line up at this years Groovin' the Moo, I wasn’t going to miss it for the world, even if it meant two days of 4am wake up calls.

Daniel Bolt brings us the second half of photos from Groovin' The Moo in Canberra, ft. Flume, The Temper Trap (pictured), They Might Be Giants, The Kooks, Tame Impala, Pez and Frightened Rabbit.

Groovin the Moo at the University of Canberra kicked off with rad performances from Last Dinosaurs, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Urthboy, DZ Deathrays, Matt and Kim, Seth Sentry, The Amity Affliction and Alpine (pictured).

The first Groovin’ the Moo of the year was given the most perfect day for a festival. Big blue skies, a bright shining sun, and not a cloud in sight met Groovers who showed up to the Maitland Showground on Saturday April 27th. The sold out Maitland leg of the festival preceded the Canberra show on Sunday, a big weekend for artist and festival organizers alike.

The AU Review's photo coverage of Groovin The Moo Maitland concludes with performances by Tegan and Sara, The Kooks (pictured above), The Temper Trap and Example. Photos by Johnny Au