Against all odds, expectations and forecasts, Festival of the Sun lived up to its name this weekend in the coastal NSW town of Port Macquarie, delivering two days of great music, excellent vibes and, indeed… a great deal of Sun.
Though people start camping from much earlier – enjoying their BYO drinks, limited capacity (3,000) and relaxed atmosphere – the music starts late afternoon on the Friday. Sydney rockers Goons of Doom were into their set when we arrived, giving us a taste of their new Christmas record (holding future classics like “Everyday is Christmas In My Pants”) and their last album Kill The Band. Heralding from the Northern beaches of Sydney, the boys illicit more “surfy rock vibes” than “doom”, but those vibes certainly were appropriate in the beachside venue and the band helped get the party started early.
In between sets, primarily solo acoustic artists performed on a side stage, as the next band set up, ensuring there was never a moment without music at this single stage festival. Chris Rose hit this stage next, who’d have a couple of sets at the event. An incredible voice could be heard from the Port Macquarie raised singer/songwriter, with just him and his guitar entrancing the crowd. Particular mention to his cover of “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac for getting people singing, though it was a solid set from start to finish.
The Cairos were as entertaining as always, and their cover of GANGgajang‘s “Sounds of Then (This Is Australia)” was very well received. It’s been a big year for the boys having Dream of Reason, their long awaited debut album finally make its mark, and naturally much of the set came from that release. Though I’ve heard the band often compared to Interpol, I never had picked it up as heavily as I did during their set tonight – there was a lot of that sound going on – but ultimately this is a quartet who have honed in on a sound to call their own and become an excellent part of the Australian live scene – and any festival for that matter.
Jackie Onassis brought their Sydney hip hop charm and energy next up, with the crowd eating up every moment (and rightly so). The Onassis boys are surely becoming a force to be reckoned with on the stage. The I Oh You DJs followed, serving to amp up the crowd ahead of Violent Soho‘s headline performance. Saying it’s been a massive year for the Brisbane band is an understatement. As Hungry Ghost – their latest record – continues to find new ears, and fans who delve into their catalogue and realise how awesome they’ve been for the last decade, their shows keep getting bigger and the band keep getting better. It may serve as no surprise that the group won no less than 4 AU Awards earlier this week for their live prowess.
“Dope Calypso” opened things up, starting the energy high and never letting up for a moment. The crowd lapped it up and partied like the drunk teenagers most of them were. Tracks like “Bombs Over Broadway” went down a treat, while “Covered in Chrome” received the biggest crowd response (naturally), sending everyone into a frenzy. The night ended with a two track encore, the band closing things out with “Love is an Epic Word”.
But this was just the first night of festivities… the big day – with Allday and The Jezabels closing out the event – was still to come. But needless to say, the campsite partied well into the night and no doubt the hangovers were fierce as the sun continued to peak through the clouds on day two… but more on that later.
