10.30am: Promised rain, received sun
Everyone swarmed through the gates at 10.30 in gumboots and ponchos, ready to have a boogie and bev. (No, I didn’t judge people who were opening vodka by 11.)
By the time Robert Delong took to the stage at noon, the crowd were shrugging off their bulky coats and shielding the sun from their eyes. But, it could have hailed golf balls and no one in the crowd would have stopped dancing. I don’t know what I expected; some kid at a machine, pressing a few buttons? Delong was anything but this. I don’t know what half of those electronic devices did, but his ability to sing and work with those alien machines simultaneously amazed me.
12.45pm: Guitar faces and getting drunk at a socially acceptable hour
Aussie band, The Jungle Giants blessed Groovin’ the Moo with a colossal amount of energy. Once you got past the constant swearing from the lead singer, and had the chance to listen to the music playing, their set was vibrant and perfect for a dance.The crowd was singing, dancing and dangerously surfing in just a matter of minutes. (Honorable mention to Cesira Atiken for that wicked guitar face.)
1.30-3.40pm: When did my bottle get empty?
As the day moved on, Kingswood rocked out by jumping on a set of speakers and mashing a guitar solo. Loon Lake reminded everyone why we love Australian music, and Parkway Drive maintained their reputation for most bruised limbs in a mosh. Vance Joy played a chilled set complete with some new tracks, and much to everyone’s expectations, but nevertheless disgust, massive black clouds began to roll over Bendigo.
3.50pm: Rain and metal-heads and hipsters, Oh my!
When Violent Soho took to the stage, it didn’t matter that what looked like the beginning scene from “The Day After Tomorrow” was taking place outside. Saving favourite “Covered in Chrome” as one of the final songs had people leaving with a need for more. Surely I’m not the only one who walked away from the stage shoving strangers with the hope they’d want to mosh a little longer?
By the time Architecture in Helsinki had taken the crowd to another world with their techno vibes, pools of mud were covering the ground. Now we were all thankful we bought those gumboots and ponchos the other day, even though we cursed them that morning.
5.25pm: I should not have put vodka in my coffee this morning
In the dark and rain, The Naked and Famous played some of their classic songs which, even if you didn’t know it was their song, you still knew the lyrics somewhere in the back of your mind. Their techno tunes got everyone’s hearts pumping and feet moving. While the lights were shining down on a sea of excited festival goers at the mainstage, Peking Duk were tearing it up the tent.
Whether you were crammed like sardines up the front, or dancing like crazy at the back, Peking Duk’s energy found some way to infect you. The sheer volume they blasted their tunes at made your heart pump not blood, but bass. The speakers were so loud they had a physical effect on your body and yeah, your eardrums felt like they were bleeding just a little, but isn’t that part of the fun?
7.05pm: Not sure if passively consumed weed or just emotional
By this time, if you’d lost your friends, there was a fat chance you would see them again until the end of the night. People were swarming from stage to stage to catch a glimpse of the main acts over the giant in front of them’s shoulders, and with the dark having set in, everyone was looking like the same dark figures.
The Jezabels were clearly a must see for, well, everyone, since what seemed like the entirety of those who bought tickets turned up to their stage. Hayley Mary blew everyone away as usual with her chillingly brilliant vocals, so much so that it didn’t matter what drunken slur of random words that guy behind you was singing.
Lost my watch ???pm: Wanted: Someone to dance like a maniac with me
Dizzee Rascal pumped the crowd back up to new levels of excitement. I’ll admit, I initially planned on giving this one a miss, not really being that into British hip-hop. But man, am I glad I stayed. His ridiculous amount of energy and sheer joy for playing had me dancing along with everyone else. More than a great live musician, he put on a fantastic performance, teasing everyone by faking a farewell before playing his most well-known tune, “Bonkers”.
9.00pm: Wait, what? It’s the end of the night?
Here was the big dilemma for everyone attending. Disclosure or The Presets? There was a mixed reaction to Disclosure, some claiming that they could have just put their album on shuffle and received the same performance, others saying there couldn’t have been a better way to end the night. The Presets, however, were an all round winner for those who saw them.
And who did I choose to see? Well, call me crazy, but I opted for a hot bucket of chips with my sister, sitting somewhere between the two stages.
Image Credits: Layla Homewood
