Another year, another Newtown Festival… felt like just yesterday that the last one rolled around! But admittedly, it has been several years since I’ve attended the free event – now in its 30th year – and I must say it really was bigger than ever – not in size nor in the quality of the acts, but rather in the simple attendance. By the time I arrived, shortly after midday, the place was already chock-a-block full of Newtown’s finest, and I really do mean chock-a-block. Moving from one stage to another, getting a bite to eat, a place to stand or site and going to the bathroom were at times more difficult than that of something as major as Good Vibes or the Big Day Out. Surprisingly enough, the only wait I didn’t ensure was that for alcohol!
But all this mayhem certainly gave the festival a real… for lack of a better word… festival vibe, and the local bands as well as a variety of performance art playing helped push the day along nicely. Focusing of course on the former, one of the first acts I saw were Yen, an up-and-coming Sydney band who really know how to get a crowd dancing, whilst playing genuinely decent music. With lots of cowbell on show (and you can never have enough cowbell), they had quite a few “disco-rock indie” tunes which were rather impressive, if only for a live environment. The songs build to quite fantastic climaxes, and the result shall definitely be a hit on whatever dancefloor they’re playing. Definitely going to be keeping by eyes on these guys in the future, the certainly have the musical talent to push themselves further.
This rest of the day on the main stage held much similar music – Kobra Kai perhaps being the most well known of the group, and they put on a killer set, creating a notable “dancing mosh” at the front of the stage. With the hip-hop and dance music being placed here, what of the rock and/or roll? Well Drum Media had you covered on the Essential Stage, with some of the biggest up-and-coming rock and indie bands in Sydney gracing the stage. Cuthbert and the Nightwalkers put on their usual show of fun, flair and fairy wings (the three fs!), although I must admit I was starting to notice how “samey” their music could be at times. Nonetheless, an enjoyable set. Likewise, The Seabellies showed off their tight set to an audience who was already quite familiar with their music… hopefully they created a few new fans in the process, however. The Wahas and Ray Mann Three then finished off the show, both having great fun in the sun, and The Wahas in particular again proving they’re only getting better with each and every performance.
All in all a fun day, but quite a ridiculously busy one at times. With security already 10 times what it was when I was last there… lots of fences, bag checks etc etc… I shudder to think what it will be like next year, and those following – at any rate, they definitely need to work out some way of making it more comfortable for those inside, as this is a festival that has grown and grown and certainly ain’t what it used to be… but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The quality of bands they have attracted over the past few years definitely reflects this. Stay tuned for the future!
