It was a dusty start for punters on the second day of Festival of the Sun, as the weather shined on us once again. Most were slow to hit the stage as they tried to wash their hangovers away – some quite literally with the ocean just metres away. A little late to enter ourselves, Tropical Zombie had already the stage by the time I made it in, delivering a some appropriate tropical vibes to get us all in the mood to groove.
With keys, banjo, great vibes and multiple sets throughout the day, Karl S Williams was next and kicked off his short but sweet set on the acoustic stage with some rather dreamy numbers. Dressed as spacemen ready to rock our socks off, Melbourne duo The Stiffys followed and took things up a notch as more hungover punters made their way to enjoy their final day of festivaling. Their typically energetic set was perfect for the festival, and though the band clearly don’t take themselves too seriously, their merging of funk and hip hop vibes with a whole lot of… let’s just say “party”… makes for a pretty happening set. Such groovy boys, they’d probably say so themselves…
Canadian troubadour Tim Chaisson followed, performing a spellbinding cover of Gotye’s “Hearts a Mess” amongst a set of his excellent originals. Performing in duo mode, the banjo, fiddle and guitar all made appearances as he blasted through one of his multiple sets of the day, gradually enjoying a larger audience with each performance, as did Mr. Williams. His impressive set served as a precursor to Sydney’s own musical troubadour Steve Smyth, the recent recipient of the AU Award’s NSW Voice of the Year Award. Opening with “Reaperbahn”, the first track off his latest record Exits, Smyth’s set was a typically impressive one, with his track “Hopeless Feminist” (now a bit of a classic in my opinion – watch his performance on the AU HERE. He also pumped out an impressive Muddy Waters cover in “Tomcat”, made even more impressive considering it was the first time his drummer Brock had played the song live with them. Killed it all the same.
The set kicked off an incredible run of rock performances, with The Lazys up next, showing us all how it’s done, rockin’ hard and ending up with their guitarist in the crowd, downing a beer and never missing a note. Meanwhile, Victorian group Apes continue to prove why they are one of the country’s finest emerging rock bands, delivering a stylish set that includes the brilliant tracks off their EP like “Seven”. Then came the Dune Rats, who got themselves one of the biggest and most up-for-it crowds of the day. They even had an on stage marriage proposal during their second number, which was surely a first for the band (even they were like, “us? Really?”). But fair enough, that couple must love a good party and a good smoke. Speaking of, they got a few dressed up dancers on stage as they played their latest single “Dalai Lama Big Banana Marijuana”, beach balls flying around everywhere. And their cover of “Blister in the Sun” was pretty killer too. Great, fun times.
Saying Shihad are back is a bit of a misnomer, it’s not like they ever really went anywhere be they Pacifier or one of Jon Toogood or Tom Larkin’s many projects. But they are sounding better, rocking harder than they have in a long time. And their FOTSUN performance was no exception. Drifting between old favourites and tracks off the brilliant FVEY, fans were singing along and rocking out from start to finish. Allday broke up the run of rock groups to give crowds a dose of Aussie Hip Hop, which they lapped up, with tracks like “Clouds” going down a treat.
But after the I Oh You DJs kept everyone amped up with a successful “Bohemian Rhapsody” singalong, the night belonged to closing act The Jezabels, who first played the event some seven years back as one of the opening performances. Hayley said on stage that back then, they were mainly playing to the guy who was dumping the sand in front of the stage. So to see them back, headlining all these years later – to huge response from the crowd no less – was pretty cool. And no doubt a buzz for the band, who are otherwise off the radar at the moment as they presumably work on some new material.
The band pushed through a set focusing on their latest album, but with plenty of old favourites added in along the way. “Endless Summer” went down well, and came early, and “Hurt Me” was a welcome addition, with the band saying they hadn’t played it live in some time – though noting it was part of their set seven years ago. They dedicated “No Country” to Tony Abbott “because we hate him”, “The End” got people dancing and “Catch Me” served as their set closing encore
Festival of the Sun may not have the gravitas that Meredith (which takes place over the same two days in Victoria) has procured in its 24 years, but having been born under similar circumstances – uni kids looking to end their year with a big party – it’s an event that in its own ten years on the scene has become a favourite for those looking for a weekend of great Australian music – with a bit of New Zealand and Canadian flair thrown in for good measure…
