When Fuzzy promotions first announced a new boutique EDM festival was to be replacing Parklife, my stomach sank with dismay. Parklife had given the fondest memories and still sits in my heart as being my favourite festival experience. Yet walking up to the gates of Listen Out I was filled with excitement, the bill held some damn decent names, the rain had mostly held off, and I knew within seconds it still boasted that same indescribable atmosphere as its predecessor.
Finding its feet at the Ozone Reserve on the banks of the Swan River you were instantly greeted by the Atari stage where Slumberjack had scored the coveted Triple J Unearthed spot. Pulling a decent sized crowd for festival openers I wouldn’t be surprised if they started landing on every festival lineup this summer. Slugging out their latest hits it was like being welcomed by a warm bass-filled hug.
Nestled in the path between the two main stages was the Red Bull Crate Diggers stage, the perfect placement to guide you with its beats as you ran between acts, without being that annoying obstacle you had to navigate. Spilling out Bag Raiders tunes early it had already lured people to its dancefloor, and held promise of being a tempting distraction for the day.
But there was no time to stop, because coming on stage was an artist I was super keen to catch. Tkay Maidza was taking on the 909 stage and if there’s any up and comer you need to catch its this one. Without even a debut under her belt she produced a great set, charming the crowd you almost did a double take at the impeccable flow she was delivering. The fun she appeared to be having on stage was infectious, smiling and laughing with the crowd as her DJ kicked out “Bound 2” samples for “Uh-Huh”. Picking out a couple of crowd members to join her for the last song, they emerged from side of stage decked out in dinosaur onesies while Tkay chanted out her hit “Stomping like a Brontosaurus”.
Golden Features turned his metallic stare to the decks at the Atari stage spinning out some great tracks and getting the crowd going, festival goers in awe of the mask. That is until some guys walked past in a Spongebob costume and Dwayne Johnson turtleneck tee. However it was Yahtzel that had the crowd crying out at as he fed them sweet remixes of Eminem. There are many reasons to speculate over why boutique festivals are taking over, and personally I love the comradery. It’s that crucial element Fuzzy manage to foster so well, everyone is a mate, everyone is there to dance. And it made the afternoon at Atari a great one.
Sprinting to the 909 Ta-Ku’s set was a little pulsating. I don’t know if I was distracted by joining the mosh circle or having a laugh with crazy new festival friends, or if the come down to a more RnB orientated tracklist took some adjusting to. However when the beats did hit they hit hard with the barber trimming up the tracks tighter than a number 1.
Somewhere in between as the Captain Morgan cans piled up Listen Out seemed to trip and land a little askew, with the ground in front of the Atari stage having some more than questionable odours and you second guessed the mud you were standing in. For the most part this was forgotten as Chet Faker walked on stage, every girl in the crowd pushing forward for just a glimpse of that well manicured facial hair. After his sold out national tour this year it’s safe to say Chet’s performances shine in an intimate setting, yet he still managed to deliver to the yearning audience below in a solo unadorned set, the sing along to “Talk is Cheap” ringing out across the festival.
Schoolboy Q burst through the run of Aussie dance lords as night came in, bringing that rapper confidence to our backyard at the 909 and drawing in fans from across the festival grounds, one punter stating he was “one of the dardiest blokes to wear a buckie”. Looking around at the masses entranced by Q’s blunt raps, there wasn’t much else to say, he provided an edge to the night that kept your energy up to take on the last leg of the festival.
Along the way there was a trip to the first aid tent for someone who had been too enthusiastic with the recycling initiative (thankfully still existing, another excellent hand me down from Parklife), shout out to the awesome staff there keeping everyone’s day drama free. In fact the whole day had been drama free, while I have heard differing comments, from where I stood Listen Out was shaping up to be a pretty well executed event. If a little minimal on the branding front, all the essentials were there: layout, utilities, bar selection, killer lineup, sound quality. There isn’t anything I could say that would stop this festival becoming a regular on my calendar.
Closing out the night was the festival veteran Flume atop some masterpiece of lighting and stage mirrors he pumped out every tune you were waiting to hear, from his remix of Lorde’s “Tennis Courts” to the classic “Hyperparadise” mix up instigating shouts of ”Have a Happy Birthday, Happy Happy Birthday!” in tribute to Flume’s notoriously misheard lyricism. As his only Australian performance this year it was a great chance to get your dose of Flume before he disappears.
At the end of it all, the food trucks were welcoming to your suddenly empty stomach, the trek back to the city centre long, you knew you would be putting bed before shower, and you would remember it as another successful music festival. Finding the middle ground between the downsizing of its forefather and a tailored boutique festival, Listen Out still has room to grow, but is set to be a season favourite.
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