Though the rain stayed at bay, the crowds weren’t kept away by the clouds nor the cold weather at the annual Reclink Community Cup in Melbourne earlier today, which saw the Rockdogs (“The Musos”) beat the Megahertz (“The Radio Presenters”) in a thrilling fourth quarter, 61 points to a respectable 49.
Deborah Conway and She Said Zed, meanwhile, helped lead the event’s national anthem “Streets of Your Town”, since “Advance Australia Fair” is “highly overrated”, according to one announcer. It was a sound choice, with the song also serving as the theme for this year’s event. Crowds were particularly impressive, too, with the venue selling out by the time the game started. And the sun came out eventually, too.
In addition to the game, and the streakers that littered it (it wouldn’t be a Community Cup without it!), the day was also scattered with a slew of performances from some of Melbourne’s finest talents. Wally from The Meanies teamed up with Murray for The Wiggles for the Bubblegum Machine, which helped kick the day off with some kid friendly entertainment. Boxwars continued those vibes, leaving a cardboard mess across the entire field – the present children serving as the clean up crew.
And then it was time for Jen Cloher, who was joined by Courtney Barnett on guitar and backing vocals, Andrew “Bones” Sloane on bass, and Jen Sholakis on the drums. Highlights from the set included “Name in Lights”, “Forgot Myself”, “David Bowie Eyes” and a cover of The Go-Betweens’ seminal classic “Love Goes On!”.
Remi. hit the stage at halftime, fresh from his show in Adelaide with Sampa The Great the night before, with tracks like “Xtc Party” getting the crowd moving and singing – having rushed onto the grounds within seconds of the players finishing up the first half. And as the game came to an end, and the Rockdogs were crowned winners in an impressive fourth quarter which saw the Megahertz briefly take the lead for the first time since the start of the game, the stage was set for a true rock show.
The Peep Tempel and Spiderbait did Melbourne proud with two rollicking sets that helped ensure the sold out crowd would party well into the night. Indeed, a quick walk around the streets of this town saw venues around the area – from the Tote to the Yarra – packed with punters eager to keep the rock and roll alive. And, naturally, either celebrate their team’s win, or drink away their sorrows – whichever may have been the case.
The Reclink Community Cup is played nationally – raising money for Reclink and bringing the music industry together. To find out when it’s being played in your city, head to their official website. The Melbourne event was played on 25th June 2017.
Lead image by Carbie Warbie @ www.carbiewarbie.com.
———-
