Since hearing the lineup for Groovin the Moo back in January, I’ve been madly boning up on the bands heading our way. Yep boning up is a real phrase, means studying, plus I love a good double entendre. I love listening to audio books and podcasts, so lately music has taken a bit of a back seat.
To fix that, I jumped on Spotify, finding the #GTM2016 playlist, and oh my god! I loved it. I have been listening to this one on shuffle for the past three months and I was so excited to be going along to photograph and write about the event.
The Friday before, started off a bit shaky, raining all day I got paranoid that my beloved camera would get wet. On Saturday, Bendigo turned on her charms and kept the rain away for most of the day, there were just a few soggy hours in the morning. Never fear, camera got to wear a specially designed rain coat MacGuyvered by my clever husband.
Docs on feet and hooded raincoat on, I braved the wet, slushy oval. Weather like this is only good for Peppa Pig and her puddle fetish, not the mamas who like to sit inside snuggled up with a blankie, a cup of tea and a good book. Ok, so it’s more likely cleaning the house and doing the washing.
Heading into the sea of festival goers, ready for an amazing day of great music, good friends and perhaps a sneaky bevvie. No not me silly, the festival goers. If I partook in a sneaky bevvie, I’d spend the day at the ladies instead of in the pit. I had my camera in hand (suitably dressed in her ziploc baggy raincoat), backpack, my notepad and my phone. All set for a big day.
My festival day kicked off with Harts, Darren Hart and his funky brand of tunes and guitar playing. Followed by the lovely Ngaiire with her own brand of soul perfectly complemented by her backing vocalists and big drum beats.
Then, onto Emma Louise with her soulful vocals and sensual dancing was mesmerising. And that turquoise suit was, wow, stunning.
Boo Seeka hit the stage with a good beat, cool keyboards and and lots of groove. A busted hair tie meant the man with the man bun lost his bun for the first time on stage.
DZ Deathrays brought the rock with the crowd going mad for Less Out of Sync. Check out the crowd photos – they were going off.
Vallis Alps played their gentle and introspective electronic beats which got me moving. Makes things tough when you need to be still to photograph the band.
Drapht is high energy and an amazing performer, but constantly moving around the stage to the delight of the punters, makes him hard as shit to photograph.
MS MR’s Lizzy Plapinger lit up the stage with her vivacious performance and infectious smile which was perfectly complimented by the brilliant dancing of Max Hershenow. Check out the spectacular photos.
Byron Bay boys, In Hearts Wake, left no doubt about why they were the heaviest act of the day. They fired up the crowd, getting them nice and fiesty. So fiesty I got kicked out of the pit for my safety. Jake Taylors growly vocals tempered by Kyle Erichs melodic vocals warmed my cold, dark heart. Just a little.
What So Not blew the roof off the Moolin Rouge tent with his fast paced electronic beats, the crowd pumping their arms and jumping to the beat.
I missed Jarryd James’ set but I have it on good authority from a friend of mine that he was amazing. Here’s a few words from K to help you feel like you were there …
“Jarryd James … the reason i was at Groovin the Moo in the first place. From the moment he set foot on stage, everyone around me (but mostly me) was absolutely mesmerised by his presence.
The one song I eagerly awaited was not until the end of set but it wouldn’t have mattered how long I had to wait as I was just enjoying being in Jarryd’s presence.
Jarryd performed one song after another, barely taking a breather with hits like “Give Me Something” & “Sell it to Me”. We were appreciative of the few honest and vulnerable words spoken between tracks.
With the opening of “Do u remember”, the crowd erupted and people around (especially me) just melted! There is just something so very special about this man. His voice? His presence? His vulnerability with story telling in his music? I would happily say all of the above. What you see is what you get and Jarryd James is a natural artist who sounds amazing live. I would highly recommend seeing him perform if you get the chance.”
Thanks to K for sharing her experience.
Now on to Twenty One Pilots who, with their indefinable style, were my favourite act of the day. They ruled the crowd with their mix of hip hop and smooth and mellow electro pop sounds. The show was theatrical with masks, a huge video screen, sunglasses, floral shirts all interspersed with the resounding boom of smoke canons and finished with confetti exploding from the stage. Awesome right!?!
The Rubens were one of the few bands I was familiar with before arriving. With their unique funky rock sound, they rocked the crowd. This poor old dear didn’t make it through the set but loved what she heard, I hope to catch the Rubens again some time.
With a two year old, I don’t get out to see a lot of live music so I was a little too excited to get to this festival. And what an incredible day I had! Despite the rain, the bands rocked it, the crowd loved it and an awesome day was had by all. This poor old mama didn’t quite make it to Boy and Bear or Alison Wonderland, but I’m betting for sure they all kicked arse. If you lasted that long, fill me in below in the comments.
Mucho thanks to the Groovin the Moo crew who have, once again, put on a magical festival. Were you there? Who was your fave act?
