Hello lovelies. How is the cooler weather going for you? For me, it’s a bit of a blur, to be honest. I find that my days are filled with family and work and then sprawling on the couch in front of the fire. My hustle seems to want to be snuggled up on the couch with Netflix or a good book, and a peppermint tea – I guess it’s not the worst place to hang out.
I haven’t been avoiding the outdoors completely though. I managed to pop out to the Groovin the Moo music festival when it hit town a couple of weeks ago. Aaah, the smell of Dagwood dogs, the sparkle of glitter and a cow costume or two – no Groovin the Moo is complete without them.
I love people watching the crowds that attend music festivals, so many different ages, so many costumes, colours, and joy. I have so much love for glitter beards 😍. And boys with flower crowns. I think there is a change coming folks, boys with glitter and flowers are leading the charge. The girls were sporting the glitter and flowers, lace, heart-shaped sunnies and I’m the biggest fan of the light up faux fur coats (there’s a black and white photo of a lovely lady dancing with one).
So much of the music is unfamiliar to me, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t love every second I spend at this amazing festival and getting to take these awesome pics, it’s such an honour (thanks Groovin the Moo!).
I walked in at 1 to the packed grounds to hear part of Vera Blue’s set. The tent was full and the crowd was pumped. Vera Blue’s unique mix of folk style vocals, vulnerable lyrics combined with electronic beats creates a confident and inspiring performance.
Public Service Broadcasting, with their experimental sound and video scapes with brit pop stylings and Kraftwerk influences, were not what I was expecting at the festival, but I’m from a family of electronic music lovers, so it appealed to me.
Dean Lewis, wow! The girls loved Dean, best expressed with showers of glitter. They knew the words, and when he played waves, the crowd collectively swooned.
Portugal. The Man. My favourite act of the day, caught my attention with their Beavis and Butthead intro about the best band in the word and moved into an instrumental cover of For whom the bell tolls. And followed up with more instrumental covers that were brilliantly played, Feel it Still which is one of my faves from the Spotify playlist. It’s now on my car list, and Miss 4 and I sing along to.
Tkay Maidza, what a woman is Tkay. Sparkling brightly, bringing her feminine synth hip-hop sounds to the stage. ‘Simulation’ live was something very special. What a star.
The Amity Affliction. These guys gave more than I expected. I raced back from the Moolin Rouge, dodging Marios, Cows, and glittery beards, to a blocked photo pit. The boys had a little surprise for the crowd, a fiery surprise. Squashed up against the crowd barrier, we had our one angle to shoot from, with no wiggle room until our time was done. It was a little cosy. Ok, so these guys were the heavy act this year. While I don’t listen to much metalcore these days (Miss 4’s not a fan), the QLD boys brought the heat, literally.
The Grinners took me back. In my early twenties, I had Thrills, Kills, and Sunday Pills on repeat for a few years. It was an album that saw me through the angsty years of young love and breakups, but in a fond way, y’know? I haven’t seen them before, and it was a great set, pure nostalgia.
I’m not much of a rap fan, but Lady Leshurr is pure stage presence exploding like lightning off the stage. The crowd gyrating and singing with her was beautiful magic.
Paul Kelly. What can I say? You already know it was amazing. The band was tight, Pauls lyrics had the audience singing along, songs older than the audience, but they knew the words. The appreciation from the audience was really beautiful for such a class act of Australian music.
This is just a snapshot of my day of the artists I’m most familiar (or enamoured) with. Check out the photos below, maybe you’ll see someone you know.
If you get the opportunity to see any of these artists, please do. There’s a range of styles and ages to inspire and move you, with so much talent. Even if they’re not your normal style, I find so much heart and soul in each performance that you can’t help but be moved.
Thanks to Groovin the Moo for having me along again this year 💛.
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