Live Review: Party In The Paddock 2017

It was gearing up to be another big weekend in the Paddock, for the fifth year running. As cars rolled into the stunning setting of Burns Creek, Tasmania, we knew to prepare for something wonderful. Once campsites had been found and gazebos pitched, the masses headed down to the Paddock stage to kick things off in style. One of the first bands to get the crowds amped were Byron Bay surf-punk trio Skegss. They drew in a nice, tight-knit little crowd and before long everyone was vibing. We were treated with a solo go of Heart Attack by Benny Reed and the front row enjoyed a champagne shower courtesy of Toby Cregan. For their first time in Tasmania, they certainly didn't disappoint. Montaigne was up next after a last-minute swap that brought her forward a day. The people were moving and grooving to her sweet sounds as she worked the stage like she'd done it a thousand times before.

Everyone was preparing for a long stay in their positions at the Paddock stage as there was a lot of action lined up for the rest of the evening. The stellar billing for the first night meant it was time to get a little freaky. There was naked crowd-surfing, hundreds of glitter-covered bodies floating around and some crazy-cool costumes. Not ones to shy away from crazy-cool, The Bennies took to the stage next for the second year in a row and made sure everyone was moving. Anty Horgan was out in his trademark tights and it was obvious they all felt very at home in the Paddock. They pumped out the favourites such as Party Machine and Heavy Disco and left many crossing their fingers that they'll return for a third year. Tassie icons Luca Brasi were up next and put on a show they did. Being Tasmanian, Party In The Paddock holds a special place in their hearts and it was no surprise that the feeling was mutual from the hundreds of Tasmanians in the crowd. We loved having them up there as much as they loved being up there. Lyrics were being screamed and you couldn't count the number of James Boag's XXX Ales being skolled from shoes. If Luca Brasi have ever put on a bad show, we're yet to see it.

A highly anticipated act of the night was the magic and awe-inspiring Tash Sultana. Selling out shows wherever she goes in record time, we knew this would be special and special doesn't even begin to cover it. As the sun went down and the rolling hills disappeared into the darkness, every single person out there was captivated by her stage presence. Her beautifully distinctive voice filled the paddock and it was the kind of performance that you watch and think how lucky you are to be there in that moment the whole time — full body shivers and things of the sort. During her performance of Jungle she had the backing of the entire crowd and now we understand what all the fuss is about. Once everyone was blissed-out from Sultana, Melbourne rockers The Smith Street Band made sure everyone was up and about again in no time. Having played Party In The Paddock in the past, the boys were excited to be back. Wil Wagner's love for what he does was so obvious, and the crowd fed off that fact that he was purely stoked being there. Again, too many beers were drunk from shoes to count and lyrics were screamed out until voices were lost. A highlight of the set was Death To The Lads, during which the boys couldn't wipe the smiles from their faces.

After a restful night's sleep in the paddock, everyone woke feeling refreshed (in an ideal world) and ready to gear up for another big day. Around about 3pm Sampa The Great took to the Paddock stage donning a cape and blowing our expectations out of the water. Tiny but great as her name suggests, her jazz-infused, hip-hop sound was captivating and she impressed the crowd left, right and centre. Her set was high-energy, engaging and easy to bounce around to. Due to the swap the day before, Boo Seeka were now up next on the Paddock stage. Their set was smooth and refreshing — you could stand and sway if that took your fancy. Sweet, silky smooth hypnotic sounds filled the paddock with a cool breeze drifting by; it was a perfect way to ease into the party that was to come as the night went on.

As the sun began to set and the sky turned hues of pink, Kim Churchill graced us all with his sweet sounds and, as the crowd grew with each song, we danced into the evening without a care in the world. Telling stories about his travels, he kept the audience engaged and interested in between songs. Old favourite Single Spark certainly lit a flame in the crowd and everyone was having the time of their lives, displaying all sorts of weird and wacky dance moves with limbs flying around in every direction.

Over under the Big Top stage the party continued on with the likes of The Vanns, who were back again for another year, the highly anticipated Trophy Eyes and the electric blues sounds of Guthrie. Both days the Blundstone stage featured the talents of many local artists, often providing a sweet chill-out station when the excitement of the big stages got too much. Triple j sweetheart KLP brought the party to the Big Top stage in the early hours of the morning for those with a last-minute burst of energy. She too was returning to the Paddock and her overly energetic set was nothing but a seriously good time.

The final acts on the Paddock stage were highly anticipated, the beautiful and angelic sounds of Vera Blue filled the air before REMI took over to amp things up before the big headliner and much-talked-about performance from the notorious party boys, Sticky Fingers.

Having played back in the humble beginnings of Party In The Paddock for the first two years of the festival, it was only fitting that they returned for the fifth birthday and final performance before they disappear on an 'indefinite hiatus'. The hype was completely worth it; they were the party animals we expected them to be. There was not one patch of grass free for this performance: it was big, it was loud, it was crazy and it was everything we had hoped for. Despite his recent notoriety, frontman Dylan Frost seemed to be behaving and they most certainly went out with a bang. With tracks from the new album and of course old favourites, the hour-and-a-half-long set left no one disappointed. Before leaving the stage for the last time in the foreseeable future, the band took a bow and assured us that although they didn't know how long their hiatus would actually be, we haven't seen the very last of them just yet.

The time had come for Hermitude to end the night (and the performances on the Paddock stage for the fifth year). With crazy lights and super-high energy, they kept the party going into the early hours of the morning. During HyperParadise, the dancing and grooving in the Paddock was wild and kooky. Their performance was fast-paced and a heck of a lot of fun; a true representation of the entire festival and a very fitting way to finish off the performances on the Paddock stage.

The team behind Party In The Paddock have been working tirelessly for the last five years in order to regularly bring Tasmania two nights of beautiful, raw and wild fun, and for that anyone who has ever partied in the Paddock is so grateful. It's safe to say we speak on behalf of everyone who was in attendance when we say that it is with intense anticipation that we wait patiently for round six.