Live Review: Groovin The Moo Canberra

This year marks the 13th edition of the best regional music festival in Australia. Groovin The Moo has become a hugely successful annual event, bringing massive national and international headliners to regional centres around the country.

The Canberra edition sold out in record time this year with a line-up that boasted many buzz acts of 2017. The gloriously sunny 11am start welcomed early punters, but they were to be fooled (more later). Bec Sandridge opened up the Moolin Rouge stage with her sparkling voice and charisma. Despite her predawn start to the day, she nailed her dynamic but short set.

The opening act on the main stage was Elefant Traks' newest member, B Wise. His set introduced us to his energetic style until he was followed by fellow Sydney MC, Manu Crooks, to round out an Aussie hip hop double play. Crooks worked the crowd well and is definitely one to watch.

The crowd built slowly, with reports of huge queues outside filtering in. We assembled for L-FRESH The LION. His live show never disappoints as he delivered his pure, eloquent fire to the growing crowd. The positive energy that he, Mirrah and band exuded set us up for the rest of the day.

A decidedly more mellow sound was coming from down the hill at the Cattleyard stage. Methyl Ethel, new album under their belt, were giving the crowd their brand of casual, almost ambient music. It was a little bit hard to really get into the set, but when they delivered crowd-pleaser Ubu, we were left with a more upbeat vibe.

Suddenly we heard many high-pitched screams and to the left of us was Allday, adorned in a hoodie, gracing the triple j stage. His cheeky and relaxed manner entertained the mostly teenage crowd. He has an attraction that stretches beyond his pop-rap style. He's just so damn likeable.

Speaking of likeable, Amy Shark had attracted a huge audience in the Moolin Rouge tent. With just one EP under her belt, Amy was able to not only delight her diverse crowd with her sweet vocals and well-written indie-rock but also with her banter; chatting about stalking exes and making us all feel like her best mate.

The crowd had swollen to its peak and the fashion ranged from onesies (fewer than previous years) to very short shorts and sheer tops (Hello, this is Canberra!) and glitter; lots and lots of glitter. The day was never going to get warmer than it was at 2pm. Watch this space.

K Flay, in all black, took to the stage and our eyes opened a little wider. Her stage presence is indomitable, but that's nothing on her music. With a range that travels from delicate intimacy to raging edginess, Kristine Flaherty delivered a perfectly rounded set that had us scrambling for our 'Like' buttons.

Northeast Party House tried to get the party going in the early afternoon, but it was perhaps a bit too early to be peaking, even if you drop some Blink-182. Against Me! seemed to really enjoy their set, as did we. The punk rock lead singer, Laura Jane Grace, made a point of calling out the vibe of the festival. "We've played a lot of festivals, but we have never felt the camaraderie with other artists that we've felt on this one."

Montaigne, who had called off her performance the previous day in Bendigo, declared herself as "just ok" on social media earlier in the day. What we saw was a set that blew us all away. Jessica Cerro nailed her vocals, even with a cold, and her energy and banter on stage kept us smiling and dancing. The stage loved her and so did we. What an extraordinary talent.

A festival isn't complete without The Smith Street Band. The Melbourne four-piece are upbeat and smiling in the bright Canberra sunshine, arriving on stage to the strains of Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. It turns out their connection to Canberra extends to lead singer Wil Wagner "partaking" in a Canberra laneway where he wrote Song For You, from their latest album. It's a highlight from a fantastic set of new and old tracks.

Again, it felt too early to be partying with such gusto, but Slumberjack were making the Moolin Rouge tent throb with the many (perhaps too many?) huge drops in their set. The crowd didn't care though and screamed along with each one.

Another artist that has had voice issues is Tash Sultana, but we were fortunately treated to her talents on the day. Despite playing huge festivals here and abroad, it's likely you would appreciate her sound more in an intimate setting. She showed little signs of her vocal issues in this set though, hitting all the high notes and astounding many with her all-encompassing repertoire.

And then the sun set. People rushed to the cloaking lines, the great selection of hot food stalls and the warmth of the tents as the Canberra cold settled in. The rest of the night required body warmth and movement and that's exactly what we received as Thundamentals took to the stage. Crammed in and constantly moving, they delivered a perfectly measured set that proved they are at the peak of their popularity. Tracks were played from all of their albums and we screamed along with our fists and peace signs in the sky as cameos from The Smith Street Band and hip hop artists galore graced the stage.

PNAU, returning from a four-year break, kept us moving as well with their energetic dance cuts. The addition of Shakira Marshall on vocals is a masterstroke and it was a pleasure to have them back on the live scene. Crowd favourite, Embrace, rounded out a wonderful return.

Some people bought tickets to the festival to see one band, and that band was The Darkness. The British glam rockers are led by the flamboyant and highly charismatic Justin Hawkins who, adorned in a purple jumpsuit, has to be one of the most entertaining frontmen going around. This was a greatest hits set and they delivered it with the panache and humour they are renowned for. Hawkins cheekily yelled, "You have to bounce more vigorously and then we'll play a song you recognise!", before launching into I Believe In A Thing Called Love.

The Wombats delivered a hugely entertaining set, performing a cross-section of hits from their three albums. Australia must feel like their second home because there was a huge outpouring of love for the Liverpudlians. By that stage, the site had started emptying out. The apparent temperature of three degrees was forcing people home to their warm beds, but those that stayed squished into the tents. The addition of The Plot stage provided a cosy alternative to the big top as local DJs and hip hop artists rounded out the day. The Ansah Brothers bounced around the stage with sibling joy before Coda Conduct gave their hometown crowd a cheeky and fun set to keep them warm.

While rockers Violent Soho belted out their set before a dwindling and freezing main stage crowd, over at the Moolin Rouge tent, Dillon Francis was the place to stay warm as he dropped banger after banger in his headline set. We didn't want it to stop, or we'd have to face the cold, but when he dropped Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses, we sang along and made our way to the exits.

Groovin The Moo continues to be a highlight on the festival circuit in this country with well-curated, organised and natured festivals. Full credit to Cattleyard and the punters who, despite reports of fence jumpers, were well-behaved. Perhaps next time, bring some extra layers.