Live Review: Yours & Owls Festival

Day One

The sun was out and beaming for the long weekend and just by Wollongong's North Beach, boasting four music stages spread across Stuart Park, Yours & Owls were putting on their biggest music festival to date. Included in this expansion were a variety of local boutique and food stalls as well as a booth that aimed to decrease wastage by paying punters for their recycling. With Australian acts making up the majority of the bill, it was the perfect place to catch the plethora of talented local musicians that are currently making waves.

Ruby Fields is one those artists making waves right now. After only coming into prominence very recently, she already had the confidence to stand tall at the I See You stage - Yours & Owls' main stage - in front of a sizeable chunk of early arrivers and belt out angsty indie rock tunes that are introspective, observational and very, very Aussie.

Over on the Out Of Space stage and it was WAAX, a Brisbane five-piece filling in Major Leagues' slot. Lead lady Maria DeVita foot stomped and howled into the mic with some strong hints of Karen O's signature ecstatic snarl before finishing off with a cover of Courtney Barnett's Pedestrian At Best. They'd done their homework because the guitar tones were completely identical to the original, the only thing giving away the bands true identity was DeVita's intense and heartfelt vocals, which remained true to her own. 

Back to the main stage and Ali Barter's presence had gotten punters off the floor and up to their feet as festival arrivers entered in droves. The lead guitar came crashing in for the chorus of Far Away, making Barter's presence known to those around her in a big way. "Can I just say, festival fashion is going off right now," said the Melbourne songwriter as she looked out to the crowd, "so much hashtag boho going on right now." Girlie Bits played out her set and, with it, the festival's first full-blown singalong, leaving us on an energetic high.

"It's so great to be in Wollongong, the true capital of Australia," Alex Lahey cheekily remarked. She kept the strong female presence going at the I See You stage and didn't leave her fans waiting long for her ripper track Ivy League. Snapchat recordings were popping up everywhere as Lahey played her Like A Version cover of Natalie Imbruglia's Torn, eliciting a pop of cheers across the venue. Lahey's guitar seemed to be a bit lost in the mix for her set closer You Don't Think You Like People Like Me but her voice, much like her time on stage, remained prominent and distinguished. 

Slum Sociable slowed down the tempo with some damn fine, groovy jams that were immersive and pleasurable. Whether it was their older tracks All Night and Anyway or their new, sonically expansive material like Castle, the Melbourne duo kept a chill flow going. Their live bassist, Dylan Savage, had bass lines for days, his dexterity threatening to steal the whole show with his infectious grooves. 

Threatening to steal Wavves' show, however, was a bunch of technical difficulties that caused the Californian band to stop playing midway through their set opener. Another last-minute addition to the fest, these guys bounced back with strong anthems and heavy psych-rock. They regained their momentum, earning back the attention of their attendees.

In his pink suit and defined moustache, the man, the myth, The Don, Donny Benet had no problem standing out. Complete with the Donny Benet Band, good times kicked off instantly. The musicianship of these guys was exemplary. Saxophone, guitar, keys and, of course, bass solos were all getting their turn and you'd be hard-pressed to find a deeper well of musical prowess than what these guys were producing. A swarm of Donny Benet lookalikes dressed in matching pink suits with fake moustaches and bald caps over their black hair wigs took to the stage to dance along and throw out food to the crowd. Benet is a bona fide show stealer and deliverer of good times - we were very thankful to have him along for the ride. 

The nighttime tunes were off to a good start with Northeast Party House offering up their insatiable, bouncy energy to a massive crowd at the I See You stage. They had attendees up in the air but no one was jumping higher or faster than frontman Zachary Hamilton-Reeves.

Offering up more electro tunes across the grass were Cosmos Midnight. Their danceable, sample-heavy tracks packed the Out Of Space stage to the brim.

The Rad Bar stage was running a bit behind schedule due to their screening of the AFL Grand Final but, no worries, Body Type were there to get things back on track. The Sydney band jumped between dreamy guitar lines and jagged, fast-paced reverb strums to keep punters mesmerised. The poor mixing of the mics made it near impossible to decipher the lyrical content, but the angelic crooning of their lead singer was enough to make clear the melodic intent of their songs.

Maybe it was because of this unfortunate mixing mishap that SM Jenkins were being extra cautious during their sound check. There was plenty of post-grand final footy banter being shared between Drummer Jo Syme and vocalist Stephen Bourke, evoking mixed reactions from various supporters. A closing cover of Paul Kelly's Leaps And Bounds won over any grieving Adelaide fans (at least, temporarily) and we could carry on to Saturday night's biggest acts. 

A generous use of a smoke machine and an all-encompassing purple light left The Preatures as enchanting silhouettes but the familiar palm-muted guitar of I Know A Girl made them instantly recognisable. They followed this up with Somebody's Talking and, showing just how comfortable she was feeling, vocalist Isabella Manfredi finished it off by cartwheeling across centre stage. The band began to settle into their final track Is This How You Feel? when Manfredi gave us one last message to encourage marriage equality, "This song is for love, get off your ass and dance - vote yes." 

Giant inflatable beer cans were bouncing around the mosh like beach balls as Dune Rats' lead singer Danny Beusa attempted to part the front of the mosh in two during set opener Superman. The beer and bong banter played well with the punters - one fan even coming up on stage to scull a beer with drummer BC Michaels - and reached its peak as Scott Green came around. Finishing off emphatically with Bullshit, it was a loud and raucous show from beginning to end.

Frantic head banging was on display at the Out Of Space stage as Northlane took the reins. "We know we're a little different from the rest of the acts this weekend," admits lead singer Marcus Bridge, "so we appreciate you coming to see us." Those still seeking heavy rock were now there and not disappointed.

Rounding out Saturday night was Canberra group Safia. My Love Is Gone instantly whipped everyone into a frenzy and vocalist Ben Woolner was doing a stellar job of keeping up the momentum. A commanding but endearing frontman, Woolner had everyone belting out the lyrics for tracks Over You and Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues. The trio closed with their certified banger Take Me Over. 

Day Two

Local Wollongong act Raised As Wolves were helped us shake off the cobwebs from Saturday as the heat caused everyone to seek refuge from the sun in the sheltered Rad stage. The punk rockers gave it a red-hot go, putting together a melodically focused, riff-heavy show. 

Cash Savage suffered the burn of the stage floor, admitting "I'm walking around here bare feet and the floor is fucking hot." Her accompanying live band The Last Drinks complemented her vocal style well and the beauty of their music came out when they took it slow. The violin became audible, the long twangy guitar strums rang out of the void, the bass and snare pattern became prominent and, among all of this beauty, Savage's melancholic tone found its voice. 

Ghostly shrills haunted the main stage as enigmatic local Bec Sandridge offered up her meticulously crafted blend of indie pop-rock. You're A Fucking Joke lured punters out of their dusty state of mind and encouraged them to dance it off. It's a definite highlight, only topped High Tide. 

Wollongong acts continued to shine as The Pinheads kicked off with a show that was ruled by the antics of lead man Jez Player. We saw him drop his pants and moon security so as to keep them at a distance. Then, he proceeded to climb the escarpment and up onto the speakers, all the while singing. He went down to the barricade next, getting up close and personal with fans as he continued to breathe life into a more alert crowd.

Speaking of sets ruled by antics, Totally Unicorn were on. Singer Drew Gardner, clad in tie-dyed speedos, wasted no time in jumping over the barricade and straight into the crowd as the rest of the band threw strands of rainbow-coloured confetti from the stage. Gardner crowdsurfed through a mosh pit he himself had opened up, all the while apologising, "Sorry, I'm fat." He then travelled out as far as his lead would allow him and used it as a giant skipping rope for punters to jump in on, ensuring Totally Unicorn would be one of the most memorable and interactive performances of the weekend.

Skydivers were being treated to a quick dip near the main stage before landing nearby as Confidence Man executed the choreographed dance moves that accompany their euphoric electronic bangers. The I See You stage was jam-packed and ready for popular tracks Better Sit Down Boy and Repeat. Both succeed in evoking a huge physical response. They followed a formula of sensual dancing mixed with upbeat electro-pop to ensure their image, as an alluringly fun, young and exceptionally confident act, remained intact. 

AJJ brought their folk punk-rock from the United States to a small but receptive crowd. The shock value of Fucc the Devil's opening line "I'm gonna fuck the devil in his mouth", matched with a tight guitar mix, all but guaranteed vocalist Sean Bonnette had his crowd's attention.

"If we're up here, we've got a big platform... as if were not gonna talk our shit right?" AB Original told festival-goers. Rap duo Trials and Briggs don't want their messages falling off by the wayside, ousting injustice goes hand in hand with each track. With an intensity in their voice, they spoke of the treatment of Indigenous Australians in custody and made sure we were listening by leading chants of "no justice, no peace". The widely popular, politically charged tune January 26 was performed with Caiti Baker, who took the lead melody on the last of their songs. Their messages echoed out as loudly as their music did.

Le Butcherettes' outlandish and poetic style proved to be a hard pill for some punters to swallow but others were happy to see where it would lead. Frontwoman Teri Gender Bender's polarising performance oozed charisma and was a success sonically thanks to her dexterity on both the guitar and mic.

Running and dancing non-stop across the main stage, you wouldn't even know how ill Montaigne had been the previous weeks. Her unique, cascading vocals in I'm A Fantastic Wreck had such a theatrical feel, it was almost as if it was plucked straight out of a Broadway musical. The singer-songwriter made the main stage her own, earning the crowd's respect and wrapping up with the emphatic Till It Kills Me. 

The sun had set as Illy came out to play, getting straight into fan-favourites Catch 22 and Swear Jar. Currently in the midst of what he called "the biggest regional tour I've ever done," the Melbourne rapper was running his show like a confident band leader, stopping and restarting songs if the crowd response wasn't satisfactory enough for him. There was nothing but love though, evident by the string of singalongs, topping by the biggest of the bunch, Papercuts. 

At the Drive In took to the main stage, providing sensory overload in the form of blinding lights, deafening cymbal crashes and bass drum kicks that worked their way up to our chests. Off-putting lead man Cedric Bixler-Zavala was at his best when belting out tunes with his band and definitely not when providing advice on how to keep your butt clean in the shower - "Wash that ass... give it to your brown eye" were his parting words. The hardworking US band were making the trek over worth it by squeezing in as many songs as possible into their set and nailing their hardcore sound. 

Sorority Noise's moody lyrical content received the heartfelt, emotional treatment from brooding singer and guitarist Cameron Boucher in the lead-up to the night's final act. The cracking sparsity of his vocals were broken up by sharp, gain-heavy guitar attacks that pulsated across the Out Of Space stage. 

With new material still in the works, The Presets were back in the 'Gong with a fresh take on their older gems. We were listening to opening track Ghosts but with a whole different mix - only the melody and lyrics sounded recognisable. The electronic duo did this again for a few select songs, however they were just as danceable (some even more so) and the accompanying visuals were a treat to stare at. The packed crowd lost their shit instantly at My People in its original form, proving that some tunes are better left untouched. This creatively ambitious direction, taken by Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes, left festival-goers still singing set closer Talk Like That on their beachside walk home out of the festival.