Live Review: Groovin The Moo Canberra

With a consistently solid and diverse line-up, along with excellent organisation, a quality site and inclusive vibe, Groovin The Moo has become a favourite among festival-goers in and around regional Australia, but also for the bigger city folk that travel to them.

The Canberra site was a manageable size, with easy access to food, drink, first-aid, Red Frogs and, for the first time ever, pill testing.

A large contingent of youngsters hit the gates early and we headed to the Moolin Rouge tent to start our day with Omar Musa, the celebrated MC, poet and author from just over the border in Queanbeyan. His ingenious raps range from serious (refugee and Indigenous rights) to comedic (dancing like cats and eating "our national dish", laksa) and were hugely entertaining.

The youngsters swarmed to Lime Cordiale. The Sydney group got the early crowd rocking with their fun, bouncing indie-rock. Canberra locals Moaning Lisa were up next playing alt-rock that feels like a combination of Pixies and Garbage. That's definitely a good sound to have!

With their brand new song Jupiter under their belt, Haiku Hands attracted a healthy crowd in the Moolin Rouge tent, bringing their irrepressibly fun dance moves, cheeky lyrics and even a cover of Living End's Prisoner Of Society. Their star continues to grow!

Quickly hiking back to the main stage, a huge group had amassed for Baker Boy. His live performance reputation precedes him and he didn't disappoint. Playing new tracks and showing off his choreographed dance moves, Danzal Baker is winning fans with every show. New track Mr La Di Da Di was received well and his 'hype-man', Dallas Woods, made sure we were continually giving a cheer and getting involved.

Having a drink break and a sit, we relaxed with the songs of Ocean Alley. It's a great soundtrack to an afternoon in the autumn sun and vocalist Baden Donegal encouraged the chilled out vibe. It was handy to have a rest, because Skegss were about to get us moving. Suitably playing at the hottest point of the day, with their flamed-filled logo filling the screens, the trio from the NSW North Coast were non-stop fun. It didn't matter how old you were, you could appreciate the effort that the band go into making their music universally appealing. As Ben Bograil declared, "This is a song about fuck all," they brought out Brett Jansch from Dune Rats for New York California and got the crowd involved by splitting then "like a cake" and then getting everyone to crouch down. "If you don't do it, everyone will know it's you!"

Following a hugely successful sold-out tour, Alex Lahey's appearance at Groovin The Moo series is almost like an encore, but also a farewell as she prepares to head overseas for shows. Playing hit after hit from her debut album, she was in great form. Then we had a nice surprise as she announced, "We've never had a special guest on stage before. Please welcome to the stage, Paul Kelly!" It was a special moment to witness a living legend join forces with an up-and-coming talent. The feeling that Lahey must have felt to hear Kelly sing a verse of Lotto In Reverse would be something she'll never forget and neither will the packed-out triple j stage crowd.

Over at the Moolin Rouge tent, a trio of dapper Englishmen were striking in both their music and their performance. Public Service Broadcasting may not have attracted a huge crowd immediately, but as they continued, more and more people were witness to a driving and visually enhanced show. Combining samples from NASA and historic audio from modern history, they created a building and precise wall of sound that culminated in tracks Go! and Everest.

Portugal. The Man are an interesting group. Choosing to introduce themselves with Beavis & Butthead footage and then going on to play a cover of Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls immediately highlighted that. Their set consisted more of off-the-cuff jams than legitimate songs. Legitimate hit Feel It Still completed the most unique set of the day.

Regularly shouting, "Wassup, Australia!", NWA's DJ Yella dropped an old-school set of "gangsta shit". It was the kind of show you could just let it all hang out to classic tunes. Down in The Plot tent it was the opposite, with Midas.Gold dropping a heap of new-style tunes to the packed space. Around this time the icy Canberra rain started to fall and people ran for cover under tents, tables, and $5 ponchos.

Tkay Maidza's set bore the full brunt of the storm, but it couldn't ruin our moods as her infectiously fun music kept us singing and smiling. She was a ray of light in an otherwise grey afternoon.

The grey turned to black quickly though as The Amity Afflication started with I Bring The Weather With Me and brought their metalcore sound to the main Cattleyard stage. The flames on stage were an awesome effect and the crowd obediently rocked hard for their solid set.

As the sun started to set, Grinspoon absolutely owned the triple j stage. Despite being together for 23 years (albeit with a brief hiatus) and having played countless festivals, the four-piece still sound as fresh and tight as ever, Phil Jamieson a masterful frontman and delivered wholeheartedly with every song. The group didn't miss a beat and, judging by the diversity of age in the crowd, I think we're ready for some new music, please!

A quick catch-up with hometown legends Coda Conduct and Genesis Owusu in The Plot tent served as a tasty entree to the killer set from Lady Leshurr. She demanded attention with her bouncing, exciting tracks and seemed to really be enjoying her time here. Her quick-wit, cheeky bants and empowering lyrics won her over a new cohort of fans.

The huge crowd for Paul Kelly was heartwarming. The father (or grandfather?) of Australia music has had a huge last 12 months. To see him included on a line-up that is aimed for a triple j crowd is fantastic and the reception he received justified his booking. Starting with From Little Things Big Things Grow, he played a myriad of hits spanning his four decades in the industry.

I tore myself away from his set for just a couple of songs to witness Amine in the Moolin Rouge tent. The large crowd was testament to an impressive young rapper that is starting to make waves around the world.

As the temperature dropped another five degrees we witnessed the pulsating rock of English duo Royal Blood, who were on form and in a good mood. Smashing out hits from their two albums, their performance was enhanced with the addition of backing singers for a number of tracks. While probably not totally necessary, it did provide more options to watching the frenzied drumming of Ben Thatcher and the pedal stomping from Mike Kerr. Kerr, after sharing his delight to be on the GTM tour, presented The Royal Brew, a collaborative beer made my local brewers Capital Brewing Co just for the occasion. His delight at sharing the product was met by the highly expected and decidedly over-used chant of, "Shoey, shoey!" After being offered up a shoe from the audience, he took the swig before spitting half of it out and yelling, "It's got bits!"

A duo of a very different style, Flight Facilities closed out the main stages with a technically strong set. However, we finished our night at the Moolin Rouge tent with the self-proclaimed, but publicly verified, 'loveliest band in Australia', Ball Park Music. If the Brisbane five-piece could close out every music festival, the world would be a better place. Starting with a solo acoustic version from Sam Cromack of It's Nice To Be Alive, they played hit after hit for the whole set. Credit has to be given to the band for choosing a 'best-of' set as the closer to a festival, where they could have self-indulgently dropped in tracks from their new album instead.

The confetti, the inflatable balls and the crowd singalongs finished with Trippin' The Light Fantastic, highlighting a completely joyous set and the perfect way to round out another great edition of Groovin The Moo.