Power 50 - #20: Stephen Halpin & Rodney Little

Groovin The Moo is of course the strong performing regional festival bringing acts to the country that one would normally only catch in a capital city. But as the years have progressed, a number of factors have seen Halpin and Little’s festival become one of the best and biggest in the country, full stop.

As the likes of Big Day Out, Soundwave and Future have fallen by the wayside, chances are these days you’ll find acts that would normally have played on those bills gracing the stage at Groovin The Moo instead. And now having produced the festival since 2005, they’re a well-oiled machine.

The recently announced line-up for the 2018 run features fancied internationals such as Royal Blood, Lady Leshurr, Duke Dumont and Portugal. The Man (the latter newly minted Grammy winners, no less). Plus, you have the usual strong local contingent such as Paul Kelly, Sampa The Great, Tkay Maidza, The Amity Affliction, Vera Blue and many more. The only bump in the road was a small bit of chatter when the Adelaide venue was moved from Oakland to the Adelaide Showgrounds in 2017, which with its proximity closer to the CBD than a rural area, some were questioning how this constituted a regional festival.

The other major event their Cattleyard Promotions put on is The Plot, a youth-focused event held in Parramatta in Sydney, featuring a whole heap of up and coming talent on the bill every year. Want to know who’s likely to break in the next year or so? Check out The Plot and you’ll nd some answers. The one just gone featured so many acts only inches from taking the big step up, including Alex The Astronaut, Bec Sandridge, Dear Seattle, Ruby Fields, Stella Donnelly, Mallrat, Miss Blanks, Cable Ties and more.

Aside from the music, the two gents have also branched out into brewing, with Cattleyard Lager launching at the Maitland and Bendigo Groovin The Moo shows, plus now a Pale Ale also being produced. Cheers!