Live Review: Blenheim Festival 2018

About one-and-a-half hours drive north from Adelaide in the stunning wine region of Clare Valley is where the music festival Blenheim is held. In its ninth year, it's easy to see why this hidden treasure on the festival calendar is starting to gain traction. 

After a drive overlooking beautiful rolling hills and vineyards, punters were greeted by the fantastic volunteers. Once you had your passes it was time to set up your shanty home for the next three nights, which, because the campground was on the top of the hill, was graced with a 180-degree view of Clare Valley's beauty. 

Walking up to the festival grounds, you first went through an artistic alleyway with a handful of op shops, face painting and other stalls plus the alley's main attraction: the Bait Fridge performance art stage. Green Goat stage was the first you came across on the other side of the alley opposite the eating quarters, where you could find more than just hot chips and sausages. There was organic coffee from Booknook & Bean, delicious vegan treats from Forage Supply Co, amazing burgers from Phat Buddha Rolls and local heroes Auburn Smoke House distributing out-of-this-world chicken and lamb dishes. These great eateries surrounded a big tipi with scattered tables and seating so that you could enjoy the music and food in absolute comfort. The Hilltop stage, a makeshift hay-bale auditorium with green grass and various couches, would house the likes of The Black Seeds, Mojo Juju and hometown legend Timberwolf on Friday. To round out the festival offerings there was a skateboard ramp and a cinema where a Colombian music and dance workshop was held, as well as a kids disco and other fun activities for all ages.

Because Thursday was technically a work day, the music didn't kick off until the early evening but it started with a bang and didn't slow down. The first two acts shared sonic similarities, with nods of alt-country sound, but both Kelly Brouhaha and The Skeleton Club mixed their own styles and energies into their sets. Things really picked up when Ukulele Death Squad took the stage. Their ridiculous energy levels and mix of original songs and covers gave the audience something to dance and sing along to - plus, who can say no to three guys shredding on ukuleles?

Armed with a guitar and accompanied by a drummer, Karl S Williams belted out honest lyrics that rip through your soul and make you feel so good about yourself. Mia Dyson has a very distinctive style blending her fascination with American rock'n'roll with her Australian roots, using memorable guitar hooks and raw vocals to encapsulate the audience. Adelaide powerhouse seven-piece West Thebarton jumped in and gave everyone within a kilometre of the stage an extra shot of energy. With more guitars then you can poke a stick at, the group punched out all their scream-along-at-the-top-of your-lungs hits.

A Welcome To Country kicked off the main day of festivities with elders from the Ngadjuri people telling stories about the land we were standing on and even including some of the local boys and girls in one of the stories. Straight after, Joe Man Murphy took to the Green Goat stage followed by the first Hilltop stage act, Trav Collins. Donnarumma changed the tune coming into the afternoon with their exuberant stage presence, lead singer Louis Donnarumma jumping into the crowd to perform among a bunch of dancing punters.

The sun was setting on the Hilltop stage as Timberwolf started. With his talented band behind him and coming off the smash tour for his first album Ikaros, Chris Panousakis enjoyed coming home to an overwhelming crowd. Bootleg Rascal continued to build the energy, putting things in high gear with their catchy guitar riffs and clear love of playing live. The crowd fed off their enjoyment and everyone young and old danced.

While all this was happening the performing artists at Bait Fridge started to wake and move from their home in artistic alleyway. They wore outlandish costumes constructed with everyday items, from a suit of armour made of broken skateboards to a dress stitched together from old rubber gloves. While most of the oldies sat back and watched as these creatures searched the campgrounds, the real enjoyment came from the children who loved the craziness and colour.

What makes Blenheim different from every other festival going around at the moment is its commitment to include everyone, no matter who they are and where they come from. It's more than just a young crowd drinking and partying, the festival caters for everyone from its family camping area to the choice of acts. The little ones have plenty to keep themselves entertained among the circus workshops, and arts and crafts. Blenheim is also considerate of the land that they set up on and work tirelessly to keep things clean. This is done by a team of volunteers who donate their time. It is a not for profit festival and all proceeds go to local and international charity organisations. The 'no idiot policy' was in full effect all weekend, not that anything needs to be said because everyone there just wants to enjoy two days of music and some great food in a stunning environment with their friends and family. Everything is thoughtfully organised around the people working, playing, spectating and that benefit from the proceeds, and hopefully they can continue with this philosophy for years to come.