Live Review: Falls Festival Byron Bay - Day Three

It's our last day at Falls and it's safe to say our start to the new year has been shaky at best. There was some extravagant style happening on day one, football outfits on day two, and now there is just survival. 

Survival is also a useful phrase to describe one of our first acts of the day - Tired Lion. Mosh at the Galaxy Stage has been pretty raw across the festival with West Thebarton tearing it a new one yesterday. Tired Lion give punters a reason to go to the doctor though, coming on stage with a huge scream matched by the crowd. What ensues is just a full hour of audio bombardment. 

Before Tired Lion ripped our face off we did treat ourselves to a detox with Eves Karydas. Strutting on stage only 13 days after getting the call to play, Karydas is probably the freshest act at the festival considering she hasn't had multiple dates back to back. Regardless, Eves Karydas isn't completely free of issues blessing her set as she runs off stage for a good 10 minutes halfway through her set as a laptop is repaired.

Amy Shark was always a safe bet for Falls, she has been playing huge sets at almost every festival, winning ARIAs - a huge 2018 for Shark. She still remains humble on stage throughout the accolades, inviting everyone to simply let all their happiness out. Plenty of cuts from recent album Love Monster get people moving, with Adore getting deservedly the biggest response from the crowd. 

As the day develops, hype around the one and only Toto is in the air. The words on everyone's lips - Hold The Line. That's right, it seem the tide is changing for the Africa songwriters. As the Toto team hit the stage there is enormous roars (akin to a lion some would say). While Daryl Braithwaite was the king of ironic song posting in real life last Falls, Toto win the crown for owning the meme most in both 2019 and 2020, judging by how strong they rep Africa. 

Odette is a sleeper hit as far as we can tell, an artist that no one seemed to be talking about but everyone seemed to be at. Having performed an unforgettable Like A Version mid last year, it's easy to see why everyone was glued to her. Low and behold, we were even lucky enough to hear her belt out her glorious cover of Magnolia by Gang Of Youths - what a gem. 

Rap is a thankful mainstay at Falls this year and they have brought in some serious international heat with Juice Wrld. Having graced the stages of some of the biggest rap festivals in the US, his hype game is next level. A slice of Rolling Loud on our shores.

The sun is down though, and we can't be on 10/10 energy levels all night. That's where everyone's favourite heartthrob Vance Joy comes into the picture. Early in the set, Mess Is Mine has our coarse, sore throats magically healed for one huge choir as the amphitheatre becomes aglow with phone lights.

Toto aren't the only well-travelled international band on the line-up. Indie rockers Interpol brought their colossal catalogue to the Falls main stage. Despite the demographic of the Falls crowd, there was a healthy gathering for Interpol. There was some very solid Hawaiian shirts happening at the front of the crowd. Do these have any link to the Interpol back catalogue? Not that we know of, but stranger things have happened. 

From the drudgy swoon of Interpol to the sugary sweet pop of CHVRCHES. The notorious pocket rocket of energy that is Lauren Mayberry walks on stage and wastes no time inviting us all into her world. Closing with the certified bop that is Never Say Die, there is a collective sense of bliss for everyone moshing together. “Best set of the weekend” is uttered by close to 10 punters as we migrate for a quick bite before our ultimate closer for the weekend. 

The headliner everyone who is still kicking at 11pm on day three is excited for is Flight Facilities. Don't get us wrong, the ten minutes we see of Flight Facilities are your typical impressive visual masterpiece accompanied by huge bangers, but Mini Skirt are playing a two hour set at the small Howl and Moan stage and how in the world can you pass that up. 

With seemingly 99% of the festival at Flight Facilities, it's a very small crowd at the Mini Skirt show, but the four-strong punk outfit don't care. Having performed every day, they are somewhat worse for wear, but they still kill every track. This must have been one of the tamest shows the band have ever played though, considering there is not even remnants of a mosh for the majority of their sets at Falls. The tracks still hit very hard, though, with Dogs getting punters into the mood for some push and shove. Hearing them destroy such a small set only solidifies their passion. Keep your eyes peeled because you are going to be screaming along to Untitled before the year is done.