Live Review: FOMO Festival

Punters were welcomed to Parramatta Park by a swarm of police, security and sniffer dogs; a sad reminder of the drug-related deaths at music festivals over the last couple of weeks. Extra precautions and signs displaying the “one pill can kill” message were sadly not enough to prevent another tragic fatality though, with a teenage festival-goer dying of a suspected drug overdose.

The grounds, set up with medical tents, adequate bathrooms, bars and food trucks, were already a sweltering 31 degrees by the first set of the day. The few people brave enough to come out early took refuge in the scarce, small patches of shade for sets from BRUX and MIMI, the latter taking the mic at the end of her DJ set to perform her single Bad Girls Know.

The Red Cross’ save-a-mate team made their way around the grounds, giving out sunscreen and making sure everyone was keeping hydrated at the festival's water stations, while Just A Gent, clad suitably in a bow tie and collared shirt, got the growing crowd bouncing around to Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name Of.

Air horns signified the arrival of Brisbane singer and rapper Carmouflage Rose, who brought the heat (or more of it), with stage pyrotechnics and tracks off of his EP Taste like No Love and George Maple collaboration Let Me Down. He inspired his audience, sharing his journey from Zimbabwe refugee to festival crowd-pleaser, telling them to “believe in your own story” before performing his hit Late Nights, which had everyone abandon their patch of shade (prime real-estate) and run to the mosh pit.  

London-based Cosha (formerly known as Bonzai) treated the crowd to some fresh tunes and tight choreography before Canadian duo Loud Luxury - one of the acts replacing US rapper Lil Pump on the line-up - had everyone forget about the heat for a moment with their massive 2018 hit Body.

There were more people hanging around the sides than in front of the stage during San Holo’s high-energy set as the temperature peaked. The Dutch DJ deemed those who remained in the incredibly sweaty mosh pit “warriors”.

Colombian-American star Kali Uchis switched up the vibe with her talented four-piece band and their smooth, sultry tunes. After opening with Dead To Me, Uchis announced it was her first time in Sydney before performing a completely hypnotising cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love.

In front of red sunset visuals, which matched her red latex dress, Uchis treated fans to tracks off of her 2018 album Isolation including Tyrant, which featured an applauded dance break, the reggae-infused Nuestro Planeta, and the upbeat Just A Stranger, which, with its killer bass line, had everyone dancing. Throwing it back with Loner from her 2015 project Por Vida, Uchis completely captivated the crowd with her incredible, unique vocals in what was a stand-out performance of the day.  

Portland rapper Aminé delivered the ultimate feel-good set. Promoting self-love and good vibes, he entertained, bouncing around the stage in front of scenes from The School Of Rock. He even managed to turn the heat into a positive declaring, “Back in America it’s cold as shit so we’re happy to be here,” before performing tracks like Spice Girl, Caroline and Reel It In, which the crowd sang and rapped so loudly you could barely hear him.

Positioned in a ring of instruments and controllers including a cocktail drum kit, electric guitar, keys and synths, Mura Masa announced, “I know it was hot today but it’s cooler now so you have no excuse.” The talented musician dazzled with his skills on each instrument, but singer Fliss, who was an exceptional entertainer, stole a lot of the show. He brought Cosha back out to perform their track What If I Go? before finishing things off with a bang with Love$ick.

American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, comprising of brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi, hyped everyone up, kicking off their set with No Type and No Flex Zone off their debut album Sremmlife. Although Slim Jxmmi had hinted on Twitter that the end of Rae Sremmurd might be near, the seemingly happy pair took time to take photos with fans and delivered a sweaty, high energy set full of their hits including Black Beatles, Unforgettable and new Swae Lee track Sunflower to an elevated crowd.

Escorted to a huge throne in the centre of the stage by ripped, shirtless dancers, the queen herself Nicki Minaj made her arrival known, opening appropriately with Majesty.

Dubbed the reigning queen of rap for almost a decade, Minaj had quite the back catalogue to squeeze into her festival set but began checking them off straight away - Feeling Myself, Beez In The Trap, Side To Side (Ariana Grande), Big Bank (YG) and Swalla (Jason Derulo) injected a previously drained crowd with a new-found energy.

She asked the crowd's permission to “get nasty” - which they obviously granted - resulting in a performance alongside her troop of dancers for Minaj classic Anaconda, complete with chair choreography and a lot of twerking. Starships turned the crowd into a massive dance party while Monster had fans rap Minaj’s entire verse acapella.

The rapper, decked out in fishnets, a barbie-pink costume and matching pink hair, showed off her surprisingly good singing voice with Save Me in a rare intimate moment. She brought a few confident female fans up on stage for a twerk-off, rewarding them with cash from her wallet, before Rae Sremmurd were brought back out for their track Throw Sum Mo.

The highly entertaining performer closed out her set and the day on an ultimate high with 2010 hit Super Bass - which put her on people’s radar almost a decade ago - proclaiming her love for and obsession with Sydney as confetti and streamers shot into the buzzing crowd. The one-stage, no-clashes idea remains a successful format for FOMO as they continue to provide solid line-ups year after year.