Sea salt on the breeze, a blazing hot sun and a sleepy beach town woken up to host the first iteration of this festival - brace yourselves Sandstone Point, For Shore is unfolding at the height of summer with a line-up that has attracted a sold-out crowd. It’s looking like a cracker of a day as a bevy of young folk descends on the rolling green field outside the sleek pub. Nestled on the waterfront, with the Pumicestone Passage sparkling behind the main stage, expectations are high for this hot ticket new festival, but spirits are easy and upbeat, glitter is aplenty and there’s plenty of room for sprawling and dancing.
If anything, it’s possibly too sunny and too festive - shade is hard to come by unless you’re one of the cashed-up few in the VIP areas, and drink bars encircle the entire showground. Blaring sun + booze = some pretty loose times unfolding throughout the day, but it’s otherwise a fun, well-managed affair.
Pity the early talents though - the likes of Dom Dolla, CXLOE, Future Jr and Motez do an amazing job while smacked with the full glare of the sun. The vibe is mostly up for all of them but it’s easy to see that some battle with the heat and rays.
Brisbane’s Wafia battles along in the mid-afternoon heat. The electro chanteuse’s soulful vocals are patchy to begin with, thanks to some sound tech mishap, then become a tad pitchy while strolling through her earlier songs. After she tackles a cover of Frank Ocean’s Lost she hits her straps, with Heartburn, 83 Days and her ripe hit I’m Good.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
The SAFIA boys pretty much have this sort of crowd in the palm of their hands. The Canberran trio are ever reliable in this kind of slot, punching out beat-heavy bangers with plenty of soul and falsetto. Over You, Freakin’ Out, Make Them Wheels Roll and Counting Sheep have punters up on shoulders - who then cop a face full of streamer cannons.
As night falls and a slim crescent moon rises, the sea creature kites that have been floating peacefully above us all day are suddenly illuminated, along with the stately tree that stands in the middle of the amphitheatre hill. With this pretty sight before them, Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes from The Presets bound on stage to the bright lights and chunky beats of massive hit Talk Like That. It’s hard to fault a set from these two seasoned gents, especially as the gems come thick fast - Martini, Do What You Want, My People, This Boy’s In Love. If anything there could be a bit more chit chat in between, but a fireworks spectacular during 14U+14ME off the pier beside the stage more than makes up for it.
By the time one-time two-piece now three-piece PNAU come on, it’s a full-house across the field. The boys let some streamer cannons rip for opener Changa and the voracious energy never subsides. PNAU’s rampant beats and repetitive but insanely catchy lines make them one of the most enjoyable live acts to come out of Australia. Between oldies like Baby, Wild Strawberries, No More Violence, Embrace and newbies Go Bang and Control Your Body there is never a moment of reprieve. They “don’t want to do that thing where we go off and you all cheer and then yay, we’re back”, so they just crack on with a thumping version of Lover and wind up their set under another cascade of fireworks with Chameleon, closing the curtain on a vibrant, tidy festival for the people of North Brisbane that has hit the ground running for a first effort.
