Live Review: Gentlemen Of The Road

Well, festival season is upon us – at least, the heat of festival season is upon us. For the ten thousand odd people who partied in Dungog Showground, the sun can be a little too much to bear, even with the eclectic folk and indie talent the Gentlemen Of The Road Stopover has to offer.  However, with headlining acts who are sure to blow your face off, the sun was a mere excuse to drink more beer and wait for powerhouse curators Mumford & Sons.

Fans groove to cool four-piece Husky to begin the day's music, amidst hoses showering the already sunburnt pit. Organisers are very eager to avoid any further passing out, with patrons and security – yeah, massive guys – hitting the deck and vomiting from 2pm. Gideon Preiss on keys provided some relief with a stunning solo leading in The Woods, with the highlight History's Door bringing their warm set to a close.

After a short break, Willy Mason makes his entrance with Delta Riggs' front man Elliott Hammond, joining him on harmonica. Oxygen receives the biggest cheer, the American's folk cool-cat baritone voice calming the crowd into choral singing, before chats of refugees and American Foreign Policy lead in to Where The Humans Eat – chants for “Willy” radiating through the pit.

It may be Matt Corby's beautiful voice, his appearance or just sunstroke, but ladies were fainting during the talented young musician's set, his soaring vocals and beautifully quiet folk spellbinding the showground. They are temped with the faster paces of My False, before the awe-inspiring vocal blends and high belts of Souls A'Fire softens the pace once more. Unsurprisingly, Brother brings the house down in a chorus of intoxicated joy. Disappointingly, his on stage shyness more comes off as bored or even a bit pretentious; too pretentious to let fans know the set is over. It's such a shame because he really livens during a song and his distinctive voice has the full attention of all those in attendance.

Corby's quietness was remedied by Sarah Blasko's politeness, the beautifully classical songstress decked out in a flowery dress and a smile. Backed by an all-male band, she kicks off her set with her new single I Awake, in appeasement of fans who are slowly becoming familiar with her forthcoming record. The late afternoon temperature is slowly beginning to cool, and patron's burns are being soothed by Blasko's sweet vocals, helping the beer flow smoothly. Fans find a spot of dirt to lay on for a break, before the heavy bass of All I Want wakes those who have been lulled to sleep. Despite Blasko's gorgeous repertoire and beautifully extroverted stage manner, it seems the Dungog audience do not have the energy to appreciate her music at this time of the day, a sad end to an otherwise stunningly feminine set.

Wake up call. Alexander Ebert flies into the audience to kick off 40 Day Dream and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' wonderfully energetic show, media and photographers duck for cover, narrowly missing his flailing arms and feet. That's What's Up is warmly performed by Ebert and co-vocalist Jade Castrinos, the two gushing with friendship and hugging their way around the stage – and the crowd are nuts for it. The dozen or so performers on stage rock it song after song as Ebert talks to the crowd like an old friend. He brings down the pace for some advice during Up From Below, while Castrinos sits on the edge of the stage before giving everyone in the front row a hug for Fiya Wata. The colossal 10-minute rendition of Home really sets Dungog alight, Ebert interviewing stage invaders and front row patrons mid-way, asking for stories. The almost improvised performance is definitely the highlight so far, their joy and love is infectious, making it clear that their talent truly lies in live performance, with recordings not doing their charisma justice.

Mumford & Sons begin their set in darkness, Lover's Eyes backed by the screams of Dungog. Lights hanging above the stage and over the audience, which have been off all day and night, are finally lit during Little Lion Man, timed perfectly to the erupting chorus sending all into madness. New single I Will Wait influences an audience sing-a-long, while Thistle And Weeds shows off the talent of keys extraordinaire Ben Lovatt. The boys play almost every song in their two studio album repertoire, and performed perfectly – harmonies and high-energy folk radiating through the showground. Magnetic Zeros' songstress Jade Castrino makes her way back on stage for Awake My Soul, before Babel makes its live debut during the encore, Marcus Mumford singing with gusto. The Cave receives a huge cheer to complete the set that has the exhausted happily watching from afar and those who adore, right there in the sweaty mix of it.

The curators produce the almost 90-minute set with electricity, their lighting show is exciting and their musicianship is a joyous completion to a long day of great live music. All performers join Mumford & Sons on stage for Fleetwood Mac's The Chain to complete the festival's live music contingent – all in for the big love fest. Yacht Club DJs bring the awesome nostalgic beats until midnight, showcasing a mixture from The Lion King to Blink, satisfying those who aren't yet ready to go back to camp.