Live Review: Handpicked

With thousands of music lovers in attendance, the one-day festival took place at the Lake Breeze Wines property: a secluded vineyard nestled between sprawling, century-old vines and towering gum trees. Decorated with lanterns and rustic stalls, the grounds were the epitome of an old-timey summer fete, complete with the nostalgic scents of sweet waffles, sunscreen and barreled wine. 

The turnout was impressive early in the day and, with one main stage, the field in front became a gigantic patchwork of scattered picnic blankets with stylish punters comfortably enjoying (bottles of) wine and snacks from the adjacent Food Garden. A perfect way to spend a Saturday.

As a one-day event, the music started at about 1.30pm and artists were fortunate enough to play to a well-filled space from the first minute.

Adelaide natives The Winter Gypsy are exactly the type of band that's suited to the low-key vibes of daytime Handpicked. Exciting combinations of crescendoing drums and billowing guitar riffs built up and released throughout their set. Overall, a nice combination of acoustic layers and happy-sad melodies; a good choice to start the day.

The only complaint we had was with the uncommonly long bar lines. Not because we're raging alcoholics, but because the length of time standing in line resulted in missing entire sets.

So for that reason, we jumped straight onto Leo. A big departure from the indie-acoustic, Arcade Fire-inspired sounds of Winter Gypsy, Leo is a synth-driven, neo-vintage pop group that still somehow worked in this line-up. A bit like the boy band version of Haim with Billy Ocean vocals. Leo were a highlight of the day and played an extended set (due to The Jezabels' last-minute cancellation). Changing gears slightly, singer Tom Montesi toned his vocals down to deliver a moving and original rendition of U2’s With Or Without You.

Sydney-based singer-songwriter Dean Lewis saved The Jezabels’ set gap and flew in last minute for the win. His sentiment-filled performance was more of a dreamy landscape and while it would’ve been better suited to an earlier slot, he held his own and had a good time with the audience.

San Cisco played to a fan-heavy crowd. Their more upbeat, danceable style saw the crowd were ready to get up and burn off some of the decadent picnic fare.

The standout performance of the day was unquestionably owned by Matt Corby. Corby's voice is so well trained, he reaches seemingly impossible pitch without breaking a sweat. Corby is now a natural soul singer and has found his identity. His backing band was outstanding, with a rhythm section that had everyone moving, even during slower fan-favourite, Resolution. While the entire performance was jaw-dropping, Brother had the biggest impact and the crowd sang along loudly to every word.

The last performance of the evening was reserved for Jet. Given that it was six years since their last performance in SA, a lot of people in the crowd were excited to see them back. The majority of the crowd sang along easily with widely popular hit singles Look What You’ve Done and Are You Gonna Be My Girl, but it was lucky that they did because it didn’t really sound like the Cester brothers were into it. We're not sure if it was the heat or the wine, but, during many of their songs, the vocals were out of tune and out of time. After Look What You’ve Done, even frontman Nic Cester apologised to the crowd.

For fans who took advantage of Handpick’s onsite camping, the tent city was a short stumble away. Spots started at just $10 and pre-pitched glamping tents, complete with already made-up beds and lanterns, were also available for those accustomed to the finer things in life. 

Overall, Handpicked 2017 was a huge success that stands out for its attention to detail, quality and laid-back luxury. Set in a beautiful location that lives up to its namesake, Handpicked has true South Australian style: supporting local music, food, wine and, most importantly, the local music lovers. We look forward to seeing this annual event continue to evolve and grow into a staple of Adelaide’s festival scene.