Live Review: Hottest 100 Party

As Australia Day began in Parramatta Park, the grounds filled with loitering people of all ages, nationalities and area codes, coming together from far and wide to celebrate this special day. The park was filled to the brim with rides, food stalls, car shows, stages, people, music and loads of fun for everyone.

Approaching the Hottest 100 stage, we were greeted by the booming sound of triple j — the countdown had already begun. People sat peacefully on picnic blankets soaking in the typical Australian heat, waiting for their favourite songs to make an appearance on the radio. Kuren graced the small stage with the Indigenous flag printed on his shirt — proudly and openly acknowledging his heritage while making a statement about Australia Day and what it means to him. He began with his more mellow beats and piano melodies, but as his set continued the energy soared. Each beat he dropped was significant; effortlessly polished and perfect. His vocal layering also made the short and sweet bursts of lyrics resonate through the keen and dancing crowd. Two girls jumped on stage to dance with him before he finished with his hit Home — a faultless and unforgettable set.

Soon after, Froyo entered the stage with their '80s dream synth melodies (and some confusing and overpowering vocals). The music was very ear catching and melodic, which really kept the crowd up and dancing — although three vocalists at times seemed overbearing. Their track Pride, with its repetitive synth pattern and stable vocals, cemented the band as one to watch.

Dance-pop duo VXV brought some R&B vibes to the festival as they covered Drake's Hotline Bling. The young girls went wild for the lead vocalist as he swiftly swung through flirty comments between tracks. They managed to spread great vibes through the grounds. Though their soundscape could do with some polishing, they matched the fun-loving vibe of the festival perfectly.

Olympia waltzed onto the stage in a glowing silver dress, shining to match her shimmering guitar riffs and vocal runs. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things live just seemed like even more of a masterpiece. Everyone by this point was grooving to the funky tunes, the beat almost as contagious as her harking vocal trills. She finished with Smoke Signals — a real crowd favourite and a strong finish. She had loyal fans that turned up to the stage just to see her so, obviously, that group in particular really jammed out.

It's hard not to highly anticipate L-FRESH The LION when he's on any festival bill, so the crowd really filled out by the time he entered the stage. He began with 1 In 100,000, although it ended swiftly as he moved on to very powerfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the land. He was the only act to do this throughout the whole day. He then continued to reflect on this statement by saying, "I could not bring myself to perform my usual set of songs for you today... We are celebrating when it should be a day of mourning, we need to reflect... it's Invasion Day." As he stood up straight, with his head high, he told the crowd to, "just listen and reflect" as his DJ dropped a number of commanding songs by Indigenous Australians tackling issues like land rights and the Australia Day change the date debate.

Some people danced, some people left, some people sat and reflected, some people complained to him. L-FRESH then continued: "Nothing I have to say or perform could be as important these tracks... If you're going to dance I can't tell you what to do, just be conscious of the messages in these songs and be conscious about what you're listening to". It was a great sentiment and although it was not received well by all, it was a noble and brave way to bring attention to the matter at hand and end the Hottest 100 line-up of performers for the day.