Live Review: A Day On The Green: Hunters & Collectors, You Am I, Something For Kate, British India

It's a gorgeous summer day as masses of people snake their way into the stunning surrounds of the amphitheatre at Sirromet Wines to soak up a glorious serving of good old-fashioned Aussie rock'n'roll. The venue – situated in the badlands of Mt Cotton – isn't physically that removed from suburbia, but it's far enough away to make one experience that welcome vibe of 'getting away from it all', and accordingly all and sundry seem in great spirits as they drag their camping chairs and picnic baskets to the vast hill to find a vantage point from which to view proceedings throughout the afternoon and beyond.

Melbourne four-piece British India are the relative babies on today's line-up – they are, after all, the only band who weren't already an established concern at the turn of the millennium, even if they do have four albums under their collective belts – and they display a youngster's love of all things rowdy from the get-go. Their early slot means that they aren't exactly drowned in attention from the throng still wandering in and settling down, but those who do check them out are rewarded with a tight and impressive set of rock'n'roll touching on all stages of their career, albeit concentrating somewhat on most recent long-player Controller.

The less said about the MCs who try and keep the peace between bands from onstage throughout today the better – let's focus on the music, shall we? After a short-ish break we're joined by more Melbournians, this time in the form of veteran trio Something For Kate, who in turn vie for early interest by playing something recognisable to the masses in the form of a very faithful rendition of R.E.M.'s The One I Love. It works a treat and they soon have the hill eating out of their hands as they move through a steady stream of originals such as Three Dimensions, Cigarettes And Suitcases and the vital Eureka. The three-piece are usually renowned for being something of an earnest proposition but they keep in the spirit of the event by emitting a more lighthearted persona today, coming across as very wry and self-deprecating as they chat between songs such Eureka, Monsters and the somber but building Down The Garden Path. They profess to having been around for 20 years now which is quite scary on a multitude of levels – especially when they thrown in early single Captain (Million Miles An Hour) which certainly doesn't seem nearly two decades old in one's memory bank – and after throwing in Déjà Vu they complete a solid set with another cover, this time running through Calvin Harris and Florence Welch's Sweet Nothing.

Everyone is getting slightly more involved in proceedings as the combined effects of booze and the hot afternoon sun begin to take their inevitable traction, and Sydney veterans You Am I are the fortunate beneficiaries, their typically ebullient stage show seeming exactly what the doctor ordered for this type of situation. Even dressed in his rock star white suit ensemble you get the feeling that frontman Timmy Rogers would rather be getting stuck into the turps with the masses rather than singing for his supper for their gratification and amusement, but that's by the by as he and his ever-accomplished band kickstart their offering with raucous takes on evergreen classics Junk and Minor Byrd. They flit between epochs early on, mid-to-latter-era tracks such as Gunslingers, Get Up and Constant George reminding that You Am I's extended career is as much about quality as it is quantity, before throwing in the catchy Rumble and then inviting Something For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey back for a great run through of The Boss' Born To Run (a note to all of the slightly confused punters at this point in proceedings – Rogers was indeed flagrantly lying to you when he claimed to have co-written this with Dempsey in 1976, you haven't gone mad). From here it's a veritable hit parade, the four-piece reeling off rollicking renditions of Mr. Milk, Cathy's Clown and Good Mornin before Rogers embarks on a windmill frenzy as they close a fine, fine set with a powerhouse take on Berlin Chair which elicits a hootin' and a hollerin' from all throughout the now-packed expanses.

Darkness is beginning to envelope the winery slowly but surely and people's anticipation levels are rising almost in direct correlation with their blood alcohol readings as the boozed-up multitudes wait for the return of the much-loved Hunters & Collectors, who haven't been seen in the flesh in this part of the world since the late-'90s when they called an end to their original journey. Their music has clearly lived on and continued to resonate, however, because folks of all ages and persuasions seem over the moon about their impending reintroduction, and at the merch tent all Hunnas-related paraphernalia has long since been sold and tucked away safely in bags (or being already sported proudly by the more overtly excited). Soon the erstwhile collective file onto stage and kick into the familiar opening strains of early fave Talking To A Stranger – which hasn't dated one iota – and the hill before them comes alive, the delighted music lovers dancing en masse and belting back the lyrics. There are stunning visuals on a screen behind them which adds a veneer of professionalism to proceedings, but it's kinda redundant as evergreen tracks like Blind Eye and Inside A Fireball remind why this band was always such a fearsome live proposition back in the day. Mark Seymour is still clearly the ship's captain onstage but only because they need a focal point; the entire band seems completely back on board with a vengeance and there's still plenty of nuance and flair evident amidst the band's trademark firebrand dynamic. They throw in the beautiful True Tears Of Joy to bring things down a tad, only to rip us skywards again with a clattering take on This Morning. The infectious Where Do You Go? leads into a plaintive Stuck On You, before things get raucous again with a rollicking rendition of The Dog. Light rain begins to fall but it doesn't dampen the mood, especially when the familiar refrain of Say Goodbye filters around the expanse, and it's still awesome after all these years seeing hordes of testosterone-fuelled rock dudes yelling, “You don't make me feel like I'm a woman anymore” in complete unison and showing no reservation about the meaning of what they're singing (although there's often no recognition either). The world-weary What's A Few Men? proves a slightly despondent follow-up, but the rollercoaster continues as the anthemic Holy Grail elicits the first rue mass singalong of the evening – it still thankfully works in this context despite having soundtracked years of sporting propaganda – before 42 Wheels and Back In The Hole take us to more radio staples in the form of When The River Runs Dry and Do You See What I See? (which makes one realise how often H&C posit their songs as questions, Seymour and co. having obviously advanced well past Songwriting 101) to close out the main set.

Even during the break in proceedings everyone knows their heroes will be back because they haven't played that song yet – a fact soon remedied when the band file back into the fray and the jangling opening refrain of Throw Your Arms Around Me boils the entire venue into a sea of bliss: arms are indeed thrown around loved ones and, almost certainly, strangers as people soak in the gravitas of this most beautiful of beautiful odes. And although there are a few hits still to come (including staples Everything's On Fire and the bona fide Oz rock classic The Slab) it's this transfixing image of complete adulation and homage – both for the song and the band which furnished it all those years ago – which truly sums up what a completely triumphant return this has been for one of Australia's most loved and most idiosyncratic rock'n'roll ensembles. Here's hoping that we get to see them go through their paces again someday down the track, because revisiting these fantastic songs tonight has proved to be so much more than a mere exercise in nostalgia for all those who made the effort to be here, hopefully the band themselves included.