The slight breeze, the smell of pine needles in the air, those two huge stages covered in audio equipment, it can all only mean that In The Pines is here once again. Sunday's mid-epic weekend show was, as usual, a knockout, with bands and fans alike milling in the dust and woodchips.
With the traditional welcome to country and the introductions done, it was time for Golden String to get the whole show started, and they did with aplomb. While most were still tuning in via radio, they kicked out a high energy folk set full of highs and lows. Moana and Pat Chow both provided angular, immediate sounds, and while playing on different styles managed to capture the whole cutting edge nature of a whole lot of the bands on show. Mudlark and LEECHES! did the same, with some tricked-out jams working wonders, before Mt Mountain delivered an incredible set of droning, developing psych-rock to a growing crowd. Their unassuming stage presence belied just how powerful and epic their sound is. Bill Darby and his reformed band toned things down with an intricate indie-folk set, high points being provided by some great flute work. Antelope began with the forthright intro to In Summer, which knocked the audio levelling out a bit, but they were on form not long after, washing the crowd with syncopated rhythms and handy guitar work.

The Community Chest fittingly marked around about the midway point, and celebrated what is around about Adem K's 20th In The Pines with their rousing indie tracks, and a little mention of the possible importance of the show's date (for those in the know). Things were taken down a more melodic path with Flower Drums, who once again proved why they are at the top of their game; a heady mixture of direct, emotive pop and swirling harmonies pricked up the evening atmosphere. Runner got the intricate guitar sounds going again, with songs full of elaborate textures and powerful shared harmonies carrying the set. Dianas got a lot rockier, with the girls obviously enjoying the stage space and attention of the night to deliver their much-loved songs with some pretty intense energy. Rabbit Island took the mood right down to a slow rhythm. While they would have been much better placed earlier on in the day, as the vibe was picking up, their set of simple, floating string, vocal and guitar lines enraptured the audience. The High Learys got the time machine going, throwing a whole lot of paisley and jangly chords into the mix. The crowd ate it up, following the line of energy the band managed to keep consistent through the whole set.

The appearance of the indomitable Scalphunter changed the whole tack of the night, with just about everyone's blood running a little faster thanks to the band's no-fucks-given immediacy and obvious love for getting a crowd up and dancing. Frontman Steve Knox had no shortage of fans to high five, and a few sojourns through the crowd threw some spontaneity into the show. The Morning Night delivered some stirring indie gems, each song working as its own little package; The Floors then swung things back around with some heavy, heavy swamp rock, Luke Dux's guitar crying out like a wild animal. The surprise saxophone jam at the end of their set capped off a killer. Gunns took the opposing stage and filled in the high end gap, with a whole lot of summery, breezy, surfy indie-pop being bevelled by a few cool little jams. DM3 proved that longevity doesn't have to hamper; Dom Mariani handled a crowd as well as ever, smiling jovially and delivering plenty of rock'n'roll licks to keep the party going. Anticipation was heavy for The Kill Devil Hills, who once again proved why they're one of Perth's best live bands. It was loud and intense, with a whole lot of ups and downs taking the crowd on a pretty epic journey, before the curtains came down on yet another edition of In The Pines. Here's to next year.