Live Review: Lost Picnic

Come rain or shine, nothing was going to deter Sydneysiders from making their way to the Domain to celebrate spring with food and music at Lost Picnic, a curated ‘bohemian gathering’.

Local indie-folk trio Sons Of The East warmed up the events singular stage as the crowds started to file into the grounds and find a nice patch of grass to lay out their picnic blankets.

After a welcome to country, indie-pop artist Odette took to the stage to deliver some emotive tunes. The singer-songwriter captivated us with her combination of strong vocals, piano and thumping drums. “We’re gonna say goodbye to my band for a while and I’m gonna play some sad songs”, she announced as the rain started to sprinkle down. Umbrellas went up and ponchos were put on for the first of many times that day during a mellow rendition of Do You See Me. After being rejoined by her band, Odette finished her well-received set with Fractured Glass.

Breaks in between sets were long, but if event-goers were brave enough to abandon their picnic spot, it allowed them time to check out the event's other excellent activities and grab a drink or a feed. Theatrical performers, dancers and a giant game of pass the parcel kept the adults entertained, while kids were occupied by a circus playground and live shows at the La Petite Grande tent.

After last year’s event, which saw punters leave extremely disappointed and call for Lost Picnic to be shut down, all eyes were on lines and food options. The food village pretty much just consisted of your usual festival food trucks, but lines were relatively short and there was something for everybody. Attendees were able to bring in outside food to supplement what was on offer and pick up a bottle of wine or a drink at the well-stocked bars to bring back to their picnic blanket.

Hot Potato Band were undoubtedly one of the most entertaining acts of the day. The ensemble, consisting of a very charismatic and soulful vocalist, three percussionists, baritone, tenor and alto saxophones, trombone, trumpet, and of course a sousaphone, had the whole crowd on their feet and dancing along. The group of showmen seemed to be having a lot of fun onstage with their choreography and bought out vocalist Maite Marchiori from The Big Ilch for a jam. Ironically, as it began to pour with rain again, they finished with their song about summer This Is How It Should Be, the crowd chanting the track's hook.

New Zealand’s Marlon Williams was next to take to the stage, bringing the vibe back to mellow with his crooning, deep vocals. With his red Stratocaster, looking and sounding like he just teleported onstage from another era, Williams’ music was somehow simultaneously reminiscent of Elvis, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. He tempted the gods to bring back the rain, and they answered instantaneously, the rain pouring down as Williams picked up the pace with Party Boy.

Clad in one of the coolest outfits of the day, singer-songwriter Meg Mac opened with Grace Gold, immediately showcasing her powerhouse vocals with the soulful track. She threw back to the first song she ever recorded, Known Better, and performed other early hits like Never Be, but it was songs from her 2017 album like Maybe It’s My First Time and Low Blows that seemed to be the crowd-favourites that got everyone singing along. With her tight band, that included her little sister providing backing vocals, Mac treated fans to her triple j Like A Version cover of Tame Impala’s Let It Happen before finishing strong with gospel, bluesy track Roll Up Your Sleeves.

An array of instruments, pedals and a mandala tapestry signified the event's biggest drawing-card, Tash Sultana was about to start their set. The multi-instrumentalist built up their tracks, looping guitar lines and drum samples to sing over with strong, impressive vocals. The whole set played out like a one-person jam session, with Sultana showcasing their diverse musical talents - shredding on a mandolin one moment then beatboxing with pan pipes the next.

“How we goin? I was a bit worried about the weather today but I’ve learnt you can’t do anything about it”, they announced, exuding a real down-to-earth vibe. Each track was long and expansive and blended into the next, but certain recognisable songs like Mystik stood out and captured the crowd’s attention. Trippy, psychedelic visuals of jellyfish swimming in the sky above Egyptian pyramids provided a backdrop for performances of tracks like Notion, it’s dreamy, reverb-laden bed broken up with a heavily distorted, killer guitar solo.

“I wrote this song in my bedroom… and I didn’t really give a shit about it… but it turns out you guys did,” Sultana announced, introducing hit Jungle. The crowd sang the song's last chorus at the top of their lungs which provided a terrific ending to a providing a great end to - despite the weather - a successful event.