Live Review: Maroochy Music & Visual Arts Festival

The second annual Maroochy Music & Visual Arts Festival gave punters on Saturday a fun-filled experience packed, poured and rolled into everything we all love about Queensland.

Weather forecasts indicating rain, hail and likely not too much shine were of little deterrence to an impressive horde of festivalgoers who descended on the former Horton Park Golf Course. The atmosphere at Maroochy Fest was both effervescent and relaxed. Whether you wanted to get among the merriment of the mosh pit at either of the three stages or watch your favourite live act from the comfort of the vintage couches dispersed throughout the grounds, there was somewhere for everyone to enjoy the day’s entertainment.

The day was warm as the sun shone through the rolling clouds, moved by a cool breeze coming in from the coast. Smiles were abound as you walked through the parklands. Patrons were enjoying the liquor on tap and trying out the international culinary delights on offer. People here seemed simply happy. With a well-organised timetable and ticket quota, there was no rushing between stages or overcrowding, and the surrounding gum and palm trees offered respite in mini tranquil havens. You might have even seen a dragon, bear, goat or wolf walk by or dancing next to you; cubist-influenced masks produced by UK artist Wintercroft were worn by punters as part of the MMVAF open-air exhibition.

Festivalgoers also made the acquaintance of six wondrously large white inflatable humanoids from artist Amanda Parer’s Fantastic Planet light installation. They each assumed different formations among the trees, with two positioned around the main stage, craning their necks for a better view. You could observe artists in the Visual Arts park focusing their creativity on a triangular mural, unveiling splashes of form, texture and colour. A seemingly empty shipping container also hosted various paintings, watercolour and mixed media artworks. Amongst those presented are some works by Bertie Blackman, whose designs were also showcased on the main stage.

The Ghetto Blaster kept audience members reasonably entertained with DJ sets throughout the day. As the drinks started to take effect, the crowds in front of the small stage grew, joyfully flailing their limbs to remixes of club favourites and original numbers. The Champagne and Oyster Garden was open for those who like to revel in life’s little luxuries. Alongside, the musicians who entered the stage offered tastings of electronica, jazz and new wave infusions. Mark Lowndes’ set proved a crowd-pleaser as the sun went down, enticing the crowd with his honey-dripped tone, offering a timbre reminiscent of Ed Sheeran. Towards the end of the evening, Alex Lahey took the stage with her characteristic blend of charisma and that self-deprecating humour Australians love so much. As rain fell harder, she drew in a greater audience from among the exodus fleeing the main stage, soaked, following Peking Duk’s electric set.

Among the highlights from the Amphitheatre was Vera Blue whose ethereal tone enthralled the audience, many of whom were still arriving, bringing them and their senses to their knees. A possible lovechild of Florence Welch and Kate Miller-Heidke, her voice exhibited a captivating delicacy and strength, as she navigated her way across the melodic lines.

Ngaiire and her accompanying singers brought sass and swing to the stage with a mixture of R&B, pop and electronic flavours. Dressed in colourful DIY fashion, Ngaiire commanded the stage without need of force and led the audience in a freeing ritualistic dance. The pit moved together as a single organism in time with a throbbing drum beat and sultry rhythms that could give even the most self-conscious audience member the confidence to loosen those hips. The harmonic synchrony of Ngaiire and her singers was second to none. In a dynamic which comes across as almost democratic, they shared a deep communication, as they added depth to Ngaiire’s melody and matched her energy.

Having read reviews suggesting Bad//Dreems have managed to capture the “Aussie sound”, it was interesting to see just how this alternative rock band from Adelaide would fill those shoes. In the sense of the traditional definition of Australian sound, Bad//Dreems delivered as they took us back to the 1970s and '80s pub-rock era with a solid injection of testosterone and grit. In the sea of men (as most of the girls seemed to disappear), liquor cans were pelted approvingly on stage with one elevated guy taking the prime opportunity to ‘ave a shoey. Speaking true to the genre, vocal articulation is not paramount where the communication of raw energy served as a true call to arms.

In a wise choice by festival organisers, the charged dynamic generated by Bad//Dreems was carried over to Allday’s set. The audience was pumped for the switch to hip hop and obediently followed Tom Gaynor’s direction, as the mass of raised hands kept the beat and maintained the flow. What was hard to ignore was that the performance was a bit touch and go. Allday’s first song was marked by a lack of diction and a struggle to keep in tune. While hip hop does not demand seamless articulation, it did make his music somewhat hard to follow. His performance did improve throughout the set, encouraged by an enthusiastic and supportive audience.

City Calm Down offered a welcome transition to an electro, indie pop/rock blend in the late afternoon as some of the audience were losing their liveliness. The band produced a masterful balance of light and dark with a deep, authoritative baritone voice and the use of synth pads filling the higher registers. The aesthetic differences between their older and newer works show a maturation of their style into the fertile territory of dramatic declamation.

What felt like the entire cohort of festivalgoers flocked to the main stage for Matt Corby’s set. He played some fan favourites as well as new jazz-influenced numbers. There were segments of the performance where the instrumentalists, including Corby (at one stage on flute), would jam in an improv session. Some attentiveness did diminish during these mellow parts. However, as if someone flicked a switch, when Resolution and Brother came on, they turned from their phones and conversations and tuned right back in. Nonetheless, one punter who walked past me did mention that it may have been a better idea to give Corby a daytime slot rather than in the evening. He may have had a point as a lot of people were pretty drunk or a bit tired and the artful mellowness of his music did not do much to dissuade doses of drowsiness. Overall, it was a strong performance and aptly showcased Corby’s appeal as a multi-faceted performer.

Crowds converged on the Amphitheatre as the time neared for Peking Duk to take the stage. It was at this point, after threatening to all day, that the heavens finally opened in a mild downpour. Clad in poncho or not, any energy that had been dulled was restored in an explosion of light and sound from the DJs' desk. The electronic music duo gave all their energy to the audience who danced in drenched euphoria. The audience, wet, some still drunk, some definitely not high, roared in approval to Peking Duk’s profanity-laced exclamations, among them, "we like wet cunts and you guys are the wettest cunts we’ve ever seen!". The band performed a variety of new tracks which the audience devoured with animalistic vigour, including a remix of The Lion King’s The Circle Of Life which instantaneously called to attention the nostalgic devotion of anyone aged 18-35. The audience, not at all thrown by the constant changes in meter, spent the remainder of the set enraptured and dancing the night away in the pouring rain, and god, it was liberating.

We say goodbye to the Maroochy Music & Visual Arts Festival for another year, soaked, ecstatic, and eagerly awaiting next year’s event. Although we live in a time of uncertainty for the future of Australian festivals, we are confident that Maroochy Fest is here to stay, hopefully for many years to come.