Live Review: OutsideIn

The second year of Sydney's boutique dance festival OutsideIn was a celebration of culture, great food and a line-up more diverse and experimental than the city had seen before. The Factory Theatre was the perfect venue and the atmosphere was unbelievable. From the beginning crowd energy was up and the quality of the performances turned a gorgeous Sydney day into a legendary festival.

Poor organisation meant the festival opened 45 minutes after the first act was supposed to begin, and eventually the whole show was running two hours late.

Despite this the trendy Sydney crowd seemed to love every minute. Following a schedule was near impossible, but most of the airy crowd was happy to go with the flow and follow their ears to whatever sweet sounds tickled their fancy. And luckily there was an abundance of sweet sounds to be heard.

Early, most chose to frolic in the sun and groove to the tight funky drops provided by Mary's Basement in the Courtyard. Jimmy Sing's diverse set then amplified the energy. 

Meanwhile upstairs on the main stage Movement made their festival debut in stunning fashion. Their spacy set was a throwback to '90s RnB, though their 'minimal soul' sound was fresh and inventive. Lewis Wade's soulful vocals soothed the modest crowd. Frames & Felix Lloyd's set was not restricted to any particular genre, hopping from disco to fist-pumping techno, from hip hop to euphoric pop and anywhere and everywhere inbetween.

Melbourne trio I'lls suffered a few technical difficulties and failed to really entertain. Their subtle, slow-building melodies seemed to be missing something. Plans Only Drawn was their strongest song, an intricate number with a beautiful hymn-like opening.

Triple J's Lewi McKirdy pumped out a cheeky DJ set, busting out some progressive house, working in a little dub and a bit of hip hop. Lewi was crowd favourite. Elizabeth Rose was up next and the 22-year-old's 40-minute set confirmed that this talented songstress is headed for big things. Her deep house-inspired synth pop tunes are masterfully produced and live Rose is a bundle of joy. Her energy was infectious, her vocals precise. Tracks Again and Ready got huge dancefloor reactions, and her closer, The Good Life, nearly blew the roof off the place.

In the Courtyard Wave Racer showed why he's one of the most talked about young artists in the country. His glittery, hyperactive beats drew a huge crowd and they weren't disappointed. Rock U Tonite and Stoopid were the obvious highlights in an unflawed set.

The compact Factory Floor stage, with its laser shows and thumping beats was essentially an all-day rave. Mark Pritchard, a true pioneer of electronic music, was right at home. Dirty but somehow classy house, and super fun jungle beats were on the menu as Pritchard served up a master class set.

Organisers Astral People put together a supergroup to reinterpret and perform The Avalanches' classic album, Since I Left You. Ten performers filled the stage, among them Jonti, and Moktar Youngblood and Daniel Finn of Polographia. Lead singer/saxophonist Rainbow Chan was superb and the whole act was truly a spectacle and a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Australian albums of all time. Their renditions of Frontier Psychiatrist and Electricity were inventive and funky, and there wasn't an act that had more fun on stage.

Laurel Halo's set was heavy, shaking the walls of the Factory floor and the core of every raver, before Objekt took the stage. The electronic engineer's experimental set was a little techno, a little dubstep and a shitload of fun. Freddie Gibbs busted out a ferocious set that rocked the foundations of the Factory Theatre. With precision Gibbs fired off furious lyrics about his street upbringing and hood life. Smoking blunts on stage and repeatedly chanting “fuck police” Gibbs was menacing and got one of the biggest crowd reactions; he can call his first set in Australia a success.

Hermitude came out an hour after the festival was supposed to have finished, which meant they played to a thinned-out crowd and had to cut their set in half due to noise restrictions. The boys thanked OutsideIn's “most hardcore motherfuckers” for sticking around and showed their gratitude by pulling out the set of the day. Without any real plan the boys jammed out on beat pads and keyboards before getting behind the decks. They brought out dance machine Chaos Emerald for Speak Of The Devil, which absolutely went off, as did Get In My Life. The spontaneous set showed Hermitude are masters of their craft, the perfect end to a killer day.