Live Review: Psyfari Festival

Drums echoed off the red-rock cliff faces of Capertee Valley and a cacophony of howls and cheers swept over us like a wave. Clearly confused and more than a little curious, we followed our ears, soon stumbling upon a parade of multicoloured drummers and dancers. As the excitement grew so too did the followers. Through campground roads and market stalls we marched, and danced under red-stained skies until, gathered around the Stampede stage, the opening ceremony commenced.

After a short song and dance, Psyfari respects were paid to the custodians of the land and the tragic deaths of Ben Sawyer, Luke Shanahan and Lachie Burleigh, who passed away while returning home from last year's festival on Bells Line of Road, Bilpin. This was followed by a moment of silence and a standing ovation as the air filled with an overwhelming sense of love and compassion.

The Stampede Stage is where the live music really took off and the detail of the stage design was simply breathtaking. Stacks of elevated speakers sat within the trunks of two gigantic elephant heads, their ears swaying in the wind, whereas on stage a dome of luminescent stars and colours gave the illusion you were looking into an infinite galaxy.

As the sun set, Byron Bay ensemble Drop Legs really got things roaring with their fusion of reggae and surf-rock. Each band member was dressed as a different animal, adding to the entertainment as they jammed out onstage. Hungover Days and 750 ML To Paradise got the crowd jumping as Ham B's raps slowly faded into instrumental jams. Criminal was dedicated as a protest to the increased police presence at the festival. As the band pumped their fists with the crowd they repeated, "You call me criminal/You wanna lock me up". However, the set highlight came when the supremely talented Dub Princess took to the stage to join the boys in a funky number that had the audience dancing like wild animals in the mountainous valley.

If you followed the path of fairy lights and various art instalments, you would eventually find yourself at the Life Cycle Stage. This is where the serious foot-stomping, hand-clapping, and dirt-raising went down and it resembled a geometric bedrock overridden with oversized glowworms and lights.

Taking the night into full flight was up-and-coming Sydney artist Gumnut, aka Jack Layard. With a background in jazz, Layard had no trouble enticing the largest crowd Psyfari can muster into a groovy trance. A melodic intro slowly evolved into the pounding basslines of Moon Goon and Dreamfunk, tracks from his debut EP Nuts & Bolts. Along with the plethora of lasers and swirling-wash lights, Layard did well to set the scene with reverberating guitar riffs and kookaburra laughs on tracks like Marsupials. Set against the fading light of the Australian bushland, Gumnut's performance was certainly a memorable one and an indicator of good things to come.

Picking up right where Gumnut left off were Logman N Pstump. Although it was only Pstump on stage, he demonstrated a great knack for building a song and allowing it to go somewhere interesting before flogging the bass and raising the dirt. Dusty Woodwork and What? exemplify this, offering up the classic Logman N Pstump sound reminiscent of their In Da Forest EP. Intriguing sounds, swirly melodies and funky basslines - you can't go wrong.

Saturday was an absolute day for it and Mar Haze got things warmed up with some catchy reggae-rock numbers. The band have found new musical waters to explore with the addition of frontman Pat Kelly. Their new single You Within showed off their solid groove with a new focus on synth hooks and Kelly's soothing vocals. Tracks like Free Rider and She's Not Lovin' got everyone's hips swaying in the midday sun and took the band to new heights, with Kane Charles' funky keys and a pounding drum solo from Jarin Penniall. Mar Haze are just so easy to listen to.

As the sets rolled on Ocean Alley picked up the energy by dropping straight into the psychedelic-reggae groove they so expertly traverse. Freedom Lover and Hallucination were at their strongest thanks to the electrifying guitar solos from Angus Goodwin and Baden Donegal's laidback vocal wailings. Peppered with tracks from their latest album Lost Tropics, the Northern Beaches boys didn't stray too far from the formula with this one — not that they needed to. What they do works. Crowd favourite Yellow Mellow closed the set and a satisfied audience cheered.

As the sun set once again in the Capertee Valley, Melbourne artist Smilk took to the stage. Where progressive trance can tend to get somewhat repetitive, Smilk sets himself apart with a symphony of interesting melodies and sounds. Furthermore, his moves behind the decks drew out every ounce of energy left in the crowd as the ceremonies came to a close. The Last Rainforest was a highlight - you couldn't be sure exactly where it was going and Smilk knows how to keep you firmly tethered to his musical hook.

A festival like Psyfari really has all the boxes ticked. Beautiful mountainous site, a wide array of stalls and workshops, world class music, and 6,000 of the most friendly and colourful characters you will ever meet? Check.