Live Review: River Sessions 2013

There's not a cloud in sight where the place to be today is the Mackay Showgrounds for the fifth annual River Sessions. It's an impressive line-up for the regional Queensland town but security is heavy-handed to say the least and with the dust still literally settling from last week's town show, there's not a patch of grass in sight and not too many punters as yet for its midday opening, either.

Melbourne metal fusion five-piece Twelve Foot Ninja get a ruckus and reckless energy going on the 4eva Young stage, which is virtually a concrete shed. They've only been kicking around since 2007 but these guys are tight, moving through dizzying breakdowns and clean riffs in Mother Sky and the almost reggae sass of Vanguard. For an early slot, they get the kiddies whipped up to suitable frenzy.

Soon to follow are Melbourne foursome Kingswood and they have no trouble at all winning the slightly larger crowd over, kicking off with She's My Baby. Frontman Fergus Linacre seems to be basking in the warm Queensland clime, and those unmistakable vocals are near faultless as he cajoles the lads through Medusa and their cover of Firstaid Kit's Wolf. Some bluesy patches are a bit slow-moving for the more energetic punters but the boys are easy with their banter and it's lapped up. It's been massive 12 months for the band and with the hardcore's clearly insatiable as they make ready to leave with Ohio it promises to be a very interesting 12 months ahead. Bass player Jeremy Hunter goes crashing into his doppelganger drummer Justin Debrincat as a parting antic.

Mr Kevin Mitchell himself, aka Bob Evans, is a familiar and welcome face on the festival field. He drops in with a big 'hi' and his guitar strapped to get a sunny vibe happening with early favourite Nowhere Without You. Mitchell's most endearing quality is his warm and sincere engagement with his audience and even in the mid-afternoon sun on the main stage he can't be faulted, adding much needed punch to Just Don't Wanna Grow Up Anymore and the heartfelt Don't You Think It's Time. He and his players close with Pasha Bulker, revelling in a Pink Floyd-ish blissed out jam.

Up to now the mix on the main stage has been fairly hit and miss. By the time Brisbane high-octane metallers Dead Letter Circus are a few songs in, it's clear theirs is a giant miss. Despite always being in top form, Kim Benzies struggles to work his way over the top of Here We Divide and Lines and there are moments where he looks understandably annoyed. No matter though. The crowd is a humble size but they lose their shit, especially down the front where Benzies incites a bit of jumping and rowdy circle work for Cage and relative newbie Wake Up. Despite blistering the skins off the diehards and the bewildered, they urge more people to come on down from the drinking area at the back, a recurring problem throughout the day and one that exacerbates later on. More on that later.

Brisbane indie kids Ball Park Music are live circuit stalwarts and their youthful energy marries with the overall age of the crowd here today; the respectable representation of mature-age festivalgoers is whittled down to just the odd veteran. Leading lad Sam Cromack is at his nerdlinger best, trotting out the self-deprecating Bad Taste Blues Pt II and Ifly early in the set. The sound is good and the crowd claps and flails along to Sad Rude Future Dude and sways to Coming Down. Fence Sitter is a suitably heavy finish and riles things up, Jen Boyce's walking bass and cushioning vocals softening the blow. Love them or diss them, it's just more evidence as to why they're one of Brisbane's most loveable grassroots acts.

The sun has finally gone down and the crowd has settled in at the front of the main stage. With a new album but weeks away, Perth's finest melodic metallers Karnivool have incited somewhat of a fan frenzy in their early evening slot. Opening with Simple Boy, the five-piece are in fine form, if only slightly marred by Ian Kenny's vocals dipping slightly under the chugging guitar mix here and there. Pre-new album singles The Refusal and We Are seem to have been lapped up by the hungry hordes in preparation for this show; the messy lot know every word and don't hesitate in fistpumping back towards the stage. Themata is the only oldie to peep through a set mostly comprised of second album greats like Set Fire To The Hive and Goliath, but Kenny's crazy Peter Garrett-like moves thankfully remain. New Day is the closer and for a band that selling out massive European shows of late, it's a treat to see them tear Mackay a new one in this relaxed setting.

After a pleasantly warm day, a clear winter evening with a brisk edge to it has settled in as folk favourites Boy And Bear amble on to front a pretty keen crowd in waiting. Singer Killian Gavin always seems pleased whenever he has an audience before him and they're at their endearing, chatty, joking best. Milk & Sticks eases everyone into a set dotted with a few newbies, including their latest Southern Sun, no doubt as a warm-up for an upcoming run of shows when their new album hits shelves. Their cover of Fall At Your Feet is surprisingly absent but that heart lifting organ swell in Big Man with its rapturous 'heys!' is pretty special and proffers that intimate connection always needed from band to half-drunk audience. Killian's cutting pipes are a searing reminder of just why they're worthy of such attention and when Feeding Line announces their set end it feels like a reluctant farewell; you can sometimes judge a top show by how quick it seems to flit by and this one, despite rounding out a catalogue of their best, seems like a fragment in time.

Grinnerrrrrrs. Even Grinspoon's affectionate moniker seems to fit this setting. The northern New South Wales stalwarts saunter out, silhouetted with arms in the air, to a dramatic, ethereal eastern guitar noodle before Pat Davern's rending guitar rings out then drops into Dc X3. It's fair to say it's the most represented crowd of the day and old favourites aside, it's worthy of it; it's the best mix of the day and when you get that right, you nail everything. Not that many of this particular crowd will remember; the booze has clearly been flowing as fights break out and general rough and tumble ensues. Even though security has been an ever-present force today, this sort of thing has gone largely unnoticed. Oh well, high spirits and all that. Phil is in top form as he takes a swig of champers himself during More Than You Are. It's just hit after hit of Grinners best: No Reason, Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills and Chemical Heart with its teased out intro. You've got to give them cred for continually killing it as a live act and it's nice to see Phil's sense of humour as he laughs at heckles to “play a good song”. Lost Control is a fitting finale and they bid a wound up crowd adieu with a bow and some brevity.

In terms of the line-up River Sessions 2013 can't be faulted. In every other sense, it can. For starters, putting the entrance directly beside the main stage is disjointing and lacklustre enough for the ticket-payers, let alone the artists. Directly related to this is the drinking barrier, set up to run like the Berlin Wall through a pretty small field. This is a reasonably normal setup at any festival but here it appears to be a misguided attempt to allow for more punters to drink and watch their bands.

The only problem is the field before the main stage feels hemmed in and lacks that push-and-shove vibe that usually goes down. This probably also explains the amount of inebriated roaming the event; standing in the back field feels disconnecting with no vantage points to see over the pigpen fence and only one big screen, so naturally people skull and push their way through. That and a lack of food. And shade. And seating on anything that wasn't pebbly dirt.

Under the microscope these are small quibbles but the sum of these very important parts make up for a festival with a “meh” attitude and with big name sponsors slapped all over it, that's a worry. Stay tuned for next year.