Live Review: The Cat Empire, Xavier Rudd, Harts, Ocean Alley, Sahara Beck

Families and friends alike lined up early outside Stuart Park for what promised to be the feel-good mini-festival of the summer. Put on by Wollongong locals Yours & Owls, the outdoor music extravaganza brought dreadlocked locals out in full force to catch a glimpse of some of the best chilled-out-but-hardworking musicians doing the touring circuit today. 

Sahara Beck, an incredibly talented Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter, convinced punters to endure the passing thunder and rain with her unique style of folk music that is bolstered by a supremely powerful voice. No one was quite expecting to hear (or so thoroughly enjoy) a sped-up roots cover of Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, but it was so aptly tailored to Beck's own style of performing that it could've passed for an audacious original.

Bringing the younger crowd into the mosh next were Sydney outfit Ocean Alley. The six-piece had no problem loosening up the crowd with their unique blend of psychedelic reggae-rock. The sun appropriately emerged as Yellow Mellow drifted punters away into a relaxed state of grooving while the boys onstage let rip a trippy array of sound effects to take over our eardrums for maximum pleasure.

Picnic blankets were set up far and wide as we set ourselves in for the immanent guitar shredding abilities of musical prodigy Darren Hart (aka Harts). His unquestionable dexterity on the guitar grasped our attention. Hart channelled his inner Prince with lengthy guitar solos backed by wonky synths and slap bass. Popular track Power got punters mimicking its catchy guitar riff as Hart continued to be a charismatic performer until the end.

Parents popped their kids on their shoulders and braved the mosh for what would be a whirlwind of joyous energy produced by Xavier Rudd. A true humanitarian at heart, Rudd interloped messages of universal love and Indigenous recognition with buzzing didgeridoo drones and unexpectedly electronic basslines. If Hart was channelling his inner Prince, then Xavier Rudd is Bob Marley reincarnated as he lets loose a string of bouncy and authentically reggae tracks. The response from attendees was ecstatic. Jumping and dancing was non-stop as Rudd proclaimed, "We are one and we are sacred" - a calling cry repeated across the open air. The singalong of the day belonged to his hopeful acoustic tune Follow The Sun, which received a kick up in tempo and received a thunderous applause. A quick cover of Avicii's Wake Me Up concluded his show after Rudd fitted in his final message to "be safe, take care of our country". The fans couldn't have loved him more.

With the sun still shining and collective positivity still radiating from the masses, The Cat Empire put this energy to use and kickstarted a night of robust and ceaseless dancing. It was hard figuring out just how many musicians there were onstage (eight), as all members were constantly swapping instruments, rapidly beating away on percussion and sharing mics within a zealous horn section. After emphatically singing along to Wolves, everyone took time out to look up and admire the hazy orange sky as the sun began to set. Even lead man Felix Riebl took the time to acknowledge its beauty before getting back to a medley of Latin-style solo performances, culminating in a drawn-out, but undeniably masterful, drum solo by Will Hull-Brown. The Melbourne band received ear-splitting applause for The Chariot and topped off a night of sweaty and euphoric dancing with All Night Loud. The Cat Empire proved to be not only dance-friendly, but also superhuman musicians. Their day of open-air grooving jubilantly concluded and concertgoers can look back look on this day fondly knowing that it lived up to being every bit as enjoyable as it promised to be.