Live Review: The Drop Festival

The Coolangatta leg of The Drop Festival coincides with the World Surf League’s Quiksilver Pro, a key date on the world champ's calendar, where the likes of Slater, Gilmore and the Wrights battle for top waves. From the competitive spirit to the stunning beach backdrop, it’s an absolutely cracking day. The crisp edge of autumn has appeared after a stinking hot summer, so wandering about the Cooly foreshore in the full sun is not the same task it would have been had this event been pegged a couple of months earlier.

It’s a sold-out affair and the throngs of youngsters abound are proof. It’s also all ages, so there’s the enjoyable sight of seeing young families enjoying the frivolities. Glitter, lace skirts and Insta opps render it a Splendour practice run, complete with the mini kids festival in the middle.

After some breezy surf vids set the scene on the big screen, Gold Coast kids Ivey are a perfect fit for this crowd; young and energetic with a vintage twist a la Confidence Man and San Cisco. They make the most of their home crowd, busting out gems All Things Good and Last Week.

The throng swells when Sydney-based Alex The Astronaut ambles on. The charming Alex Lynn has no airs about her, instead laughing and singing on when an amp dropout turns Already Home a capella, then telling everyone to be “safe in the water if you’ve been drinking, and stay in school” for Happy Song. 

The Hockey Dad lads from Windang draw a heavy crowd before them and there’s plenty of pushing and shoving as more come rushing in. There's some tech issues in the opener but nothing much seems to phase these gents. Homely Feeling is a ragged surf-rock banger to rev things up, and in between massive singalongs for I Wanna Be Everybody and Join The Club, the pair stress the importance of “drinking orange juice and avoiding Surfers Paradise”.

In a complete gear shift, Melbourne’s glam-electro party purveyors Client Liaison bring out the razzle-dazzle with sleek get-ups and beats, and a pair of water coolers, because why not? Their celebration of the dagginess of Aussie culture is endearing and makes for an easy way to win over the younger crowd. A breathless and dazzling set whips through flagship anthems Off White Limousine, World Of Our Love and Survival In The City, and a cover of INXS’s Need You Tonight is thrown in.

Brisbane indie-rock four-piece Jungle Giants waste no time once they hit the stage, quickly giving a wave to the crowd and plunging into a fun set riddled with their angular melodies and percussive guitars. By now the crowd is pretty exuberant and trying to catch a glimpse through rows of people up on shoulders is tricky, but makes for a fun vibe. Bad Dream, She’s A Riot and Feel The Way I Do are lapped up and it doesn’t quite feel they've been on stage long enough when they bid farewell.

Over more than a decade, brother and sister duo Angus & Julia Stone have solidified their musical prowess and their nuanced onstage dynamic is entrancing to see here tonight. Between And The Boys and For You, the duo let their hair down with Private Lawns and Little Whiskey. With Big Jet Plane, the festival comes to a close under the stars, waves crashing just beyond the mass of satisfied punters.