Live Review: The Last Frost

Wollongong legends Yours & Owls bid winter farewell last Saturday with The Last Frost - an aptly named, all-ages mini-festival that enticed an eclectic collection of Australian and New Zealand musicians to drop by the 'Gong and dance off the cold with an outdoor music extravaganza.

Sydney-based producer and electronic artist Mookhi kicked things off with pulsing bass lines, live trumpet solos, and fast-paced rap verses - the latter courtesy of rapper Billie Rose, who helped finish off her set - while early arrivers sat back on the green and soaked in the fluent and dreamy set.

The sun set over the escarpment as Sloan Peterson took to stage next. Her fuzz-soaked Gibson chugged along to her ripper single Rats, which captured a nostalgic, retro-pop guitar feel thanks to the accompanying band.

With the sun gone, the harsh wind became impossible to ignore, which is why we were lucky to have mesmerising New Zealand act Fazerdaze to keep us distracted. They mixed in punk rock elements to their otherwise breezy and feel-good material that got people onto their feet and moving about. Lead and songwriter Amelia Murray rounded out their set with Lucky Girl and brought a little warmth back into our mood.

Filling in for a flu-ridden Cub Sport were fellow Brisbane act Last Dinosaurs. The indie rockers, after having announced the day before the concert that they'd been added to the bill, had no visible issues putting on a truly memorable show. Special mention must be given to their fantastic cover of Modjo's Lady (Hear Me Tonight), which they did absolute justice - evident in the shameless disco boogieing that ensued.

Times in between acts were no dull affair either, thanks to some select golden oldie tunes. One attendee swung his semi-empty goon bag in the air to Bee Gee's Stayin' Alive while the rest of the crowd sung along euphorically. Aussie classics like AC/DC's Thunderstruck and Men At Work's Down Under also got a spin, helping to keep energy flowing.

Breaking up this smorgasbord of too-hot-to-handle bands was electronic up-and-comer The Kite String Tangle. His perfectly appointed time slot allowed his swirling synths and drum pads to stand out sonically. His certified bangers were bolstered by an accompanying live drummer who added his own percussive fills to the mix. A growing mosh lapped up his ceaseless energy as we came towards the final two acts.

"Things have been cold but they're about to get really hot," chirped Cloud Control's lead man Alister Wright before going straight into their opening track Dojo Rising. Loose and completely comfortable on stage, the Blue Mountains trio (with Wright's brother acting as an additional member on bass) radiated positivity, owing largely to Wright, who jumped and jogged across the stage, all the while ripping guitar licks and singing indie, psych-rock influenced melodies.

Cloud Control flicked a switch on in the audience and evoked newfound energy in them through a string of popular tracks like Promises and There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight. Their newly released song, Zone (This Is How It Feels), was performed live for the first time and transformed into a pulsating, electronic tune with an infectiously catchy chorus and was, like the rest of their set, undeniably intriguing.

"When Violent Soho come on, I'm gonna go off the fucking chain." This overheard comment from one excited punter summed up what just about every diehard Soho fan had in mind when the Brissie boys finally took to stage. They were barely halfway through their opening number How To Taste when multiple attendees across the mosh pit lost their footing and fell to the floor as a result of back-and-forth pushing.

The four-piece promised plenty of older tracks and delivered, playing Jesus Stole My Girlfriend and Neighbour Neighbour among others. Like Soda had the mosh pit erupting vocally, only outdone by Covered In Chrome's "hell fuck yeah" call-back, which was made louder by the surge of people who rushed towards the stage as the song began.

There was plenty of crowd interaction, whether it was guitarist James Tidswell's casual comments on footy, love and weed or lead singer Luke Boerdam's professed love for Wollongong.

The group took their set to its logical endpoint, getting louder, heavier and more untamed until the only sound left was the heavy feedback from a distorted guitar as they walked offstage. Violent Soho didn't hold anything back. They admirably threw themselves into each song, knowing that their longtime fans were going to respond twice as passionately.