Live Review: Woodford Folk Festival

Cultural and political shocks abound, 2016 has been a turbulent time to say the least. As the year staggers to a welcomed close, the spirit of Woodfordia has rarely seemed so relevant.

With the bruises of both tragic losses and victories still ripe, for a great many the festival becomes a celebratory, creative sanctuary of healing and learning that provides a crucial passage into the next calendar.

A roomier redesign of the festival entrance starts things off the right foot and, from here on, it's mostly steps forward. Many festival veterans are saddened to find long-time favourites Fine Earth Foods and the Chai Tent absent from the lineup, and the $3.50 'activation fee' for the new electronic currency tags raises suspicions that the Loch Ness Monster (see South Park season 3 episode 3) has worked its way into the organisation committee. The downsides, however, are few and far between. For the most part the changes are a positive, with the visual design and layout looking better than ever.

It is said that if one were to attend every event on the program in succession, at rate of eight hours a day, five days a week, it would take well over a year to complete.

Initial weather forecasts promised cloud cover throughout the week, but instead each day offers an intimate dance with the sun, with prolonged peaks sustaining up around the 36-degree mark in the latter half of the week. Luckily, Woodfordia is a vast haven of food and beverages, which allows one to well equip themselves for the ensuing battle with the hot days and nights.

Spanning 35 venues across the grounds, the vast programme of music, theatre, dance, comedy, talks, workshops and much more is simply staggering. It is said that if one were to attend every event on the program in succession, at rate of eight hours a day, five days a week, it would take well over a year to complete. So how does one distil the plethora of experiences on offer into the timeframe of a week or let alone a day?  Add to this the fact that a good percentage of attendees are volunteers working a 30 hour week on site, and it becomes clear that it is best approached as a week of alternative living rather than a typical festival experience.

There are a few yoga classes to choose from every morning and each offer something a little different. A recurring highlight is Sally Meredith's classes, which incorporate a mindful approach with live music and a collective mantra to bring things home. And from here, the music fills the air...

Sydney's Mansionair struggle initially to match the sound of their studio output. However, they make quick work of raising their game, and by the time they serve up a succulent cover of Jamie xx's Loud Places, they have well a truly gained favour of those present. 

Bob Hawke's rendition of Waltzing Matilda at the Welcome Ceremony is going to be a hard act to follow, but most are more than happy to rise to the challenge.

While it's a little harsh that Urthboy's only set of the festival goes down during the afternoon heat, he makes the most of it. The Grande is made to feel all the more intimate due to his well honed ability to form a bond with the audience and deliver unifying songs. It's a potent set that turns the dials up to 11 and leaves us all wishing for more.

Melbourne's 21-year-old wunderkind Tash Sultana draws the biggest crowd of the festival for her amphitheatre set and it's soon easy to see why. She navigates an array of equipment, like a one-woman band, to produce an incredibly full sound that takes a firm hold of the listener and doesn't let go. It's an immense pleasure to witness and she is the talk of the town for the remainder of the festival.   

It takes a little while for The Bamboos to warm up, but by the second half of their set they really kick things into gear to deliver some potent offerings of funk-soul glory. All guns are blazing through  I Got Burned and Easy and the audience responds with widespread delight.

Sydney's Little May bring a light touch to the Amphitheatre stage, seducing listeners along on their ride with the sweetest collection of melodies. Their sound is great, their songs are strong, and they offer a well needed breather before the frenzied festivities on the horizon.

Gang of Youths frontman David Le'aupepe doesn't let a case of the flu hold him back from delivering an highly energetic and impassioned performance. The sheer professionalism of the band is evident through each moment of the set as they take command of the stage, leading the large amphitheatre crowd on a rocket-fuelled ride through their catalogue.

It's easy to caught up in the infectious groove as The Lachy Doley Band play up a storm over at the Bluestown stage. It is no surprise that Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple called Doley "the greatest living keyboard player in the world today".  Doley, with his melodic gravelly voice, sure knows how to sing the blues too, continually pleading to his lover through verses that often sound on the threshold of tears.

The hillside offers up a postcard view of the year's last rays of light for the Indian Sunset Concert with musical magicians Supriyo Dutto and Sangeet Mishra. Such a visual and auditory feast needs to be experienced to be believed. This swansong of sorts is the perfect way to wind out the year and one of the many reasons why Woodford stands apart from other festivals.

The closing Fire Event is always one of the truly special moments of the festival, and this year's monolithic spectacle ... is no exception.

Brisbane's Bullhorn have come a long way in the past few years. MC Roman Albert is a force to be reckoned with. He commands a massive stage presence as his spitfire rhymes lead the charge ahead a wonderful cacophony of horns.  Each of their four sets through the week are a highlight, but none more so than their manic New Year's set, which pushes the dance floor beyond its perceivable limits.

11-piece brass bandits, Hot Potato Band, are an excellent choice to lead the amphitheatre into the new year. They are cool and controlled but at the same time they inject a lot of fun into the proceedings with their onstage choreography. They keep the floor in awe for their full-hour set, which reaches its peak with a blistering cover of The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face.

Last year's Hilltop Sunrise Ceremony became a bit of anticlmax when unfortunately cloud cover prevented a view of the spectacular phenomenon. This year, however, clear skies allow for perfect clarity and the musical mysticism of Tashi Lhunpo Monks of Tibet, Tenzin Choegyal, and Velvet Pesu is able to lead us into the first day of the year on beautiful notes of blinding optimism.

The closing Fire Event is always one of the truly special moments of the festival, and this year's monolithic spectacle, titled What We Learned from the Sky, is no exception. A theatrical tale of falling comets and triumphing love that concludes with the torching of the giant spiral staircase, it encapsulates the Woodford spirit perfectly, and stands as a potent symbol of cyclical regeneration.

As Woodford wraps up for another year, the mood is nothing short of jubilant. It's been another blinding success, and doesn't take long to hear words like "life-changing" when asking newcomers how their festival experience went. For so many, it's provided a week of deep healing and learning, spiced with a whole lot a fun along the way. Hopefully these lessons can be carried onwards and outwards to effect positive change into the year, and we can meet back again this year to reflect on how it all went. Till then...