Words by Nic Horton & Jade Kennedy
Photos by Jade Kennedy & Nicole Zicchino
A change of pace, a change of space, an organic crop of talent, and stand-out crowd numbers were all just elements of the third annual Groovin the Moo event in Townsville as it surfed waves of welcome in the city over the May Day long weekend.
The expectations of a cliched 'bigger and better' event were bubbling in the works as the gates opened, and suspense was imminent as punters gathered along the black-shard fence around the circumferences.
The stages opened with the fresh, dance-pop tones of an exclusive set from Kim Cooper, who also gave fans a taste of her brand new single that, dare I say, had an impressive radio-friendly bass line and soaring vocals to accompany.
Whilst over on the main stages, soon-to-be Brisbane-based The Medics basked in the midday sun to deliver an ambient slot, followed up by up and coming rockers The Short List.
The sun was well overhead when I decided to take a wander around the festivities.
I just happened to stumble upon Sydney flavour ladies, Killa Queenz, in full swing over at the dance tent. Their music and stage presence was just an intense wave of flair, smooth moves and vivacity.
Of course, it wasn't a day in the park without a slice of porcelain folk, so over I headed to the Triple J stage to watch a very petite Lisa Mitchell take to the stage with her band as they sailed their way through a set of splendour and beautiful pop material, including her well-donned Coin Laundry and Neapolitan Dreams.
Much to the contrary, I was very impressed with the way Lisa obtained a sense of finery with her vocals throughout the set, and it sounded simply gorgeous.
By the time Miami Horror took to the stage the crowd was well in full swing, awaiting a surefire hit of disco magic from the group.
Standing beside the crowd was rather interesting as you could definitely feel the welcoming energy of the immediate crowd, although I could feel a dwindling energy from surrounding punters.
By sun-down, the festivities were well alight, yet rather exhausting; exhaustion that was well abandoned once Canadian sisters Tegan & Sara hit the stage with acoustic guitars in tow.
The twins wowed and awed crowds with their vivacious and charismatic voices and almost pure sounds of love and pop music. I loved the way they pieced together new, old and covered material - it was absolutely divine.
Not forgetting the masters of Australian rock, Grinspoon, with frontman Phil Jamieson in prime condition to deliver a killer performance of rendering and reminescent tunes such as More Than You Are, Thrills, Kills and Sunday Pills and to top it off, none other than crowd-pleasing Champion.
Then, of course, came Luke Steele and his entourage of kooky and ingenious ensembles - Empire of the Sun.
Those who played witness to the band at last year's Full Noise festival would have some inclination as to what was to come, but again, the spontaneity of an Empire of the Sun show is just spellbinding.
Singer Luke Steele's crowd interaction surprised me, but comforted and reassured me at the same time that, even without one half of the artistic duo, the show can still go on; dancers, props, flamboyance and all.
The band's set was a conceptual masterpiece that was not just music, but something akin to a contemporary, oriental-inspired cabaret.
It was just crazy to think that the night had just begun, really, with New York clubmasters Vampire Weekend and Aussie veterans Silverchair still to come.
Vampire Weekend set the bar for international talent on northern shores as they frisked their way through some striking and charming pieces, only to have the crowd in a controlled frenzy of bopping and foot-tapping rumba.
It was definitely older songs such as A-Punk, One and Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa that had people in small bundles of boogie, then chanting along to Bryn and finding youthful sing-a-longs to newer schooled Cousins, Holiday and Horchata. But the cream of the set definitely goes to the beguiling California English - undeniably alluring.
"As someone who grew up on a steady diet of Silverchair's sounds, winning a local 'guest reporter' comp allowed me to fulfill the goal of many teenage daydreams - getting up close and personal with Ben, Dan and Chris.
Of course, I had already met and/or interviewed all of the guys in previous years, so the opportunity to stand on the side of the stage, nestled comfortably between manager John Watson's adorable mother and folk-pop sensation Lisa Mitchell, was even more surreal.
From backstage, the guys looked relaxed and happy after a three-year hiatus from the touring circus.
The roar of the crowd was deafening as the people gathered on the side of the stage - everyone from Luke Steele and random members of Vampire Weekend, Miami Horror and Kisschasy to the guys' girlfriends to myself - joined in the clapping to welcome the band to the stage as they strode past us.
Young Modern Station was a comfortable place to start the epic hour and twenty minute journey through the entire Silverchair back catalogue. Yes, the guys played everything from Israel's Son (Frogstomp) and The Door (Freak Show) to Emotion Sickness (Neon Ballroom) and The Greatest View (Diorama) as well as the infectious If You Keep Losing Sleep (Young Modern); then debuted two new tracks from their yet-to-be-released sixth studio album - Machina Collecta and 16.
At times, it felt like we had somehow stumbled into a band rehearsal, as the trio joked and jammed together, seeming to forget the 15,000 punters screaming at the top of their lungs.
Closing the set with crowd favourite Freak, Silverchair just reminded me exactly what it is I like so much about festival shows; without all the publicity BS surrounding album junkets, bands are free to play whatever the hell they want from their entire repertoire which is a real coup for fans."
Personally, I don't think I have enough room to give credit and praise to the sheer artistic and musical talents throughout the day, it was just a fantastical day out for many punters, and a Sunday well spent in my books.
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