I’ve never hiked out to the country to Groovin The Moo before. As we pulled into Bendigo I felt awkwardly apologetic to the locals for their being bombarded with obnoxious teens in felt-hats, cow onesies, selfie sticks and inappropriate shoes (why are you wearing heels to a dusty field? Seriously, child). If I lived in Bendigo, I’d talk about GTM like some sort of annual tornado, or biblical plague: ‘brace yourselves, the privileged city children are soon to descend again, time to hide your alcohol and first-born, don’t forget to smear blood across your door’.
But I’m sure the local youth appreciate all the big smoke blowing out to the country, and that’s the important thing.
As a GTM virgin, I had expected a pretty small, chill affair. But I’d forgotten that having lost BDO, Harvest, and now Future, that Australia is pretty starved of major one-day festivals, meaning Groovin is going to be in high demand for a while. The Prince of Wales Showgrounds became a dustbowl packed with enough kids to give it that ‘My First Festival’ vibe.
First up, Tkay Maidza, rising star and pocket rocket, who already has the tick of approval from Run The Jewels’ Killer Mike. She whips out every banger with lightning speed and precision, and adorable charm. She’s still in that realm of newness where she is actually surprised that people love her. She had a minor freak out toward the end of her set, hiding her face in disbelief at the thunderous adoring crowd, huge for a midday set. It was cute, and I hold out hope that she soars while never crossing into diva territory.
Peace brought their blissed-out slacker rock to the Groovin Triple J stage, far too early in the day for a band of their calibre, but excellent nonetheless. Frontman Harry Koisser came out in a brown plush bath robe and unkempt bed hair, perfect for the utterly chilled and summery set.
Meg Mac hits the stage like a sexy witch, donning a velvet cape with a striped underside, charming and seducing her captive audience. With her blackened hair and blood red lips, every song comes off like the 'I Want’ song of a villainess, cursing tarnished relationships and her misunderstood demeanour with her cutting, soulful vocals. It was like a lo-fi adaptation of Wicked, building to the climactic refrain of Roll Up Your Sleeves’ 'Everything is gonna be alright’. Grandma’s Hands also got a run, which triggers that bizarre experience of watching 16 year olds lose their shit to a Bill Withers song.
Saskwatch were up next with a set of pure joy. The Melbourne six-piece pulled a smaller crowd than One Day over on the main stage, which is certainly beyond me. Flawless, powerful soul pop came in a chill set, packed with the group’s best strong ballads, and building up to the bouncier Hands. The energy was constant and the musicality mesmerising, Nkechi Anele’s voice never wavering in its heart-breaking power. Guitarist Rob Muinos brought a killer finale by climbing up the stage scaffolding and playing from the lights.
Sticky Fingers and One Day teamed up for some gold, Sti Fi porning it up with dirty moustaches, chains and body hair. I tried to watch as well as I could, but the jumbo screen camera dude was more pre-occupied with zooming in on selfie-snapping girls arm-dancing on their boyfriends’ shoulders.
The Preatures brought it hard, and have grown into seasoned, confident performers from their sudden rush of touring. They kept up the fun, Issy dishing out some cartwheels in a black mini dress, singing from the floor, wrapping the mic cable around her neck in a concerning sort of way. Going back to Shaking Hands EP with Take a Card, it was good to see Gideon jump back on the mic for the duet that got Sydney rockers noticed.
San Cisco hit the Bendigo stage, fresh off the back of their whirlwind US tour, with boundless energy. A mix of Gracetown and earlier hits made for a colourful, joyous set that showed no signs of tour fatigue. Issy Manfredi from the Preatures jumped up to guest on her featured track Jealousy, from the new album, which was a sweet bonus.
Ball Park Music delivered a tight, professional set, but it lacked the youthful energy and sheer absurdity of past shows I’ve seen. I’ve grown used to seeing a Ball Park opting for entertainment value over musicality, and while they sounded slick, there were no Scotch Fingers or other foodstuffs thrown into the crowd, no Mary Poppins backpack tricks, or audience participation. A solid set that would have been wholly satisfying to BPM virgins but not fulfilling for those of us accustomed to the spectacle.
Hermitude were utterly solid and unflappable. A tight mix of new tunes with classics, matched with warping finessed graphics particularly satisfied the stoned punters. Highlight time: the boys coming out from behind the decks with keytar and drum pad in hand to live mix a version of Kanye’s All Day.
If they still made St Trinians movies, Charli XCX would be the artist entrusted with every soundtrack. Jumping out in front of her all-girl glam band, donned in zebra print uniform and Madonna-black lace, she is queen of the brats, and a musical force to be reckoned with. She slammed out hits with glittering power, from I Love It to Break The Rules. Bonus points for a solo version of Fancy, banging out a somewhat awkward rendition of Iggy’s part, but snaps for trying. Ms XCX is a fun, goofy parody of that Bling Ring, rich kid universe, though I wonder if they get that she’s laughing at them, not with them.
New Zealand siblings Broods treated audiences to their sweet minimalist synth-pop, laden with Georgia Nott’s lush, layered vocals. Georgia stalked the stage like an ethereal princess in washed out pink, a sort of anti-Meg Mac, to bookend the day. Georgia took to live drums while Caleb manned the synths, creating layers of delicate sound that filled the tent. The timid pair delivered a humble set, somewhat uncomfortable on stage, but pristine in their cooperative flow. While relatively new to performing big crowds, the siblings are veterans when it comes to playing together.
-Nat T
