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CMC ROCKS
@ Willowbank, Ipswich, QLD
15-17th March 2024
(Live Review)

Review by Tammy Whitelaw

Photos by Tam Schilling (@tamcamimages_)

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Songwriters Session ft Morgan Wade, Chris Young, Casey Barnes & Nate Smith / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Country music has long been the butt of many jokes and often considered music for “bogans’, though lately it seems like everyone wants a piece of the country pie.  From Beyonce and Lana Del Rey both announcing country albums this year, to a national shortage of rhinestone cowboy boots thanks to Taylor Swift’s Era’s tour, in the words of Lainey Wilson, “Country’s Cool Again”.  For the 30,000 country music fans who flock to Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich for the annual CMC Rocks QLD festival, this isn’t a fad or a phase, it’s a way of life.  When it comes to the CMC crowd, comfortability is paramount, with well-worn boots and faded Akubras favoured over your typical flashy festival outfits.

For the punters camping at CMC, the festival frivolities begin on the Wednesday at the Tailgate stage with both local and international acts taking the stage.  On the Thursday, lucky campers were treated to exclusive sets from big name artists like Tyler Braden, Morgan Wade and a DJ set by Dee Jay Bux that went well into the early hours of the morning.  This year, CMC goers were greeted with a new layout for the festival making it easier to move between the main stages and the Tailgate stage, along with extra bars and a more streamlined setup for the merch tent.

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Jackson Dean / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Friday, 15th March

Friday, the first official day of the festival, kicked off with Aussie acts Hayley Marsten, Taylor Moss and Sara Berki all delivering high energy sets to get the crowd fired up for the weekend.  But it was Casey Barnes who, quite literally, set the stage on fire.  Barnes pulled out all the stops for his opening number, Light It Up, complete with smoke and fire shooting up from the stage.  Casey delivered a solid set of hits, worthy of a much later time slot.  It’s easy to see how he made his way on the Stagecoach festival lineup in California next month.

Everyone’s favourite CMC emcee, American country radio star, Storme Warren was there to hype the crowd up between acts.  “No one does their research quite like this crowd, they know every word”.  It’s a sentiment shared by every international act on the bill, all of them in absolute awe that they travel halfway around the world and the crowd is singing every word of their songs back to them.  For many of the international acts, these are their first ever shows in Australia, and they seem to be just as excited to see their Australian fans as we are to see them.  Stepping out onto stage in a sparkling mini dress, Megan Moroney shares her excitement “For someone who always has a lot to say, I’m kinda speechless right now”.  Megan’s set included her viral hit Heartbroken In A Hair Salon along with other hits like Tennessee Orange and I’m Not Pretty.  Megan had the crowd in the palm of her hand, even when the sound abruptly cut out part way through her set.  Not letting it get in the way of finishing her performance, she returned, telling the crowd “Im back bitches.  Ya’ll are so loud you broke the PA”, before finishing up with Lucky.

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Megan Moroney / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Kameron Marlowe and Nate Smith kept the energy high with their sets.  When Marlowe’s guitarist walked out with an esky in hand, you knew they were ready for a good time.  Two songs into his set, Marlowe whipped out a bottle of Tequila during Tequila Talking, offering shots to the crowd.  While Nate Smith doesn’t look like your typical country artist, he walked out wearing a Tupac Shirt and performed a cover of Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box, he blows the crowd away with his own songs Set My World on Fire and Wish I Never Felt.

While the sound of country music has evolved over the years, some artists remain timeless.  Tonight’s headliner, Chris Young, has that classic country sound.  Young charms the crowd with his deep baritone voice and stage presence, working through his catalogue of songs with ease.  From his very first number one hit Gettin’ You Home to Young Love and Saturday Nights (which borrows the guitar riff from David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel) off his forthcoming album.  Famous Friends and Looking At You make an appearance before Young sends the crowd into a frenzy with a cover of Brooks and Dunn’s Neon Moon.  Friday nights are made for partying and Chris Young definitely got the party started for the weekend ahead.

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Kameron Marloe / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Saturday 16th March

One of the highlights of every CMC is always the Songwriter’s Show.  Every day, four of the festival’s artists take to the Tailgate stage in a stripped back setting to share the stories behind some of their biggest songs.  Saturday’s Songwriter’s Show is a hot ticket with two of the festival’s headliners, Tyler Hubbard and Lainey Wilson sharing the stage with Ian Munsick and Bryan Martin.  Not long after gates open, the tent is already busting at the seams with fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the international superstars in a more intimate setting.

Over on the main stage, Drake Milligan and Cooper Alan get things kicked off with their individual sets.  Milligan has a certain swagger to him, like some sort of Elvis and Johnny Cash hybrid.  He woos the ladies in the crowd with his hip shaking and charming smile as he delivers Hating Everything She Tries On, Sounds Like Something I’d Do and Bad Day to Be A Beer.  Cooper Alan takes a different approach, favouring beer chugging over hip shaking.  Talk in the crowd suggests Cooper Alan has the potential to be a future headliner.

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Alan Cooper / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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CMC Rocks is all about having a good time and Priscilla Block definitely got the memo.  Her following of fans, who call themselves The Blockheads, surround the stage in their neon safety vests.  Priscilla has taken quite the leap recently, going from singing cover songs in bars to performing her own hits on the worldwide stage.  Priscilla Block is a whole lot of fun with a healthy serving of sass.  Priscilla covers both ends of the spectrum with party songs Off the Deep End, Fake Names and Thick Thighs along with ballads Like a Boy and Just About Over You; even throwing in a cover of our very own Keith Urban’s You’ll Think Of Me, delivering a truly well-rounded set.

Travelling all the way to Australia from the US is a tough slog, and unfortunately for Morgan Wade it takes a toll on her voice.  Morgan apologises to the crowd, letting everyone know she’s battling bronchitis.  Although it’s clear she’s struggling at times, she doesn’t let it keep her from delivering the best performance possible.  Morgan’s songwriting talent is unquestionable as she works through her catalogue with Domino, Psychopath and Wilder Days, while the crowd laps up her soaring cover of Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl.

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Priscilla Block / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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It’s not often you see a bible whipped out at a music festival, but Oliver Anthony isn’t your typical “rock star”.  Anthony has been one of the most talked about artists on the CMC lineup, and it’s easy to see why when he stops the rowdy beer drinking crowd in their tracks the moment he takes the stage.  Anthony’s bluegrass sound is a nice change from your typical commercial country pop.  His viral anti-government hit, Rich Men North of Richmond, was a somewhat poetic moment considering it was election day in QLD.

Serious stuff aside, the party wasn’t over yet and tonight’s headliner, Tyler Hubbard was ready to kick it into next gear.  One half of country group, Florida Georgia Line, Tyler is no stranger to the CMC stage.  This time around though, he’s flying solo (sporting a Brisbane Broncos cap), performing tracks off his debut self-titled album and forthcoming album, Strong.  Tyler’s set weaves new songs like Back Then, Make You Tough and 5 foot 9 with Florida Georgia Line hits Cruise and Meant to Be.

Saturday at CMC was a wild ride.  The lineup showcased the wide breadth of artists dominating the country music landscape at the moment.  With one more day to go, it’s crazy to think CMC Rocks still has more surprises under their belt for Sunday.

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Tyler Hubbard / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Sunday 17th March

It may be St Patricks Day, but the CMC crowd have officially renamed it Lainey Day.  The final day of the festival sees Aussie artists Josh Setterfield and Brad Cox shine on the main stage, giving the big name international acts a run for their money.

Ian Munsick was definitely one of the surprise acts of the weekend, doing a killer job of “bringing the west to the rest”.  The Wyoming cowboy’s energy was infectious as he bounced around the stage, revealing this was their first time playing in another country and he’s “damn glad its Australia”.  Munsick proves he’s the real deal with tracks I See Country, Cowboy Killer and Cowshit in the Morning.  Not taking himself too seriously, he has a bit of fun with a mashup of TLC’s No Scrubs, Britney’s Toxic and Destiny’s Child’s Say My Name.  If anyone came into CMC Rocks not knowing Ian Munsick, I can guarantee they’re a fan now.

Storme Warren paid a touching tribute to Toby Keith who sadly passed away in February this year at the age of 62.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of Keith’s performance at CMC Rocks the Hunter and Storme asks the crowd to raise a drink to Keith as his hit Red Solo Cup plays over the speakers “Cheers to Toby Keith”.

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Ian Munsick / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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As we get down to the pointy end of the weekend, only two acts remain.  Chase Rice is familiar with the Australian crowd, this tour marking his third time down under.  The crowd joins Chase in his hits Key West and Colorado, Way Down Yonder and Drinkin’ Beer Talkin God Amen, but it’s his cover Daryl Braithwaite’s Horses that really sends the crowd wild.  Chase’s set was solid, though a little lack lustre at times, especially for the Sunday night crowd.

Lainey Wilson is one of the most talked about artists in the world right now.  Fresh off winning the Grammy Award for Country Album of the Year and Entertainer of The Year at the CMA Awards, Lainey’s career has skyrocketed to unimaginable heights.  Tonight’s headline slot marks her first ever Australian show and she’s ready to make it a memorable one.

“Ya’ll ready to have a good time Australia!” 

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Chase Rice / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Lainey wastes no time getting into the CMC spirit, whipping out a boot for her first ever Shoeey.  “I gotta break the seal. Where I’m from we call this a holler and a swaller!”.

Lainey admits she “didn’t think anybody on the other side of the world would relate to my story” but as the crowd sings every word of her hits Hold My Halo, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do), Smell Like Smoke and Watermelon Moonshine back to her, it’s clear they do.

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Lainey Wilson / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Lainey describes the past year as a “whirlwind” and how she often reminds herself to keep one foot on the ground.  For Lainey, there’s things that are more important to her than winning countless awards.  Lainey is aware of the impact she has on her young female fans, “A highlight for me is looking across the crowd and seeing little girls in their bellbottoms and hats”, dedicating her anthem Atta Girl to every young girl who has ever been told she couldn’t do something.

Lainey rounds out her set with the Hardy penned track, Wait In The Truck spliced with her own No.1 smash Heart Like A Truck.  Returning for an encore of Never Say Never and new track, Country’s Cool Again, Lainey wraps up the weekend with Things A Man Oughta Know, which has every girl in the crowd singing at the top of their lungs.  Lainey showed the boys how it’s done, proving to the Aussie crowd why she was crowned Entertainer of The Year.

It’s easy to see why this festival is celebrated as one of the best in Australia.

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Lainey Wilson / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Check out Tam Schilling’s (@tamcamimages_) Galleries of Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

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Josh Setterfield / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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www.cmcrocks.com | #CMCROCKS2024
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Chase Rice / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Press Release 3rd March 2024 (below) HERE

CMC ROCKS QLD 2024
Two weeks to go

Brand new experiences, activations
& site design revealed for 2024

FRIDAY 15 – SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2024
AT WILLOWBANK, IPSWICH

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AMNPLIFY – DB