Project Description

Hot Dub Wine Machine 2019

Oakover Winery

Swan Valley W.A.

30/3/2019

Live Review

Reviewer – Nina Savic

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Hot Dub Wine Machine. An empire which grew too quickly for even itself initially. From modest beginnings in one South Australian wine region to line-ups attracting the likes of Australian music legends, The Presets, this mini-festival is not so mini in 2019. The picturesque event was back in the Swan Valley wine region for its third consecutive year, and boy, did they bring the magic. The set-up took advantage of the gorgeous lake iconic to Oakover Grounds, making sure most bars and activities, and especially the ferris wheel, were in plain sight of the view. Oh, and did I mention that there was a viewing podium in the shape of a castle? Yes, a castle. They didn’t shy away from extravagance this year and it showed. Nothing though, was a bigger spectacle than Hot Dub Time Machine (Tim Loud) himself. Nope, not even the castle.

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Don’t you know they’re in a band? Confidence Man never fails to get a crowd up and jiggy, and that’s exactly what they did. Their stage energy is electric and its mirrored back down in the mosh. As they were on quite early, those front and centre were clear fans. Next up was Hayden James, a bit of a fan favourite. Popular songs such as Just Friends, NUMB (feat. GRAACE), and particularly, James’ most recent hit, Better Together brought the get-up, tropical vibes needed to get a day like this started. Most instagram stories I saw from the day featured their latest track. Next up, taking us into the night, were The Presets. A set filled with the classics of their last album mainly, but with a few tracks transporting us back more than a decade. Clearly Hot Dub isn’t the only one that can do it. Whilst newer tracks like Downtown Shutdown, Do What You Want and Tools Down can all really get a crowd wild, Martini was a definite stand-out amongst the newbies. Nothing like paying homage to alcohol whilst drinking too much alcohol. It just goes. My People and Talk Like That saw even the 35+ folk singling along.

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Then, for the moment most were holding out for. Those three sirens letting you know shit’s about to go out with a bang. The Wine Mixer himself, Tim Loud. Whilst the slightly shorter set was felt, the song choices were just as nostalgic and transcendent as ever. Starting us off at 1954 was Ray Charles’ I Got A Woman. Perfect for both the young and the less young. Familiarity came from either the original, or its sample in Kanye West’s 2005 Gold Digger. As the clock wound down, we were taken through classic tracks, such as Australia’s 1971 anthem, Eagle Rock. I really don’t know why we pull our pants down for that one, but this event was no exception. Moving through, we had bangers such as All The Small Things by Blink182 and Otis, the much needed Kanye West song after the early teaser. An honourable mention came from what Loud referred to as his favourite song of 2018, I Like It by Cardi B. This one brought out a bit of sass in everyone, particularly the ladies. Hats must be taken off to this artist for the vibe he installs into a crowd. I looked around as far as I could see, and each and every person was having a brilliant time. Topping The Presets is no basic task, but I’d have to say the finale achieved this. One note I could make, as someone with an insanely good memory, is that there were definite repeats of songs from the 2018 show. In all fairness though, when you have more than 60 years to get through, and songs as iconic as We Found Love by Rihanna, you’re allowed to play them year after year. Wrapping us up at 2019, a song which I put money on to play, was Red Light, Green Light by Duke Dumont. Whilst still in its infancy, Triple J is absolutely bombarded with requests for this song come Friday afternoon. Some would call it 2019’s Losing It by Fisher (which also of course played). And what a way to finish. It brought the night to a close in the same way it brings a hard week at work to a close. With pure bliss.

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Hot Dub Wine Machine is an event loved by people from all different walks of life. The combination of wine, the valley, summer tracks from the best Australian artists, and throwbacks taking you back to before you were born is a recipe which you’d be mad to not enjoy. I have a feeling people will continue to enjoy it for many years to come. Props to the organisers for making improvements that you didn’t realise even needed to be made. This year the festival has solidified itself as professional and here to stay.

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HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SYDNEY
THURSDAY, APRIL 11TH
ENMORE THEATRE

NEWCASTLE
FRIDAY, APRIL 12TH
EXHIBITION CENTRE

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AMNPLIFY – DB