Project Description
.
.
YOURS & OWLS FESTIVAL
April 17 & 18,
Dalton Park Wollongong
(Live Review)
Reviewer – Paulo Faloni
.
.
Yes! Yes! And Yes again! A festival! Live, loud, in the flesh.
How good is to be alive? If you’re in Australia right now, it must be so good. If you were at Yours & Owls over the weekend, you’re probably a bit more excited than just loving life, something like LIVING life, to its fullest.
We sure missed being surrounded by people, we sure missed being with people and as well as with good company of a solid line-up in a festival. A very special line-up, all Australian line-up with a flavour for every taste.
Not only for everyone who attended but also for all the acts that could finally play to an enormous and hyped audience, the last weekend was something very special for Australian music. Taking place at Thomas Dalton Park, the 2021 edition of Yours & Owls Festival was huge, in all aspects.
Fifteen thousand music fans came down to the Wollongong area for two days of music, good times and one of the biggest gatherings New South Wales has seen for over a year now.
Arriving at the festival site was easy and smooth, the trains take you from basically anywhere in the Sydney Metro Area to Fairy Meadow station, then a 10-minute walk (it never felt so good to walk somewhere in ages) alongside with your fellow festival attendees, would take you to the gates and further to the entry. The process of going through security, festival staff etc. was very effortless. At least with me, everyone was very friendly and helpful, no big lines, no confusion or dramas at all. The different areas, blue, peach, purple and yellow were also very organised, signs directing the public to each area’s entry were right at the corner when you first walked towards Thomas Dalton Park and were pretty visible.
Once inside, you had to stick to your area (yes, not everyone is used to or happy with it but better than not having a huge live music gig to go, right?) and all areas were well served with different food options, bars, phone charging stations, a Rad Stage (secondary stage in each area), first-aid and toilets. A VIP area was also available in each colour zone with its own bar, food menu, phone charging stations and toilets.
To be honest, this was an actual upside, since the two stages which were accommodating the acts were side by side, you didn’t have to run or walk heaps to get to see the next show, you could even stay comfortably seated between shows and still be able to watch the whole thing from where you were. For some, the thrill of running, standing up, rushing and what can be sort of exciting, but let’s be honest, you go to festivals to enjoy good music and have a good time, not to run a marathon’s worth of distance (lol).
The acts in the line-up made sense especially in the sequence they were playing. As I mentioned above, a flavour for every taste, from hip-hop to alt-indie to dance music and so on, there was an artist playing a music genre of your likes. The crowd received and reacted to the hip-hop/rap acts such as Nerve, JK47 and B-Wise very well, this is a big trend and I’ve noticed the younger audience really gets into it. The genre is taking the crowds by storm such as the punk/grunge scene has done back in the 80s and 90s. It’s interesting to see how much excitement these shows have from both ends, artists and public, sometimes even more than the dance acts.
Following along one band that really got my attention was The Vanns. I’ve never seen them live before and probably have heard only one or two songs I couldn’t even remember, although, their show was solid even with some interruptions when the crowds were not respecting the 1.5 metres social distancing measure. This was something really funny and annoying at times, first because people knew the interruptions would continue to happen if they didn’t stick to their rows (although dancing was allowed, there were chairs and rows in each zone and people had to stay in their rows/chairs not agglomerating near the front/sides of the stage), second because it seemed quite selfish to think someone didn’t want to respect the measures in place and everyone else’s show was being interrupted because of it. There wasn’t really anyone to blame, the festival organisation, the authorities and everyone else involved in keeping things running were doing what they were supposed to do so the festival could keep on going.
Coming back to the music, another super cool feature of this year’s was the rotating stage, which allowed everyone in all zones to have a bit of the show for themselves for a while, and the acts that played during sunset really benefited from the massive vibe it was. That was the case with The Vanns, good music, right timing and a new, different perspective for a show.
Another act that stood out for me was Haiku Hands, a group of women only, with a very uplifting vibe and heaps confidence to sing, dance and perform. One of the group members was pregnant but that didn’t stop her from sending it and delivering a great show to the crowd. It was great to see women with such attitude, approach and freedom, great times to be alive!
.
.
The biggest acts didn’t disappoint either, seeing Winston Surfshirt for the first time was interesting, even though their music wasn’t really my vibe. The public enjoyed it a lot and once again many minutes of interruption took place during their set, this would unfortunately go on for the rest of the night even during the headliner’s set What So Not.
Angus Stone a.k.a Dope Lemon brought the trippy chill vibes to the masses; I was personally keen to see it live as I’ve heard some of his music quite a bit as well as his other project with his sister. With a dreamier atmosphere, Dope Lemon delivered what he knows best to do. Winston joined him on stage for a feat and it was also fun to see/listen to.
The DMA’S, a band which I’ve heard a lot (good) about, showed up right after Angus and man, it was huge. The last act to play before the two main headliners on Saturday, they really came together with what for me is a big Oasis like vibe and played a great show surprising me a lot, being quite emotional but very subtle with their lyrics. Loved their set and mood!
And then… the craziest, biggest and possibly best viral of 2019, Tones and I. I didn’t really know what to expect from her show, since I’ve met her at the ARIAS in 2019 and she was the only artist who didn’t show up to the media room after receiving 5 or 6 awards, I was honestly not that excited. But guess what?! Turns out all judgement and things I was thinking were wrong. She’s a human just as we all are, and it must have been crazy to be on her shoes all this time with everything she’s been through lately. Her show was surely one of the biggest productions of the night, starting out with a full choir and moving on to her main thing since Byron Bay busking times. Great to see someone who seemed shy for not showing up for interviews going on stage and interacting well with the crowd, putting on a good show which the festival goers responder very very very well, dancing and singing along to her hit songs. Again, her set was interrupted due to all the restrictions I’ve already mentioned above but that didn’t stop her from putting on a great presentation overall, with fireworks to finish it all up in great style. She sure is a popstar and will still go heaps further!
Bringing on the bangers, the even (kinda within the restrictions limits) crazier dancing, What So Not got up on the stage already letting people know the show would, yeah, you guessed it again, stop if people didn’t stop leaving their rows/chairs etc…. he went on for a couple of songs between some interruptions for the first minutes of his set, until everyone realised, they were kind of screwing everyone else’s night up. But let’s not focus on the bad, because honestly, Emoh, Chris or whatever you like to call our boy What So Not, absolutely send it on Saturday night. With a solid career and many well-known records, Flume’s long-time mate gave people what they wanted, classic and new tunes all together with a great stage setup and special guests. Particularly, Lucy did an amazing feat in WSN’s set, joining him to sing huge tunes and nailing it. Since I’ve seen her performing in her other projects, I knew she was the right person to get the vibes even higher up for the night, she fully sent it!
At what was almost the end of the night, I noticed people in the very far end, close to the festival’s entry, could dance freely without any worries of being responsible for another interruption and there I went. Maaaaate, it was insane, you could actually dance as if there was no tomorrow and there I stayed until WSN finished his set for the night, great set, great times and even greater way to release all the energy stored up for over a year pretty much without any festivals. The end of Saturday night meant home and rest time because Sunday was on its way towards us and boy, let it come!
Well rested, keen as, I jumped on the train on Sunday knowing that another freaking great day was ahead of me. With a line-up that I knew a bit more and have seen some of the acts before, I was legit so excited, especially to see Running Touch again as he was the first act I’ve got the opportunity to shoot in Sydney, back in 2019. I was also very pumped to witness Hayden James play a DJ for the first time ever in my life.
Getting in on Sunday was even easier, the weekender pass allowed me to literally just walk in after going through security, what a pleasure it was, no lines, no dramas, just the feeling of moving ahead to one of the best nights of the year so far.
.
.
The first acts were quite interesting, not my biggest expectations but very well played for their time slots. Some people arrived early to support them and it’s good to see that when these fans/family/friends show up, they are really keen to be there for whoever they’re there for. As time went by, the acts got bigger and bigger, with Slowly Slowly showing a lot of confidence to play for a crow which was thirsty to see them. They were the band people were looking forward to the most to see on what was a poll or something Triple J did. They surely kept up to the high expectations playing a great set with a little bit of a different vibe (for me, better) from what I’ve seen the first time I watched their gig back in 2019 in Jindabyne. As the show must go on, it was time for Matt, or better known as Running Touch to hit the rotating stage and give us all the joy his tunes can bring. Presenting three of his latest singles, his live show with guitar and drums didn’t disappoint. Quality dance music with a taste of rock/metal he’s got from Ocean Grove, good mix!
Another dance show was on the way with Cosmo’s Midnight right after Running Touch and they kept the Wollongong festival high up on the vibes and getting higher for what was coming up next with Hockey Dad, Lime Cordiale, Hayden James and Pnau. Apart from Hockey Dad and Lime, all the following acts were dance/electronic music focused so Cosmo’s was doing right with their energetic yet at times calm and peaceful show. What a vibe, proper sunset and beach vibes with these boys. Then bringing the surf/skate/rad mood, right there was time for Hockey Dad. They being in some of my playlists was already a sign their show was going to be good. Always nice to have a little bit of a change when listening to different music genres and that’s what festivals are for, aren’t they?! One thing that really got me was the vocal performances of some bands and Hockey Dad’s lead singer Zach legit performed amazingly. I kind of missed a surfboard and a bit of a warmer weather to enjoy alongside with their tunes!
Lime Cordiale can never, ever, by no means, disappoint. That’s a statement I must make. I had the privilege to see them three times before and shoot them in two of these, I knew it was coming and they, this time classier than ever, got up on stage showing all their banter. Playing most of their classics and also some of their latest releases, once again the public was blessed with a solid set of Aussies, Sydney Northern Beaches tunes that everyone loves, no matter who you are. It’s great to be able to see bands evolving musically and artistically through the years and also through a freaking crazy world-wide pandemic.
Being half of the cherry on the cake, worth of a headline himself and also a HUGE warm-up for Pnau, our Sydney boy Hayden James was then up on the other stage bringing back the electro vibes. Full of his hits, the set had also Nat Dunn and Graace joining HayJay to sing their respective features in HJ’s latest single Foolproof and the massive hit Numb from 2017. Better Together’s creator also played and handful of tracks from other producers as well as he made sure to let us know he was playing, for the first time ever, his newest collab with Perth local’s Crooked Colours, great mix by the way! His DJ set was really the perfect gig to be followed by the main headliner: Pnau.
All I can say is: WHAT A PERFORMANCE. I only knew two or three songs from Pnau before their presentation on Sunday night, not really a long-time fan but appreciative of their music and also their musical background with Nick and Sam Littlemore. I had the chance to meet Sam back in 2019 prior to the ARIAS, he was very down to earth, polite and kind. On Sunday, before their headline show, I also had the opportunity to have a chat and watch a bit of Cosmo’s Midnight set with Tim Commandeur, Pnau’s drummer and absolute legend. He told me how excited and looking forward to that night’s show they were, being really unreal to be able to play and headline a festival again, after all we’ve been through. A mix of magical and mysterious atmosphere was what Pnau had for the night, getting the entire Yours & Owls festival to sing every single song they played. Their visuals on the big screens were also a nice touch to all the stage lighting setup. Overall, a set very solid, gold! Worth the main headline to close a beautiful weekend of great times and even greater music in Wollongong. By the end of the night, I was again far from the stage but very close to the sound system placed closer to the entry where I was able to dance the shivers out of myself.
I’m sure everyone who attended to Yours & Owls this weekend came back home feeling fresh, although obviously physically tired after all the dancing, (FINALLY WE WERE ABLE TO!) and ready for (hopefully) another year of great Aussie tunes, hangs with mates and sunsets. My overall experience was amazing, I didn’t either face any big lines to get water or see other people in lines for drinks (I don’t drink myself), getting food was also easy with plenty of options to choose from and not heaps of walking around. As I mentioned above, getting in and also out of the festival was easy and effortless, thanks to all the hard work from the organisers. From the perspective that, one year ago we couldn’t really imagine or know when we would be able to live these experiences again, I’m just very grateful to witness what happened last weekend down in Wollongong and also for the whole current, very favourable situation we are here in Australia.
I’ll see you all next year! Thanks for reading!
,
.
Follow YOURS & OWLS FESTIVAL
Website – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter
.