In all honesty, a convent would have been the last place expected to host an all ages event featuring the likes of Cog, Gyroscope and British India.
On the outside, the Abbotsford Convent is an old, classic building surrounded by glorious parks and a farm for children. On the inside, four stages hosted over thirty bands, including the FReeZA Push Start Finalists, who would find out the winner of the competition later in the afternoon.
The first exploration jaunt, in search of a program guide and much-needed map, landed near the Blue Stage where Closure in Moscow opened proceedings for the day, entertaining the early birds (noon birds, to be precise) with a spirited, albeit short set. Ducking by the Green stage, the smooth instrumentals of Conrad & the Barbarians set the bar for the Push Start competition, easily impressing the slowly growing crowd with their intricately formed sounds.
Back on the Blue Stage, Garage to V finalists Little Red showed punters why they were chosen to represent Melbourne. Early afternoon jazz and funky beats impressed a slowly growing crowd and even made the oppressive heat seem tolerable as they changed singers as smoothly as they charmed the audience.
Back on the Green stage a black-tie-white-shirt-accordion-toting five piece took to the stage. Pat & Brendan didn’t in anyway seem intimidated by the judging panel noting their every move, but rather, seemed to thrive on it, delivering a mature and polished performance, which was, honestly quite unexpected but refreshingly welcome.
No Way Out, the next Push Start Finalist, provided a completely different musical experience for the day. Musically, the influences of heavy metal and industrial metal combined with flamboyant stage appeal and showmanship to result in a very different live show, setting them aside as another band to watch in the future.
In the midst of replacing my lost program guide at the main stall, Stealing O Neal entertained the Blue stage crowd, their poster boy looks, laid back manner and fun filled tunes filling the courtyard and stopping more then a few female patrons in their tracks. Queensland’s rockers Dead Letter Circus took to the Red stage, capping off a successful first quarter of the year with their first ever all-ages show in Melbourne. A strong crowd had already formed in anticipation of the set, and contrary to past performances, the boys did not disappoint. Classic tracks from their EP incited a mass sing-a-long, mosh pit and the occasional crowd surfer, much to the dismay of security staff.
A short break for food and drink (which never actually happened in the end) meant missing Push Start winners Neon Love. Third placed Yelka Ishmakovich, however, provided the perfect atmosphere for a mid afternoon lull. The statuesque, soft spoken blonde took to stage with her acoustic guitar, and stunned the crowd with her Katie Noonan-esque vocals.
Back on the Blue stage, it was time to get dancing as the Custom Kings performed their material, which (I believe) was designed to subconsciously shuffle feet and sway hips. Despite the soaring heat, everyone grooved along to the funky beats and at one stage, security joined in!
Young & Restless then followed and lead singer Karina Ultimo was decked out in figure hugging black, prancing around the stage utilising both ends of the vocal spectrum. ‘Kapow’ was a hit with the audience, although rather then featuring it as the second number in the set, it would have been preferable as a set closer.
A strong crowd murmuring with anticipation greeted the Red stage as The Getaway Plan prepared another highly anticipated live show. First impression of the show was that, whilst moderately enjoyable, there was something slightly lacklustre about the set to the point where, despite only having half an hour scheduled on stage time, the mid point was my cue to leave.
Former Push Start winners The Vasco Era exhibited all the positive elements of a band who had taken their opportunities by the reins and flourished. Energetic, enthusiastic onstage performance? Check. Succinct, well thought out lyrics? Check. An appreciative crowd that slowly grew in size throughout the set? Check. A perfect example of where the Push Start program might land a band in a few years? Double check.
Taking advantage of the short queues at the food court due to the massive crowd at Shihad, a dinner break was desperately needed as the internal debate of who to see next, and for how long? Resigning myself to seeing all three headliners, I started with Cog on the Red stage. The quickest route meant cutting through the Green stage, where I was propelled into the future for a surprisingly fun and rambunctious performance from – The Galvatrons In the midst of the on-stage poses, one was half expecting to see robots or spaceships as part of the set.
Back in present times, Bondi’s favourite rockers Cog drew a substantial crowd who chanting for the band, only to be greeted by the trademark intricate drum kit favoured by drummer Lucius Borich The set was short and sweet, although the requested track ‘Doors’ was not a viable option, as Cog were set on playing as many tracks possible, including ‘Real Life’ and ‘Are You Interested?’ in yet again another flawless and tight performance.
British India closed the Green stage, their recent Big Day Out experience clearly visible in their performance. These Melbournians simply oozed professionalism, spunk and provided the photo opportunity of the entire afternoon/evening, with frontman Decland and guitarists Nic clashing guitars together midway through the set. Gyroscope proved to be the crowd pleasing headliner of the day, fresh from their Big Day Out tour. The band played tracks from new album Breed Obsession as well as old favourites from Are You Involved?, sending the crowd into a frenzy of dance and moshing, closing the spectacular set with ‘Doctor, Doctor’, and proving exactly why they are one of Perth’s hottest exports right now.
Push Over remains one of the premier all ages, drug and alcohol-free events in Victoria. And it was not hard to see why – as yet again – a superb line up, beautiful settings and a smoothly run day all coagulated into a wonderful experience for fans and bands alike. Having drawn some impressive local names over the past few years, including Karnivool, Silverchair, Grinspoon and Mammal, the anticipation for next year’s line up has already begun.
Check out the photos from Pushover here courtesy of NicoleIsOnFire.
