With some of the world’s greatest artists recently leaving the country signalling the near-end to Australia’s festival season, it was interesting to wonder about how the annual Push Over Festival, held at the Abbotsford Convent, would play out by the end of the day. Forgetting the fact that heavy clouds predicted rain, the location was different to the stereotypical festivals that we have seen in the past few months. Instead of large grassy areas, a few stages were set up in a location that resembled a rundown school. Even though this was the case, food, merchandise and (plenty of) toilets were crammed into the small area. The only thing missing was an ATM machine which upset many due to the no pass out policy.

Putting aside the amazing showcase of music that would soon follow, the festival provided a laid back experience, with band members wandering between stages, happily posing for pictures with fans, and security acting professionally, doing a great job, yet having a fun time and treating punters with respect along the way.

The festival provided a large array of music, from well known Australian artists (and a very special international guest), to unknown bands to even a DJ/Dance stage where young teenagers came to show off their dance moves (which by the looks of things, they really did not have).

Kicking off the day was Brisbane act Paper and the Plane who failed to generate much excitement in the crowd (who had sprinted from gates to stage as soon as doors opened). Dan van Zutphen tried to create as much stage presence, however this did not pay off, and the band left making absolutely no impact whatsoever. Quite sad really for a band who has toured with the likes of Anberlin, Underoath and Taking back Sunday.

Watching Bright Star Alliance proved that kids are always going to make some movement at a hardcore show, no matter how good or bad the band is. The Alliance displayed nothing new in their work, and at one stage attempted, key word – attempted – a wall of death. This would have really paid off if the crowd participated, as the final count of youths running at one another was a miserable 12.

Disappointed by the previous two acts, sceptical was the best word to describe how Dash and Will’s sound and stage presence would be. Doing their own sound check (this was the norm among most bands today) sent the hopeful message that these guys would be fun. Wearing every colour under the sun and sporting many, many instruments, the band put on a great display opening with Champagne. Front-women Charlie and Josie spontaneously began throwing out Dash and Will badges during the first bridge, screaming ‘Do you want some free stuff?’ This fun, impulsive nature continued long into the set, and it seemed that if either Charlie or Josie weren’t rocking out on the guitar, they were dancing all over the stage, and encouraging anyone watching to join in. The crowd just did so, dancing to closer Fighting Over Nothing.

Moving back to the Red stage it was obvious that following a hardcore band with an electro-rock style was going to be a problem. This however was not on MM9’s mind who played an amazing set which unfortunately did not get the crowd going. Drama Drama was the highlight of the set, as the band seemed to find the most enjoyment playing this song, not to mention the small moshpit that was started. Noticing that frontman Daniel Sutherland was wearing no shoes (and quickly remembering that Josie from Dash and Will was doing the same), it seemed that no shoes was the fashion among bands at Pushover.

The Cassette Kids proved to everyone at Pushover that you didn’t need to be at Future Music Festival (a few kilometres down the road) in order to dance, as all the fun could be had here. Johnny and Heath from Children Collide confirmed this, appearing to have a – œbiggest wanker dance off’ backstage. Funny stuff. Many in the crowd seemed to be fans of the Kids, with the majority in the front rows mimicking every word that Katrina Noorbergen sang. Wearing a striped one piece, skirt, and a few songs later – no shoes, Noorbergen and band seemed to use up every bit of energy they had, making them one of the most enjoyable and entertaining acts of the day. Anywhere But Home which was described as a – œFucking party song’ was highlight of the set with the most interaction from all parties (yes, including Johnny and Heath).

Looking out at the crowd for the next act, you would not be mistaken in thinking you were at a cross between a Fall Out Boy and Backstreet Boys concert. Pre-teens lined the first few metres of the mosh, some with t-shirts, some with posters, some chanting, all the same name. McFly. Security knew they had a hard job ahead of themselves, bringing out water to cope with the sun which had just emerged, and the flustered females who were beginning to get incredibly excited. Arriving on stage 10 minutes late (most likely to create more suspense, if that was possible) to a display of many, many different squeals from the crowd, McFly jumped (literally) straight into Radio, running all over the stage. Funnily enough, Mcfly provided the biggest mosh for the day. Perhaps it was the amount of fans, or the English charm telling all to – œBounce’, but something sent the few hundred teenagers crazy. Unfortunately the interaction with the crowd was not up to par with other bands, as there are only so many times you can say – œthankyou’, or tell us how – œbeautiful our country is’. Surprisingly, they announced that their next album will be recorded here in Australia. Bassist Dougie Poynter provided the – œcomic relief’ for the show, appearing to emulate Tom Delonge on stage. At least it made the kids laugh. Putting all cynicism aside, the band finished with Five Colours in Her Hair, much to the delight of the crowd, which was a nice display of showmanship from the foursome.

Taking a break in order to regain hearing led me to Children Collide. It must be noted that due to the atmosphere of the festival, alcohol was not offered to anyone, with bands backstage drinking water or soft-drink. This showed how calm and collected the guys really are, with the trio joking with their manager and goofing around seconds before they were to hit the stage. The boys played a similar setlist to recent shows, which is still missing Marie Marie pt. 2. When asked about the possible inclusion of the song, front man Johnny Mackay responded that ‘We tried it at the Big Day Out and it didn’t really seem to work…we may give it a shot, but probably not’. A shame really. Guess any fan who wants to hear the song will have to cross their fingers and make their way to a headlining gig where they’ll get longer than 30 minutes stage time. Opening with We are Amphibious and closing with Fire Engine the band displayed one of the most energetic sets of the day, and for once, seemed to be the only band who all wore footwear. The small stage seemed to test them, with Johnny nearly knocking Heath in the head with his guitar during Fire Engine. Social Currency was crowd favourite, as always, providing some rad lyrics with one of the catchiest guitar riffs going around.

Something with Numbers were to finish the day off for me, and coming from someone who was not a previous fan of the band, I was pleasantly surprised with what I witnessed. Wasting no time in opening with Last time, and quickly continuing into Apple of the Eye the band showed why they have been known for putting on an amazing live show. We’ll fight slowed down the dancing and brought out the acoustic guitar, providing a rest and a sing-a-long for the crowd. Unfortunately the band was told to wrap things up with four songs left on the setlist, so cutting out many crowd favourites, finished with Bright Eyes. No one displayed any anger of the cutting of as they were blown away by a solid performance.

Looking back on the festival, it is incredible that we are able to host an event with some of Australia’s greatest acts (and don’t forget McFly), at a venue that turned out to be a fantastic, laid back location, for about the same price to see a local act. Pushover took away all the commercialism that has plagued many festivals before it, and instead focussed solely on the music. This created a great day for all, and really showed that it doesn’t matter who you’re there to see- if it’s to dance to the Cassette Kids, rock out to Children Collide or jump to McFly, we were all there for one thing. To share the love and passion of music.

CHECK OUT THE AMAZING PHOTOS OF THE DAY HERE