Corinbank Festival @ CorinForest, Canberra(26-28/2/2010)

Tue 2nd Mar, 2010 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT OUR AMAZING PICS FROM THE WEEKEND HERE! AND HERE!

For the third year running the picturesque Corin Forest hosted a music festival unlike any other, with top Australian artists like You Am I, Ash Grunwald, Clare Bowditch and Urthboy, as well as a myriad of local Canberrans. But Corinbank is about more than just the music. It’s heavily eco-conscious, family friendly, full of creativity and art, more than just a festival, Corinbank is a community.

Corinbank commenced early evening on the Friday with a Welcome to Country by Ngunnawal elder Aunty Agnes, and indigenous dance, music and stories by Peter Swain, Uncle Jadamarra Wall & Jambles. Aunty Agnes said in her address that the ‘ Corinbank festival follows in our tradition of song and dance ’, and it was perfect to start the festival in this way. From then on, acts at the festival were predominately spread across two venues – the Billy Billy/main stage and the Gibraltar Grove stage. There was also smaller spaces like The Bally (mainly circus and performance artists) and the Orroral, which hosted everything from poetry slams to a short film festival to a blackboard open stage. That said, a performance could happen almost anywhere – The Cashews played a lovely unscheduled ‘guerilla’ set on a floating platform of wood on the lake!

Some highlights from the first evening were Funkier Than Alice in the Bally – a bitingly witty performance from four very lovely ladies singing cabaret/a capella style, A Good Bra Is A Girl’s Best Friend was both hilarious and factual. The Gibraltor Grove had a big turn-out for Dub Dub Goose, since their recent album launch of The Goose Is Loose the band is getting a lot of attention, and for very good reason! Bands on the Billy Billy went on late into the night with Tijuana Cartel, who manage to combine flamenco with electronica and pull it off with unbelievable flair and pulsating bass beats, and a dance set from Murph topping off the night.

Day Two was the biggest of Corinbank as the Creative Camps were open for business. Basically, a discounted ticket was offered to those who set up and ran activities – this could be anything from body art, a book swap, yarn bombing (knitted grafiti), massages, twister, friendship bracelets, even plain ol’ advice – the list goes on and on. There was also Green Kulture, a collection of stalls about the environment, with everything from solar ovens to information on climate change and ecology. The festival is about leaving no trace but footprints, and there were composting loos and recycle and compost bins around the site. Corinbank hasn’t won sustainability awards for nothing.

Corinbank Collaborations was something new this year, and kicked off Saturday’s performances. It involved bringing together different aspects of the festival – Dub Dub Goose played while ImproACT told a story and the circus performers wowed with their tricks. While that was going on, kids and adults alike were painting with their feet on canvas in vegetable based paint!

The afternoon brought great performances from Canberra boys Starfish Hill and the Missing Lincolns at Billy Billy and Drew Walky on Gibraltor Grove, who set kids stories like Yertle the Turtle and Mulberry Street to music – a really special highlight. The sun was beginning to set and Urthboy took to the stage, drawing the largest crowd of the day who were dancing like maniacs to hits like Hellsong and We Get Around.

Next was Ash Grunwold, who sang to ‘_stop taking life so serious_!’, not that anyone needed telling, Corinbank was pretty relaxed. He played an extra long set, as the crowd just kept wanting more. Dallas Frasca continued the fun loving vibe before Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants finished off a great day with their eclectic sound – everything from cabaret to punk was within their repertoire – they were well worth staying awake for!

The final day of Corinbank dawned grey and rainy, but was clearing up by the time the first event began – pixie bikes. A group called Rat Patrol Oz sectioned off the area in front of Billy Billy stage, and festival goers watched as they climbed onto rickety pixie bikes and jousted. Go look through the pics, it really needs to be seen to be believed. Another thing thats worth getting a visual on is the Fashion Police, a group of women dressed to the nines issuing fines to Corinbankers for DUI – Dressing Under the Influence. Fair enough.

Before long the day was coming to an end, and Pete Wild and the Only Ones finished up Corinbank on the Gibraltar Grove. His music was at points funny and melancholy, and was a perfect finish to a weekend of performances on the grass.

Once the Gibraltar Grove was done, it was full steam ahead for the main acts on the Billy Billy. Clare Bowditch took to the stage to play both some old songs and some new songs. The skies opened up and poured down, but loyal fans danced through the tiny tempest. She has real presence onstage, friendly, funny, fiery! She announced the name of her upcoming album Modern Day Addiction which from the sounds of it will be a cracker. Bowditch also put in a good word for You Am I, who were up to close the festival: ‘_we all get a bit weak in the knees when Tim Rogers is in the house, don’t we ladies…’_ That may be true, but the women had to be patient as next came the closing of Corinbank, a few speeches and a performance from the 2010 Corinbank Choir.

Finally it was time for headlining act, You Am I. Frontman Tim Rogers could teach lessons in being a rock star. Clad in a white suit jacket with no shirt (which he removed later to loud applause), he and the band rocked the forest, and every word that came out of his mouth (minus the expletives, that is) was just so quotable. From threatening Clare Bowditch if she got any prettier, thanking God AND Satan and encouraging people to go to local Canberra venues – wherever they are – You Am I was incredibly entertaining, and it’s no wonder they’ve been a staple of the Aussie rock scene for over 20 years.

One last ringing chord and Corinbank 2010 was over. It’s an incredible festival in so many ways, especially for one so relatively new. There was plenty of young kids running around who will hopefully be able to grow up with Corinbank, coming back year after year for the music, the art, the performances, the sustainability, the chai and most of all, the people. I know I will be.

CHECK OUT OUR AMAZING PICS FROM THE WEEKEND HERE! AND HERE!