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Emma Smith

Groovin the Moo @ The Meadows,University of Canberra(09/05/10)

Mon 10th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Music fans took an afternoon out of what would otherwise be a usual Mothers Day flocking to the inaugural Groovin the Moo festival on the fields of University of Canberra.

On arrival, the smell of redbull was in the air, with two stage areas and three stages in total, energy was something you were going to need. Lines into the festival weren’t excessive, showing the GTM organising committee had learnt a thing or two from their recent mistakes.

Getting there a little late, I was greeted by Jonathan Boulet’s drums on the Moolin Rouge stage, which was positioned right next to the entry gate. The crowd at front of stage was erupting into a bouncing frenzy, which to Boulet was a surprise, given it was only lunch time and he was the second act on that stage for the day. Usually it takes all day for that kind of enthusiasm, not for GTM and definitely not for Canberra!

Wandering down the hill to the two main stages, presented by Triple J and Myspace, there was a really good contrast between acts. From Australian hiphop sensation Muph and Plutonic to rockers Kisschasy, songbird Lisa Mitchell to British India, there really was something for everyone.

While Lisa Mitchell was breaking hearts on the Triple J stage, I seized the opportunity to head back up to the Moolin Rouge stage for some Killaqueenz. WOW! They were fantastic. The energy these gals had on stage was infectious. The crowd loved every bit of their set and were left wanting more.

Off I went again to the main stages where I would stay for the rest of the evening – you really just could not pull yourself away from there.

This area was full of entertainment – including off the stage. As the bar area was contained in the middle, some people found it a new festival sport to jump the two fences that parted the areas without getting crash tackled by the over zealous security pack. Someone even tried the art of rolling under the fence but only got half way due to the slow nature of his rolling style and the beefcake guard that had decided to wait in his path.

British India rocked the roof off the Myspace stage, including a Nirvana cover which went down well with the punters. Front man Declan Melia announced Lithium mid-song saying, “Sorry to those who are too young to know this song – you should know it. Your parents should educate you at a young age”, well said.

Next up Miami Horror graced the Triple J stage. And to everyone’s horror (and excitement), the lead vocalist, Josh Moriarty, scaled the scaffolding some 30 feet and while hanging by one hand continued to sing, all the while not skipping a beat!

Now if I remember rightly this is when the sun started to set and the big freeze started to creep up on us. If you so happened to be one of the people in the bar area all day and had drunken yourself a nice warm coat you might disagree that it was so cold.

Cannucks Tegan and Sara were crowd favourites, especially with the 15 year old girls, and marked the start of the ‘Top 5’ headline acts for the night. With their mix of acoustic and electro pop, their set was really engaging and different. An acoustic version of Back In Your Head was a highlight with some youngster’s overheard saying, “I don’t know this song” perhaps they should spend the cash on the lovely ladies first album.

Boyfriends got their own back when it was time for festival stalwarts Grinspoon to take to the stage. After playing a brilliant set a month ago at the Hellenic Club, Phil Jamieson’s stage presence never seems to waiver and the band never disappoints. The boys pulled out all the tried and true favourites, clearly aware we like their old stuff better than their new stuff.

Marking the start of Empire of the Sun’s set, mesmerising graphics were played on the large screen backdrop. The stage show for this act is second to none for the day. Dancers, costumes, graphics, oh and then there is the ever-so-enthralling music of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore – or do we just say Luke Steele these days? The crowd mainly watched in amazement as the swordfish dancers came out with their contorted style and exhausting movements.

Vampire Weekend had to follow that, oh and did they ever. Their stage décor consisted of chandeliers and a rather large picture of a creepy looking girl, whose eyes would light up on occasion through the stage fog. A sound reminiscent of Paul Simon at moments, their set list captivated the audience.

Last but not least, Silverchair. We all knew they were going to be brilliant and had been waiting all night to see Daniel Johns take to the mic. Playing old and new and the ‘fresh from the songbook’, it was a ride all true fans love to take. Contrary to other comments, we have to remember that artists like Daniel Johns love to experiment and evolve their sound. The evidence is there in black and white and technicolour with Silverchair’s repertoire. No true fan would expect a full set of old works. They want something new and Johns gave that to us. The evolution from Young Modern to Sunday’s debuted works shows that Silverchair will be around for a lot longer.

We must thank Groovin the Moo for bringing their festival to the nations capital and hope that this will be the start to a very long and exciting friendship!

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