Groovin' The Moo Canberra @University of Canberra,Canberra (8/5/11)

Wed 11th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

For a city that is gradually becoming akin to Melbourne’s four seasons a day, Canberra was pretty well behaved on the morning of Groovin’ The Moo. Crisp and sunny, with not a drop of rain in sight, Mother Nature pulled out pretty perfect festival weather. Obviously, this was a sign to some that proper clothing was optional, and it wasn’t long before games of ‘who can spot the most Ke$ha-like outfit?’ were pretty easy to play. The 16-plus age limit meant that Justin Bieber haircuts and Supre crop-tops were rife and consequently, one started to feel like a bit of an old fogey, trying to join in with all the young things. However, weather and outfits were mere sub-plots, with the real star as always, being the music.

The early morning belonged to the locals, with energetic kids-about-town Fun Machine and the loud-and-proud Raw City Rukus on the Triple J stage and in the Moolin Rouge tent respectively. Continuing this local showcase were the ever-popular Crash the Curb and Unearthed winners The Ellis Collective, whose folksy, acoustic tunes proved a treat for the early-birds.

Elsewhere, Sydney’s The Holidays played a dreamy, happy-go-lucky set that was brought to a close with their blissful single Golden Sky. On the same stage, after changeover tunes by the Ruffneck DJs, the hip-hop flag was flown again with Horrorshow, with a set that was mostly comprised with tracks from 2009’s Inside Story.

Down at The Udder stage an excited crowd had formed for beautiful vocals and intricate melodies of The Jezebels. Their flawless set was highlighted by singles East To Love and Mace Spray, which drew screams of delight from the swooning crowd. By then the lunch-time rush had hit and with it came the only acceptable time to fuel-up on hot dogs, tomato sauce soaked chips and slushies, bringing to mind childhood years spent eating carnie food at the Canberra Show.

Providing mealtime entertainment was Darwin Deez, direct from the U S of A. Their eclectic set was a flurry of hits, samples and synchronised dancing, wrapped up with dance floor filler Radar Detector. Over on the other side, The Moolin Rouge tent was pulsing with disco, electro and house, courtesy of Sampology and Dr Don Don, with Norway’s Datarock keeping the beat on the main stage. Later on, Brighton-based The Go! Team kept the crowd in the tent hyped, with their brand of experimental pop-rock. As the afternoon chill set in, songbird Washington took to the stage, her delicate strains of piano-backed pop wafting over the mellow crowd. Her set was polished perfection, with renditions of hits Sunday Best and How To Tame Lions cementing her reputation as one of our most talented singer-songwriters.

Next to hit the stage were throwback kings House of Pain. An antitheses to the previous performance, House of Pain were all swagger and quick-lyrics, revving the crowd into a frenzy. Their iconic ‘92 hit Jump Around resulted in mass hysteria. Obviously when House of Pain say jump we ask how high, with the massive crowd jumping in unison, which was a pretty impressive visual.

A quick dash to the tent later, and Architecture in Helsinki were starting up their much-anticipated set. The Melbournites delighted the massive crowd with banter and witty quips, their cool-kid status evident. Their set was a rollcall of hits, with Hold Music and That Beep drawing screams of joy from the crowd. Ending their set with latest single Contact High, the band left the stage to catcalls, whistles and demands for an encore. Architecture were followed by Canberra superstars The Aston Shuffle, who filled the next forty minutes with mixes of club-hits and tracks off their debut album Seventeen Past Midnight.

But then the standard Canberra cold had set in, and the only option was to warm up by losing yourself in a moshpit. Gyroscope provided the perfect reason to do this. After doing the rounds for more than ten years, Gyroscope have the stage presence that you only find in seasoned performers, playing hits and interacting with the crowd with a casual ease.

Brooklyn hipsters The Drums followed and their eclectic list of influences was evident in their clearly defined, unique sound. Their tight-and-bright tunes encouraged dancing, and by the time they played Let’s Go Surfing there was no chance that anybody was standing still.

After Triple J’s Nina Las Vegas hit the decks, festival regulars Art vs. Science played a show full of old and new favourites, while the Triple J stage hosted the smooth sounds of Gotye.

From then on it was non-stop superstar action. While AC Slater warmed things up in the tent, Birds of Tokyo played to what can only be called an absolute crush of fans. Every track they played was met with cheers and fan-girl like squeals. Finishing up a stellar set with sing-along-favourite Silhouettic, there was absolutely no doubt that Birds of Tokyo are certified Aussie rockstars.

When waiting for a band to come on even the smallest amount of time seems like forever, and the relatively short wait before The Wombats were no different. Obviously the band most people were looking forward to the most, they were met by the deafening roar of an adoring crowd. Hit after hit was played, the most well received being Kill the Director, Backfire at The Disco and the recent Jump Into The Fog. In between songs, the Liverpool lads chatted to the crowd, all charm and disarm with the accents to boot. They finished with Let’s Dance To Joy Division and true to its form, it got everybody dancing. Here’s hoping it’s not long before The Wombats grace our shores again.

Bringing things to a close in the tent were the trip-hopping Unkle and Drapht, whose flow and lyricism delighted hip-hop fans. Outside, the hip-hop continued with Bliss N Eso, whose rowdy, loyal fans swayed, pushed and jumped in an effort to get closer to their idols. No strangers to the festival circuit, Bliss worked the crowd to a tee, knowing exactly which buttons to push to rev up the crowd.

Things were wrapped up with old favourites Cut Copy, who played past smash hits and newer tracks of the latest album Zonoscope to a crowd who just didn’t want the night to end. But sadly it did, and although tired, and cold it was no doubt that the departing punters had had the time of their lives.

Even though Canberrans may take offence at being called regional, there’s no doubt that we’re all pretty glad that Groovin’ The Moo decided to put us on their map.