‘Twas a crisp Friday evening in Sydney’s Domain (part of The Royal Botanic Gardens), and the inaugural Legs 11 Festival, in support of Breast Cancer Research was slowly filling with city-types celebrating the end to another working week. Skyscrapers towered high on one side of the venue; electric blue and cold plate glass against a darkening sky. A cradled moon hung silently above, gazing down upon the festivities. I entered the enclosure to the sweet croons of Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set. Heavily pregnant, Clare was seated in the centre of the stage, acoustic guitar on lap. As she said herself, ‘If I stand up I might GIVE BIRTH.’ The band seemed to be in perfect harmony, peace ‘n love and all that hippy crap, as they played sublime versions of tracks from both debut Autumn Bone and the album that broke the band, What was Left. Yes, there was a lot of love in the room (stage, park…) as Clare thanked partner Marty Browne, on drums, Libby Chow - also pregnant – who provided bewitching french horn and guitar, and bassist Warren Bloomer. Just before the end of her set, a flock of bats swooped and circled overhead, providing a spectacular opening to the night’s festivities.

Bob Evans (a.k.a. Kevin Mitchell, of Jebediah fame) was next to take the stage. He seemed a frail and vulnerable figure, an image which matched his bittersweet, folky-soul tunes. The country-boy honesty of his music is endearing, and seemed best suited to the chilled-out vibe in the park. The standout single Don’t You Think It’s Time? wafted down from the stage, sounding old-fashioned in a charming, lost-innocence kind of way. His music seemed to blend with the atmosphere rather than define it. Little Birdy, by contrast, rocked up the vibe. By this time firmly esconsced in the VIP area, I observed what at first glance appeared to be a microphone-swinging pixie bounce onto the stage. I later realised this creature was the diminutive Katy Steele. It’s refreshing to see she is exploring her vocal range, adding a PJ-Harvey-esque alto injection into her signature songbird squeal. She prowled the stage in red patent pumps, matched fetchingly with ample attitude. The single Come on Come On elicited much crowd appreciation, amongst a surprising list of others. The band seemed to have absorbed into the popular national consciousness with an ease that seems strange considering they are only just onto their second album. With their charismatic frontwoman, melodic guitar, throbbing bass and well-placed electronic snippets, LB sounded like the beginning of summer.

Sarah Blasko, dressed in her signature op-shop-chic, turned out a solid set, her bluesy, heartfelt vocals tumbling into the crowd with ease. She played languid, fluid guitar for much of it, the highlight being her gorgeous cover of Flame Trees (originally by Cold Chisel) which has to go down in the hallowed annuls of ‘Covers better than the original’.

The crowd stood for the Aussie Rock ‘N Roll Royalty that is duo T ‘n T, also known as frontmen Tim Rogers (You Am I) and Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea). Quite a feat considering how many of us were tastefully sloshed. The duo’s own ‘elegantly wasted’ feel went over nicely, especially as they were backed by a dream band – that is, an orchestra. The Sydney Youth Orchestra, to be precise. The pair hammed it up mercilessly, with guitars and without. Without, they were likely to be seen dancing around the stage ballroom-style. They played a selection of tunes from You Am I, The Cruel Sea and Temperance Union’s back-catalogue, and even managed to squeeze in one or two of their own original creations. The crowd were no doubt much more relaxed than at one of the duo’s sweaty club shows, but were appreciative nonetheless. As we poured out into the waiting night (and no doubt the city’s waiting bars) there was a collective feeling of satisfaction. The night had been a success – a sizeable crowd had arrived, friends made, disgraceful dance moves executed. Here’s to future Legs festivals!

To view the gallery from the night go here