With a new year, a scorching day and hangover to contend with, it was Chet Faker, who had the chance to soothe the sizeable crowd. Taking the stage with his three piece touring band, it was heartening to see them positioned in a straight line, ensuring all members were given equal importance.
With the addition of a band came an eerie intro track and a far more alternative rock sound. The droning guitar and driving bass underpinned a potential new direction for Chet Faker, erring away from the electro-soul style he is currently known for and played throughout his set solo. When Faker’s (real name Nicholas Murphy) band left the stage, there was a distinct drop in physical presence, but the familiarity of the material more than made up for that, and it appeared the collective hangover was slightly cured by the end of the short set.
Following shortly after, The Preatures enthusiastically encouraged the swarms of people taking shade under the trees lining the outskirts to “get their arses to the front”, which seemed to do achieve little. They proceeded to play a set of somewhat catchy disco-rock numbers without actually offering anything distinctly identifiable or hooky. The biggest giveaway of a lukewarm performance is in the front crowd’s response, and throughout the majority of the set, they were largely stationary and unaffected. It was only the acclaimed “Is This How You Feel?” that brought excitement to the amphitheatre, and was an easy highlight to the otherwise lacklustre set. To top it off, the set ended on a bizarre cover by an unknown band, effectively leaving their audience with the memory of another band.
An impromptu acrobat display broke up the day and provided some respite before the new and improved Big Scary took the main stage. Now sporting two extra members to make up a four piece, their sound was much fuller and diverse. The extra members afforded the group to play with dynamics, and the addition of bass made for some groove-heavy tracks quite unlike the minimalism of their singles. Breakout single “Gladiator” sounded entirely different - for the better - with a far more rock approach. All in all, the transition from studio to stage was seamless and an overall impressive set.
A quick glance at the back end of the War On Drugs set was enough to gauge their talent. Despite the sparse showing at the Forest stage, the bearded troubadour and his band took their audience on a spacey Americana journey, rife with rich textures and affable melodies.
A late afternoon highlight was found in Bonobo, as Simon Green’s downtempo tunes helped the sun below the tree line. Opening with an extended rendition of “Cirrus”, it became immediately apparent that the crowd was going to be somewhere between ecstatic and blissful - not knowing whether to dance or sway. The textures ranged from serene to throbbing, making for a diverse and highly engaging set. Sticking largely to material from The North Borders and Black Sands, the four piece band engaged the crowd well, particularly when their guest vocalist took the stage. Such was the point of the front crowd’s enjoyment, that a spontaneous line dancing flash mob snowballed midway through the set, easily reaching 300 people.
Shortly thereafter, Grizzly Bear opened flawlessly with “Speak in Rounds” from their most recent album, Shields. Having brought in a fifth touring member for keyboard duties, their sound was fuller than on previous outings to Australia. True to reputation, their three and four piece harmonies were faultless, and their musicianship awe-inspiring. Strobe lights complemented chaos, shadows inspired intrigue, and the Grizzly Bear machine was in full swing. Chris Taylor’s multi-instrumental showing was particularly impressive, switching between bass, clarinet, flute and saxophone. The irrepressibly catchy “Two Weeks” was an unsurprising crowd-pleaser, while the swelling, expansive “Sun In Your Eyes” was a compelling conclusion to the set.
!!! (ChkChkChk) played one of the more amusing sets of the entire festival, with their energetic dance-punk somewhere between ridiculous and raucous. Frontman Nick Offer looked to be wearing pyjama shorts and a black t shirt, making his absurd, hip thrusting dance moves all the more entertaining. With such a confident and energetic frontman, it was impossible not to be captivated by !!!, and the crowd ate it up accordingly.
The headliner of the second day was Vampire Weekend, who required little to stimulate the crowd into a frenzy. Their twee indie pop has divided critics and listeners alike since their meteoric rise to fame a handful of years ago, but there were thousands of eager punters ready to take it all on. The four piece appeared overtly confident that they had the goods to satisfy every member of the crowd, but it often came across as complacent and lacking energy. However, bassist Chris Baio had his dance moves on full display, making for a visual focal point throughout the 70 minute set.
As can be expected, there was a huge response for all of their singles, particularly from their 2008 self-titled debut album, with tracks like “A-Punk” and “Oxford Comma” garnering roars from the packed amphitheatre. In saying that, there was something a little lacking from the headline act, with their set coming and going without leaving a lasting impression.
