Groovin the Moo
Wayville Showgrounds
Friday, April 28, 2017
Words by Tiahni Adamson
A sold out crowd of 17,000 young, glittery, festival fans filled Wayville Showgrounds for Groovin the Moo last Friday. Local and international talent produced an amazing line up and stallholders alike bustled away to entertain and feed guests.
Groovin the Moo was set with two main stages, Triple J and Cattleyard, a giant bell tent stage, Moolin Rouge and a smaller stage, Hilltown. Makeup and henna artists as well as glitter stalls were available for groovers to beautify themselves, and the ever so promising merch tents were filled to the brim with GTM and individual artists merchandise.
Homegrown Heaps Good Friends, Jesse Davidson and Horror My Friend drew in the early crowds alongside Methyl Ethyl, where fans tried to hide from the morning showers while enjoying their favourite artists. Skies cleared and the sun peeped through the clouds by lunchtime, where rising music queen Amy Shark fashioned an incredible performance in the jam packed Moolin Rouge tent.
Against Me! attracted head-banging rock fans to the Triple J stage, while alternative dance music produced by North East Party House kept others boogying with their party vibe under the Moolin Rouge tent. Lines for the bar reached astronomical waiting times of up to an hour until about 6pm; causing many to miss entire artists while waiting for a cold bevvy to sip on. Thankfully, music goers eventually focused more on the incredible entertainment and less on the booze, which helped to reduce wait times later that evening.
Brighton Metalcore artists (and only metal act on the bill), the Architects, played to an enthusiastic crowd, while others endured a bubbly and empowering performance at the Triple J stage by Montaigne. Montaigne had incredible energy and stage presence, and crowds grew around the main stages in anticipation for The Smith Street Band. Smith Street churned out their top punk rock favourites including ‘Death to the Lads’, ‘Birthdays’ and all-time classic ‘Ducks Fly Together’. Shoulder rides began and a mini circle pit formed mid mosh.
Fans calmed themselves as the altruistic Tash Sultana took the stage and battled out an incredible performance, despite her medical concerns. Tash pleased fans performing solo, with the use of numerous guitars, pedals and entrancing musical wizardry to create mystical, psychedelic soundwaves across the showgrounds.
Hip hop group Thundamentals produced an incredible set over at the Moolin Rouge stage, where fans witnessed a marriage proposal from a member of the crowd to his girlfriend. Back at mainstage, The Jungle Giants lifted the energy of the crowd and turned main stage into a dance arena. ‘Feel the Way I Do’, ‘You’ve Got Something’ and ‘Mr Polite’ had festival goers embracing strangers and fully giving in to the carefree dynamics of GTM. Folk group Milky Chance were next to enter, who enchanted fans with their unique style which mashes all three genres of folk, reggae and jazz into one whirlwind of a set.
PNAU excited groovers with their individualistic dance music, including their latest crowd-pleaser, Chameleon. Groovers cut shaped, danced and sung, however many were disappointed with the use of backing tracks for the vocals. Both the keyboard player and vocalist were too busy filming crowds and themselves than to provide an interactive musical performance. PNAU’s drummer on the other hand, produced an incredible show where he barely rested for the entirety of the set.
Soon followed 80’s style English rock band, The Darkness, who soaked fans in dreamy guitar solos and charmed all with their incredible stage presence. Tight pants, unruly hair and open hairy chests beamed from the main stage as crowds rocked out to the ever so pleasing favourite ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’.
Following The Darkness, another favourite English rockband, The Wombats, took festival goers on a blissful ride. Wombats played a set inclusive of ‘Your Body is a Weapon’ and 2007’s beloved ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’. Some true-blue Wombats fans were disappointed in the choice of songs selected for their set list, which lacked bangers from their cherished album ‘A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation’ including hot hit ‘Kill the Director’.
To close the main stage, Australian grungy rock artists, Violent Soho, rose to take fans on a journey of hard-core, head banging brilliance. Soho fans were quick to create a circle pit where music goers egged one another on, pushing and shoving all set, while tuning into their primal instincts and going absolutely mental during choruses and solos. Much-loved ‘Covered in Chrome’ and ‘Viceroy’ channelled everyone’s inner punk rock fan girl. Soho ended with festival goers sitting on Cloud Nine, where they then dragged their tired legs through the show grounds mud-pit and back to the reality of their regular lives.
GTM pride themselves being all about the journey where fans are encouraged to jump ‘in the car, put on some tunes and head to new place for some exploring and plenty of memory making moments’. Hosting South Australia’s Groovin fest at Wayville Showgrounds was nothing short of disappointing for regular GTM goers. It changed the whole feel of the festival and bought back memories of more mainstream events such as Stereosonic and Future Music Festival. Or perhaps even a mini Big Day Out feel. The day was still thoroughly enjoyable for all, however missed its exclusivity from being at a commonly used, non-rural venue.
All in all, Groovin the Moo Wayville was an absolute dreamboat of a time. The need for a fun filled festival was accomplished, and friends gathered enough selfies to update their Instagram accounts of ‘Throw back Thursdays’ to dreamier days for months.
We hope the GTM team will reconsider the placement of South Australia’s Groovin the Moo, but will be sure to indulge in another sell-out show regardless in 2018.
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