After a stormed out Saturday afternoon in which festival goers were told to shelter in place while the festival was on hold, or for those entering the festival to hold off on arriving, the storm cell settled enough for Saturday night to go ahead.
Fortunately for Sunday festival goers, the odd shower of rain was the only weather hazard to deal with and the day went ahead as planned. For those with two days passes, some extra sets for artists who missed out on their times during the pause on Saturday didn’t make their way to any of the three stages.
Hats off to those artists who managed to put on a show at an Adelaide bricks and mortar venue on the side to make up for fans who had missed out. Perhaps we should have more festivals using the venues already in Adelaide…
But here we are, day 2. For now the skies are sunny and the day starts off with relatively good sound. Plenty to see around the festival grounds with Little Harvest for the not yet adults, the Cellar Door for those keen for a drop, Truck Town and the Amuse-Bouche stage for food lovers or those warding off a hangover from yesterday’s festival.
Walking through the festival greeted by the giant cherries and then following the Womad’esque flags from which there seems to be clear inspiration, it seems like there just might be enough food stalls and toilets to prevent a day of expensive lining up.
Folk Bitch Trio at the Harvest stage was a notable performance with their Australian folk/folk rock and sincere and edgy modern storytelling. The layers of harmonies and guitars create a powerful and engaging sound with a positive and uplifting feel without the sickly sweetness that can leave you looking for a salty palate cleanser. Folk Bitch Trio leave you wanting no more with their clean and present sound cutting through without heavily manipulated vocals or guitar effects. A refreshing and must see act. You can see why they have three 2025 ARIA Award nominations. Check out their album ‘Now Would Be a Good Time’ released in July this year.
Back across to yesterday’s mud to the Vine Stage for Velvet Trip. Their quietly groovy synth pop sounds cut through the air more than this stage seemed to yesterday, maybe it is the lack of rain or less humidity in the air. Velvet Trip back a pretty big sound for a four piece of guitar, bass, synth and drums, but they are renowned for their vibrant psych-rock shows and innovative sound.
After flying in from Sydney today you wouldn’t know it from their appropriately energetic performance. Playing to a modest crowd which is normal for the time of day, most of the audience cheered when the band asked if they had heard of Velvet Trip before. Perhaps releasing two albums in 2025 (Fr3o and Glimmers) and as well as a single (The Bends) and another album (Harmony Blooms) and single (Calling Out Your Name) in 2024 has built up the following. Playing their brand new song Let Go, the hint of reggae feel of this song got the crowd moving and locked in with the big synth hook. One of the things this act does well is mixing up their songs while keeping their sound and giving an opportunity for each instrument to really shine – a balance that some acts find a hard line to walk. The only thing this act could possibly have is a smooth brass section, if you are listening if you did this for a one off I would totally be there. Velvet Trip finished the set with ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ , a relatable track.
These short half hour sets at this time of day, and much later through the day than usual, get your steps up, but it gets more artists in so that’s nice.
The stadium entrance of Julia Cole into her track Country Sugar set the taste for this set. With such a country sounding voice and tasseled sleeves there is no mistaking where Cole stands in terms of her sound. For only drums and guitar on stage, and occasional acoustic guitar, again a big sound for this act. This is the first time in Australia for Julia Cole as she described the album that changed her life. Written after a called off wedding engagement, Cole explains that each track is a story in going through this process, marked by the third song ‘Diamond back’. People talk about the blender in music as a reference for how mixed up the words are from the actual meaning. Julia has the blender on one and says exactly what her lyrics mean. Julia tells the classic story of heartbreak and family and shares experiences like playing the Grand Ole Opry in her Pop’s shirt. The hit of the set was Day Late and a Buck Short, the title track of her 2025 EP.
Annua Lunoe provided some daytime DJ vibes which could be enjoyed among the roses in the Cellar Door reminds you why Harvest Rock is called ‘Harvest’ Rock. Anna’s beautifully named album was released in 2024 with a Deluxe Edition of Pearl in 2025. Anna has played major sets at Coachella and Splendour in the Grass with her high energy electronic pop.
Scooting back over to the Harvest stage Drew Baldridge shared his old school Americana country values. The crowd leaned into learning the chorus of Tough People. The band is tight and the piano lines are nice. Drew shared his story of doing it rough before a track became viral overnight. She’s Somebody’s Daughter is the first independent song to go to number one. Again with the modern country pop vibes (the theme of the day is electronic or country which makes for an interesting mix of crowd) but big instrumental endings complemented the storytelling.
The Dreggs showed up with their chilled afternoon set of indie folk. The set built up towards the end with powerful ballads and beautiful vocal harmonies.
Over to the Amuse-Bougie stage to watch a sandwich making competition judged by Nat’s What I Reckon. After missing his set on Saturday due to the weather, this was an opportunity to see him in action, although it was rather short. Sandwiches were made and tasted, and then blended and drank.
Sneaky Sound System have been taking up stages since 2001 with their Big Day Out Boiler Room vibes. Their song UFO was a great hit with the audience and brought back memories for the oldies in the crowd.
Back to some soulful pop with Ruel who shared some of his hits on the Harvest Stage. With over three billion total streams and as the youngest artist to sell out the Sydney Opera house he had a cult following.
Back to the food zone for Wax v Wok where Groove Terminator DJed for the making of a stirfry by Chef Benjamin Cooper. If Sneaky Sound system didn’t bring back boiler room memories then GT sure did. Benjamin shared some great analogies of cooking and music – describing the effect of heating oil on the palette, which was entertaining given the visuals from the camera angle left much to be desired.
The Groove Armada logo is etched into my brain from years of Big Day Out going. Playing their hit Superstylin in the middle of their set was a highlight, although for some reason some more volume on this stage would have been nice. With three Grammy nominations, one Brit Award nomination, and five top 40 albums in Australia Groove Armada know what they are doing and this set was no exception.
The powerful vocals of Lauren Spencer Smith could be heard on the other side of the festival drawing floods of people from across the grounds. Lauren’s soul ballad fusion and epic ballads brought up the energy heading into the Sunday evening.
Shaboozy is a trail blazer paving the way in country hip-hop as a five times Grammy nominated artist and with his song A Bar Song (Tipsy) holding the Billboard record for most weeks at No 1 alongside Old Town Road. As the rain drips down again for the tenth time this festival, Shaboozy comments that this is what his music is about – being patient for the weather and holding out for things to get better. Before asking the crowd to ‘put their shooters (gesture) up’ he spoiled the crowd with a version of Knocking on Heaven’s Door. Soon providing encouraging words with his wholesome positive spirit before launching into his hit Good News with 125 m listens on a specific music streaming platform.
The BLT Podcast hosted a game of guessing ‘who said it’ Jelly Roll or Luke Kidgell which was pretty amusing and a clever play on some Australianisms.
Groove Terminator is back and welcomes everyone to Ministry of Sound Classical. The orchestra set up on stage induced a pensive audience as they braced for what was about to happen. Treasured pop and dance bangers were treated with a classical twist sharing the extra power and emotion of the orchestra. A highlight of the festival was the last dance moment for the day, and while early for a festival it is a Sunday night.
And finally Jelly Roll, the moment that the cowboy and denim wearing folks had been holding out for. Walking on to a dramatic musical number packed with drum rolls and a big drop the drama continued throughout the set with emotional, hyped and appreciative banter. With such a sweet voice you can’t keep your eyes and ears away. This is the first time in Adelaide for Jelly Roll and he shared his hits such as Liar, Son of Sinner, and I am Not Okay. Mid-set the band treated the crowd to a sample of the godly gospel vocals of the BVs and a cover of Australian Artist Keith Urban’s Somebody Like You. If you thought that wasn’t Aussie enough, throw in a couple of Aussie Ausssie Aussies and a cover of Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (to which the crowd responded across the whole parkland with the expected reply to this song) and she’ll be right mate. An epic hour and fifteen minute set included a reappearance from Shaboozy for their duet Amen. When singing Take Me Home Country Road it seemed a genuine moment when Jelly looked up to the crowd singing along ‘do you know this song?’. Asking the audience for a favour and breaking into a version of Loose Control by Teddy Swims was surmounted by the appearance of the actual Teddy Swims who is in Adelaide for his show at the Entrainment Centre on Monday 27 October. Towards the end of a set, Son of Sinner (number one on country radio) and Bloodline excerpts of many pop songs including Wake Me Up, Sweet Home Alabama, Party Up in Here, and Flowers, Jelly Roll was clearly having fun with the set, or here to please, or both.
Overall not a bad festival, storms excused.
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