Heaps Good Festival
Adelaide Showground
Friday 6 January 2023
Review by Pearl Tizzie
It may have been a while but we are starting to see some great festivals come back to South Australia. While sometimes Adelaide can miss out on national tours, festivals such as Heaps Good are a surefire way to see multiple bands in the same place on the one day. Heaps Good was a full day of great bands and acts over two stages spread over the Adelaide Showgrounds. Providing you remember to reapply your sunscreen, stay hydrated, and to have your transport organised you are guaranteed a day to remember.
Northern Territory and Queensland band King Stingray brought the energy to the Eucalyptus stage on the oval. After releasing their self-titled debut album, the band announced their mission statement – “to open the eyes of a nation while simultaneously rocking its socks off”, and they definitely did. Their rock beats and punk surf style rhythms got the afternoon going and the crowd moving. High energy didgeridoo, (light up) clapping sticks, and sweet dance moves complemented the rock band styles. Their wishes for a new year were a great way to bring in 2023. Check them out here https://www.kingstingrayofficial.com/listen
At the Bottlebrush stage in the Pavillion Subjoi brought new wave dance tracks and bass. For those of you old enough to remember the Boiler Room, this would have been for you. Born in Poland but based in Adelaide, Subjoi is a mysterious young producer. Check Subjoi out here: https://soundcloud.com/subjoi
Back on the Eucalyptus stage G Flip gave the energetic performance you would expect of the Australian singer. Their heavy dance disco pop was the right kind of energy. G Flip definitely has some lungs and musical prowess, delivering a top notch performance of Amy Weinhouse’s Valerie, which is no mean feat. The set also included epic rock ballads showing the diversity of this artist. The musicians certainly delivered. Hits such as Gay For Me got the crowd going with their catchy hooks. Definitely someone to add to your playlists if they’re not there already. Check out G Flip here https://www.gflipmusic.com
Another artist who started their musical journey on the drums (see G Flip) Jamie xx had the Bottlebrush stage pumping. The artist’s respect for dance music to move bodies and hearts was in full show as they created an atmosphere that was simultaneously engaging and euphoric. Rather than getting lost in the music you got lost with the music. Another crowd pleaser, check out Jamie xx here: https://www.jamiexx.com
Ocean Alley upped the heat on the Eucalyptus stage with their Northern Beaches psychedelic surf rock. For such a large space (by Adelaide’s standards) – the stage covered the whole oval which by this time of day was filled to the edges – and pumped out a big clear sound. Following their run of tours and release of album ‘Lonely Diamond’ in 2020, their familiar songs driven by key guitar and keys cut through. Another band who had the whole crowd singing along. Check them out here: https://oceanalley.com.au
Chvrches brought their iconic Scottish indie pop/electronica sounds, and showed some of the best crowd engagement of the night, clearly enjoying their performance and time in Adelaide. As expected lead singer Lauren Mayberry stole the show with soulful, but powerful vocals, high energy dance moves, and a costume change. They provided some of their greatest hits from their earlier work Every Open Eye, with new songs from their latest studio album Screen Violence. Great to see live, and the perfect songs to save to your library for your next road trip. https://chvrch.es
The headliner of the festival, Artic Monkeys, took over the Eucalyptus stage. With incredible graphics on the screens (thank goodness – with such a full oval, it is nice to see as well as hear and feel, but I’m indulgent), their guitar driven indie rock captivated the festival. Hits such as Crying Lightning, I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor and Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? had the crowd calling for more.
All-in-all a great day out, and hopefully we see more from these event organisers.
8/10
Check out Heaps Good here:
https://www.facebook.com/heapsgoodfest
https://www.instagram.com/heapsgoodfest/
https://www.snapchat.com/add/heapsgoodfest
https://www.tiktok.com/@heapsgoodfest
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