5 Things We Learned At Mountain Sounds Festival
The initial buzz surrounding the grounds made it evident that Mountain Sounds Festival had been anticipated for quite some time.
The initial buzz surrounding the grounds made it evident that Mountain Sounds Festival had been anticipated for quite some time.
Revellers lounged about on bohemian couches and bales of hay that were strewn around as the beating sun made those ciders taste even sweeter. This was to be the start of one of the most musically diverse days of the excited crowd's life.
Boasting some of our most talented home grown acts such as WORLD'S END PRESS, Bang Gang alumni BENI, and the coveted BALL PARK MUSIC to name a few - here are the five things we learnt while attending Mountain Sounds Festival.
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1. CENTRAL COAST BANDS ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
If you could picture a musical kaleidoscope of genres, then you can picture the vibe of some of the local bands. From the subtle tones of the opening act at The Flag Stage, THE GREASE ARRESTOR, who offered gripping guitar work and soft choral vocals to crazed crustacean toting TROPICAL ZOMBIE who careened through their set in head to toe hawaiian garb as they toyed with cheeky percussion work and surf rock vocals.
Then you have THE LAZYS. With a tidy mix of danger and excessive energy, this outfit knew how to not only put on a show, but leave you as if you had just been assaulted by them - and you liked it. Gritty vocals and frenetic guitar work that took place on top of a large cooler fridge opposite the stage as Matt (the guitarist) shredded into the stormy afternoon air. Like a scene from a 1980s film clip, thunder and lightning crashed behind him as the crowd looked on in awe at the pure spectacle.
2. THE DJ SETS WERE DOMINATING.
Ultimate party animals WORDLIFE were the first to inspire the punters to disassemble the hay stacks and make extremely coarse confetti out of them. With thumping beats and samples worthy of a pleasure groan, Wordlife turned their early set into the standard of the day... wild.
Young buck ROOF made R & B his bitch, just like he did at the Mountain Sounds Festival launch party, while BENI showed the crowd the why Bang Gang are still alive and well. He mixed the most decadent of techno such as LIGHT YEAR's 'Moderation', which turned the crowd from extremely excited to a pounding party. SOFTWAR vs. SLOWBLOW took place at the Club Mod stage.
Surrounded by a hollowed out shipping container filled with couches and sparkly lights, this stage contained some of the best Modular artists. However, this battle between producers would be one of the most anticipated of the night. Taking place inside a retro bus plastered with grafitti, Softwar vs Slowblow would turn out to be boastful, powerful and crisp.
3. THE FESTIVAL GROUNDS WERE ONE OF A KIND.
As you walked through the rainbow archway of the entrance, you were greeted to a rolling field set amongst some of the most beautiful scrub the Central Coast has to offer. The VIP Teepee shaded the steamy revellers while the Moon and Fire stages stood side by side, offering a mix of timed electronica and rock & roll. As you made your way past colourful market stalls selling everything this reviewer needs.
From exquisite leather garments (I bought a skirt from MAID the label) and delicious Gozleme, all the boxes were checked. To the left was a tunnel of wonder plastered with graffiti which led you to Club Mod and as you walked towards the back of the festival The Flag stage was accompanied by live artists who displayed their talent upon blank canvases, creating a makeshift gallery before your very eyes. Coupled with storm clouds that seemed to pass with the setting sun peeking through, the scene could only be described as magical.
4. JESUS EVEN TURNED UP.
What can we say? The punters knew how to grab our attention. Wild outfits seemed to be the dress code from gangs of Leprechauns to Native Americans, the crowd had every kind of costume imaginable. Jesus Christ himself even turned up in traditional garb and took to using hay bales as his platform to preach to thousands of his disciples. SNAKADAKTAL performed their second last show before their breakup, and although the punters didn't know it then, the devotion to the band was clear.
The crowd knew how to enjoy a good party, and Mountain Sounds Festival would be no exception. With little to no incidents, the crowd came together as one to enjoy the final act, Ball Park Music and sing in unison to 'Surrender' from their second album, 'Museum', as the night air slowly creeped in to conclude the festival.
5. WE CAN'T WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR
If the first ever Mountain Sounds Festival is anything to go by, next year will be even better. The intimacy of a boutique festival could be the future of live music, and this event was something to be reckoned with. A small escape from the bustle of Sydney and only an hour and a half away, Mountain Sounds Festival turned out to be a day filled with delight, dancing, and the ultimate antidote to Autumn. Now to try and get the hay out of my hair...
Words by Jess Holton
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