The concept of a music festival the day after the biggest global celebration, New Years Eve, seems flawed from the get go. But the crowd and energy tell a very different story. Festival boys are wearing deep, deep v-neck singlets matched with beards and bucket hats, every other girl is either in a black trilby hat or a bra-less midriff, and everyone is there for a good time.
The sun blazes over the CBD skyline and while a few festival goers are scattered across the grass, almost everyone else is heaving in a mosh pit to Peking Duk. The two could command the crowd simply with their hit song 'High', but they demand crowd involvement to a very wiling audience. Their a remix of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ has even the most parched punter involved.
Halfway through, they stop everything and declare this will be the last time they play 'Sandstorm'. They harness the energy of the thousands of heaving bodies and the crowd literally explodes. Over on the The Island, hip hop supergroup One Day are absolutely shredding the set, albeit to a handful of devoted fans.
Despite the boys creating a uniquely Australian record Mainline, the crowd doesn't seem like it knows how to reciprocate. Peking Duk hold the monopoly and their celebrated (hometown, even!) Aussie hip-hop seems homeless in the EDM dominated line-up. It doesn’t seem fair to pit the two bands against each other in a Hunger Games style competition... but that’s the nature of festivals.
RÜFÜS take the reigns from Peking Duk and sadly fall short for me. RÜFÜS’ music is more than album, it’s a vibe - but today it felt disrupted. Minimal crowd interaction and pauses in-between each song brake the flow and stall. Their hit "Take Me" brings everyone together, but only for a few minutes. Darryl Kerrigan’s phrase from the movie The Castle springs to mind as ‘it’s all about the vibe’ but today it feels lost for the boys.
Bastille are an unlikely addition in the line-up but found a way and make it their own. They capture the crowd with an unusual mash-up of "Angles" by The XX and "No Scrubs" by TLC. It’s weird and slow but they hit the flow. Sunlight and glamour fades as the even best dressed discount their experience by scouring for empty cans to swap for a dollar off a vodka.
The night carries on and SBTRKT roll in with their genre fused dub-step house. Their set is strong but they’re out of sync with a weary crowd. Those with the initiative find their own grove, doing so in smaller pockets at the back of the crowd.
Overwhelmingly though, people are restless and dependent on the DJ’s to provide them with energy they can’t muster themselves. One by one, the crowd move to The Island and most are now waiting for Alt-J.
Regardless of their a subdued stage presence, the music is sensual and flawless as their grooves weaved in, out and around the crowd, jumping between tracks off their two critically acclaimed albums. The songs take on a life of their own and the crowd drinks in every drop with delight. Of course, set closer "Breezeblocks" has everyone grinning from ear to ear - not to mention shouting with pleasure.
Those that aren’t raptured by the brit band, however, have moved to the Centre Field where Dillion Francis is hitting a home run in his full blown electronic flow. He closes the festival in a hyper coloured climax, with a brilliant and blinding light show. Like a musical genie, he grants the goers their final wish, heralding in the new year, closing the wonderful, delightful and intoxicating potpourri of musical entertainment that is Field Day, for another year.
All photos by Johnny Au. See more of his gallery HERE and HERE.
