GROOVIN THE MOO 2022
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Maitland Showground
IN the same manner that sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it derives from a particular French province, it's widely accepted that for an event to meet the definition of an "Aussie music festival", either Spiderbait or Hilltop Hoods must appear on the bill.
Thankfully Saturday's awaited return of Groovin the Moo to Maitland Showground features both of these beloved acts.
Opening with the stoner rock freakout 'Straight Through the Sun', the opening track from their 2013 self-titled record, Spiderbait launch into the thumping bombast of 1999's 'Shazam!', a song released before the vast majority of the young crowd were but a glimmer in their father's eye.
And yet the audience responds to each Spiderbait classic with palpable recognition, whether it's 'F***en Awesome', the singalong 'Calypso' or 1996's Hottest 100 winner 'Buy Me a Pony'. The freak-out 'Old Man Sam', presumably the Finley trio's riff on Primus dementedness, elicits a barn-storming hoedown before this finely tuned festival set ends with radio hit 'Black Betty', a piece of music attributed to Lead Belly in the 1930s but arranged into a stomping rock song by American band Ram Jam in 1977.
Outdoor music festivals are back. There's a communal sense of novelty, excitement and freedom.
When Groovin's gates open for the first time in two years, dark clouds hang heavily over the showground.
But spirits won't be dampened.
The threat of inclement weather doesn't sway many from donning festival fashions that span the garish, hilarious and wildly impractical. The icy breeze that twirls through the arena means some face the elements with hoodies and sensible shoes. Others dress as Buzz Lightyear or Bananas in Pyjamas. But a legion of young female attendees resolutely don all manner of thin veiling, whether it be corset, thong or bra, suffering for their "fit". There's an inherent admirability in each personal statement, the rejection of the looming weather, deepening mud and social decorum.
One way to get the blood flowing is a ride on the terrifying apparatus that spins next to the two main stages, an extreme Ferris wheel akin to that used by NASA to submit astronauts to high-g training. The day's soundtrack is punctuated by looping screams as punters are cartwheeled into the heavens, legs flailing.
The programming of the main stages, from top to bottom, proves a celebration of female musicality. When you crunch the numbers on the line-up, which includes Montaigne, New Zealand's Broods, Triple J Unearthed winner Teddie and Central Coast artist Molly Millington, 80 per cent of the curation features lady singers (Hilltop Hoods and Peking Duk both invite female singers on stage as guests).
Hats off to the promoters.
Hope D impresses with her immensely catchy dub-laced rock, jamming out a well-received cover of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'.
Then Sydney's RedHook, fronted by the crimson-haired Emmy Mack, deliver a late '90s throwback sound best described as a "pop Korn". They lay their influences on the table with a mid-song left-turn into Limp Bizkit's call-to-violence 'Break Stuff', finishing their set with the radio-ready original 'Bad Decisions'.
The sisterly showcase continues with Sycco (pronounced "psycho"), the moniker of Brisbane artist Sasha McLeod, a purveyor of slickly arranged, summery pop music. Set closer 'Dribble' has the attentive crowd in full voice.
Then the Groovin revellers are treated to the indie-pop anthemics of Middle Kids, led by the effortlessly chic Hannah Joy. The Sydney group closes their breezy, wistful set with modern classic 'Edge of Town'.
In the depths of the Middle Ages there was a medieval warfare practice called the "wall of death", in which lines of infantry and cavalry would race across an empty divide and collide in the centre of the battlefield in a sickening crush. In the modern era, this archaic practice is kept alive by metalcore bands such as Sydney's Polaris, who whip the crowd into circle pits and, at the behest of screaming vocalist Jamie Hails, the aforementioned wall.
It's all consensual, of course, with the frenzied crowd gleefully running amok as Polaris weave a frenetic, high-volume set that, beneath its distorted riffage, is imbedded with pop sensibility. Songs like 'The Remedy' and 'Masochist' are as catchy as they are aggressive.
Eskimo Joe's 'Black Fingernails, Red Wine' is a strange cover choice that proves surprisingly effective when given the Polaris treatment.
A welcome addition to Groovin in 2022 is Wolf Alice, with the London band proving the festival's highlight. Singer Ellie Roswell has an acrobatic set of pipes that can roar with primal abandon or coo with stinging sweetness. The petite rockstar's range allows the band to straddle sonic influences, shifting from delectable dream pop to bleeding shoegaze and distorted grunge. The swelling chorus and slinking melodies of 'Delicious Things' juxtaposes against the full-blooded rock of 'Giant Peach', one of the best stadium rock songs of the past decade.
Closing with the wrenching lament on unrequited love 'Don't Delete the Kisses', Wolf Alice raise the bar for the locals on the bill, demonstrating why they've been a mainstay on the stages of the world's biggest festivals, from Coachella to Lollapalooza.
Lime Cordiale, Hilltop Hoods and electronic duo Peking Duk ensure that the first Groovin the Moo since the arrival of the COVID plague closes with dancing, singing and joyous relief. This reunion of music and memory-making means normality might have returned, and with it the promise of happier times.
