Review by Billy Geary
Falls Festival, held in Lorne, Victoria is easily the premier New Years music festival in Australia. Combining what can only be described as a picturesque location with a consistently good selection of acts, it makes for one hell of a way to welcome in the New Year and is an undisputed heavyweight of the Australian festival calendar.
2011’s version was no different and, judging by the general consensus, was one of the best in recent times.
Saturday 31st – Day Three
Gossling kicked off a bright and sunny day, with her early slot drawing a modest crowd down at The Valley Stage. Her chilled out version of Dance the Way I Feel went down an absolute treat, showing exactly why Triple J has given her so much love of late. Soon after, Miles Kane’s Brit-pop infused rock provided an unexpected highlight, despite the heat and small crowd (blame Arj Barker for stealing them!).
Australia’s current female musical princess in Kimbra saw a packed Valley Stage enjoying the afternoon heat. With a set full of both covers and originals, Kimbra had the audience in the palm of her hand, showing she most certainly isn’t just a back up singer for Gotye. Cameo Lover in particular drew a huge response from the crowd.
Josh Pyke delivered the perfect late afternoon set, with his folky melodies creating the perfect atmosphere for lying about in the sun. Following their spot with Big Day Out earlier in 2011, The Naked and Famous have gone from strength to strength in the past few months – culminating in a quickly swelling crowd at The Valley Stage. Punching In A Dream was an early set highlight.
After a food/rest break came veterans The Grates, about to show exactly why they play on so many festivals. Vocalist Patience Hodgson immediately bounded around the stage, with a seemingly never-ending amount of energy. This quickly infected the crowd, who responded accordingly by belting out chorus after chorus after chorus. Live favourite 19 20 20 saw the band go into overdrive, with everyone clearly having a ball – resulting in one of the highlights of the day.
Finally, it was time for festival headliners in the Arctic Monkeys to ring in the New Year. Opening with Don’t Sit Down Cause I Moved Your Chair, the swelteringly packed Valley Stage were hooked from the first note. Tearing through a set of some of their biggest hits, Arctic Monkeys were the perfect choice to celebrate entering 2012. A surprisingly early rendition of I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor saw things hit fever pitch, with front man Alex Turner only offering a few quips between songs. Then, it was suddenly almost time for a countdown with the band leaving the stage in preparation.
As everyone’s watches or iPhones struck midnight, there was comically no countdown to be heard before Turner bounded back on stage to lead a slightly belated New Years countdown – the only minor hiccup throughout the whole festival. Finishing off with the triple hitter of Fluorescent Adolescent, When The Sun Goes Down and 505, Turner and Co. delivered the perfect way to start 2012.
Crystal Castles continued the New Years party well into the night, their high-energy dance music the perfect end to a great festival. And thus, yet another New Year has begun and another Falls Festival is complete, with this year’s version being a considerable step up from the last few. Bring on the next one!
Review by Billy Geary