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.
Friday 30th – Day Two
First up on Friday were Brisbane indie darlings An Horse, the lunch time crowd lapping up their 40 minute set. Similarly, Chris Taylor’s (of Grizzly Bear fame) solo project CANT played to a slightly modest turnout in The Grand Theatre. Taylor’s synth laden pop was the perfect fodder for those seeking refuge from the increasingly hot sun.
Back down at The Valley Stage, Metronomy had a sizable crowd in the palm of their hands. With plenty of slightly odd dance moves and off kilter beats, Metronomy were perfect for their late afternoon spot. Heartbreaker in particular went down very well. Immediately after Metronomy was Australia’s latest it band The Jezebels, with punters flocking out of the woodwork to catch their set. The quartet did not disappoint, with the quartet putting on a great set with opener Endless Summer suiting the mood of the festival perfectly.
Sydney’s Papa vs Pretty saw a more rockier side of the festival, with their high energy set of alternative rock going down really well in The Grand Theatre before a mad dash was needed over to The Valley Stage for Fleet Foxes. The very folk Fleet Foxes was seemingly the direct opposite of the rockier set we had just come from, but still every bit as excellent. With beautiful harmonies and plenty of emotional moments, Fleet Foxes had the crowd captivated before their set finished almost as soon as it had begun.
Despite a lower than expected crowd, Tim Finn performed what was arguably the best set of the entire festival. Performing Split Enz, Crowded House as well as his own solo work, the result was a set laden with hits. Highlights included Crowded House’s It’s Only Natural and Finn’s own Persuasion. Typically, the biggest cheer came as he busted out excellent renditions of Split Enz classics I See Red and Six Months in a Leaky Boat. With the former in particular inciting a mass sing-along during the chorus.
The first of the two main drawcards of this year’s Falls Festival in The Kooks saw what seemed like everyone in attendance pack The Valley Stage for their set. As the British quartet captivated the crowd for their whole set – creating a great party atmosphere. Mass sing-alongs during Seaside and Always Where I Need To Be only seemed to propel lead singer Luke Pritchard even more around the stage, with crowd eating up every little bit of it. Predictably though, the set reached its climax with an outstanding version of the band’s biggest hit Naïve, with the crowd reaching sweaty new heights.
Keeping the crowd moving well into the night were the newly returned Pnau. After being decidedly absent from the live circuit since Nick Littlmore’s involvement with Empite of the Sun, it was great to see Pnau back in a clearly revitalised state. The band genuinely got everyone in the crowd moving throughout their set, with Embrace sending the crowd into a frenzy – the perfect way to end a great day.
Review by Billy Geary