Reviewer: Billy Geary
Walking through the gates of the picturesque Werribee Park, Harvest gives a different feel than most festivals. The location is certainly the nicest in the Melbourne area and the festival itself just gives an air of relaxation about it – something seldom seen at other large festivals. Levels of anticipation were quite high, compared to the inaugural effort of last year, which gave rise to a couple of absolutely incredible moments of music, despite some of the logistical matters leaving a lot to be desired.
Due to a major traffic jam en route to the festival, we arrived just in time to catch the end of Los Campesinos’ set on The Great Lawn. The seven piece indie pop band looked to have drawn a decent sized crowd, with closer ‘Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks’ and ‘Baby I Got the Death Rattle’ being particularly impressive.
The much maligned aging rock star syndrome was rife at The Dandy Warhols’ set, with the crowd struggling to stay interested for the most part. It seemed as though most were only in attendance for the band’s two major hits ‘We Used to Be Friends’ and ‘Bohemian Like You,’ the latter in particular garnering a large response. Unfortunately, it seemed as thought the band weren’t too into it, lacking much of the energy found in other sets throughout the day.
Over at the Windmill Stage, fuzzy alt rockers Silversun Pickups were up next. Their set consisted mainly of songs taken from latest effort Neck of the Woods, As vocalist/guitarist Brian Aubert confessed his love of Australia and introduced fill in bassist Sarah Negahdari before working their way through older tracks such as ‘Little Lover’s So Polite,’ the mood in the crowd was very cheerful, with plenty of yells of approval. Aubert and Negahdari were constantly moving around the stage, whilst drummer Chris Guanlao was working overtime in the hottest part of the day and the energy was certainly rubbing off on the crowd. Closing out with popular numbers ‘Panic Switch’ and ‘Lazy Eye’ drew mass sing-alongs and plenty of dancing.
Taking out the award for most fun set of the day were California rockers Cake, also managing to draw a huge crowd at the Windmill Stage. Their brand of funk, jazz and rock fitted the afternoon heat perfectly, with tracks like ‘Stickshifts And Safetybelts,’ ‘Sheep Go to Heaven’ and ‘Mexico’ inciting plenty of crowd participation. Vocalist John McCrea was clearly enjoying himself, his banter with punters providing plenty of laughs throughout the set. ‘The Distance’ and a surprise cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ made for a great end to an incredibly fun set, filled with plenty of nostalgia for long time Cake fans.
A quick dash over to The Great Lawn yielded the second half of Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, a typically ambitious take on classical Italian Opera tracks from one of the modern era’s most prolific musicians. There were clearly plenty in attendance who weren’t sure what to make of Mondo Cane, however most were definitely impressed with Patton’s vocal range and array of effects.
Back over at the Windmill Stage, the Ben Folds Five were delighting a substantial crowd to some very fun piano laden rock. Ben Folds is an excellent entertainer and after a huge absence between Australian visits, there was plenty to catch up on. Punters hung on to his every word, singing most back to him with plenty of energy. Highlights included a moving rendition of ‘Brick,’ whilst closing with the wonderful ‘Army’ left the crowd very happy with the set.
The sprint back to The Great Lawn to catch the tail end of Beck’s set saw us run into a huge crowd, suggesting that plenty of people had been awaiting his overdue return to Australian soil. Beck and his band worked their way through all of his hits, with big cheers given to ‘The Golden Age’ and ‘Girl.’ However, many were left feeling disappointed after the band’s set was cut short, unable to play staple closer ‘E-Pro,’ with Beck saying ‘we’ll play that one for you next time.’ Here’s hoping there isn’t as long a wait for the next visit.
Much like Portishead’s set the year before, what transpired throughout Sigur Ros’ 90 minute set was something truly incredible. Their orchestral, deeply emotional pieces were accompanied with three screens of stunning visuals, making for a very secial experience as the sun set behind Werribee Mansion. Vocalist Jónsi’s ethereal falsetto continually incited chills down one’s spine as the music ebbed and flowed, from stunning climaxes to moving quiet sections, punters across the Great Lawn were clearly transfixed by what took place. Backed by both a strings and brass section, the wall of sound created in the climaxes of tracks like ‘Olsen Olsen’ and ‘Hoppipolla’ was genuinely moving, as Jónsi’s falsetto rang out across Werribee Park.
Despite the sheer beauty of the set, nothing could have compared to closer ‘Popplagid,’ which can only be described as one of the most intensely beautiful experiences of this reviewer’s short life. The final five minutes, in which it seemed as though every musician was playing as hard as possible made for an incredible wall of sound that was cut in half by Jónsi’s wail, making for an absolutely amazing ending to the set.
It’s a great feeling when you know something is just right, needing no amount of alteration at all. The Melbourne leg of Harvest Festival typifies that, and after fixing the queuing problems of last year, it can safely be said to be the best run festival in Australia; taking into account location, atmosphere and lineup. It’s a remarkable achievement for a festival barely two years old, succeeding in delivering a wonderful layout and some truly special music. I might as well buy my 2013 ticket now.