Oakbank is usually home to horses. But, on the weekend, the racecourse transformed into a muddy music wonderland – Groovin the Moo. In its second year in South Australia, the regional music festival did not disappoint, and nobody was dampened by the rain or mud… Many people fell victim to the thick sludge doing their best to carry drinks to one of the three main stages, while others seemed to embrace it by rolling around like pigs in a pen. I mean, yeah, white clothes became brown clothes, shoes became mud cakes (unless you were smart enough to wear gum boots) and the rain may not have been ideal, however with standout acts like Hilltop Hoods, The Delta Riggs, Wolfmother, Sticky Fingers, and Charli XCX who could really complain?
Our very own hip-hop kings, Hilltop Hoods delivered a standout show performing all their classics and making sure their hometown crowd was taken care of with an energy-packed show. Cracking jokes in between songs and interacting with the crowd, they even asked everyone to raise their lighters and phones for the sombre, “Through the Dark” and to later take off one piece of clothing for the crowd-pleaser, “Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom.”
Another highlight was The Delta Riggs, coming off supporting the Foo Fighters on their Australian tour last month, these guys from Melbourne knew exactly how to get the crowd groovin. Lead singer Elliott Hammond, busted out some crazy vocals and looked as though he had ants in his pants, literally rolling around the stage at one point.
Then there was Wolfmother, man these guys are the definition of rock! Seriously the opening riff of “Joker and the Thief” had everyone’s heads banging. These long-haired, free spirits remind me of the 70s – I’d even go as far to say that they have time-travelled to our computer age to show us that we all need a bit of rock in our lives.
Reggae boys, Sticky Fingers also gave it their all, only negative thing being the volume levels were way too low for the first half of their set… Apart from this they definitely brought us to the “Land of Pleasure.”
But if I was to be completely honest there was one artist that caught me by surprise… The craziness of the day blended into the night when the party really started with sassy English rapper Charli XCX. Wearing a two-piece zebra stripe outfit, she definitely flaunted what her mumma gave her on stage and belted out some of her hits including “Break the Rules” and a solo version of “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea. It’s fair to say that Charli XCX doesn’t need anyone including Iggy to prove that she is giving the boys a run for their money, even getting the crowd chanting “Pussy Power” at one stage in her set.
I could really talk about every act at Groovin the Moo this year- They are all super talented. It’s not too often that you find a music festival line-up that features so many amazing bands and artists, but this was an exception. The organisers definitely deserve a pat on the back for GTM 2015, only negative being they should have planned better wheelchair access, as well as seating near the food vans. Let’s hope they learn from these mistakes and bring us an even bigger and better line-up next year, if that is even possible!
Words and image by Caleb Sweeting
GTM may be over for now but that doesn’t mean you have to boycott festivals all together. Luckily for you, we are giving away 2 double passes to opening night of The Capri Theatre’s Cult Film Festival on May 3. Email us at contact@versemag.com.au to win! Plus, this one is sure to be a less muddy affair.
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