Live Review: A Hitch To The Sticks - Day One

Melbourne - Moorngag - Lima

After meeting at the Russell Street Extension at 2pm, A Hitch To The Sticks cast two form a huddle and thus commences probably the most memorable weekend of most of these punters' lives. We're instructed by our host Dallas Frasca to leave our bags at the bus stop, 'cause the tour starts here. On foot, we wander up the hill, turn into Flinders Lane and then the penny drops for many as we round the corner and head down AC/DC Lane - Cherry Bar! Although Dallas warns us to pace ourselves, go-hard-or-go-home hitchers are seen ordering Jäger shots at the bar as cast one romances reignite for round two. 

For this exclusive surprise gig, Echo Del Tusker grace the stage, frontvixen Estelle Artois' gritty vocals rising above this band's rambunctious sound. A hitcher down front sports Echo Del Tusker merch - it's not her first Echo Del Tusker rodeo, apparently. If you dig your rock'n'roll served with lashings of blues and soul, you'll wanna wrap your ears around what these cats have to offer. Check out their new single Fix Your Face, you can thank us later. 

Cherry Bar sure looks weird during the day and the soles of our shoes sticking to this venue's carpet makes the perfect A Hitch To The Sticks Part Deux kick-off. Frasca warns us if we miss the bus we'll have to stay in Cherry for the rest of our lives; don’t threaten US with a good time! 

All scramble onto our portable home for the next three days and we're delighted to see Wayne once again in the (bus) driver's seat, roped in to mop up our beer slops from the floor of his precious bus once again. One of the OG Hitchers Jason waves us off as the bus peels away for the curb (the traitor is attending Out On The Weekend instead). "The PA’s still as shit as ever, people!” - that's Frasca on the mic. 

Ron, one of the 15 OG hitchers who have signed up for a repeat dose, tells us he smashed a coupla pints at home - piss fitness maintained, obviously. And we discover someone has travelled over all the way from Perth to experience A Hitch To The Sticks. "You know how Oprah Winfrey puts special stuff under people’s chairs? Well, we’re not,” Frasca teases. However, OG hitcher Nikki has made us a special festival-exclusive soap using Malt Shed Brewery beer from Wangaratta. 

Melbourne musician Riley Catherall, who we're told recently cut a track called Robin with Kasey Chambers, performs on the bus as we chug along Hume Highway circa Craigieburn. Catherall plays us a song he says he wrote in about an hour, adding this is rare for him since he usually sits on a song for about three years. We are then treated to a song about “not keeping beautiful things in cages” and are completely sold. His alt-country stylings captivate and Catherall sounds a bit like Bob Evans, we decide. 

Hitch mascot Betty on the bus.

Then after we're conned into believing someone on the bus needs a toilet stop, Wayne pulls into a facility and we clock A Hitch To The Sticks' festival mascot, Betty - wielding a guitar - and DJ Eddy with some strange-looking dildos (he insists they're massagers, but we're not buying it) hanging from the belt loops of the shortest denim hot pants we've ever seen. The pair climb aboard and mayhem ensues. As DJ Eddy supplies cowbell and percussion, Betty cranks out the debilitating riffs while demonstrating extraordinary flexibility in skintight spandex and sky-high heels. Watching Frasca hand-feed Betty sunflower-seed-and-sultana mix into its beak is priceless (although Wayne looks worriedly into the rearview mirror, no doubt hating the idea of having to clean up the fallout later). A highlight of DJ Eddy & Betty’s ‘set’ is their stirring rendition of 'Birdy Seeds Done Dirt Cheep'.

Before too long we arrive at Moorngag Hall where local promoter Ellen James hosts a special edition of her event The Musical Garden this evening. James opens solo, telling us how hard it is for her to perform after the "very shit year" she's had, during which her mum passed and her dad was also very sick. We're told her dad was just released from the hospital today, but is still too unwell to be in attendance. Since James's parents usually always sat front and centre at her gigs, a few tears are shed. James plays us a new song and her folk musings delight those assembled. During one song, punters supply extra wolf-pack BVs. Music is a great healer and we certainly hope it’s helped James through these hard times. 

Ellen James

We're informed of Moorngag Mower Mania,  a ride-on lawn mower race held on 3 Nov, which we note down in our calendars for a return visit. 

The dinner options served tonight are lovingly prepared by locals and we go back for thirds of the Cherry Ripe slice (any chance we could please have the recipe?).

It strikes us that some little tackers in attendance may be experiencing live music for the very first time as we sway along to the sounds supplied by Rob Ely, who we're pretty certain rates Vance Joy and finds inspiration in his songwriting style.

Frasca's mum Moggie is in fine form tonight, talking to us about balls (that's all we're sayin').

Next up, Scratch Match totally blow us away. The bassist wears an Old Bar T-shirt and multiple vocalists in this outfit ensure pleasing variety. What they bring is raw and authentic in an awesome, Eddy Current Suppression Ring kinda way. After one song features "fucking" in its chorus, we're given a "retrospective language warning". The drummer hails from Benalla and admits it’s great to be playing a hometown show. One of the band's songs morphs into Leaving Home by Jebediah and nothing could have prepared us for Scratch Match's cover of Savage Garden's Affirmation; we recognise the lyrics, but can't place them for quite some time before there's a collective aha moment. Three-quarters of this Melbourne quartet play pub footy with East Brunswick Eye Gougers and their self-described "romance punk" needs to be experienced sharpish. 

This bush-hall line-up closes out with Mac's Peak, which features dual vocalists. They boast a confidently casual playing style and encourage the youngsters in the audience to learn how to play an instrument or sing. 

We're shattered this event has come to an end but we must scull our drinks and board the bus once more to head toward this evening's accommodation. As we venture further away from civilisation, we start to feel as if we've landed in an episode of The Twilight Zone - there's bushland on either side, it's pitch black and all we can see is illuminated by the bus's headlights. At one point Wayne is even forced to slow the bus to a halt while a wombat ambles across the road - no joke!

Dallas playing by campfire.

After arriving safely in Lima, we locate our dormitories, meet our roomies and then visit the keg to wet our whistles. Down by the campfire, we are entertained by A Hitch To The Sticks host Dallas Frasca who gives us a taste of the one-woman-show she premiered during a recent stint of Parlour shows and for which she's mastered the art of looping. Hitcher Spooky lies on his back and we wonder what he's been smoking. Frasca's powerhouse vocals roar through the clear night sky and it's a bonus that Frasca's A Hitch To The Sticks co-director Renee Delahunty is a whiz on the sound desk. We sit on logs to bask in Frasca's brilliance and at the tail end of one song, a chilly breeze picks up as if spirits have been roused and are making themselves known. The vibe is high and many revellers look like they're just getting started, but seasoned OG hitchers know it's only just begun and head off to bed as soon as the keg runs out.