Live Review: Maroochy Music & Visual Arts Festival

Vibing off the coastal palm trees and warm sunshine, one could almost pretend that summer is already here as they walk through the gates of Maroochy Music & Visual Arts Festival (MMVAF).

Though only in its third year, it's quickly become one of the most hyped events on the North Coast, and it's easy to see why. It boasts a stellar line-up of talent, and the natural surrounds of the venue offer the perfect atmosphere for the festivities.

The layout is quite spacious and accommodating throughout, with little pockets of cultural curiosities strewn comfortably about the site. There's a wide selection of food stalls, and whether it's Beastman's large scale murals, the shipping container exhibition of Rhys Gordon's Japanese themed tattoo work, a random pool table among the trees, or one of the many other hidden gems, there's really a surprising amount to offer for a festival of this size.

A super eager little crowd is found dancing up an early storm to the DJs spinning at the Love Suite, but the potent sounds of Horrorshow soon draw many of us over to the main stage. In truth, the 'Amphitheatre' is more of a flat field with a hill-like mound to one side. It doesn't quite create the desired acoustic effect of an amphitheatre, but it does provide a pleasant space for lounging on the lush grass, underneath golden sunlit trees, where Horrorshow's soulful blend of hip hop music and monotone rhymes is able to really work its magic. This expanded four-piece incarnation of the band deliver quite a full-bodied sound, which enables favourites such Eat The Cake, Push and Ceiling Fan to translate onto the live stage remarkably well, and a touching tribute to A Tribe Called Quest with Can I Kick It? completely seals the deal.

It was always going to be hard for Bernard Fanning to live up to his Splendour performance, but Powderfinger reunions aside, he does a pretty good job at going the distance. The new Brutal Dawn material - Isn't It A Pity and America (Glamour And Prestige) - is sounding as strong as that of its companion Civil Dusk, and the video displays, which draw heavily from the visual themes of both, are as impressive as any today. While a solo performance of These Days causes a bit of commotion in the crowd, the real treats come in the form of greater tributes; first to Black Sabbath, with a bit of Iron Man interjected into Which Way Home?, then to Prince, with a short rendition of Purple Rain rounding out the set on the highest of notes.

As dusk falls the fairy lights overhanging the Amphitheatre spark to life and the ambience is completed as the crescent moon above comes into its full luminosity. Anna Of The North's sweet tones wash over the crowd as she confidently strides about the stage in what could very well be her PJs. Much of the visual attention, however, is occupied by a succession of adorable animals that feature on her visual display above, and draw us into a guessing game of who's next in this peculiar little narrative; dog, cockatoo, different dog… ah, cockatoo again! Compared to the heavy production visuals of her contemporaries it's quite a simplistic approach, but it's a surprisingly fitting complement, and by the time her prize gem, The Dreamer, rolls out, she has well and truly drawn the crowd into her web of dreamy electro-pop.  

Visual artist Lucas Salton's giant spider has worked its horror on arachnophobes throughout the day, but now the darkness of night really brings it alive, with its light up belly and arms providing a dazzling display. Conceived in part as a reference to David Bowie's The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, it stands as yet another gorgeous tribute to one of our most missed fallen heroes. Perhaps MMAVF have found their answer and then some to this Splendour's Prince Tree.

A smoke-filled mirage of twirling colours and starbursts of light begins as Gang Of Youths come out, firing on all cylinders. Frontman Dave Le'aupepe embraces a stance that commands the stage and audience, performing with a burning passion and intensity. "We found out yesterday that Go Father In Lightness is #1 in the country," he calls out in gratitude, before diving further into its melancholy depths and victorious crescendos. The material is sounding strong in the live arena, but it's favourites such as Strange Diseases and Magnolia that still reach the highest peaks. 

Julian Hamilton's vocals are sounding a little flat for the first few bars of opener Push, but it doesn't take him long to find his footing, and by the time they are onto Fall, The Presets are in their element. Kim Moyes has forgone his kit this time around, but rather than limiting their sound, it offers them the expanded freedom to breathe new life into these treasured songs. Ghosts, This Boy's In Love and I Go Hard, I Go Home - the classics just keep coming, yet the minor altering of their compositional structure invites a sense of exciting, new life. They hit us with a wonderfully devastating one-two combo of Youth In Trouble and My People without pausing for a beat between, then do the same with No Fun and Goodbye Future. Kicking And Screaming is given a complete reworking, before the set is brought home on a couple of more familiar notes, with the ever impressive Are You The One? and Talk Like That. It doesn't get much better than this and it's an immense pleasure to see them nailing it in the live arena after a few years away. Bring on album number four already!

Intent on going out in a blaze of glory, Alison Wonderland gives it everything she's got. A hyper concoction of visuals, fire, and streamers flood the stage as her wonderfully menacing melee of beats and samples incite the dancefloor into collective throws of celebratory chaos. "Fuck depression," she screams, before detonating another succession of hard-hitting beats on a charged version of U Don't Know. Her ingenious use of the Spice Girls' Wannabe is one of the many savvy sampling moves in her repertoire, but it's selections like Disclosure's When A Fire Starts To Burn, Flume's Never Be Like You, and Kanye West's Fade (arguably the standout of his last record) that really hit the mark.

The slow crawl out of these serene grounds comes way too soon, but luckily it's only a short trip over to Solbar, where Northeast Party House are keeping the torch alight with a stunning DJ set that is among the many highlights of the night. While quite varied at times, their selection is impeccable and there's quite a sense of cohesion to their expansive journey. Some fine selections from The Presets (Surrender and Youth In Trouble) puts us back in the glory seat for a couple of extended moments. The good times just keep flowing, and it's well past 2am before they take their leave to a fevered applause. What an epic day and night! Hope to see you next year, MMAVF…