Live Review: Rottofest

Rottnest Island is just one of those places we take for granted. It sits there, year-round, as a haven for tourists, but it's easy to forget just how amazing the place can be – especially in the off-season. But Rottofest, the now established annual comedy and music menagerie, turned the Island this weekend from a sleepy town to a full-on festival.

After the cyclonic storms earlier this week, the weather gods truly smiled down on us as the sun broke early Saturday morning. Excitement piqued on the short ferry ride over, and it was palpable in the huge crowd that was slowly shuffling onto the island. The festivities were split between four venues, with the Rottnest Hotel handling the music side while various comedy programs were shared between Café Aristos, the Governors Hotel and the old picture theatre. First up, Rottofest's Funniest Shorts served as a suitable warm-up. A series of various shorts and sketches were shown, with (as with any comedy show) a lot of hit and miss. Philosoraptors trapped in the bodies of humans, cavemen caught in awkward love triangles, malicious possessed teddy bears: there was a great amount of variety, and it was a great start to what would be a very eclectic weekend. A quick trip to the pub meant catching most of Morgan Bain's set. Even with nothing but his guitar, stompbox and voice, he easily warmed up the growing crowd. Anton Franc was next, and delivered a straightforward and relaxed, if slightly lackluster, indie-pop set. The inevitable process of sorting out accommodation (which was, unfortunately, on the other side of the island) meant that we would miss a few of the great local acts on show, but judging by the crowd occupying the pub before Saturday headliners Millions took to the stage, it was obviously epic. Millions themselves were certainly a highlight, as there smooth, funky pop hooks seemed to sink in to the environment. There wasn't too many people who weren't dancing, and the Brisbane boys were grateful for the encouragement.

Following that, Adam Rosenbachs took to the Governor stage to MC for Chris “The Bloke” Franklin, and he immediately succeeded in both creating much mirth and ripping the ever-loving crap out of certain audience members. A short, but slightly alcohol-hampered, walk back to the picture theatre lead to catching main attraction Anthony Jeselnik's full on show. Both Karl Chandler and Tien Tran did admirable work as the supports, but it wasn't until Jeselnik himself stepped on stage that the room became really loose. He deals mostly in the taboo side of comedy – jokes about rape, fetuses, chauvinism, and basically anything that's offensive – which can usually go either way. As such, there was a very mixed reaction from the crowd, with some cackling madly for the full set while others sat in mild amusement.

Sunday – colloquially known by those on Rottnest as “Hungoverday” – provided a full, if only more laid-back set of entertainment. Some great local acts filled out the Hotel stage, Cow Parade Cow and Patient Little Sister being prime examples of the vibe that had taken over the entire island. The Medics headlined Sunday, and served as a fine tip-off to the bulk of the festival, as punters started boarding ferries to return to their normal lives. Not that that was the end of the day, though – The Big Hoo Haa, an improv-based comedy competition, was a definite highlight of the weekend. If only there was more time to catch all of the great bands, films and comedians that were on show, but it just serves as a great reason to return to this little island again next year.