Harvest conquered the weather, and The Strokes conquered the crowd.
Almost forty thousand music lovers converged upon Adelaide’s Parklands on Saturday, for a Harvest Rock lineup that was out of this world from the get-go.
Some came dressed for sun, others were clad with band merch, but nobody left without a poncho draped over them.
The festival kicked off with the momentum of a locomotive, barrelling towards a night of lights, sounds, and good times.
Yet, almost as fast as it took off, the festival was paused indefinitely. Only a handful of artists had played by the time the torrential rainfall circled in on the city.
Performers and patrons alike were suspended in limbo for what felt like half the day, with a mass exodus of the plastic bag-laden crowd filling up surrounding bars.
Undeterred, thousands of punters gathered at bars united by one thing: music.
Well, okay, TWO things: music and soggy clothes. It felt like we might never see the headliners.
Until, the rain dispersed and Harvest Rock roared back to life with a set from The Jungle Giants.
With enough mud to give you trench foot, the crowd danced away their soaked anxieties; completely losing themselves in the sound.
Suddenly, the festival was resurrected. And the defibrillator? The Presets.
From the very beginning of their set, to the very end of the night, there was nothing that could stop us.
A barrage of electronic sounds emancipated the audience from the dreary weather. Not telling them that “it’s okay,” but instead shouting “it doesn’t matter!”
The energy was palpable from that point forward.
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And it all culminated the moment Julian Casablancas stepped onto the Harvest Stage.
Let’s face it, we all knew The Strokes were going to have a good set list. But wow.
If one tried to describe the momentum of ‘Reptilia,’ they’d sound like they’re describing a Lovecraftian entity. There’s just no words for it.
The band, so effortlessly cool, commanded the crowd with their tight sound and bright lights. By the time we reached the encore, everybody was already hypnotised.
Then, the band launched into a loud, powerful, almost grungey rendition of ‘Last Nite’ that lowered the entire parklands into a trance.
It was a cathartic experience to end a night of community, rain, and good music.
Harvest Rock defied the storm, and brought us its own. Until next time, Harvest. 🫡
