The sweet and salty ocean breeze washed over Stuart Park in Wollongong last week as thousands of punters gathered together for Yours and Owls Festival, which proved to be one hell of a party.
With an eclectic lineup that catered for every taste, combined with the perfect festival backdrop, it was truly a sight to behold, as festival-goers trudged through the mud doused in glitter ready for a weekend of stellar music.
Over the past number of years, Wollongong’s Yours And Owls Festival has become one of the country’s best. This year’s event was concrete proof.
Attendees darted between stages, trying to soak up every ounce of the incredible array of sounds delivered at the festival. Each set evoked a spell-binding atmosphere, as booming speakers hypnotised the screaming and swaying crowds.
Totally Unicorn kicked-started my day. Their wildly unpredictable stage presence combined with their explosive sound hit like a punch in the face (in the best possible way). Their set was an exciting slosh of infectious hardcore punk. The perfect way to get punters keen for what else was to come.
Vera Blue, dressed in fluorescent yellow, lit up the stage, quite literally, spinning and swaying and filling the ocean air with her sweet vocals and creating a massive sing-along among the crowd.
Sneaky Sound System blessed the crowd with what I thought was one of the best festival sets I have ever seen. Connie Mitchell looked nothing short of mesmerising as she blasted out all the hits. The crowd swooned like nothing I’ve ever seen.
I set myself up in prime position for what I knew would be an incredible two sets when Aussie rockers West Thebarton and Bad//Dreems played back to back. West Thebarton filled the air with screeching vocals and enthralled the audience with their irresistible stage presence, while Bad//Dreems showed off some new tracks from their upcoming album which is set to be a ripper.
Day two of the festival was as exciting as the first, with highlight sets coming from Angie McMahon and Skeggs. But it was Courtney Barnett who stole the show with her deadpan lyricism, witty songwriting, and absolute shredding on the guitar. It was the perfect set, and it sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
Yours & Owls, you were fun. Can we do it again sometime?
