Festival Showcase -Beyond The Valley 2018
Always Where I Need To Be
Beyond the Valley returned for its fifth year at Lardner Park, running over New Years Eve and bringing in the New Year. The festival featured an Australian artist heavy lineup; showcasing some of the best local and international talent.
MEL Live attended BTV from December 29 to January 1, bringing in the New Year in style. Featured below are some of our highlights from the weekend.
Brisbane singer-songwriter Clea opened the main stage on the Saturday, enchanting the audience with her catalogue of dreamy pop. Having seen Clea perform across small Melbourne venues including the Workers Club, it was great to see her opening the festival’s second day and fitting flawlessly into the strong line-up of artists ahead. The main stage was now warmed up and ready to go as Triple J Unearthed NIMA winner Kuren took to the stage, amping up the audience with an energetic electric drum intro. Powering through his popular tracks with booming synth and bass, Kuren’s energy and lightning-quick vocals had everyone jumping along and getting into it. After hearing Kuren’s recent single Never Enough live, it became clear that he is one to watch.
City Calm Down have always been one of our favourites to perform at a festival. Playing tracks from Echoes in Blue and In a Restless House, CCD came out and played all of the crowd favourites and have proven time and time again that they are deserving of a place on any festival line-up. Tracks including Pleasure & Consequence, Son, Rabbit Run and Joan, I’m Disappearing had the crowd sent into a frenzy, with the band animated and passionate as they performed their setlist. It was great to see Jack Bourke on lead vocals commanding the audience to get involved and sing along.
The afternoon took a chilled turn as Tash Sultana took to the stage. Tash has become almost a staple to the festival circuits, with their easy listening psychedelic rock. Playing a set full of singles from their first EP, the audience was treated to tracks such as Notion and Big Smoke. Every face in the crowd watched carefully as Tash set up each song; methodically looping each track with finesse, before ripping into squealing guitar solos. After numerous shout outs from the audience, their wish was answered as Tash finished with Jungle.
There’s a reason Client Liaison are one of Australia’s favourite party bands. Consisting of frontman Monte Morgan and keyboardist Harvey Miller, the indie-pop duo brought their 70s resurgence to Beyond the Valley’s main stage. Opening with Canberra Won’t Be Calling Tonight, we see an image of John Howard projected onto the big screen – we should have known at this point that it wouldn’t be your typical set. Suddenly, we are three tracks in, and there’s a cover of Need You Tonight by INXS – a cover that would make Michael Hutchence proud. As Client Liaison went on, the energy never wavered, performing tracks including Survival in the City, Off White Limousine and finishing on World of our Love. If you ever get the chance to see Client Liaison live, you should take it. If you are already a fan, you’ll know why.
The third day commenced with murmurmur opening up the main stage, after winning the Triple J Unearthed competition for Beyond the Valley. Frontman Will Fletcher, having performed the previous day with City Calm Down, showed us what he’s capable of. Bringing a dose of indie-pop to the festival, the emotive vocals and strong guitar hooks had us raring and ready for each of the songs ahead. Highlights included Cable Car and Marmalade, and as we reflected on what was a perfect way to start the day, we left the set knowing we would want to see murmurmur again, and soon.
Following on from murmurmur was electro-pop sensation Nicole Millar, smashing out hit after hit from her debut album Excuse Me. Millar’s stage presence took control, an undeniable force with unending energy and gutsy pop ballads to back it up. Opening on Signals, her set took control of the crowd as she performed odes to 70’s revival with tracks including Gimme a Break. Her set covered all bases, ticked all boxes and we were captivated by what she brought to BTV. When she closed her set on her collaborative single with Peking Duk, High, the audience were both delighted and wanting more.
What can we say about Alex Lahey that hasn’t already been said. Melbourne’s local resident artist and Triple J fav performed all of her hits in her usual fashion, featuring tracks from debut album I Love You Like a Brother and masterpiece EP B Grade University. Launching into the set with the album’s title track to get the crowd moving, the dancing continued Perth Traumatic Stress Disorder and Let’s Go Out. Our personal favourite Backpack featured half-way through the set to slow things down a little, before Alex finished strongly on the back of her three biggest singles; Every Day’s The Weekend, You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me, and I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself. As always, Alex delivers.
DZ Deathrays continued the party, but rather than having the crowd dancing the circle pits began to form. Launching into Gina Works at Hearts early was a bold move that paid off and had the audience reeling and ready for more. Like People from DZ’s latest album Bloody Lovely garnered a mass singalong from the audience, as well as classics Ocean Exploder and Reflective Skull. The thundering drum beats and guitar shredding powered the increasingly large mosh pit – which grew crazier by the minute. Two songs before the end, we see a flare light up the sky as the crowd is bathed in orange. Emerging from the pit battle-worn and victorious, each DZ set keeps everyone on their toes in the name of good music.
As the orange smoke cleared, crowds rushed in to get a good spot to see Vera Blue; Australia’s sweetheart. As the white light surrounded the stage, Vera Blue came out to screams and shrieks from her dedicated fans, looking fabulous in her striking red dress. Performing songs from her well-received debut album Perennial and EP Fingertips, Vera Blue had the audience singing along and wrapped around, well, her fingertips throughout the entire set. Opening with Magazine and Give In, she continued to play crowd favourites including Fingertips, Hold and Regular Touch. She closed her set out as the sun went down, encouraging the crowd in a sing-a-long of Lady Powers. It’s easy to see Vera Blue is ready to take that next step as she begins to headline events across Australia.
The Jungle Giants were up next and the crowd was reeling with excitement as the main stage packed out from the first row to the back of the festival. A momentous occasion for the 4-piece Brisbane band, the significance of the performance was not lost on vocalist Sam Hales, who told the crowd in a matter of years the band had gone from struggling to find a full setlist for their previous performance at BTV through to a proud moment of having too many songs to choose from. The decisions made by the band on what they were to perform consisted of hits from their latest album Quiet Ferocity and some of the old favourites too. Launching into On Your Way Down and finishing the set with songs including Used To Be In Love and Feel The Way I Do, the Jungle Giants victory lap was surely a moment that we all got to enjoy.
The party vibes continued with Canberra-trio SAFIA taking to the stage, and thundering through their massive catalogue of hits. Playing tracks such as My Love is Gone and Counting Sheep, the trio even had time to sneak in a cover of Feel Good Inc, as well as a snippet of Oops I Did It Again, much to the audience’s delight. Playing the second Peking Duk collaboration of the day, Take Me Over, the set was perfected with amazing visuals and the incredible energy emanating from the trio. Being the last act on the main stage that night, SAFIA showed everyone how to close a stage – confetti cannons included, of course.
Gold Coast band Arroyo opened the main stage for the festival’s last day, playing their fifth show ever. Given that they were a relatively new band, their set was polished and was a perfect opening act. Netherlands-born and Brisbane-based artist Wafia carried on the relax and chill vibe that had been set, delivering her soft electro-pop tracks to a large audience that had gathered to see her performance. Having cemented herself as a festival favourite in recent times, she performed a strong set with tracks from her various EPs and feature artist tracks. Finishing with crowd-pleaser Bodies, we look forward to the opportunity of seeing Wafia at many more festivals in the future.
Mass crowds were drawn in for Brisbane’s Ball Park Music, starting off their set with The End Times from their latest album Good Mood. It was evident that the band was a long-standing fan favourite – a definite contender for one of Australia’s best current bands. Frontman Sam Cromack’s intensity grew with each song, churning out classic It’s Nice to Be Alive, and roaring through Hands Off My Body – another track from the band’s latest release. Closing the set with She Only Loves Me When I’m There, Ball Park Music once again proved themselves as a heavyweight festival act; one that we just can’t get enough of.
In the first week of January on an almost bi-annual basis, it is typical that UK band The Kooks will grace the Australian shores to perform their catalogue of hits and provide us with a listen to their new album. In this instance, taking their show to Beyond the Valley on New Years Eve, The Kooks performed tracks from their latest album Let’s Go Sunshine and many songs from their most popular album Inside In/Inside Out. The crowds attended in the masses as it became clear that everyone at the festival was now at the main stage and the party was truly beginning.
Starting with Eddie’s Gun and Always Where I Need To Be, The Kooks had everyone singing and dancing from the moment they hit the stage. The energy was electric and the band a solid choice to a stellar New Years Eve lineup. Closing their set with Seaside, Junk of the Heart (Happy) and Naive, The Kooks appearance at the festival could not be understated as everyone was now ready for the band deemed worthy to bring in 2019.
The New Year; an opportunity to say goodbye to the year that was and a chance for new beginnings. What better way to bring in the New Year than being invited to dance and party with Pnau. The electro-pop trio from Sydney launched into a wild set filled with strong lighting, powerful vocals and, of course, keytar.
Commencing the performance with Changa and Nothing in the World, the BTV punters lapped up every second of the performance, Kira Devine’s guest vocals blowing us away. The raw energy continued as they rolled through Wild Strawberries and Go Bang. As midnight fell upon as, Pnau encouraged the crowd to look after one another – starting 2019 right with a performance of Come Together. As the party raged on, the set finished with a crowd favourite, Chameleon, as we all danced the night away.
Beyond the Valley proved itself once again as a contender for one of the best New Years festivals on offer. If you are looking to attend in 2019, we’d recommend getting your friends organised, and getting on to tickets as early as you can!