FESTIVAL REVIEW
Grapevine Presents – 2021
Grapevine‘s return to the Yarra Valley marked the start of something new, with Grapevine Presents Golden Features. Set across the rolling fields of Rochford Wines, punters flocked to the vineyards to welcome back the boutique festival. Although this was the little sister festival to the massive Grapevine Gathering, this didn’t make any difference to festival-goers, who celebrated the return of live music to our beautiful city. Full of zest and Rochford’s offerings of wine, this fantastic festival up had everyone dancing into the night.
Opening up the stage for the day was local Melbourne DJ Mell Hall, whose signature disco remixes went hand in hand with the perfect weather. Mashing up today’s hits with soulful, disco rhythms, Mell Hall’s eclectic style has seen her rising up in the local music scene. DJ-turned-Triple J radio host Ebony Boadu was next up, leading into her set with a seamless transition. Boadu’s years of DJ-ing were evident, and her engagement with the festival’s crowds was undeniable – playing hits from Cardi Bi, Glass Animals and Azalia Banks, as the crowd rushed to the stage.
Local producer Stace Cadet‘s high energy set kicked the audience into gear, and unsurprisingly, it was the siren-filled track Energy that took it up a notch. Racking up multiple number 1’s in the Aria charts, Stace Cadet has been shooting for the stars, with the up-and-comer supporting big names such as Vera Blue and Northeast Party House – so it’s fair to say that we’ll see a lot more of him in the future. Bag Raiders‘ DJ set follows up; and what entails is a series of remixes, mash-ups and medleys, which the crowd goes wild for. The Sydneysiders have spent the past 15 years carving a trail for themselves, so it’s no wonder the duo are seen on most festival line ups these days (and rightly so).
After a thorough warm-up, Grapevine welcomes Motez to the stage, and at that point, the weather gives out and the rain starts. Luckily for us, the Adelaide-based producer has plenty of bangers up his sleeve, which keeps the crowd warm from their never-ending dancing. Radio hit The Future goes off with a bang – and if you weren’t dancing before, you definitely were now. The cherry on top was the stunning graphics that built up the atmosphere that Motez created, pairing perfectly with his feel good music. Here’s to hoping that we get to see a lot more of Motez down in Melbourne!
Opening up their set with the mammoth dark-pop hit No Time,Gold Coast duo Lastlings had the crowd eating out of their hands from the very beginning. Fresh off the release of their debut album First Contact, siblings Amy and Josh Dowdle took no time stirring up everyone with hits such as Deja Vu and Out of Touch. With the perfect blend of delicate vocals against intricate melodies, Lastlings cemented their place in the festival circuit, proving once again that they are here to stay.
It comes to the last act of the night, and everyone is still dancing hard through the rain. To wrap up the night, Golden Features blasts fan faves Worship and Falling Out, among plenty others, ending the day on a massive high. Sydney producer Tom Stell is the man behind the mask, who boasts millions of online streams, not to mention four gold records. Stell’s attention to detail in every track is further emphasised by a jaw dropping light and laser show that accompanies his impressive back catalogue. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and before we know it, Grapevine comes to a close. To sum up the day perfectly, we will quote Golden Features’ hit song Raka (feat. The Presets); ‘I wanna dance ’til I die’.