If you have ever been to Meredith Music Festival, you will know that the Friday is one of the longest days you will ever experience. After setting up camp by 8am, you are left with a whole eight hours with nothing to do but drink beers and gradually ease into the stress free mindset of the festival. That is until 4pm when the music starts and you head down to the amphitheatre to be greeted by 10,000 happy faces.
Therefore, having the task of being one of the opening acts to this weekend is incredibly daunting. That is unless you are the Melbourne based band The Sugarcanes, who’s soulful grooves and funky style proved to be the perfect opener to what was already guaranteed to be a great weekend.
According to Lucy Wilson, the bands powerful lead vocalist, playing Meredith was a lifelong ambition that she is still buzzing with excitement over.
“It was amazing! It was a bit of a dream come true actually – it was crazy good! I have been going for about eight years. I have attended as a punter and as a volunteer before so it was really exciting to experience another aspect of the festival,” she says.
“A friend’s band played a couple of years ago and I said jokingly, ‘if I ever get to play Meredith that’s the highlight of my career and I could happily quit after that.’ So when we got the gig he called me up and reminded me of that and he said ‘are you ready to retire yet?’ But no way am I ready just yet!”
The Sugarcanes’ debut self titled album was released earlier this year to rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
“It’s been fantastic! It’s quite hard to believe that it [the album] came out this year. It feels like it came out years ago now because we have done so many wonderful things since then. But the reception was so much better than I expected. You are always unsure when you put new music out, and you question if people will like it but it was just such a beautiful response. It’s really nice when people like the stuff that you put your heart and soul into.”
With some well-deserved time for relaxation in the lead up to Christmas, The Sugarcanes will be back on the road in January for a handful of shows, including playing at next years leg of the Ballarat Summer Sundays.
According to Wilson, the band couldn’t be more eager for the shows they have in store.
“That’s going to be really exciting! We really like doing the regional shows – they are a really different style of crowd, and I love it. I find at regional shows people are always so welcoming and get really into it, and I don’t think we have played in Ballarat before so it’ll be really exciting to get down there and make some good friends!”
When & Where: Ballarat Summer Sundays @ Botanical Gardens, Ballarat – January 8 2017
Written by Alex Callan