If the speculation is true and this is actually Kennedy Creek’s last year, you’ll find me at the festival site in the last weekend of October 2020 crying my eyes out.
DON’T STOP IT.
Fuck me, it’s actually one of the best little shindig’s Victoria has to offer and if you haven’t been before you have missed out. Not you are missing out. You Have.
All that aside, if it was KC’s last year they threw an absolute party for it.
Hideous Sun Demon has been making some solid waves in the Melbourne music scene since relocating down a year or two ago. Being one of the first acts of the arvo, the vibe was high. The weather temporarily cleared up, the fire pits were going, and Hideous were busting out tracks like ‘Antithesis’, what’s not to love? I really appreciated how much heavier Hideous are live; it almost felt like a different band to the recordings with Vincent Buchanan-Simpson’s manic stage presence being a huge factor in getting the crowd going early.
Loure was a really nice change-up for the evening delivering a set of groovy party tunes. Reminiscent of acts such as Folamour, Loure took the musicality to another level by using a full-band setup to create jazz orientated techno tracks. Really one to keep an eye out for!
GL delivered some falsetto pop for the headliner slot of the Friday night. Super dancy with heavy bass and the crowd loved it. Really great for a festival show.
Sunnyside is one of my favourite bands in Melbourne. Ushering in the new wave of techno orientated jazz, they are honestly just phenomenal at what they do. And then I was blindsided. Sunnyside’s set (which ended up being extended an extra half an hour because of how good they were) was fully comprised of unreleased songs, so I’m now tipping a new album is on the way. But as a performance, it was impossible to fault and easily the crowd favourite of the weekend with their proficiency and fluency being next to none. Honestly, I feel like Sunnyside could have played for six hours and the crowd would have still loved it. Keep an eager eye out for their new material as well; it’s more dance-orientated than what’s been previously released but so incredibly fun. I can’t wait for it to drop.
I’d go as far as saying that Dr Colossus are the best Simpsons themed doom-metal outfits out there. KC was no exception with the group of larrikins donning Stone-Cutter outfits for their set (unfortunately, none of the band members went to the extent of wearing the stone of triumph.) I remember interviewing Jono in the lead up to Kennedys who confessed that he was a little bit worried about being the only heavy act on the lineup. Chatting to punters throughout their set, I can confirm people were loving a dose of heaviness for their Saturday arvo. Shredding through tracks such as ‘66&6’ and a ripping cover of Kiss’ ‘Detroit Rock City’ the crowd was in awe, with their set also being extended halfway through – a request that the band was very surprised by. “We’re gonna play longer and we’re gonna play better”, they joked before bursting into ‘Excellent’. It was just such an honor to see the lads back on stage tearing it up.
Everyone knows I love U-Bahn, I haven’t kept that a secret. But I love it when they are on festival lineups because in the best possible way, they are weird and I love that. It’s always so interesting seeing people in the crowd be swayed throughout their set and KC was no different. With ‘Beta Boyz’, ‘Turbulent Love’ and ‘Right Swipe’ all being early additions in their set, it was mainly the newer material I kept an eye out for. In conclusion, their new songs are rad. Allowing the songs to be much more drawn out gives the band members moments to add in their individual quirks, and it leads to a really great dynamic which I feel will flow beautiful on an album. Lachlan’s stage presence is immaculate, as is Zoe’s who seems to bounce between Korgs on every side of her, delivering a hugely different sound with each of them. If you are yet to see U-Bahn, MAKE SURE that you see their set at Meredith and come find me if you regret it… you won’t.
WVR BVBY was the undiscovered act that really blew me away. Furthering the techno orientated jazz vibe adopted by a few acts on the lineup, WVR had a bit more of a psychedelic approach, similar to Mildlife. With a horn section including trombonists, their sound was huge and was ruled by incredibly impressive fills and technicality. I was really in awe of how great they were.
All in all, keep Kennedys going in 2020.
Where: Kennedys Creek Public hall ground, Kennedys Creek
When: October 25 – 27 2019
Reviewed by Alex Callan
Photos by Kirsty Renee
