Photography by Joshua Braybrook
Falls Festival 2022/23 came back in a big way with headliners Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X and The Wiggles taking over Melbourne’s CBD for arguably the best way to spend NYE in the summer.
It’s been just over a week now since 2022 wrapped up and with it, one of our favourite New Year’s events – Falls Festival.
In its 28th anniversary year, the Falls Arts & Music Festival has become somewhat of an institution, a staple in the festival season calendar. Each year, festival-goers head out to stunning locations to enjoy the ever-changing and growing party atmosphere that Falls fosters. With the best new talent, as well as much-loved favourites headlining the festival year after year, it’s no mystery why it’s consistently one of the most-loved and anticipated festivals on the calendar.
With a reputation for managing to top the previous editions year after year, the stakes were high for Victorian’s leg of Falls, with the 2019 event at Lorne cancelled after day one due to bushfire risk in The Otways and then two years off because of the pandemic. With big plans for the 2022/23 event, which was moving after 27 years in beautiful Lorne to a new home of Pennyroyal Plains in Murroon, just a stone’s throw from Birregurra, Falls was dealt another blow. Forcing to abandon these plans just three months out (you can read about that here), Falls relocated to Melbourne for the very first time, ditching its beloved camping roots for a three-day music venture.
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Billed as Falls Downtown Melbourne, the event took place at Sidney Myer Music Bowl and surrounds across 29, 30 and 31 December, delivering a triumphant NYE festival filled with all the music, art and good vibes you would expect in one seriously convenient city location.
Despite the location change, punters’ spirits never wavered and Falls officially threw open its gates on Thursday, December 29, offering a musical oasis across two stages – El Capitan and Sugarloaf – right in the heart of Australia’s live music capital.
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Day One
The first day got the ball rolling from midday with a Welcome to Country and Adelaide rapper Elsy Wameyo gifting early birds with her memorable and memorising hip hop.
A delayed Airbnb check-in, a few too many pre-drinks and a well-overdue catch-up with our festival crew saw us strolling into the festival a little late, arriving just after 6 pm and managing to catch the last of Genesis Owusu’s set (and regrettably missing The OG Wiggles). A festival favourite in recent years, Owusu once again delivered a highly energetic, powerhouse performance, cementing himself to new fans in the crowd and reminding the rest of us of his passion, raw talent and sheer liveliness and stamina.
While the first day proved to be by far the quietest of the three, there was a decent crowd gathered on the hill which grew in size once Sydney three-piece DMA’S started playing, showcasing their beautifully honed, passionately emotive rock’n’roll set. With a talent for day-dream inducing lyrics and anthemic pop songwriting, the band serenaded the swaying crowd with tracks like ‘Feels like 37’, ‘the Glow’, ‘In The Air’, ‘Tape Deck Sick’ and ‘Hello Girlfriend’. Crowd favourites proved to be ‘Silver’ with its thrashing drums and hands-in-the-air chorus, ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’, ‘Law Down’ (with an incredible instrumental solo), and ‘Delete’ which hails from DMA’s debut record, Hills End (2016).
Portland-born rapper Aminé (born Adam Amine Daniel) injected a fresh wave of energy into punters from the main stage with an explosive and show-stopping set as a noticeable drop in temperature swept through the festival site which soon saw a sea of FALLS crew jumpers cover the grassy hill.
Over at the Sugarloaf stage, electronic producer LUUDE turned the lower festival site into a euphoric, up-tempo and explosive dance party (big ups to the jungle remix of Men At Work’s ‘Down Under’), gearing punters up for Thursday night’s highly anticipated headliner in Lil Nas X over at the main stage.
With a mind-blowing dramatic entrance, there was little doubt that Atlanta’s Lil Nas X was going to deliver anything less than a phenomenal performance with lavish production. Igniting the Sidney Myer Music Bowl surroundings, the LGBT country pioneer/ pop phenomenon put on an unapologetically queer extravaganza of a show, showcasing his unique merge of pastoral tones of country music with hip-hop, putting his spin on a subgenre dubbed country-trap.
In a humbling moment, Lil Nas X shared he was nervous about performing his “first show in months” before diving into three theatrical acts filled with cuts from his debut album Montero including ‘Sun Goes Down’, ‘Dead Right Now’, ‘Don’t Want It’, ‘Lost in the Citadel’ and ‘That’s What I Want’. Of course, the 16 x Platinum remix with Billy Ray Cyrus in ‘Old Town Road’ was a crowd favourite, (arriving complete with a golden horse and dancers in sexy cowboy outfits), before morphing into Ginuwine’s Pony complete with classic Magic Mike-style dance moves across the stage, ‘Pump It’ by the Black Eyed Peas and the rapper’s own ‘Rodeo’.
Other highlights of the high-adrenaline performance saw Lil Nas X and his dancers deliver a rendition of ‘PURE/HONEY’ in a truly incredible crowd-pleasing display, a bold live performance of ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ which sent punters wild into a sea of grooves and selected audience members joining Lil Nas on stage for a brilliant twerk-off. With background animations, projected monologue interludes between the three acts (Rebirth, Transformation, and Becoming) and dancers all given their moment to shine individually on stage, the huge vibes of ‘Star Walkin’’ proved to be the perfect finale to one of the most impressive festival sets I’ve ever witnessed.
Day Two
Edging us a day closer to the New Year celebrations, day two (Friday, December 30) brought bright blue skies, the ideal festival temperature and a sizzling lineup of rock acts tasked with bringing hungover punters back to life.
Opening acts saw the likes of Bec Stevens, RONA. and Floodlights soundtrack the flow of punters back into the site. Renowned for their raucous and undeniably boisterous live show, Beddy Rays were the choice for igniting a fire in the slow-growing crowd with their rollicking coastal punk rock, sprinkling tracks from the self-titled album while music lovers made their way back to the bars for round two.
Dressed in pink head to toe, Adelaide’s Peach PRC gifted the festival site shimmering glitchy pop anthems in ‘God Is a Freak’, a rendition of Wheatus’ Teenage Dirtbag with special guest G Flip on drums and the first live performance of her new song ‘Perfect For You’ interpolating Paris Hilton’s ‘Stars Are Blind’. The set was closed by Peach’s breakout track ‘Josh’ which placed 35 on 2021’s Triple J Hottest 100.
Northern Territory rock band King Stingray took punters on an epic wild ride on the main stage as they shredded their way through a brilliant set fuelled with their unique blend of ancient indigenous melodies with surf, indie and funk influences (aka Yolŋu surf-rock). Performing with energy fed by the crowd’s vibes, founding members Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu (frontman) and Roy Kellaway (guitar), alongside Dimathaya Burarrwanga (rhythm guitar backing vocals and yidaki), Campbell Messer (bass) and Lewis Stiles (drums) well and truly bought the heat to the second day. Cementing their place as one of the most exciting acts in the country right now, the band’s mind-blowing set saw them tear through hits like ‘Hey Wanhaka’, ‘Get Me Out’, ‘Milkumana’, ‘Camp Dog’ and ‘Let’s Go’.
Fresh from selling out wild performances across the US and releasing their latest and spicy new singles ‘Get Me Outta Here’, Melbourne artist G Flip — aka Georgia Flipo — kept the buzzed crowd up and about with their boundless energy and husky yet silky smooth vocals across a non-stop 45-minute set. Earning a strong reputation for being unapologetically themselves, the bonafide powerhouse took pleasure in the hometown show, making good on their promise to ‘get loose’ while tearing through singles ‘Get Me Outta Here’, ‘Queen’, ‘Hyperfine’, ‘About You’, ‘Lover’, and a well-received buoyant cover of ‘Valerie’. Rounding out the set with ‘Drink Too Much’ and ‘Gay 4 Me’, G Flip’s stage presence is intoxicating, moving around the stage and interacting with the audience with a larger-than-life and unrelenting energy.
If that wasn’t enough to fill punters’ insatiable desire for a valiant rock show, internationally acclaimed Fremantle four-piece Spacey Jane certainly delivered the energetic and dynamic live show they’ve become renowned for.
Despite a heavy year of touring – with over 30,000 tickets sold to their August Australian tour and 13 sold-out dates in the UK and Europe in May, alongside their sold-out 24-date North American tour – Spacey Jane makes you feel like every show is their only one with every band member putting their whole heart and soul into every song. Lead vocalist Caleb Harper took the spotlight in the middle winning the audience over with his unique, edge vocals while guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu was consistently moving, jumping around the stage with his gyrating guitar moves as the band performed favourites like ‘Skin’, ‘Head Cold’, ‘Good For You’, title track ‘Sunlight’, and ‘Booster Seat’ from their 2020 debut album Sunlight.
Interacting with the crowd and each other while simultaneously sending the Bowl into a frenzy, the band also performed singles from their recent #1 Aria album Here Comes Everybody, including ‘Pulling Through’, ‘Hardlight’, ‘It’s Been A Long Day’, ‘Sitting Up’ and ‘Lots of Nothing’ which landed at #3 on the triple j hottest 100 and Lunchtime which also took out the #12 position on the coveted poll. The beaming sun complemented the bold, summery vibes and full-energy jam-session nature of Spacey Jane’s infectious music, truly worthy of a headline slot.
Direct from Glasgow, Scottish pop band Chvrches brought the danceable synth-pop sounds of their 11-year career to the Falls crowd, creating a light, relaxed, and almost dream-like atmosphere as the band launched into a collection of big synths and bigger melodies. Marking vocalist Lauren Mayberry, multi-instrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, and drummer Jonny Scott’s first visit to Australia since 2019, the band shared cuts from their back catalogue including ‘Forever’, ‘Leave A Trace’, ‘Bury It’, ‘Recover’, ‘Mother We Share’, ‘Clearest Blue’ and crowd favourites in ‘Never Say Die’ and ‘Miracle’, with the latter prompting a singalong by the thousands in attendance. The band also showcased material from their stellar 2021 album, the cinematic Screen Violence, including more guitar-driven cuts in ‘California’, ‘How Not To Drown’, ‘Asking For A Friend’ and the 80s tech funk-influenced ‘Final Girl’, all thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd as the magnetic Mayberry traversed the stage, twirling in circles to the rhythm in a sparkly gold dress and highlighting her impressive vocal delivery.
The upbeat performance was soon followed by beatmaker and producer Jamie XX, who was headlining Friday’s festivities. With a love for the physical sensation of dance music and nightclubs, Jamie XX transformed the bowl into an epic 90-minute old-school rave complete with a smoke machine and lasers. With a giant disco ball behind him on stage, Jamie XX delivered an eclectic mix of tunes including ‘Gosh’, ‘Loud Places’, ‘Let’s Do It Again’ and the unrelentingly infectious ‘I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)’ alongside a few huge club classics.
Originally the often-background non-vocal member of breakthrough indie artists The XX, Jamie XX reminded us just why he’s renowned as the most successful solo export since releasing the acclaimed ‘Far Nearer/Beat For’ in 2011, proving he’s still got what it takes to get the world moving and feeling good.
Day Three
Day three (Saturday, December 31) dawned and the end of Falls Downtown neared, but everyone seemed to be riding a new wave of energy, ready for those New Year’s Eve celebrations. On the most anticipated day of the three-day festival, the weather turned it up and reached perfection with sunshine and warm temperatures while the NYE line-up was good enough to attract a swathe of one-day festival attendees, with crowd attendance visibly larger, bar lines longer (though impressively still speedy) and the Bowl stalls consistently in high demand.
Most of the action was taking place on the El Capitan on the final day, kicking off with the First Nations hip hop artist YNG Martyr, LA-based indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay while Sugarloaf (aka Melbourne’s new home for the very best in global electronic artists) hosted local act Juno Mamba with his powerful, emotive and compelling live dance set.
Melbourne trio Telenova brought the sweeping sonics and muffled club beats to the main stage in the early afternoon, proving their place as summer festival favourites in the music scene and on the Falls main stage with their slick musicianship, vivid aesthetics and rich brand of pop that would evoke sways out of even the least rhythmically inclined. With stunning, powerhouse vocals from Angeline Armstrong and impressive cinematic instrumentals from Edward Quinn and Joshua Moriarty, Telenova performed a string of solid releases including ‘Bones’, ‘Tranquillize’, ‘Haunted’, ‘Why Do I Keep You’ and ‘Blue Valentine’, which were welcomed warmly by punters decked out in their NYE best.
Riding the wave of energy from Barry Can’t Swim’s two-hour set over at Sugarloaf, anticipation grew for South Coast favourites The Vanns, who have become a true powerhouse of modern-day Australian rock and roll in recent years. Armed with a festival-ready, stadium-filling sound and electric showmanship, The Vanns turned it up to 11 for their 4 pm slot, delivering a nostalgic, expressive and unfiltered set packed with hits like ‘Mother’, ‘Feels Good Now’, ‘Red Light’, ‘Making It Out Alive’, and ‘Keep My Cool’. Led by the charismatic and vocally brilliant Jimmy Vann and Cameron Little’s expressive guitar and vocals, the rockers capped off their set with their crowd-pleasing cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Hey, Ma’ for Like A Version, new track ‘Haunted’, and 2019’s single ‘Fake Friends’, with much credit to the rhythmic backbone in Tom Switlek and Andrew “Banjo” Banovich who ensured punters were always moving their feet.
The unrelenting electronic sounds pumping out of the Sugar Loaf stage attracted a flooding crowd thanks to London-based artist Elkka, while Gold Coast electro-pop duo Lastlings and UK singer-songwriter and TikTok icon Pinkpantheress’ sets travelled all the way, up the hill, to the back of the crowd, strong and captivating.
The highly anticipated set from Amyl and the Sniffers brought the gritty punk goodness and the crowd back over to the main stage as the day turned to dusk and love and hate, spit and sweat, and beer and politics collided in 60 propulsive and iconic minutes. Drawing a crowd that was easily the biggest that the main stage had seen yet, the explosive Melbourne retro-punk exports delivered a blistering live performance. which saw frontwoman Amy showcase maniacal, lewd energy as she careened around the stage between her musically impressive mulleted companions. Boasting raw self-expression, defiant energy, and unapologetic vulnerability, the band tore through hits from their catalogue including ‘Guided by Angels’, ‘Freaks to the Front’, ‘Gacked on Anger’, ‘Shake Ya’, ‘Westgate’, ‘Got You’, ‘Control’ and ‘Knifey’. While every song ensured a manic punch of unhinged, gritty energy, crowd favourites proved to be ‘Westgate’, ‘Security’, and closing track ‘Hertz’. With Amyl and the Sniffers’ music best enjoyed somewhere getting pushed around with sweat and beer all over your shirt, the Falls festival site seems like a pretty damn good place to do just that.
Having had the high octane of Amyl and the Sniffers, Ocean Alley took the atmosphere down just a notch with chilled and psychedelic surf rock. By this stage, the stalls and the hill were completely packed as the six-piece band performed their delightful indie-tinged psych-rock. With ranging tempos, washy reverb-soaked guitars and differing grooves with plenty of trippy effects to melt faces, the whole set had the crowd grooving and shaking as the band performed hits ‘Knees’, ‘Hold On’, ‘Confidence’, ‘Touch Back Down’ and the beloved cover of Player’s ‘Baby Come Back’ for Like A Version. Add in the night’s first lot of fireworks and you’ve got a pretty magical set.
Sending in the final moments of 2022 was UK powerhouse Arctic Monkeys, who delivered a larger-than-life journey through their catalogue of endless bangers, reminding Falls Festival that rock n roll will never die and Arctic Monkeys are rock n’ rollers through and through.
After headlining across several European festivals off the back of their most recent critically-acclaimed album, the Sheffield lads took to the Falls stage for their first Aussie show since 2019, serving up an all-you-can-eat Arctic Monkeys buffet. The band kept the stage simple with merely a curtain, impressive lighting and a massive disco ball as they opened with the fitting ‘There’d Better Be a Mirrorball’ from their new album The Car, ensuring punters’ gaze remained on each of the band members rather than the overshadowing of an LED display.
With swagger, slicked-back hair, an abundance of ‘cool’ (there was little chit-chat from this band) and frontman Alex Turner’s rich, menacing vocals, the band delivered a predictably brilliant rock and roll extravaganza.
Delivering a swathe of their greatest hits, the crowd favourites of the set were the singalong tracks from AM, including ‘Snap Out Of It’, ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’, ‘Arabella’, and ‘Do I Wanna Know’, once again underlining the album’s status as the most accessible Arctic Monkeys record.
Other hits came in the form of ‘Crying Lightning’, ‘Don’t Sit down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’, ‘Four Out of Five’, ‘Potion Approaching’, ‘Sculptures Of Anything Goes’, ‘One Point Perspective’ and ‘Pretty Visitors’, spread over the first hour of the set.
With the entirety of the Falls crowd producing electrifying energy that only continued to flourish, Arctic Monkeys performed their last song of 2022 in crowd favourite ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’, pausing their set minutes before the countdown.
With the band exiting the stage, the NYE countdown took over the festival site with an eruption of fireworks surrounding the city location, courtesy of Falls’ fireworks and with Melbourne’s largest midnight display ever, with fireworks and laser displays from 30 rooftops across the city.
Returning to the stage, the Arctic Monkeys kept the vibes high for an encore of singalongs ‘R U Mine?’, and ‘505’ which was met with echoing chorus cries, punters taking to each other’s shoulders and a flood of phones in the air before finishing with a slightly left of centre choice in ‘Body Paint’, lifted from The Car.
The night wasn’t over yet though, with UK duo Camelphat delivering a steady stream of club-centric house tracks over at Sugarloaf for many punters keen to kick on while beloved Ballarat duo Yacht Club DJs continued the party vibes at the main stage with a killer set of unique, danceable music mash-up of every genre they can get their hands on before things officially wrapped up for Falls Downtown 2022/23.
Despite its challenges, Falls continues to prove itself an institution, a staple in the festival season calendar. And while 2022 was hugely different for a number of reasons, the heart of the festival, with its stellar array of international and domestic talent, remained the same – just in a new (arguably more convenient) location, but with the same great vibes.
Until the next one Falls. Happy New Year.
