Grapevine Gathering delivered a tasty snack for music lovers, a chance to get out of the city, enjoy some wine and of course, excellent music. The festival fell in the middle of the Melbourne summer and the heat was palpable. Buses brought festival goers in by their hundreds and by early afternoon the rolling hills of Rochford Winery were full.

Once settled in, sipped our first savvy b found a good viewing point we were able to enjoy CC: DISCO! It was a DJ set that was full of joy, encouraging the watermelon clad crew to boogie. There were plenty of matching outfits in the crowd and everyone was matching in their sheen of sweat. 

Between sets the crowd was buoyed by hosts of the day, The Inspired Unemployed. The boys rocked suits that made them look like the sleazy car salesmen of the late 90’s with Pitbull style sunglasses to match. Their look fed into their vibe for the day, over the top and hilarious. They were cracking jokes, dancing like your lame uncle and downing shoey’s!

Bag Raiders was represented by one half of the duo, Jack Glass with a DJ set. I am not usually  DJ set fan but his was fun and catered to what the modern music festival fan wants, tik tok content. Classics like ‘Shooting star’ had hundreds flocking to the front. ‘Sunlight’ was not only sung but felt as the hottest moment of the day was during Bag Raiders show. 

Meeting us on the stage was The Veronicas, singing ‘Meet me on the floor’. These two pint sized stars brought their best. While they did not have a live band they didn’t need it, their powerful voices resonated across the festival. Synchronised dancing and matching sunglasses gave the twins the cool girl vibe we all strive for. They continued to raise the mood singing “Hook me up”, “In my blood” and “Forever”. It was a flawless set and no truer words were spoken than when they called “Please rise for the national anthem” before belting out their modern classic “Untouched”. 

Vera Blue is undoubtably one of the most beautiful artists I have seen live. Her flowing red hair was blazing more than usual against her neon green dress. Keeping in the heated theme of the day, she opened with her newer work ‘Temper’ and ‘Would You Lie to Me’ before sharing from her album of the year nominated, Perennial tracks, ‘Private’, ‘Settle’ and the song that always brings me to tears, ‘Hold’. For those who have not listened to it, she shares of finding love and the comfort of having someone to celebrate you despite any flaws and history. Vera Blue lyrics are powerful, from ‘Lady Powers’ to ‘Mended’, she calls on the feminist desire to be independent and strong. She was gracious and kind to her fans ‘You all look so beautiful!’. She finished with dance track with her long time collaborator, Flume - ‘Rushing Back’.

Where Vera Blue brought the beauty, The Jungle Giants brought the party! They were high on the news coming through of hitting #18 on the Tripe J Hottest 100 for their album title track ‘Love Signs’. The Hottest 100 had been running throughout the day and The Jungle Giants were lucky to have four songs voted in (although this was not their first rodeo in Hottest 100). The upbeat tracks matched the band smiles as they played a variety of songs in their over 10 year catalogue. Lead singer, Sam was seen jumping off the stage and running amongst the crowd. Jungle Giants were absolutely my favourite of the day as, any band that has me singing at the top of my lungs and dancing like nobody’s watching has to be a winner.

As golden hour glow fell over Rochford Winery, Peking Duk took to the stage, supported by Micci on vocals. Opening with ‘Fire’, they brought their own flames which radiated off the stage. On top of the pyrotechnics was a phenomenal light and graphics show. Peking Duk consistently bring a large stage show and over this festival season have been the popular choice to end the day.

They were celebrated by a plethora of photographers and videographers. ‘Say My Name’ and ‘Fake Magic’ encouraged a wave of clapping and cheering from the crowd. This was elevated further when they shared one of their new tracks and a bold show finishing with confetti.

The artists choice for the day is a straight up 9/10. I also want to commend the organisers on a seamless arrival to the venue and having busses available meant a safe option for everyone to get home. The Rochford Winery is a stellar layout with sloping hills, allowing you to sit at the back and have space without compromising your view of the show. However, there were two major issues on the day.

1. VIP ticket holders could not utilise the advertised “exclusive access into the winery restaurant with stunning views of the surrounding valley, private toilets and a private bar”. The winery restaurant had capacity limits, and therefore a “one in/one out” policy applied. This left lines outside the VIP observatory, limiting access to the bar and bathrooms, despite the extra cost. Many festival-goers complained to security staff and it dampened their day.

2. Lack of available water. It was a sweltering January day and near impossible to find bottled water. The bars had 30 minute plus wait times and when I got desperate for water, I was told by the first aid staff ‘We are reserving water for those who really need it”, thankfully after explaining I had not been able to find water anywhere, they parted with one bottle. This was a huge oversight given the weather and I witnessed several people be pulled from the front of the crowd, I assume due to exhaustion.