LIVE REVIEW: PARTY IN THE PADDOCK 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: CHLOE MATHIAS
“Party in the PaddocK’ is an annual music festival held in Querus Park in Cerrick, Tasmania.
Described by Festival organiser Jesse Higgs as an ‘immersive camping arts festival’ to ‘bring young Tassies together’ as well as ‘local artists’, Party in the Paddock gained a reputation for being one of the most vibrant and exciting music festivals in the country. I was Ecstatic to come down from Melbourne – not only for the fantastic line up but to
explore Tassie itself.
While I overlooked the Vibestown stage with the stunning backdrop of Tassies natural beauty, I knew I was in for an adventure. Exhausted from the 4am plane ride and the 20kg loads of camping gear on our backs, we set up camp in the 30-degree heat, filled with excitement for the day ahead.
DAY ONE
(Thursday Pre-Party):
We kicked off the music at the Vibestown stage- with most notably Rum Jungle, The Buoys, The Grogan’s, Teenage Dads and San Sisco. What a start to the festival! Rum Jjungle started the day on the right foot, their chill indie vibe caused our bodies to sway in harmony. Their hit song ‘Everything Is Easy’ was one of my favourites.
The energy was picked up by The Bouys who followed. Their music could be described as alternative rock, and they were certainly rocking it on the guitars. Zoe Catterall’s Paramore- esque vocals brought electric vivacity to the stage and the crowd.
And of course, The Grogan’s. Notorious for their outrageous moshes, this performance was no different. The crowd was going ‘particularly crazy’ for their cover of The Kinks ‘You Really Got Me’, which was reminiscent of the classic Aussie Garage Rock style.
You can always rely on Teenage Dads for a good time. Starting off by playing their new song ‘Weapons’ for the first time live, it’s clear that the band have a synergetic connection (with the audience. Notably, ‘Teddy’ had me screaming the lyrics and jumping up and down like a maniac.)
As the sunset, the purple, red and orange tinged lights from the stage reflected onto the audience, creating a really breath-taking atmosphere. To close off the night, San Cisco did not disappoint. As I looked into the crowd, I knew this was going to be a great memory - seeing couples embracing each other, friends laughing, drinks being shared whilst screaming the lyrics to ‘Awkward’ at the top of their lungs. I left off on a high as I danced back to my campsite- arm in arm with people I’d met that morning. We all chatted until we couldn’t keep our eyes open- sharing midnight snacks and giggles. The great thing about Party In The Paddock is that everyone is so warm and welcoming - it’s like I knew these people that I just met for years. Must be festival thing.
DAY 2:
I was lucky enough to start off the day interviewing Tassie native music legend ‘Bec Stevens’, who was here for her PITP debut. She describes her music as ‘sad, emotional rock ‘n’ roll’ which is particularly noted in her hit song ‘Big worry’ -, a classic rock ballad with
powerful, raspy vocal delivery. She was particularly anticipating the audience’s reaction in ‘James’ Song’, a heart wrenching
song about a close friend who had since passed away. Making an ode to her ‘trauma babies’ seeing this live was incredible. The raw emotion in the song was palpable.
The interview that followed was Byron Bay based musician Billy Otto, who describes his music as ‘technical dream disco pop’ which was ‘made for the festival stage’. He was particularly excited to create a ‘spiritual symbiosis with the crowd, and aimed to create the ‘highest festival energy’ he could. For lunch we enjoyed the many food and drink stalls scattered around the festival as we made an attempt not to get sunburnt in the harsh tassie sun.
Afterwards, we headed to the bullpen to watch the bull riding competition which was a lot of fun- watching people hold on to the bull for dear life whilst their friends cheered them on. The hosts dressed and acted well for the occasion by wearing cowboy hats and putting on Texan accents.
The Paddock Stage was already packed, ready to watch The Vanns. Their iconic cover of ‘Hey Ma’ by, Bon Iver’ was a crowd pleaser. By the end of the song, Jimmy Vann had climbed the pillars of the stage to overlook the audience. Jimmy’s beautiful face lit up in the late afternoon sunlight with the wind flowing through his hair– and coupled by the sentimentality of the song, it was one of the most majestic things I had ever seen.
I went for a drink at the bar and then headed straight to the barricades to be at the front for
G Flip. Every time I see them, their performances just get better and better. The stage presence, the drum and guitar skills, the vocal range and the energy is just unbelievable. I was standing next to a mother and a daughter who were both emotional, seeing their favourite artist so up-close. ‘The Worse Person Alive’ and ‘Gay 4 Me’ were my favourites- I personally was screaming the lyrics until I lost my voice!
Ruel’s beautiful face is enough to my breath away,. but his performance really did. He’s got this slickness about him that makes his incredible talent look so effortless. I would even go as far to say he’s the Australian Harry Styles. His song ‘Growing Up is __’ was my personal favourite as it set the tone for my first year out of high school. ‘Growin’ up is weird, sleep with friends, break a heart, Question everything you thought, Split a pill, smoke a dart’
To close off the Paddock Stage for the night was the act we’d all been waiting for, German-based alt-rock band Milky Chance. His raspy, nonchalant voice is calming for the mind and soul.
The Big Tent DJ area was like walking into a rave. Beaming and flashing fluorescent lights, feeling the vibrations of the bass through your whole body. The last set of the night was Ben Gerrans, and it felt like time had stopped, as the raver kid says ‘there’s so much pain in the world but not in this room, the club is pumping, the ladies look good..the alcohol is flowing’.
As people were slamming their doof sticks around, you could feel and hear the ground shake.
DAY 3:
After lunch on day 3 I made a straight v-line to be at the front for Royel Otis. Their charming nonchalant and laid-back style of performing certainly made their set unique and a lot of fun to watch. Their first live performance of their triple j cover of ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ was certainly not to be missed, with people dancing on each other’s shoulders cheerfully and singing ‘YOU BETTER NOT KILL THE GROOVE’ in unison. Their song ‘Kool Aid’ was my favourite, though, it made me feel like I was driving down a freeway at 100km an hour, totally engulfed in freedom and ecstasy.
Everyone was waiting in anticipation of PITP ‘secret act’. The Veronicas were a perfect choice, as a universally loved iconic Australian duo. One of the strengths of The Veronicas is their ability to deliver emotionally charged performances, whether it’s through anthemic rock ballads or upbeat dance tracks. The energy of the crowd was brought to the next level when one of the sisters screamed ‘please rise for the national anthem’, and their song Untouched started playing. There was literal fire coming out of the stage which is perfectly representative of their performance – so much energy and electricity between the duo and the audience.
As the night went on, I was a couple of drinks down, pumped to see Lime Cordiale in the flesh for the first time. The first thing I noticed was the band as a whole looked very cohesive – their co-ordinated outfits, the exciting visuals and the set-up is a testament to the effort they put into their music. I was memorised by their sexiness, confidence and charisma, and the way in which they carry out their unbelievable talent with such ease. It was so fun to watch them live – their onstage chemistry and infectious energy create a palpable sense of excitement. I personally loved the use of the trombone – it really added a unique twist to your normal indie-rock band.
Tash Sultanas chill reggae style was nice to kick back and relax to as the night struck closer to midnight. I sat towards the back near the VIP area forwith this one and really took aminute to observe and be present with the music and my surroundings. It was sort of meditative as I swayed my tired body side to side. Tash serenaded the crowd with her passionate vocals in she is able to sing at breathtaking heights or deliver intimate, introspective moments with equal ease. Tash’s music is highly instrumental- some of her songs have minutes of just experimental instrumentation- so it’s really impressive to see the way in which she utilizes complex arrangements like this in real time -and that’s what really brought the performance together for me.
Back to the DJ tent area to finish off the night, Hayden James was nothing short of revitalising.
What stuck out to me was the amazing use of visuals – particularly the vibrant strobe
lighting,creating moving patterns on the roof of the tent. Combined with his electro-style
music – the performance creates a multi-sensory journey that transports audiences to somewhere other worldly.
DAY 4:
Seeing The Rions on Sunday was a great way to ease into the late afternoon. Their laidback indie rock was uplifting and heart-warming, particularly in their song ‘Scary Movie’ which I had a bit of a boogie to.
Towards dinner time, I went down to the Vibestown Stage to see the classic rock band Battlesnake - and it was hands down one of my top sets of the whole festival. What a bloody riot!!! First of all, as soon as they came out in their bedazzled priest outfits and Sam Frank’s massive satanic horns, – I knew this was going to be unlike anything I’d seen before. The energy of the band certainly reflected onto the crowd as people were moshing like no tomorrow, head banging and having a bloody good time. What topped it off for me was when one of the guitarists stripped down to their bare, bright pink undies and climbed the stage while playing the handheld melodica, whilst another guitarist was crowd surfing as they were rocking it on the guitar. The crowd was going absolutely mad! Being there I felt like I was going through some kind of catharsis, as the band kind of allowed me to fully let go and indulge in the full craziness of their performance.
I headed over to the Silver Tongue stage to do the live drawing ‘Kong Magic’ expo. The performer on stage came out with crazy costumes with laser eyes, sequins and prosthetic feet, and we were told to draw what we saw or interpreted from its image.
How Fabulous! This cabaret style performance created a really unique and interactive element to the festival.
Ballpark Music was a perfect band to play towards the sunset. Ballpark has a special place in my heart – their music has the ability to bring me peace in any situation. For some reason in this moment i noticed all the lovers from the crowd and it made me feel so grateful I got to experience so much love in one place. I was fortunate enough to get onto some guy’s shoulders where I saw the whole stage and the crowd swaying and singing to ‘Cherub’- I felt like I was on top of the world, and all that mattered was that moment.
It truly is ‘Nice To Be Alive’!
Hopping over to the Vibestown stage I was in for surprise when I came across The Regime.
Lucky I did because it was the most incredible set, dare I say, I’d ever seen. A 22-piece soul and funk collective gathered from the depths of heavens itself. The trumpets, saxophones, drums, guitars, piano and vocals were unbelievably crisp and powerful, it sent chills throughout my whole body. The energy between the band mates was unmatched- each member was individually vibing to the music and it was so amazing to see them just legitimately having a good time. The raw talent plus the charisma of the band really made a breath-taking performance.
The final act I saw before heading back to Launceston was Big Wett – and it was exactly what you’d expect. Slutty, fun, and complete chaos. Her electro pop is totally invigorating and liberating to see live. My highlight was when she pulled out a dildo and started swinging it in her mouth in ‘Rush of Adrenaline’. Whilst it was a complete shock, very on brand and very hilarious to see – it’s the best seeing performers just go all out on stage like that. I personally was screaming ‘NUMBER ONE PUSSY IN THE CLUB IN THE CLUB’ and trying to get the security guard to dance with me (successfully).
Final thoughts:
As I crawled back to my tent after the festival had finished, – I couldn’t believe it was over.
All the friends I made, the dance moves I killed, the lyrics I screamed, the drinks I had- it was all over. I popped into my sleeping bag – exhausted, but content –as I knew this festival would go down in my history books as one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had in my young life.
Overall, Party in the Paddock is a must-attend music festival for anyone looking for an unforgettable experience in Tasmania. With its stellar line-up, breath-taking location, and vibrant atmosphere, it’s easy to see why this festival has become a favourite among music lovers across Australia and beyond, and one of my favourites too.
