In partnership with Beyond The Valley
Beyond The Valley 2023/24 kicked into full gear yesterday (December 29) with captivating sets, glorious skies and buzzy, raucous energy in the air. Building off the Australian festival’s entry into Barunah Plains in regional Victoria last year, this edition has seen Beyond The Valley go bigger and better.
Across its three stages – Valley, Dance Dome and Dr Dan’s – there was a steady flow of tantalising performances from the moment gates opened until the festival’s second night drew to a close. Here’s some highlights of what went down on night two of Beyond The Valley 2023/24.
Blusher set the tone at the Valley Stage
As early as 1pm, Melbourne trio Blusher – Lauren Coutts, Jade Ingvarson-Favretto and Miranda Ward – set the tone for the festival’s main stage. Over the course of their 40 minute set, the group wasted no time in providing punters with a stunning performance as they strolled into the festival grounds.
Though the trio mentioned onstage that Beyond The Valley was “one of the first” festivals they’ve performed at, you’d be forgiven if you mistook them for seasoned veterans. Though they’ve all had careers as solo acts before banding together in 2021, it’s not often that bands get this good in two years. From opening song ‘Dead End’ to unreleased track ‘Rave Angel’ and even a tip of the hat to 2022’s headliner Nelly Furtado, Blusher showed up and showed out.
Dameeeela lights the Dance Dome ablaze
After BTV’s Welcome To Country, Dameeeela kicked off the Dance Dome’s fiery bill for day two with a thrilling hour-long set of pulsating beats that ran the gamut of hard techno, electronica, house, hip-hop and more.
The sweltering heat concerned no one as throngs of punters flocked to the tented Dance Dome to catch one of Australia’s most in-demand selectors do what she does best: throw a huge fucking party. Arguably the most packed set in the opening hours of the festival, Dameeeela commanded everyone’s attention – even those who weren’t at the Dance Dome – as her set echoed out through the Plains and got punters bouncing in their seats at the dining hall.
- READ MORE: Only one in the world: 5 reasons Beyond The Valley is the Australian music festival you can’t miss
King Stingray bring Yolŋu surf rock to Barunah Plains
The Kings of Yolŋu surf rock – that’s King Stingray to you – brought sun, fun and good vibes to the Barunah Plains, though their 45-minute set was seemingly too short to festival attendees. The group kicked off their set with a powerful rendition of ‘Lookin’ Out’, before diving in to ‘Raypirri’.
After a short welcome speech and a shoutout to the festival organisers, King Stingray got right back to business, ripping through fan favourite after fan favourite. While the band had the crowd hanging on to every word, their cover of Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ proved to be the highlight of their set. Punters sprinted across the fields and abandoned their friends to join the crowd at the Valley Stage for a goosebump-inducing singalong that left the band speechless.
G Flip gets the party started
G Flip made their bid for future Beyond The Valley headliner with a raucous performance at the Valley Stage. The skies began to dim on Barunah Plains as G Flip walked onstage to ear-piercing screams. Though feeling under the weather with a little bit of a raspy throat, you wouldn’t have known that they weren’t at 100 per cent.
With every song, G Flip had the crowd eating out of their hand, even getting the audience to chant “motherfucking BTV”. Though jokes were cracked, chants were made and G Flip gave a shoutout to their partner Chrishell Stause, it was tracks like ‘Get Me Outta Here’, ‘Queen’, ‘Be Your Man’ and ‘The Worst Person Alive’ that solidified their status as a bona fide star with a legion of fans screaming in adoration and the wildest crowd BTV has seen yet.
RÜFÜS DU SOL end the night on a high
RÜFÜS DU SOL‘s headlining set on day two of Beyond The Valley was a sight to behold. Though temperatures dipped below 15 degrees and everyone decked out in jackets and the thickest piece of clothing they could find, it never stopped the crowd from losing their minds from the opening seconds of RÜFÜS DU SOL’s captivating performance.
Through ‘On My Knees’, ‘Solace’, ‘Underwater’, the crowd were starstruck by stunning visuals, lasers and the occasional pyrotechnic as the crowd soaked in the atmosphere with their loved ones around them. However, it was the trio of closing songs ‘Innerbloom’, ‘Treat You Better’ and ‘No Place’ that served as the greatest moments of the set as the packed out Valley Stage was enveloped by a sea of lights and the voices of thousands.
“We love Beyond The Valley so much, we’re so proud of how much it has grown and we cannot wait to be back soon,” the trio said before walking offstage. If they do return to Beyond The Valley, that’s a set you wouldn’t want to miss for the world.
Beyond The Valley 2023/24 runs from December 28 until December 31, and is completely sold out. Stay tuned to NME for more coverage across the weekend.
