When something is described as entry-level, it can feel dismissive. Calling Groovin The Moo an entry-level music festival, however, is done with appreciation and love of what they’re going for. Organisers know full well every event they put on is at least one punters’ first major event – not least due to the festivals’ locations away from your usual Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane spots. That’s not something to be taken lightly, and every year that GTM has been active it has curated something accessible, uncomplicated and – crucially – fun.
Maitland kicks off April 22 with eyes on the Teenage trinity: Teenage Joans, Teenage Dads and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. Pound for pound, you are looking at some of the most exciting bands currently working, all with different angles: Joans with high-kicking pop-punk exuberance, Dads with quirky Devo-style new-wave and Jesus with riot grrrl-flavoured rock. All three score memorable festival moments with ‘Something About Being Sixteen’, ‘Teddy’ and ‘Girl Sports’, respectively.
The national contingent is strong this year, with a potent blend of genres and energies. Barkaa leads her rained-on crowd with raised fists, collaborating with her drummer Dobby to spotlight Indigenous deaths in custody with their protest song ‘I Can’t Breathe’. The fact she does this as effortlessly as the party-starter ‘Groovy’ speaks volumes of her multitudes and vitality.
Though they’re strange bedfellows, The Chats and Confidence Man work well back-to-back on the double main stage. Each have effectively doubled down on what they’re about, dismissed pointless discourse about authenticity and simply gotten to the task of laying waste to the stage. Skegss draw arguably the day’s biggest crowd for a rambunctious but bittersweet set, one of the first they’ve played since bassist Toby Cregan announced his departure from the band. Though it’s never addressed, you can tell he’s going to miss the beautifully dumb singalong in ‘New York, California’.
Amy Shark reintroduces herself with a greatest-hits set that’s slick and well thought-out, proving she’s still in touch with the common man after living in reality-TV world. Ball Park Music, meanwhile, are onto their fourth Groovin – first playing in 2012, when some attendees were still in primary school. As essentially the festival’s house band, they make light work out of heavy lifting – friends go on shoulders, lungs are at full capacity and the joy that comes with ‘It’s Nice To Be Alive’ and ‘Cherub’ is extremely hard to top.
How do the internationals fare in comparison? Canadian internet rapper bbno$ translates well to festival stages, bringing a healthy goofiness to proceedings. Denzel Curry, on the other hand, isn’t here to fuck spiders. His belligerent, rapid-fire approach is a shock to the system in the best way possible, lighting up the field with cuts like ‘Ultimate’ and ‘RICKY’.
Elsewhere, singing DJ Eliza Rose rides the momentum that got her to number two in this year’s Hottest 100. ‘B.OT.A.’ obviously closes, but what comes before is honestly more memorable: a striking blend of UK garage, house and electronica. One-hit wonder? Who cares? Rose’s on the other side of the world doing what she loves. She’s already won.
On the surface, Fatboy Slim is a curious headliner choice for a festival whose crowd largely steers young. That’s the thing about dance music, though: it’s ageless. From the shirtless kids packing it down the front to the Gen Xers vibing up the back, the veteran DJ’s set is exactly the all-encompassing send-off that a festival like this needs. We get low, we get down, we sing, we dance. Right here, right now, no amount of mud can dim this kind of shine.
Groovin the Moo continues in Bendigo, VIC (Saturday April 29), Sunshine Coast, QLD (Sunday April 30) and Bunbury, WA (Saturday May 6). More info here