Glenworth Valley
December 28, 2018 – January 1, 2019
Four day festivals aren’t very common in Australia, and our ‘go hard or go home’ philosophy is perhaps just one of the restrictions for this. However, in a spectacularly European fashion, this stereotype was smashed through with the epic camping festival that is Lost Paradise.
Glenworth Valley is a hidden oasis on the doorstep of Sydney, home to a myriad of events ranging from horse riding and kayaking to extreme obstacle course events. Proving its versatility, it was transformed into a magical space for the many thousands of people attending Lost Paradise to camp, bond and groove to the array of musical snacks on offer. Lost Paradise is the largest camping festival in Australia, and it uniquely blends a mix of alternative Australian music with house and techno sets. The fusion of these normally separate genres imparts a unique energy to the festival as fans from different sides of music discover acts that they would have never come across otherwise.
I headed up to the festival on the first evening, catching a few of the acts playing at the Red Bull opening party whilst avoiding the heat of the day. Peggy Gou’s set was a highlight, her eclectic mixing becoming almost hypnotic and instilling the crowd with an immense sense of excitement for the coming days.
As the sun rose the next morning and tents turned into saunas it became clear that staying cool was going to be the main battle in the daytime. Days nearing 40 degrees stretched well into the evening and kept most people in the shade at the boundaries of the stages, a few brave souls venturing out into the sun to dance. The threat of heat was taken seriously by the festival; free drinking water and sunscreen was abundant, and the natural shade provided by the creek winding through the grounds was supplemented by large tent pavilions. Although thankful for this refuge, I can’t help but think that the timing of the festival in the middle of the Australian summer should be reconsidered. The holiday period makes the timing convenient, but a weekend in mid spring would reduce the risk and discomfort of spending four days at a music festival.
The tragedy of a young man dying at the festival became big news around the country after the second day of the festival. Its connection to illicit drugs was ignored by no one, reigniting the pill testing debate in parliament. It wasn’t ignored at the event either, and instead of turning a blind eye to drug use at festivals, a few of the acts and entertainers encouraged special consideration of added dangers of drug use in the heat.
Alongside the impressive smorgasbord of musical talent that the festival provided, there was a range of other activities that punters could attend. A yoga tent was almost always full and the sounds of laughing yoga could be heard across the grounds in the mornings. This tent was a haven for people to meditate and relax, making a jam packed four days of partying manageable.
On day three I saw Willaris.K put on an audio and visual spectacle that stuck with me. His suspenseful and emotional music was accompanied by a team of dancers, the combination making the set a beautifully surreal experience.
There were too many memorable sets at the festival to talk about them all, but each one offered a unique piece of the overall Lost Paradise experience. Even with the almost unmanageable heat, acts brought out a crowd from the shadows to watch them, remaining enthusiastic throughout. The variety of acts across the four stages meant that there was always something for everybody on stage. A fifth, lonely stage on the side of a hill didn’t have an accessible list of set times, which meant that most people didn’t venture up there. This turned out to be a hidden gem of tunes, and I would have loved to have seen this stage been a bit more present in the festival advertising.
New Year Eve was the day of fancy dress, and boy did the crowds come out to impress, sometimes in more questionable ways than others. Doof stick making had been a daily activity, and they were out in force on the final night. Creativity ranging from crystal balls and fairy light umbrellas to “goon of fortune” clothes lines were landmarks within the crowds, a spectacle challenging even the night’s fireworks display.
This day of the festival was particularly exciting for me as my brother had a set on the main stage back to back with one of his best mates. Tristan Case b2b Eddy Wells was the sunset act on the Lost Disco stage and the crowd was drawn from the shade to the infectious beats being produced. After seeing Eddy start on small stages in a country pub, I couldn’t have been more proud to seeing him absolutely smashing it at the biggest camping festival in Australia.
What turned into my favourite set of the festival was a live set by KiNK. I had been ready to pack it in for the night to get home before the traffic when my friends insisted that the set was not one to be missed. Boy were they right. All thoughts of being tired disappeared as the enthusiasm of the man himself seeped from his music – being mixed live – into the entire audience.
Lost Paradise was my first camping festival, and going into it I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage it. Coming out of it, I appreciate the mass of preparation that has to be done to make such a massive event into such a successful one. It was a melting pot for so many different art forms and people, a mix which managed to be effortlessly harmonious in the valley.
Reviewer : Vivienne Wells
Photographer : Sean O’Reilly
