[Live Review] YOURS AND OWLS FESTIVAL 2017

Stuart Park, Wollongong
Saturday September 30 – Sunday October 1, 2017 :

Following my second visit to Yours and Owls Festival, it’s safe to say that it is fast becoming my favourite multi-day festival. Running the event on the October Long Weekend is just so helpful for us “out-of-Towners” to turn the festival into a three day, kids-free getaway. When you get to our age, these opportunities can be few and far between so when they do arise, you take full advantage of it. We arrive mid afternoon on the Friday following a three hour drive from the Central Coast. The distance is just far enough for you to feel the adventure and escape from normal life. This is definitely a holiday with a music festival in the middle of it.

Saturday morning is a nice, relaxed wake up. Breakfast in bed, music playing through our Airbnb digs, and the day’s playing times out in front of us as we plan who we will catch. I love this time of the day – we chat about which bands we should see, streaming live videos to get a feel of what they are going to be like on stage, and packing food and goodies for the day ahead.

Before we head to the festival, we pay a visit to the Moving Mountains Gallery to take in Sound Exposure, an exhibition of music images by Aussie shooters Ian Laidlaw and Chris Frape. These guys have captured an amazing slice of the Wollongong music scene, and to see it in all its glory was a pleasure. I bought the book, had it signed by the boys, and it now sits proudly on my coffee table.

Following a lunch in the Wollongong mall at a place called The Square, I seem to remember, we head to the festival where the parking fairies had saved a park for us a mere stroll from the main entrance. We head in, get the appropriate bands on our wrists, and start to get the festival layout sorted – where are the stages, the toilets, the booze, the food, and where is the AFL playing this afternoon. We throw $100 onto our drinks wristband and begin our day.

The music on offer over the weekend was vast. When you are at a festival to shoot, and you come home with 28 bands on your memory cards, you know that you have had a lot of live music thrown at you. Earplugs are a must, especially when most of that time has been spent a few metres from the speakers. I’ve already got crap hearing from doing this so let’s not make the problem even worse.

The first two hours, and I caught Ali Barter, Ivan Ooze, Alex Lehey, Slum Sociable and Trophy Eyes. The crowd had started to build, and the sun still carried its warmth. The grin on Ivan Ooze’s face was infectious, and Slum Sociable pleasantly surprised. I shot these guys at Laneway probably 3-4 years ago, and for me, they felt like a different band. Not that they were bad when I last saw them, it’s just that my memory of that shoot… there really wasn’t one. They were, sorry to say, but just another band I shot at a festival. After today they find themselves being played on the stereo at home.

It’s mid afternoon and the AFL is in full swing with Richmond having played a wonderful second quarter, setting themselves up for a deserving win later in the day. On stage were Wavves (great bassist to shoot), City Calm Down (love their album, enjoyed them on stage), Donny Benet Band (unique, surprisingly engaging) and Northeast Party House (where are they playing next week cause I want to go). The sun dips behind the hills taking with it any warmth in the air, and putting in question the festival dress sense of a number of punters. Warmer clothes were definitely seen on Sunday. Some Balinese food was shared both nights, and it was so good.

Under lights, all bands performed with very little front lighting making it quite difficult to shoot. I’ve seen The Preatures a number of times now, and it’s always been enjoyable. Bad//Dreems surprised me, in that they looked and sounded nothing like I was expecting. I was happy for that. Allday, always moving, difficult shoot. Dune Rats…. it’s party time Wollongong! The smiles on the faces of the Dune Rats boys were wide, they were loving it. From the moment the beer can balloons were thrown into the crowd, the night became theirs. A quick visit over the shoot Northlane, then back to Safia to close my first night off. It’s a long day, nine hours shooting 15 bands, yet it’s not an exhausting one. Having a proper bed to come home to is a blessing, and necessary to do it all again tomorrow.

Another lazy morning before heading into the festival. With skydivers swooping the main stage, the crowd feels smaller early in the day compared to day one. New Zealanders, Electric Wire Hustle, provided a smooth start to our time in the main stage pit. Cash Savage burnt the soles of her bare feet on a stage being cooked by the sun. The poor thing, within 30 seconds of taking the stage you could see it on her face that the burn coming off the stage was not going to work out.

Bec Sandridge put on a performance that needs to be seen later in the day under festival lights. The Pinheads lead singer found himself high in the stage scaffolding for much of our three song shoot, then finished it off with a couple of brown-eyes that we far too close to the camera lens. Thankfully not mine. Holy Holy sounded great on the main stage. I’m already a fan so I’m probably not the best person to get an impartial opinion of their show. Returning for a second year was Totally Unicorn, and for a photographer, I’d love to have them on all festival lineups. I spent most of the shoot in the crowd chasing vocalist Drew Gardner around trying to get a photo of him. It’s a sweaty job.

Confidence Man and AB Original provided the music to our mid afternoon break, sitting on the hill under the trees eating a big plate of curry. Le Butcherettes were intense, you couldn’t take your eyes off them. Returning to the main stage for Montaigne, the crowd had packed themselves in close. She’s at ease on a big stage. On the smaller stage, The Orwells open with vocalist, Mario Cuomo stubbing out his cigarette onto his tongue. Oh so R + R. He lost me at that point. Back at the main stage and the crowd had managed to pack in even harder for Illy. It was a big show with the punters loving it.

One final break of food and drink, and I’m back in the pit for At The Drive In, a manic performance and difficult to shoot. Chaotic and at times confusing, the ATDI performance tonight was everything I’d hope for. Following a quick late night party dusting from The Presets, we take a sneaky exit out of Yours and Owls, and head back to the big cozy bed. It’s so nice to be home before 11 following a festival.

What a great weekend. Wollongong gave us the best weather, and Yours and Owls has become the best festival. I look forward to our return, October Long Weekend 2018.

Photographer : Kevin Bull

AB ORIGINAL
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ALEX LAHEY
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ALI BARTER
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ALLDAY
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AT THE DRIVE IN
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BAD DREEMS
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BEC SANDRIDGE
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CASH SAVAGE
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CITY CALM DOWN
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CONFIDENCE MAN
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DONNY BENET
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