LIVE REVIEW: GROOVIN' THE MOO @ OAKES OVAL LISMORE 09/05/26
Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi Photos Steph UreGroovin’ The Moo at Lismore was blessed with a stunning day of weather, The sky was blue, it was warm, and the Oakes Oval venue was wonderful. There was so much space for a big crowd, rides like the Aviator, stalls, and food vans.
However, there were some teething troubles like the very chaotic system for getting into the venue. There was no accessibility line, no order of entry with VIP and GA in together, and musicians and media were left trying to figure out how to get in through lines of music fans to get ready. They also had a local band start at 11pm with gates open and no crowd to play to, not a good look or fair to them. More organisational issues became apparent during the day, like not enough food trucks, and cost of living prices were just a bit over the top, a can of solo was $6.50. And, how can you have a festival without hot chips being food source, many local punters were upset about that.
On the whole, the big crowd were happy with the musical part of the day, and it did start promptly at 11am as my photographer Steph and I ran in to get to see and photograph the first band and local heroes, Mr Rhodes. Those who got there early really got to see the best bands of the day. The crowd was really diverse but quintessentially Northern Rivers with that chilled out vibe being evident throughout the day.Also, Jimi, The Kween kept the crowd happy and focused on the stage. He was the best glue and really understood the crowd as he kept the pace up and the introductions fun and timely.
Crowd members who made it to the barrier were so proud of their “neighbours”, “teachers”, “friends from school” as the first three bands from the “locally sourced” part of the day. The musicians and bands showed the great variety in sound and the talent around Lismore. It was an impressive start!
Bundjalung musician Mr Rhodes (aka Blake Teddy Rhodes) and his bandput on a great opening set and set the tone for the day, and christened the stage as they brought the fun and inclusion to the day. The home town heroes played a blend of rap and rock music with a DJ kit and a fantastic synth player. Mr Rhodes songs like ‘What Happened To You’, ‘Wonderin’ Why’, and the funny and insightful ‘Can’t Leave Town’ that closed the 25 minute set was performed with style. There was a lot to like…
And speaking of a lot to like, the 17-year-old Murwillumbah Indigenous singer-songwriter Angel White did have, as someone pointed out “the voice of an angel”, and there was a lot to like in her performance. She opened her set with ‘Medication’, and her soulful voice and electric guitar echoed around the venue. Her stage presence was outstanding as she engaged the crowd, told them about her original songs ‘Repeat’, ‘Patience’, her first single ‘Would You’, and new release ‘Life’s A Bitch’. Her cover of Olivia Dean’s ‘A Couple Of Minutes’ played to the younger crowd. Her friends were in the crowd singing along in support. She was classy, professional and one to watch and an EP is on the way. I followed her on socials and Spotify before the set had ended.
Then, the last of the local Northern Rivers musicians, The Colliflowers, local Lismore band put on a blinder of a set. I had already started listening to this band as the songs ‘Pull Me Under’ and ‘Reruns’ are absolutely fantastic if you love guitar-rich indie-rock. The Colliflowers comprise of Gary Collocott, Alex Pereira, Nelson Ludeke, and Rachael Goddard were fantastic to listen to and easy on the eyes. Their sweet melodic rock with ‘San Pedro’, ‘One Minute In Time’, the fabulous ‘Streets’, an ode to homesickness and the funky ‘Devil’s Child’ underpinned a professional, beautifully paced and engaging set. Highly recommended and a band to see again.
Then, Newcastle’s Maple's Pet Dinosaur took to the stage and brought the heavy rock and grunge to the crowd. And, we loved it! I have seen the band (Seth, Bree, Nicole, Jed, and Lydon) a few times, now and I am so impressed with their nu-metal sound. Maple’s Pet Dinosaur delivered an eight-song set of original tracks kicking off with ‘Beastie’ and into the catchy ‘Ice Cream Truck’, ‘Big Mouth’ the brilliant ‘Chorus’, and unreleased song ‘Pink Blood’ which was a striking highlight. It’s a nu-metal song with a descending scale that feels remarkably fresh and suits her voice so well. Then, the band delivered ‘Invisible Boy’, ‘Child’s Play’, ‘Lego’, and closed out with ‘Play Dumb’. What was undeniable is Maple’s Pet Dinosaur is getting better and better each gig, and there are enough songs now for an album. The crowd loved the performance, and people were talking about them all day. A band to watch, without question.
“One day The Terrys will be a household name”, and on the basis of the crowd pulled to the stage and the performance delivered by The Terrys, I can see why. With an introduction referencing Australian life, it was “far out brussels sprout” as the band, Jacob Finch, Caleb Tasker, Ben Salvatori, Cameron Cooper, and Trent Cooper delivered the indie-rock rap tunes and had the crowd singing along and bouncing. Their 12-song set included ‘Spezial’, ‘Hopscotch’, and the ballad ‘Stay Free’ that got the crowd engaged from the start.
The Terrys were great at sprinkling Groovin’ The Moo memories throughout their set. They told the crowd about their first concert experiences at 15 years of age going to Groovin’ The Moo and the full circle moment of now playing the festival. The band really delivered with ‘Eraser’, ‘Annihilated’, the fun and “get ready to dance” ‘Pesos’, and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands with ‘Good Day’ and ‘Penny’. It was a deeply impressive set and performance as the last songs “before we fuck off out of here” was the crowd favourite, ‘No Bad Days’, ‘Changes’, ‘Our Paradise’, and ‘Catalonia Dreams’.
Then, if it couldn’t get better with authentic music, it did, with The Chats. It was loud, ocker, and punk as the three-piece band really delivered the knockout blow for authentic Australian music. The band, Eamon Sandwith, Matt Boggis, and Josh Hardy blitzed the Lismore crowd as they walked out on stage with a VIP sign and flipped everyone the bird as they launched into a frenetic set that made all true music fans so happy. The songs “about a car”, ‘6L GTR’, alcohol addiction problems ‘Half Arsed’, the hot weather in Brisbane ‘Stinker’, “the song to the girl on the 196 bus” and ‘Smoko’ brought the melodic, hot, fast punk joy, social commentary, and punk ethos of telling it like it is.
I was so happy when the “Sunny Coast” band performed the song about cigarette prices ‘The Price Of Smokes’. It was great to have my other “real world’ work critiqued by a punk band, I was so happy and proud. The Chats stick it to the man! And, it was indeed cruel to “have a ginger in the sun at 2pm in the afternoon”, and I agree that duty of care was a real thing as the sweat poured off the band. The Chats set was incendiary and just so good. They closed out their set with a thank you for the festival having them on the line-up as they played ‘Pub Feed’ that had the crowd singing at full volume. The band of the day, The Chats, just fantastic!
There was a lovely welcome to country with a smoking ceremony. The local elder told the crowd about “dancing on swampy ground” as he welcomed everyone to the area. At the same time, the stage was dressed in reeds, and as the sun started to set, the cold started to descend, and the moisture started creeping out of the ground.
The next musician Baker Boy and his band were indeed dancing and performing on “swampy land”. The didgeridoos and the rapped lyrics set the tone of the next section of the festival. Baker Boy, the proud Yolŋu rapper, dancer, and five-time ARIA Award winner, delivered his original hip-hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha with a distinct blend of rap and neo-soul. Baker Boy is a showman, and his endurance, energy, and charisma pulled the crowd in. The songs ‘Biggest Mob’, ‘Thick Skin’, ‘Cool As Hell’, and ‘Marryuna’ floated across the venue.
The mood shifted in the night as Jimi, The Kween upped the DJ set impact between the acts,andthenthe stage was re-dressed for Ninajirachi and when she got onto the stage she roared with “Do you like dance music?” as she blasted out the beats with her original songs and had the mosh jumping.
It has been a huge two years for Ninajirachi (aka Nina Wilson). The young musician from the CentralCoast (Gosford area) has released the amazing album‘I Love My Computer’, worked with Underscore ‘It’s You’, attracted remixes of her work from Frost Children, and toured.Her musical work has exploded into the national scene in all its glitchy computer glory. She won, no, she dominated the ARIAs, receiving eight nominations and winning three, Best Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist, and Best Independent Release.
Ninajirachi delivered a high-energy performancethat turned Groovin’ The Moo into a living, breathing, jumping, screaming organismas shecultivated an atmosphere as electric as her soundscape. She bounced around the stage. She got the crowd to bounce. The songs ‘London Song’, ‘IPod Touch’, ‘Girl EDM’, ‘Infohazard’, ‘Delete’, ‘Cat Interlude’, ‘All I Am’, and ‘Fuck My Computer’ starred as the crowd sang along at full volume, and hearing “I wanna fuck my computer, ’cause no one in the world knows me better” being yelled was funny and unsettling. The crowd went off! Excellent fun, and I cannot wait for the big concerts at the Princess Theatre in July.
The night took a strange turn with Dope Lemon and all those strange dancers on stage with hello kitty, lemon, and anime animal heads on. It was stoner rock time!
Dope Lemon is the beloved side project of Angus Stone, one part of the internationally renowned folk sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone. He and his band delivered a laidback hazy indie-electronica with surf-rock electric guitars churning away. I decided to head to the aviator ride during the set as seeing the stage from the height of the ride made the lights and stage antics seem real. Many of those on the ride had had on Dope Lemon shirts and I wondered if they were doing the same thing as me or were they just really stoned!? The songs like ‘Stonecutters’, ‘How Many Times’ and ‘Honey Bones’ washed across the venue.
Then, the mood of the night changed again with Matt Corby. His set was very nice bluesy soul music. The lights were beautiful, and it looked great. It was an intimate, soulful experience where he showcased his fourth album ‘Tragic Magic’and his older hits ‘Brother’ and ‘Miracle Love’. His set focused on his refined, introspective artistry, rich instrumentation, and his signature soaring falsetto.
The pop vibes started with Tones & I as her stage show took to the Groovin’ The Moo stage. Toni Watson known to the world as Tones & I had her band, dancers, and singers start her set with a cover of Alphaville’s ‘Forever Young’. It was great to hear Tones & I deliver all her great songs from ‘Never Seen The Rain’, ‘Bad Child’, ‘Cloudy Day’, and ‘Fly Away’. The crowd loved it, and her set was met with a roar of approval. She also performed a cover of Olivia Dean’s ‘Man I Need’ that the crowd loved before she finished off her highly theatrical set with ‘Dance Monkey’.
As many families with younger children filed out of the venue at the end of Tones & I, the older crowd headed down and the crowd around the stage swelled for Floridian rapper Denzel Curry. And he delivered a traditional rap performance with a theatrical bent. The lights, sound and songs thumped and the crowd had hands in the air. Denzel Curry brought a dynamic vocal performance to the crowd as his dark and deep voice carried out over the venue. With songs like ‘Ricky’ and ‘Hit The Floor’, he had the crowd bouncing and sweaty as the crowd loved his dynamic set.
The Groovin’ The Moo festival experience was wonderful. There were some hiccups, and tightening around the festival organisation was needed. But the musicians and bands did their thing, and the diverse genres represented were impressive, and all was right in the world. Even the three-hour drive back to Brisbane was so worth it, tired and happy.
Groovin’ The Moo delivered a great day for Lismore. Let’s hope the festival is back for good.
