Reviewed at Mount Penang Parklands onSaturday February 20
Mountain Sounds is establishing itself as the place to go for good vibes, a preview of the best upcoming names to look out for, and a great party at the end of the summer festival season.
In its third year running, the festival organisers have ironed out some of the crinkles of past events, with food, drinks and bathroom lines being quite well controlled this year. There was an artsy flair that added to its barnyard feel, with ad hoc artworks such as crate robots and Bowie tributes hidden throughout the festival in the trees and down winding paths.
Wherever you wandered throughout the day, there were different tunes for different tastes, with a big rock stage, electronic tent, a party bus, a smaller rock stage and secret stage, and the festival’s variety of acts was certainly one of its strengths. The scheduling made it difficult at times to catch the bigger acts if you were a fan of both the electronic and rock genres, but the set times were long enough that you could jump between both.
The electronic tent had moments of greatness mostly provided by Slumberjack’s crowd-pleasing beats (despite some technical difficulties cutting off their sound midway through) and Art vs Science’s penchant for introducing rock into their dance material, including an epic ‘Enter Sandman’ cover towards the end of the evening. The standout electronic act of the day, however, was Adelaide beatmaker Motez, who demonstrated masterful control over the crowd despite an early slot. He moved seamlessly from song to song, moulding the atmosphere without dropping the energy on the dancefloor.
Meanwhile, the rock stage provided the most winning acts this year, with a strong run of almost all Australian bands. I Know Leopard got things started with beautiful floaty tunes, while Harts brought out his daring rock’n’roll soon afterward, finishing up his set by triumphantly shredding his guitar behind his back. The Delta Riggs owned their psychedelic and strange rock and worked a growing crowd, while later on Alpine performed old and new hits with confidence, colour and such a crisp sound that it was often difficult to distinguish from their recordings.
Though Violent Soho were a late addition to the lineup, the band drew lots of fans and provided an energetic end to the festival. The Queenslanders capped off a day filled by a variety of sounds with some heavy rock that got heads banging and hay bales flying into the night.
While Mountain Sounds drew less people than it should have this year, it was a relaxed day filled with good tunes, good company and a friendly vibe. It’s a Central Coast gem that deserves a weekend getaway.
