Reviewed on Saturday December 5
With hour-long waits for food that then sold out by sunset, the inaugural run of Fairgrounds, held in the boutique South Coast town of Berry, did have its negatives – but feeding a few hangry mouths got the mood back up to great heights.
Boasting a solid lineup that locals would never have fathomed gracing their town, the pretty and photogenic showgrounds were filled with a chilled-out crowd. A mix of too-cool 20-year-olds and cooler parents educating their new gen relaxed on picnic rugs under the shade and across the pitch, dipping their toes in the pool when the heat peaked in the afternoon.
Attracting the crowds early on were sets from Methyl Ethel, C.W. Stoneking and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, with their sounds filling the lawns and fitting the scenery perfectly, as if they were made specifically for the setting. Over at the Newtown Social Club stage, Adam Gibson and The Ark-Ark Birds’ nostalgic narrative entertained and gave perspective to those exiting the big smoke for the weekend.
With perfect timing, Royal Headache then upped the Australiana back on the main stage with frontman Shogun belting out tunes via his signature gruff Aussie tone and shirtless antics – ‘Garbage’ and ‘Another World’ kicked the band and crowd in to a new gear.
Mercury Rev injected the afternoon with a less energetic but no less theatrical performance, their tight sound indicative of their decades of experience. The same couldn’t be said of their ability to play to the audience, leaving plenty waiting for some kind of crowd engagement or wanting fewer self-indulgent jams.
Swathed dramatically in black, Meg Mac, her band and back-up vocalists gave the crowd the acknowledgement it was waiting for. Delivering a powerful set with favourites ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’ and ‘Never Be’, her Bill Withers cover ‘Grandma’s Hands’ saw her powerful voice echo throughout the grounds and command the attention she deserved.
Californian Jessica Pratt captivated her intimate audience with beautiful mellow folk and intense concentration that led to a standing ovation, and not just due to the mass exodus heading to Father John Misty, who introduced his set with the words: “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back here. To this oval.” Throwing off his sunglasses in the midst of ‘I Love You, Honeybear’, Josh Tillman casually begun to seduce the crowd. Endlessly quotable with dry charisma, cicadas ringing through the mics were the only thing that delayed him from jumping into the crowd, seamlessly throwing his guitar offstage and owning the night.
Before too long, Ratatat graced the eager crowd with bang-on visuals, lighting and that video game guitar. Despite a dark lacklustre start, the Brooklyn duo satisfied the crowd with their instrumental goodness spanning all 12 years of singles. Their slew of hits, including ‘Seventeen Years’, ‘Wildcat’ and ‘Loud Pipes’, got the crowd moving to see the day out, but a few chants of “Say something!” reflected the sentiment that they could have uttered a few more words than “hello” and “thank you” to really end the night on a high.
