Dashville, Hunter Valley
22-24 April 2016 :
Starting this year’s Gumball weekend was all about the race against time to set up tents and camp before the rain set in and turned the dust-like dirt to mud. You could sense the festival vibe thick in the air, and mixed in with a little urgency due to the pending rain gave a feeling that this would be one of those festival weekends to remember.
With so many people from all walks of life, it was great to see the diversity of festive people and the peaceful energy among everyone. There were scenes of children blowing and chasing bubbles, swinging in hammocks, there was even one guy walking around with balloons attached to his dreadlocks that made his hair hovered high above his head. There was also a few wonderfully free spirited elderly ladies dancing in the mud. The atmosphere couldn’t get any better, that is, until the music started.
Brisbane band The Belligerents had everyone up and dancing with their psychedelic sound. By the second song of their set, the rain really started coming down. The crowd embraced it and danced on through with the light show creating a symphony of colour against the rain, the energy was absolutely incredible for the entire set despite the turn of the weather. The amazingly funky Sex On Toast pushed the night into overdrive with their infectious energy, The Cactus Channel followed on and set a sweet groove with their fully instrumental approach. Dan Sultan as always brought the house down with his brand of power and intensity, and what a master stroke to finish with a brilliant portrayal of the Prince classic ‘Purple Rain’. The crowd was in awe and showed their appreciation with grand applause. OKA finished up the first night of Gumball with a bang, which just topped off a superb line up in anybodies books. For those still wide eyed with blood pumping strong… it was off to the silent disco for a few hours of crazy interaction.
Saturday was a lazy morning of festival breakfast from the food vans, strolling the many varied market stalls and some chilled live music. As the afternoon gathered momentum, some great acts played on the main stages, including the Davidson Brothers with their country/folk tunes, Astro Travellers, the ever present Jeff Lang who just seems to work the music circuit tirelessly, and Citizen Kay. I took the opportunity to talk with Jeff after his set and asked him a few questions, here’s what he had to say;
What are the best things about being in the road? And what are the worst?
The best would have to be meeting and playing for new people in new places. The worst is probably the varied foods, and being away from the family. Sometimes travelling is just a pain in the ass.
If you could jam with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Hound Dog Taylor.
Do the words or music come first when writing a song?
Sometimes the words, sometimes the music. The best time is when they all come together.
Instrumental Surf-rock band, The Break, which is a collection of some great Aussie musicians from backgrounds like Midnight Oil and Violent Femmes came out and rocked the staged and crowd in their astronaut suits. Big sounds from a well polished professional outfit. I thought it was going to be a hard act to follow, but then Bullhorn filed out like a brass army, the energy coming from the brass band was high and resonated through the crowd and deep into the night creating the perfect atmosphere.
Headlining act You Am I appeared to grace the stage with their alt rock sound which have stood the test of time. These guys really know how to bring a party with them. You Am I rocked hard with everybody singing along to the long list of well known songs from 2 decades past. The set was an amazing end to an incredible Saturday night……. Then back to the silent disco of course!
Sunday was a morning of relaxation and low key music on the small log cabin styled stage at the top end of the grounds for some while others casually packed up camp to head back to their respective realities.
The small Sunday morning stage seen performances by David Wells, De’May and The Porch Sliders, as well as a jam session compiled of a few artists from different bands. The people that were still around by this time got some great entertainment from the jam session, with classic tunes such as ‘Eagle Rock, ‘The Weight’ and a few other greats that the boys dragged up from the depths of their musical repertoires.
All in all it was an amazing weekend of music, diverse food, good people and fine times…… “GUMBALL”… I’ll be back next year!
Reviewer : Teah Paull
Photographer : Terry Paull
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