Review: Meredith Music Festival 2012

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Review: Meredith Music Festival 2012

A festival that has become so renowned tickets are impossible to buy even from scalpers. It was my first time at Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre and I was about to get a crash course on how to have the weekend of my life.

There were only good things to be said about the festival as we headed there and although the queues were long, hot and uncomfortable, we were greeted with Red Bull fairies handing out refreshments in the line. The ticket swiping was all done very quick and we were on the dusty path to our campsite in no time. I got a few ciders into me before changing into my festival appropriate attire, you know glitter, green eyeshadow, clothing that would make my grandparents blush and before I knew it, it was time for Grimes.

I don’t remember why time melted away so fast at Meredith but it seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the weekend. Everyone was buzzing with excitement when it was time for Grimes. I had lodged myself deep into the crowd and standing at 5″2 wasn’t ideal (it never is) but I didn’t miss a beat. Claire was a vision (according to the big screens I had to settle for) and her electronic beats and energy washed over the crowd like a fruity cocktail. I felt the literal tingling from surrounding bodies as opening sequences to Genesis and Oblivion were played. It was an awe inspiring moment seeing Grimes perform live but even that felt like it slipped away too quickly.

I decided to explore for the rest of the night in my hazy state, discovering the fun food stalls, meeting wonderful people with even better attire and lazing in the grass of the Pink Flamingo Bar. I was becoming restless to see Four Tet until I bumped into an old friend who took my hand and threw me into the crowd for Omar Souleyman. I don’t know what Omar was singing about but at this point all I know is that everyone was happy. It was such a great way to spend the time before seeing Four Tet and I can honestly say Omar Souleyman would have to be one of the highlights of the weekend.

Four Tet was beautiful. At one point he sped everything up to what I’m sure was 170bpm and I felt dizzy. All in all it was visually and aurally perfect. I was a little sad when the first night ended but knowing there was more to come was exciting.

I woke up with a headache to rival most headaches in the history of the world but I got wrenched out of my tent to see Twerps. Twerps for breakfast is something I would like to do more often. The timing was impeccable and a coconut was in order so I wandered into the crowd to find one. I’m not weird by the way, there was a Cocohut selling fresh coconuts to drink from. I got lost for most of that day and didn’t know where any of my friends were for say… two or three hours.

I guess it’s fair to say, considering I write for a site that is exclusively electronic dance music based (no, I’m not going to call it EDM) that the bands weren’t something I came to watch. I had heard so much about the atmosphere of the festival that experiencing them was like an added bonus I wasn’t expecting. I found myself in awe of the Sunnyboys and their unrelenting enthusiasm even though previous to this day, I had little idea who they were. Infected with joy, my anticipation started to turn into nerves which then turned into ecstasy for the time had arrived for Otologic to play.

Living in Melbourne, I see Otologic play at the very least once a month at C-Grade but the stories, oh the stories I had heard made me as excited as ever. Rumours of glow sticks carpeting the ground and being thrown into the air which then came down like rain drops was all too much for me. It was an experience few words can sufficiently describe. As I danced with friends, bumped into familiar faces and saw the sunrise, time once again fooled us into believing we had only been there for mere minutes instead of hours. I don’t remember many of the songs Nick Murray and Tom Moore played to us but I remember sharing the “one more song” experience to no avail with them. It would have been the saddest part of the festival really.

I missed out on a lot. I miss many bands, many acts and even the nude run. However Meredith seems to be a lot like Disneyland. You need a lot of time to figure it all out before it can truly be discovered in it’s entirety. Hopefully the next time I visit the Supernatural Amphitheatre  this time more equipped with pillows, tuna and the knowledge I soaked in I can tell you a little more about what you are missing out on.

BEST: Omar Souleyman
WORST: Losing my friends (but I found the baked potato stand)
TIP: Use glowsticks to find your way back to your tent/find your friends/as currency when you need a baked potato

If you are incredibly jealous and can’t wait until December of this year to get your own teeth into Meredith, Golden Plains is happening in March. It’s run by the same magicians who run Meredith with acts including George Clinton, Julio Bashmore, Dinosaur Jr and Purity Ring rounding up the lineup.

Golden Plains 2013

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