Good Vibrations is considered by many as the last ‘official’ party of summer. One last chance to kick back with some friends, listen to some great music and enjoy the sunshine. This year the sunshine was in short supply, but this didn’t stop the thousands of party people having a great time!

Setting and Production

For the second time, the palatial natural wonderland that is Centennial Park played host to Good Vibes. The organisers could not have picked a better location. I happen to prefer Centennial Park to the relatively cramped Domain. For one it’s close to home (for me), but it’s also much flatter, allows for bigger arenas and thus more stages, has loads more shady spots and is much easier to find parking around. My friends and I arrived at the park around 3pm, strolling along following the happy faces and funky music till eventually catching sight of the first security checkpoint. The security guards were unusually friendly and we sailed through both checkpoints and settled in for a top day.

When we arrived there was already a solid crowd and the Roots and B-Bar tents were already full of dancing nutbags. I was quite impressed with the scale of the event. People commented that it looked large and unpolished but it’s important to remember that Good Vibes is a festival not a holiday retreat. A bit more decoration would perhaps have helped. Overall, the production quality and sound rigs were very impressive, except for the problems which occurred later in the day at the Good Vibrations stage, but more on that later. The sound coming from the main stage was crystal clear and could be heard from quite a distance.

Rain, Hail and Shine

Though the day started out as a scorcher, it quickly moved into wet weather territory. People were divided about the impact of the rain and wind. While many (mostly those sporting Dior and Versace) moaned and groaned that refunds would have to be issued, others rejoiced in the downpour, undertaking amusing rain dances and occasionally removing unnecessary items of clothing such as t-shirts. One thing’s for sure, it certainly saved the shirtless boys going home with a cancerous vermillion glow. One of my companions remarked that it was like a modern day Woodstock, and I have to agree. While the wind did its best to bite into the rain soaked bodies, dancing and alcohol usually overrode the chill factor reasonably quickly. Performances were briefly interrupted for the first downpour, but the rain soon eased off and everyone headed back out to dance. Every subsequent crash of thunder and lightening received a huge cheer!

Several ingenious souls took to liberating pieces of equipment and creating makeshift tents out of them. Plastic garbage bags, rain coats and transparent clothing were the flavour of the day. Many of the tents received unexpected patronage boosts when the rain started to pour. Perhaps next year people will bring raincoats and the organisers might erect more shelter in case similar weather is on the cards. By the end of the night most of the remaining crowd was walking around shivering, which is never good after a big day of exertion! Slopping around in mud all day also ruined my favourite pair of jeans, but what a fitting way for them to go out!

Music, Music, Music!

I was mighty excited about the quality lineup and, happily, I was not disappointed by the performances I saw. My successful bouncing between stages was greatly assisted by several friends’ differing musical taste as well as the time needed by new acts to setup their equipment and prepare. The old legs were knackered by the end of the day though, and I remember wishing that it was easier to move between stages.

Goodwill was shaking things up nicely as I arrived and certainly set a great mood for the day. Acclaimed leftfield act Bent gave a mighty impressive performance, as did Bugz In The Attic who were seemingly more on the ball this year. They dished up some very tasty beat laden house that was well received, including their own Booty La La! Berlin based Jazzanova delivered some classy cocktail lounge tunes with more than a hint of Latin influence. Even as the skies opened up and one of the Good Vibration stage speakers blew, the crowd threw up a cheer and kept jiving out to Jacques Lu Cont. I’ve never seen Blue Monday get such a reaction! Layo and Bushwacka upped the ante, playing a more techno oriented house set, though people struggled to appreciate the remix of Love Story that was used.

The atmosphere during Arrested Development’s performance was electric. Even people who only knew two or three songs were bopping and singing along with everyone else. These hip-hopratives really know how to work the crowd! The Roots tent exploded when the seminal Everyday People came on, with a chorus of voices singing along with every word. Amp Fiddler’s performance on the main stage was equally captivating. A delightful and fluid blend of funk and jazz chords, fantastic keyboard work and a smooth voice that oozed soul ensured that this was one performance that will be fondly remembered. Whoever decided to use Fiddlers’ equipment for target practice needs a good slapping though. Ajax was playing Rocker type tunes, and the mischievous and hilarious Cuban Brothers incited a sing-along to something that sounded distinctly like All Night Long by the one and only Lionel Richie!

Scottish larrikin Mylo’s performance on the main stage was suitably impressive. Though the tunes are by no means groundbreaking, they are very danceable and I had a boogie to tweaked versions of Paris Four Hundred, Zenophile, In My Arms, Destroy Rock & Roll, Otto’s Journey and Drop The Pressure. The more it rained the more fun people had! The final act was the enjoyably poppy, glamour puss antics of the Scissor Sisters. I do feel that perhaps a more dance oriented act would have done a better job closing the festival. Not really complaining though because hearing Comfortably Numb, Laura, Take Your Mamma, Filthy Gorgeous, Mary and their cover of Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out, all played live was awesome. Those flamboyant costumes… wow! The locals were also very impressive and it’s always good to see our home-grown talent giving the internationals a serious run for their money.

The only real disappointment for me was Patife who didn’t seem to be able to engage with the crowd. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to see everyone and ended up missing out on Tayo and Ben Watt which was a bit of a shame. I also wasn’t able to spend too much time in the Star Bar purely because it was always so choked up with people hiding from the rain. Still, you can’t manage to see everyone.

The Facilities

Although a somewhat less glamorous aspect of the day, toilets remain an essential facility of modern life. The ITM VIP toilets proved to be a godsend, with their clean floors, 3-ply toilet paper and scented soap and deodorant bringing a welcome creature comfort element to those lucky enough to use them. No skanked out brown slush erupting from the depths of hell in there, just clean amenities that toilet duck would have been proud of.

In the interests of journalism I did brave the portaloos once. However, I quickly vowed never to step foot in a porta again! Evidently many shared this sentiment, deciding instead to relieve themselves on garbage cans, poles, in corners and even peoples’ picnic blankets. Sensibly, the organisers did provide more toilets this year which greatly reduced que times and undoubtedly made for a smoother day. Unfortunately, considering the number of people at the festival, there were still far too few to cope with the demand. The numerous bars and food stands spotted around also made for a far easier day. Tis a shame alcohol supplies started to run out early in the day though.

Antics

Around about 3 p.m., sixty or so people stormed the fence in a desperate attempt to score free entry. Little did they realise though that most of them had run into the zone between two checkpoints and ended up being crash tackled by security or escorted out. Many of the fence jumpers did make it inside though, looking suitably smug. While one chancer decided to swim across a lake to sneak in, others snuck in using crafty disguises.

After the downpour numerous people started stripping off their wet clothes, resulting in dancing bodies clothed only in underwear. Some monkey type people decided it would be fun to scale trees, others decided to create huge mudslides, while some performers decided that nudity was just what the doctor ordered. You name it and this festival had it.

Another Satisfied Customer

However you spent your day I hope you had as much fun as I did! I was thoroughly impressed with the event organisation and musical acts and, barring the discomfort of being soaked to the bone, I will remember this Good Vibrations as one of my finest festival experiences. Even though the rain did start to play havoc with the terrain and people’s body temperature, I think most punters left feeling that they had got their money’s worth. I can’t wait for next year!