Good Vibrations Festival @ Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast (12/02/07)

South east Queensland’s hunger for Summer music festivals was about to be fed again. This time, it was Good Vibrations on the menu. It was Sunday morning, and I was one of the many setting off to the Gold Coast from Brisbane for this year’s festival. The Spit’s Doug Jennings Park was this year’s venue. A much larger, and probably more usable space than available at last year’s Brisbane Riverstage. Wanting to avoid some of the congestion and parking problems encountered for Summafieldayze, we decided to head off early. It turned out to be a smart move. We got there just in time to nab ourselves a free park on Sea World drive, avoiding the $20 or $40 parking fee that awaited festival goers just a little up the road.

It was a sweltering day, with sun-screen and hats definitely the go. Walking towards the festival, it was obvious that the hot weather, along with the predicted rain, had probably influenced people’s clothing decisions for the day. There was a lot of skin on display, but definitely not the creative and outlandish costumes that were on show at Summafieldayze. Getting to the gates just after midday, we had a smooth entry into the festival. Perhaps too smooth though. Being an over 18s gig, our IDs were checked, but it seemed that someone had forgot to remind the security guards to check peoples bags on the way in. My friend and I walked straight through, with obvious hand luggage in toe. I kicked myself for not packing that bottle of Smirnoff!

Four stages awaited us inside. The main stage, set to host the likes of Snoop Dogg, Sneaky Sound System and The Beastie Boys, was in the middle, facing out towards an open field. An elevator platform at the front of the stage was to host to fine DJs, like Raye Antonelli and Ajax. To the left of the main stage those with a taste for electronica and house were served by the aptly named “Chinese Laundry” tent. To the right, a larger tent (Roots Stage) hosted some of Australia’s – and indeed the world’s – finest hip-hop, roots and rap. Finally, on the far side of the festival, the “B-stage” with timber floor boards, chandelier and a real bar, served up not only a number of the sponsor’s cocktails, but a fine selection of DJs known for their party style and funky tunes.

With a massive lineup, and some painful timetable clashes, one of today’s biggest problems was always going to be deciding who to see and who to skip. As we took in the surroundings, realising we were one of the first inside, we were greeted by the sounds of Sydney group Pomomofo on the main stage. We joined a small bunch of fans nestled in the shade in front of the stage. It’s always hard to play so early in the day, particularly to an empty field, but these guys did it well. I hadn’t heard them before, let alone seen them live, but with their strong synth and effects driven sound, by the time they’d rounded out their set with ‘Late Night City Skylines’ they had definitely won some new fans (or at least one!)

Grabbing a heat reducing and dust cleansing drink, we quickly headed to Chinese Laundry to catch the end of Brisbane’s own DJ Habebe. He had already managed to draw in a decent crowd, with many kicking off their dancing early in the day. It was obvious that some people were going to plant themselves in this tent for the duration of the day, and with acts like Baby Gee, DJ Dan, Cassius and Timo Maas all to come, I could easily see why. Deciding not to set down roots just quite yet, I skipped over at the B-Stage, sampling one of the sponsor’s mojito cocktails as Seany entertained us with his party driven mix, sliding in samples of ‘Rock the Casbah’ and ‘Gold Digger’.

Not yet old enough to get in the front gate, local youngens Operator Please had to get themselves on the lineup to get into today’s festival. Not the least bit intimidated, these young musos hit the main stage, showing us with catchy tunes like ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ and ‘Get What You Want’, why they’ve been marked as a band to look out for. Gold Coast music scene supporters would have been torn, having to decide whether to stay at the main stage or to head over to the Roots Stage to catch local hip-hop aces The Winnie Coopers. Deciding to do the latter, I wandered to the Roots tent, and squeezed towards the front of a quickly swelling crowd. As DJ Bigbad manned the decks, busted arm and all, Eloquence and The Educator displayed their distinctly Australian sound as MCs. It was obvious that these guys – and Australian hip-hop in general – has a big following in this part of the woods.

Sydney four-piece Van She added to their busy Summer schedule with a set back at the main stage. Their hit ‘Sex City’ was a definite crowd pleaser. Unfortunately, a lengthy trip to the bathroom meant that I had to admire them mainly from afar. Next on the list of my “must sees” were the Resin Dogs. It had been quite some time since I’d seen the full Resin Dog outfit together, so long in fact that I hardly recognised them on stage. With horns in tow, and guests galore on stage, they lifted the roof with their familiar sounds. Unfortunately, the sound was probably too big. Those of us that had managed to squeeze our way up front were overwhelmed by the distorted bass. Nonetheless, the Resin Dogs got the crowd dancing in a way that they only can.

Wiggling my way out of the sweaty crowd, I decided to head over and support another of Brisbane’s supremely talented DJs, Baby Gee. I could have stayed and danced to this set all day. With heavy basslines, and amazing beats, Baby Gee injected what seemed to be an endless supply of energy into a loyal crowd. Jumping up and down, encouraging the crowd, it was good to see a performer enjoying the day as much as the crowd was. As the afternoon set in, I decided to grab a bite to eat and gather some energy before the night’s festivities kicked in. Melbourne three-piece outfit Cut Copy drew me back to the main stage with a stellar performance, closing with ‘Far Away’. Next up was the inthemix50 #1 voted DJ, Ajax. Taking over the DJ platform on the main stage, he entertained what had swollen to be a massive crowd.

Over at the B-stage, I sipped on another tasty mojito as Ursula 1000 attempted to gain the attention of the crowd with his electrogrooves and disco sounds. Off in his own world, Ursula managed to bring the crowd in with his well-known track ‘Electrik Boogie’. It was all up from there, setting up beautifully for renown party-man DJ Yoda. Opening to the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Yoda seemed set on bringing a bit of humour to the night, seeing how many songs he could mix into a set. A crazed crowd warmed to his style, dancing unashamedly to the likes of Michael Jackson’s ‘Billy Jean’ and Madonna’s ‘Get Into The Groove’.

Over at the Roots Stage, things were just starting to warm up. JS-1 displayed his talents on the decks, as beatbox champion Rahzel entered the stage to the chant “The Champ is Here”. An amazing display of vocal percussion, turntable scratching, and – of course – ego inflation, all followed. Next up, on possibly their last tour as a group, Jurassic 5 were set to hit the stage. Unfortunately, shortly into their set sound problems arose. Getting things together, J5 put together a great show, with ‘Freedom’ and ‘What’s Golden’ serving as definite highlights.

A fair chunk of the crowd took Jurassic 5’s sound problems as a cue to head to back to the main stage, as the late addition – and arguably the biggest name on the bill – Snoop Dogg prepared to grace the Gold Coast audience. As the TV screen flashed up “Tha Dogfather”, Snoop – hidden under a grey hoodie – entered the stage to an amazing reception. Holding what is definitely the largest piece of diamond-encrusted-microphone-bling Australia has even seen, Snoop’s performance enthralled even those of us that aren’t that keen on “gangster” style rap. After leaving the stage, he sent some of his entourage (henchmen?) out into the crowd to hand pick good looking girls to come back stage, much to the displeasure of many a boyfriend.

The day hit a crescendo with New York’s finest Jewish rap export, The Beastie Boys, who headlined on the main stage. Not quite “boys” anymore, the three front-men, decked out in grey suits, started their set with instruments in hand, accompanied as usual by DJ extraordinaire Mixmaster Mike. Unfortunately, it is probably only the die-hard Beastie Boys fans that appreciate their instrumental pieces. It wasn’t really until the boys dropped their instruments, and picked up their microphones for ‘Intergalactic’, that the crowd was completely drawn in. As the Beastie Boys continued, some of the crowd decided to call it a day and make an early exit from the festival. Others, including myself, decided to end the night enjoying the unique sounds of German legend Timo Maas. Showing how much he appreciates his fan base, Timo managed to sign autographs throughout his set. Those heading to one of his 4 hour side-shows are in for a real treat.

As a few drops of rain fell, the music ended, and it became clear that the day had come to a close. In terms of organisation and facilities, the festival definitely had its share of pros and cons. Punters were well catered for, food and drink-wise. I had no problems getting a bottle of water (unlike at Summafieldayze), and the ability to pay cash at the bar, along with small lineups would have pleased many. The “B-Live” bar, with its wooden deck floor and small cocktail list certainly added a touch of class to the festival. On the downside, a complete lack of toilets seriously marred many people’s festival experience. This is a common festival problem, but this was definitely one of the worst toilet experiences I’ve had in a long festival attending career. As long lines of people waited in ridiculous cues, many of the male patrons decided to convert any fence line, tree or scrub into a public urinal. There seemed to be no or very little attempt by security to stop this. Apart from these problems, the behaviour of the crowd seemed to be quite good within the gates.

Outside the festival, unbeknownst to those that had been inside, it would seem that chaos had reigned. A fire was deliberately lit in the bushland adjacent to the festival. Firefighters were called in twice to control the fire. One man jumped on a traffic controller’s scooter, taking it for a joyride before crashing outside Sea World and being wrestled to the ground by a security guard. In local press the following day, it was reported that local councillors and the Mayor were disappointed with the behaviour, and suggested that organisers ramp up security in future. When asked about the venue choice, the Mayor (Ron Clarke), was quoted as saying, “That is a public park and when you have an event like this, you open yourselves up to idiotic behaviour. It really is an invitation for disaster”. With comments like these, it raises doubts as to whether future festivals will be allowed at Doug Jennings Park.

A little dusty, and a little tired, the crowd filed out along Sea World Drive, leaving behind another of Summer’s big music festivals. For most, the quality of the music and performances on display easily outweighed the organisational problems and mishaps. A lineup of similar quality next year will definitely draw a crowd, no matter where the festival ends up.