Warm hot sun; check. Luscious green patch by the ocean; check. Three stages with sound, lighting and bars set up; looking good. Quality artists; yes! Thousands of young people lining up to enjoy their Australia Day long weekend… M.I.A… Overflow at the Bay was meant to be a celebration of music and our culture, dancing and drinking in the warm weather all the while supporting the Wilderness Society by contributing to help save the Murray River. The amount of people needed to fill the event and create the atmosphere was akin to the amount of water and attention the Murray needs to flow the way it should. In other words, quite a lot more; much to the disappointment of the promoters, artist and attendees.

Upon entry you were met with a great area to enjoy and explore. There were two large bars stocked with beer, bourbon, Bacardi and bottles of water. Money from water sales were the main contributor towards funds raised on the day, however the Wilderness Society made sure to also have a marked presence at the event, walking around with giant papier mache ‘Murry Cods’ with ‘SAVE THE MURRAY’ painted across. Volunteers from the organisation were collecting signed post cards addressed to the state government to help combat the issues surround the Murray’s future preservation. A little more about the setup – and less about the Murray for the moment – there were some great vendors and stalls such as Zootz selling fantastic well balanced meals; something you don’t normally see at such an event! Henna artists were on hand to paint you up, and there were sunglasses and accessories stands. A new SA company called Nice Ice also had a stall, selling reusable, bendable ice packs to keep you cool under the hot Australian sun.

The talented acts started early. US house act Colette was appealing on the eye, and to the ears! Bos played some amazing live sax; it’s always great to see live instruments at a typically electronic ruled event. In contrast, Mobin Master played a great set of electro and house classics, all remixed by the man himself. ‘Annihilating Rhythm’ in particular was a deserving track to bring back from the dead, not to mention Karina’s rendition of ‘Don’t Stop Moving’. Some sounds will never die, and some are especially hot when being played through a white Roland keytar! It’s fantastic to see a tribute modernised and brought back to our stages, because 90s house really is a happy and soulful genre that’s a lot of fun.

It was definitely a day for female vocals, as Crazy P also had their hot frontwoman Danielle Moore out on stage. An addition to the original duo along with a slew of musicians, Danielle has a very unique presence. With an attitude not too dissimilar to mistress Peaches – but with far more elegance and soft female qualities – her voice combined with electronica, funk and analogue synths, and it really appealed. La Fiesta Sound System also had a stunning lady on the front line, Michelle Martinez. With a powerful and soulful voice, her character was overshadowed by another voice next to hers doing the backing vocals, which took away from her performance somewhat. Madusa backed them up on the mixer for this performance, but also played an amazing modern electro set earlier in the day. So great to see this chick on the decks running amok!

Benn Hopkins was playing in the VIP area and brought out classics like ‘Everybody Be Somebody’, and James Corbett pulled out a set of tech-electro. Although the VIP area was open to only a select few, those who had the pleasure of being in there could relax on the lush couches and oversized bean-bags whilst listening to the best music on offer. Not to mention, it was also the only place vodka and alternate drinks like cocktails were available at the venue! Back to the mainstage, however, the real stunners of the day were Mason and Derrick Carter. Mason burst onto the scene with his groundbreaking tune ‘Exceeder’ in 2006, and it’s since become one of the biggest tracks in electro-house. Dropping that track mid set, he also got playful as he went on, using samples from the classic jazz song ‘New York, New York’ as well as skillfully using the equipment to cut up tracks whilst introducing another. It took a while for Mason to warm up and get involved, as he was a little reserved to begin with. You’d probably assume the same of Derrick Carter, however he was just too cool for school! Derrick was a pinnacle player in building Chicago’s house music scene and is a DJ of legendary status. His skills are flawless, and his mix of tunes that ventured into various genres was admirable – not to mention enjoyable! Upon finishing up the small but eager crowd egged him on for one more, which he delivered whilst winding the tunes down and up again, all the while having a laugh and chat with the crowd.

You would think with major sponsorship like Channel 10, Holdfast Shores Council and a diverse list of top industry promoters you’d be able to convince a few more people to attend such an event. There are a few factors that are likely to have contributed to the below average turn out. First, the competition of other events, such as the Big Day Out in just a few days time or HQ featuring the Aston Shuffle, Bass Kleph and The Stafford Brothers that very same night. Although every act at Overflow was quality and on their own impressive, there wasn’t a major player that could pull the masses.

Secondly, there was almost a conflict of interest; with the promotion not really suiting the line-up. The problem, as I see it, is that by advertising a dance event on free to air TV you would expect a commercial line up to follow suit. The promoters went for a somewhat alternate line-up, with many of the acts more on the underground tip. Although this year had nearly not enough faces, with a few more stars on stage and with a little space between surrounding events I hope next year they can recreate the event with more success. Although they lacked the numbers, it certainly didn’t lack fun and a great vibe. Everyone I spoke to still had a fantastic time.

Kudos to the organisers for putting on an event for such a good cause. I do hope that the water consumed by the party goers at Overflow – and money raised – will help to refill the Murray. Just as it wouldn’t be an Australia Day weekend without a music festival, and you couldn’t have a great music festival without people, it certainly wouldn’t be the Murray without water! Please help the Wilderness Society by visiting their site, and be certain to check out the gallery of photos from the day here on inthemix to know what you missed out on!