Returning for the 3rd time to still one of the Gold Coast’s best kept secret and private parkland sites, V Festival again brought together another eclectic mix of hot international acts, as well as launching the careers of the annual Garage to V national and state winners, Villains of Wilhelm and Drawn From Bees, respectively. It seems no expense was spared in the organisation and planning, then ultimate delivery of V Festival, right from the logistical organisation of local authorities with transport and traffic control providing hassle-free ‘park and ride’ options, to making ‘as demanded by the public’ schedule changes and updating the Festival website three days prior.

On time, the Welsh darling of pop and soul, Duffy with her band and look-a-like singers took centre stage to an almighty roar of a diversely-aged crowd. With unbelievable control of her mezzo-soprano voice, many a spine-tingling chill was felt when her unique vocal emanated from the speakers. Given the turbulent ride Duffy has already experienced in her young life, there’s no doubt she’s been blessed given the grace, poise and controlled emotion she styles herself with onstage. Engaging the crowd with every word between songs, she was very relaxed and comfortably at home delivering wit and mild humour in her one hour performance. Singing Rain On Your Parade, Fool For You, Warwick Avenue, Breaking My Own Heart, Stepping Stone, Delayed Devotion, Stop, and Mercy among others, I was filled with wonderment having just witnessed the delightfully adorable Duffy.

Hearing the tail end of Louis XIV while enjoying a bite from the food market, I grabbed a posse on the hill in front of The Other Stage in readiness for M83’s much anticipated first local performance. Watching their stage set-up and sound-checks had me intrigued given I knew nothing about M83, with no expectation of what I was about to hear. I was totally blown away by their sound; not just hearing their trance-like and hypnotic melodies, I felt like I was captured from within the depth of my soul. ‘Eternal waking ethereal dreams creation’ is probably a close description of their so-called ‘dream-pop’ style of electronica music; wow!

Snapping out of M83’s hypnotic spell, I had just minutes to get to and secure a close position near the front of That Stage for the start of Madness. With 23 years past since Madness last toured, and given many original band members had come and gone and come back again over the years since 1978, many of us fans from their ska-influenced years of the early ‘80’s were mad-keen for what we’d behold today. With not 6, nor 7, but 10 members of the group headed by Suggs, the entire crowd erupted into ska-dancing with One Step Beyond; it was unbelievable to be up front in the thick of the Madness mayhem crowd. With their antics of yesteryear down-played greatly, their rascal-nature was still evident in their fun-filled show as they reverted to their youth frolicking about onstage.

With Embarrassment, The Sun & The Rain, Night Boat to Cairo, Shut Up, House of Fun, Wings of a Dove, Baggy Trousers, and It Must Be Love, obvious crowd pleasers, when the geezers performed less familiar tunes, the crowd chanted “Old School”. Just when the guys left stage with what appeared to be their finale in Our House, the crowd thinned, but with a close eye on Monsieur Barso leaving a near full beer bottle by his keyboard chair after a quick swig, I stood my ground knowing they’d be back for an encore. If they didn’t start with it, they had to end with it, and with the self-titled Madness, the crowd went fully mad for one last time, for good old ska-times sake! Another Wow!

By now night had fallen, and in ear-shot of Kaiser Chiefs who’d just started their smashing set, the visual spectacle of the massive screens either side of both This and That Stages, meant wherever you were, not only could you hear the sonic waves belting out, you could also see the performance. One thing I love about live band festivals is hearing a familiar tune, and realising it belongs to that artist; ‘OMG!’ moments.

With The Human League rescheduled to the same time as Snow Patrol, so as not to clash with The Killers, I was in a quandary of who to catch first. With Phil Oakey still the lead man of one of my favourite synthpop, new wave bands from my teenage years, I had to be there for the opener to their entire Dare album performance. With the stage set and the female vocalists Sulley and Catherall dressed to emulate the glam pop era, we were treated to The Things That Dreams Are Made Of, bringing many to their feet. With Open Your Heart followed by The Sound of the Crowd in the order it appears on Dare, surprisingly I was underwhelmed, so departed making a bee-line to Snow Patrol.

Finding a great vantage point, within seconds was glad of my hasty decision to leave my musical time warp. I’d never really taken notice of Gary Lightbody or the Snow Patrol band before, but oh my, wow! What an amazing frontman and incredible power pop, indie rock sound; it’s any wonder that with five singles in as many years in the Top 10 UK charts, the crowd they drew was colossal. Humble, proud and ever-so-charming, Gary with his gorgeous Irish accent spoke between each song, dedicating the next to one of the other performers from the day. Very light showers actually enhanced the atmosphere, lighting and visuals during their performance; and with the first chords of Chasing Cars, the sky opened up further, electrifying the ambience that was incredibly exhilarating.

With The Killers start delayed until the end of Snow Patrol, and all other stages now closed, every punter made way to That Stage area which easily extended 150-200 metres from the front. Watching from the side, I had another ‘OMG!’ moment, realising again I was familiar with some of The Killers work. But the best was when dancing at the back, they played Human, and immediately experienced that chilling euphoric feeling throughout my body. With so many wonderful moments throughout the day, it had just peaked, The Killers killed it! And with that awesome feeling, right before the torrential downpour I departed yet another V Festival satisfied more than the year before. OMG Wow!