Adelaide’s wild weather can’t stop first Harvest Rock

First the city council tried to can it, then the weather did its best. But in the end nothing could spoil Adelaide’s first Harvest Rock festival.

Fans watch Tones and I playing at The Harvest Rock festival in Rymill and King Rodney Parks, Adelaide. Picture: Emma Brasier

After seeing off a hostile city council and the threat of thunderstorms, the first Harvest Rock festival kicked off in Adelaide’s eastern parklands Saturday.

An all-star band featuring members of Powderfinger, Spiderbait, You Am I and other legendary acts opened proceedings by playing, appropriately enough, Neil Young’s seminal 1972 record Harvest.

It set the mood nicely for what was to follow – Kiwi sensation Marlon Williams.

Williams has the looks of a young Elvis and the voice of an Angel, mixing Te Reo Maori and English to create a unique sound that sat perfectly within the muggy afternoon weather.

Mixing big rockers like Party Boy with more introspective ballads like Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore (minus Florence Welch, unfortunately), Williams is an absolute treasure.

The Barry Gibb-penned Barbra Streisand song Promises showed off Williams’ impressive vocal chops, and the cries of “I love you Marlon” from the front rows showed those chops were thoroughly appreciated.

Mega gallery: Harvest Rock 2022 in Adelaide

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By this stage the crowd – made up of everyone from excited kids to their equally excited grandparents – had filled in nicely and the rain continued to stay at bay.

Falling somewhere between the bucolic vibe of WOMADelaide and the old-school feel of a Big Day Out (minus the metal), Harvest managed to maintain an intimate vibe throughout the day.

You Am I were next, triggering flashbacks for this reviewer who first saw the band at the 1993 Big Day Out. Dropping a set filled with classics – Cathy’s Clown, Ain’t Gone And Open, Mr Milk – along with a few newbies, Tim Rogers looked a treat in his red velvet suit, leading a tight You Am I through a blistering show. Brilliant stuff.

At 3.25pm, the heavens opened, sending some scrambling for cover while many just busted out the raincoats and toughed it out. It was a brief interlude, freshening up the parklands in time for legendary Aussie band Goanna.

“This is highly improbable, we shouldn’t even be here – but we are,” Goanna frontman Shane Howard told the crowd gathered for what is most likely to be Goanna’s last-ever show.

With Razor’s Edge, Stand Your Ground and, of course, land rights anthem Solid Rock, Goanna has been the musical conscience of Australia for decades and the chance to bid farewell in style was a privilege.

Amid heavier showers, some made the most of opportunities to go a little Woodstock in the mud. And the classic poncho was a solid fashion choice for many festival fans.

“After many months of planning we’re thrilled to finally be presenting Harvest Rock in Adelaide,” said Jessica Ducrou, co-CEO of Secret Sounds, who spent much of the day keeping a close eye on the Bureau of Meteorology’s rain radar. “Huge thanks to the 15,000 music and food lovers who supported this inaugural event and are making the most of the amazing line-up of artists and delicious SA fare. We look forward to this as the first of many Harvest Rock events.”

Wildwood by Jake Kellie serving up $295 music festival feast at Harvest Rock

At $295, it’s the most expensive lunch at a music festival Adelaide has ever seen.

Wildwood by Jake Kellie, taking place between the kiosk and river at Rymill Park, is the top tier dining experience of the inaugural Harvest Rock festival on November 19-20.

Chef Kellie, of Norwood restaurant arkhe – which ranked no. 2 on the delicious. 100 list of SA’s best restaurants – will bring his signature fire-fuelled cooking to the park, with hanging meats, vegetables and fruits.

The 75-seat Wildwood lunch, on both Saturday and Sunday, will comprise of two shared entrees, mains and desserts. Matched with wines curated by critic Nick Stock, it costs $295, or $193 for food alone, on top of entry.

Jake Kellie and fellow chefs Scott Carroll and Rex Barrett at restaurant arkhe. Picture: Matt Turner

Jessica Ducrou, chief executive of Secret Sounds Co – the organisers behind Harvest Rock and interstate festivals Splendour in the Grass (Byron Bay), Falls (Byron, Melbourne, Fremantle) and the upcoming Heaps Good (Adelaide) – said Wildwood was “elevating our festival dining experience, and that’s saying something”.

“We’ve been lucky enough to host Bondi’s Icebergs Dining and Matt Moran’s Chiswick at Splendour in the Grass, so Wildwood is keeping excellent company,” Ducrou said.

The grounds will also play host to a number of food stalls and trucks.

“Jake, Nick and the Gluttony team have managed to wrangle some of SA’s best food and wine offerings at Feastiville, Trucktown, our cellar door pop up, and of course the fabulous VIP Village,” she said. “It’s great to see food and wine taking centre stage, about bloody time we say.”

Wine critic Nick Stock has curated the drinks for Wildwood. Picture: AAP/Tracey Nearmy

It’s a far cry from the takeaway pizzas and hot chips of music festivals past.

One of the earliest sit-down dining experiences to be offered at a music festival was Taste the World at WOMADelaide, created in 2015 with former Adelaide chef-turned-MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo. He and his staff from his then-fine diner Orana served up dishes inspired by the performers’ diverse backgrounds, the dish costing $35 on top of entry.

Kellie, who built his reputation at the Michelin-starred Burnt Ends in Singapore, said the larger format of Wildwood made it unique.

“We really wanted to push the boundary of having that kind of experience at a music festival,” Kellie, 31, said. “There’ll be two seafood courses in there, local lamb and beef, and using Ngeringa as well.

“It’s just a beautiful Saturday or Sunday lunch before you go and see your favourite band … and have some really good wine that Nick has curated as well.”

Tickets are at harvestrock.com

Don’t want to spend upwards of $200 on sustenance? Never fear. Here’s a taste of what else is on offer:

FEASTVILLE & VIP

Anchovy Bandit – pizza

Africola Canteen – choripan (chorizo hotdog) with potato naan

FireADL – prawn pad thai

Pizzateca – pizza

Barrio – choripan

Ragi’s Spice Kitchen – Indian nachos

FOOD FARE & TRUCK TOWN

Let Them Eat – vegetarian

Gang Gang – burgers

Forage Supply Co – plant-based

Motherlode Nuggeteria – fried chicken

Soza Sri Lankan Street Food – Sri Lankan

Loukamades – Greek doughnuts

CELLAR DOOR

Lloys Bros

Torbreck

Berg Herring

Murodoch Hill

Big Easy Radio

Champagne Ayala

Harvest will bookend Goanna’s incredible journey: Howard

Goanna blazed a trail in Australian rock, putting indigenous and environmental issues front and centre and giving a voiceto the disenfranchised.

Alongside bands like Midnight Oil and Redgum, the Victorian group helped usher in a new era and dominated the charts withhits like the land rights anthem Solid Rock.

Then it all went a little pear-shaped in the late 1980s – something frontman Shane Howard blames on “external factors” – and, apart from a brief period in the late nineties, the band was no more.

Fast-forward to 2022 and the Goanna walks once more, with Howard and band celebrating the 40th anniversary of debut albumSpirit of Place with a triumphant national tour.

Goanna rehearsing in Drysdale. Marcus Ryan, Rose Bygrave, Ruben Shannon, Shane Howard, Richard Tankard, Marcia Howard, and Graham Davidge. Picture: Jay Town

Speaking from his home in rural Victoria, Howard admitted it was something he never thought would happen.

“This wasn’t even on the radar 18 months ago,” the 67-year-old singer said.

“There were no plans for a Goanna tour. In fact, during Covid there was a period where we thought perhaps this is it. Maybethis is then end of our live music career. Even when we started the tour this year there was a lot of uncertainty, but – touchwood – we haven’t missed a date. It’s been wonderful to see everyone coming out to enjoy live music again.”

One of the first dates in the Goanna anniversary tour was this year’s WOMADelaide festival, a gig Howard described as “epic”.

“I mean, playing in front of 10 or 15 thousand people – no pressure,” he laughed.

“But there was a lot of love in the room, and that’s been a thing for this whole tour. A whole lot of love in the room forold Goanna.”

Howards says he always felt the band was “rudely interrupted” when the band broke up in the late eighties and that this tourwas a more fitting farewell for the band and a way to say thank you to its legion of fans.

“We came to a grinding halt,” he said.

“There were a number of external factors that caused that to happen. So this feels like we got a chance to really bookend things, and just put a little footnote to that whole story.”

And Howard said he couldn’t be happier to be playing Goanna’s final tour show at this weekend’s Harvest Rock festival.

“What a line up!” he said.

“I was kind of overawed when I first saw the list – Black Crowes, Crowded House, You Am I,” he said.

“I love Adelaide, and always love coming back to South Australia, so we can’t wait.

“It’s been an incredible journey. I’m so glad we did this. It’s been a chance to say thank you to everyone that allowed us to have a career in music.”

Goanna plays Harvest Rock this Saturday, along with Jack White, The Black Crowes, Groove Armada and more.