CAHMA, Sesame Girl, Canberra gears up for Spilt Milk
Spilt Milk will rock Canberra this weekend with a lineup including local and international artists. We speak to a local act and share advice about how to stay safe.
Canberra Star
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Festival goers are set to rock Canberra as the city gears up for Spilt Milk on Saturday.
The festival features big names like The Wombats, Flume, and Peach PRC, and local artists including Canberra’s Sesame Girl.
For the first time, the sold-out festival will be held at Exhibition Park In Canberra rather than Commonwealth Park.
Leading up to the festival, Canberra’s permanent pill testing facility CanTest has been working overtime to help make attendees make informed decisions about taking drugs.
‘To say we’re stoked is an understatement’
Blake Bashfield said he and his bandmates “picked the worst time to start a band” when they formed Canberra-based indie rock quartet Sesame Girl in late 2019.
Yet the drummer says being booked to play Spilt Milk — their first-ever festival gig — was a “light at the end of the tunnel”.
“To say we‘re stoked is a bit of an understatement,” he said.
“(Through Covid-19) we did what we could. We manifested it and tried to stay positive.
“The fact we are in this position now is pretty crazy- we‘re over the moon.”
Mr Bashfield said despite their bad timing, the members of Sesame Girl banded together during the pandemic.
“We took the time to record an EP and released songs during Covid-19, which honestly probably helped a bit because I think a lot more people were sitting at home and listening to music.
Mr bashfield said it felt ironic to finally be booked to play at EPIC, a venue which previously housed one of Canberra’s largest Covid testing sites.
“It feels like yesterday I was at EPIC getting a Covid test, and I‘ve just blinked, and now I’m playing a huge festival there.
“It’s such an awesome venue … I think they’ve picked a perfect spot.
ACT expands pill testing ahead of Spilt Milk
In the two days leading up to the festival CanTest, run by CAHMA and Directions Health Services, remained open for extended hours in anticipation of Spilt Milk.
However, CanTest will not be open during the festival.
CAHMA executive director Chris Gough said pill testers had seen an uptick of festival goers checking pills specifically
“Thirty-two samples were analysed on Thursday, and we will see how we go tonight — we’re expected to be busy,” he said.
Mr Gough said several samples tested on Thursday came positive for dimethylpentylone, a stimulant drug in the cathinone drug family, and said the drug was a potential concern.
“Dimethylpentylone and other cathinones are being marketed as MDMA but have also turned up in cocaine,” he said.
“Cathinones are stimulants but don’t have the same euphoric effects as MDMA.
“They can cause increased heartbeat, body temperature, anxiety, and headaches.”
Spilt Milk has banned the use of drugs at the festival, and the ACT Government and organisations, including CAHMA, have discouraged drug use.
But, for those who choose to take drugs still, Mr Gough had this advice to minimise harm.
“Make sure you stay hydrated and make sure you are with trusted friends who know what you have taken and can look after you,” he said.
“Try and find an environment which is quiet and relaxing.”
If someone suspects their pills include dimethylpentylone, Mr Gough has this advice.
“Stay cool, as dimethylpentylone can increase body temperature,” he said
“Start with a small amount and go slowly — cathinones often make people feel like they need to re-dose, and this can lead to overdose.
“Seek medical help if negative effects continue.”
Mr Gough also said CAHMA understood there would be no sniffer dogs at the event and warned festival-goers against taking all their drugs at once to avoid detection, as this could result in an overdose.
While he supports the expanded pill testing times, Mr Gough said in future years, he‘d like to see a DanceWize service in the ACT.
“DanceWize is a service that is run at festivals by peers and provides harm reduction information as well as a chill-out space for people who are having a bad reaction to drugs they have taken or simply want to know more information about drugs,” he said.
“Dancewize would be an excellent addition to our ACT services and would work hand-in-hand with CanTest to reduce harms associated with drug use at festivals.”
Mr Bashfield said he supported the increased drug testing measures.
“I think it‘s awesome we’re setting this precedent,” he said.
“We‘re accepting the fact people are doing these drugs, and there’s nothing you can do to stop that.
“For those people who are doing these drugs, let‘s try and make it a safer experience for them.”
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