Golden Plains festival beats to the heat to mark a sweet 16th set

An announcement from police was an unusual way to start the 16th Golden Plains festival in western Victoria. But during a warning about the remarkable heatwave and fire danger for the region, the crowd was told that in case of any problem, it was best not to leave, as Meredith’s Supernatural Amphitheatre was “the best place to be”.

And you get the sense that the crowd, the majority of which have made Golden Plains an annual pilgrimage, did not need to be reminded.

The Golden Plains festival: even police said the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre was the best place to be.

The classic hallmarks come to define the festival were in full view – costumes, bare skin, increasingly inventive doofsticks and an overwhelming sense of freedom spread through the “Sup” all weekend, despite the oppressive heat.

Shade was at a premium, volunteers doused the crowd with sprinklers, and legionnaire caps, cowboy hats and broad brims had never been so in fashion.

Melbourne outfit Split System tried their hardest to rouse the crowd from its heat-induced slumber with the opening set, kicking the festival off with an airtight, high-energy assault of blistering punk-rock.

But the dancefloor remained mostly dormant for the first several acts of the day, with punters contently lounging on couches under the shade of the amphitheatre’s gum trees.

Legendary Zambian group Witch filled the dance floor.Credit: Eloise Coomber

American indie group Wednesday almost captured the crowd’s full attention with an excellent set of country-infused alt-rock detailing the minutiae of life in North Carolina, creating one of the most gender-inclusive mosh pits in recent memory.

But in classic Golden Plains fashion, the true star of day one was an international big band.

Legendary Zambian group Witch were the first to fill the dance floor, playing a perfect set of Zamrock that hit maximum overdrive when Australian icon Sampa the Great made a brief guest feature.

A magical sunset then hung over Aussie rockers RVG, who overcame some initial technical issues to deliver an emotional and anthemic set, one of the highlights of the weekend.

French house legends Braxe + Falcon carried the party through to the early hours of Monday morning.Credit: Chip Mooney

Lead singer Romy Vager poured out as much heart as she did sweat for heartbreak anthems like I Used to Love You, while part of the crowd spectacularly organised a “group singalong” by handing out pre-prepared lyric sheets to punters and forming an informal RVG choir on the hill.

It’s that sort of creative titbit from random strangers that makes Golden Plains feel so unique, and so euphoric.

Unfortunately, temperatures remained in the 30s through to midnight, and a lethargic crowd struggled to fully embrace a technically proficient upbeat jazz set from British drummer Yussef Dayes.

Even a near-perfect set from Australian alt-rock icons Regurgitator struggled to get people dancing, as the biggest cheer of the night came when guitarist Ben Ely recalled playing in the same place nearly 30 years ago at the second Meredith Music Festival.

This year’s Golden Plains had tickets available up to the start of the festival.Credit: Benjamin Fletcher

Ely also shouted out his daughter – somewhere in the crowd enjoying her first Golden Plains – in a deft nod to this festival’s long and proud history as it passes down through generations.

Unusually, however, Golden Plains did not initially sell out this year.

Tickets were still available for purchase through the official site just days before kick-off, proving that even one of Victoria’s favourite festivals isn’t immune to issues plaguing the festival scene, such as rising prices and the cost-of-living crisis.

A smaller crowd, sore heads and blustering winds created a slightly eerie feeling on Sunday morning, but for punters who persisted through the heat, sweat and dirt, the second day provided a near perfect Golden Plains lineup, from the Paul Kelly-esque story-telling of The Slingers in the early morning to Japanese DJ Koco in the afternoon. Koco raised the most boots for the festival with his masterful mixing of 7-inch hip-hop and dance records.

The shade gave some fans relief at Golden Plains.Credit: Vicki Bell

The only real hiccup on Sunday was the headliner, English rap veterans The Streets. Mike Skinner’s aggressive, ironic and very masculine British humour mostly missed the mark at a festival predicated primarily upon compassion and empathy. The live instrumentation was tight, but it all fell a bit flat, leaving French house legends Braxe + Falcon to reignite the energy and carry the party through to the early hours of the morning.

There’s no denying the sweet 16th was occasionally hard going, but with plenty of shade, water and a crowd emanating enough love to make Cupid blush, it seems fairly certain this festival has plenty more birthdays to celebrate.

The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger. Get it every Friday.