Southern Roots Festival

My first festival experience was daunting, thrilling, unpredictable and well... other things I am sure I have no idea about.
Being the festival “virgin” that I was I tackled it like a mission, I was prepared for anything. I had my jeans, boots, a few tops, sunscreen, dresses for over jeans, coats and some other stuff on loan.
Really the better option would have been getting a lovely, comfy couch and finding a nice grassy spot on the Brooker Highway! Saves buying a ticket! But there is something very important about the visual experience of a live band – than just purely using your ears – well of course you see no evil but its a little boring!
So with the 8am start, the folders in hand, and the 'Crew' pass, by 10am I was set to see the first act, Tasmanian boys Red Rival, kicking things off on the Main Stage. Not knowing a lot about them I had no expectations but I can see why they opened proceedings. The boys have only been together for nine months and have already grabbed the attention of important people in the music industry –supporting Dallas Crane and the Pharaohs and have had a few record labels checking out there wares – and to top it off nicely they are also Triple J Unearthed Winners getting a significant amount of airplay both nationally (Hobart, Melbourne and on Triple J) and internationally, (Chicago).
Next to grace the Main Stage was the second Tassie band on the line-up, The Embers. Double the numbers of Red Rival, the six piece was formed by long time friends late in 2005. Being Fall's Festival and MS Fest experienced, their set got the arriving festivalgoers attention and the crowd steadily built. They were really enjoyable and fun to watch – and the dual alcohol cages containing the over 18 drinkers, also steadily began filling at that point with quite a few people into it well before noon.
At that point my stage floating began, midway through the lovely Dili All Stars, I made my first trip to see a band in action on the Pavilion Stage – which was located under the grandstands facing the oval containing the main stage.
So it was indoor versus outdoor – Indoor had a caged area in the back where the drinkers were, outdoors on the grounds were two separate cages to contain the drinkers who were arm banded. When the moon rose, people were jammed in to the point where I only ventured in once to try and find a friend but ended up leaving in a panic due to claustrophobia.
Perhaps it was the building containing the stage or perhaps it was me but the sound of the Devilrock Four was so intense it hurt. With minimal people in the room my chest physically hurt from the sound that was filling the room. But, it wasn't just me – the group I was with at that point made similar comments – it was heart leaping out of chest sound but given the limited capacity of the room that was to be expected. So the two songs I saw were harsh but very good live.
Ben Kweller and band were the first international act and at that point I hovered around backstage on a mission to obtain a copy of the set list for reference down the track. Waiting patiently in the wings I had a moment to approach Mr Kweller and ask him if I could have a copy once his set was over. At that point, another musician needed to speak to Ben so I continued to wait, out of the way of the backstage crew hard at work. Also waiting was a gentleman, who I knew looked and seemed important but couldn't place where I knew him from.
So I chatted briefly trying to work out the who's who of the situation and in the end found myself saying to the lovely man with the American accent “Which band are you with?” Only to be told, “I'm Evan Dando”, At that point, I wanted the stage to swallow me up. I have been a fan of The Lemonheads since age 14 when I used play Mrs Robinson on my cassette player to get me through boring maths homework, but not having seen a recent photo had not put the face and name together. So after 15 years I had the chance to meet him, speak to him and feel totally silly in the situation.
Ben Kweller and Band were amazing on stage and turned out that Evan was there to join Ben on stage for a song.
At 1.45pm, I was back at the Pavilion Stage to see Tasmania's own The Scientists of Modern Music. The energy these boys create and the overall look is so very polished that at times I find it astounding that Tasmania has, in my opinion, its own version of Daft Punk... There set had the Pavilion filled with energy; the view of the joy and excitement of the crowd at that point was electric.
Angus and Julia Stone were next to take to the Main stage. Not only are they wonderful musicians but their hour-long set was absolutely captivating. Their songs were beautiful and the day was just perfect, with the crowd mellowing in the sun shiny afternoon.
Xavier Rudd is such an amazing musician to watch. Totally enthralling and the amount of instruments he has set up on stage is phenomenal. But I was torn as I had seen him play live before on TV and his time crossed over with Toni Collette so I wandered about at that point, checking him out from a distance but was on a mission to see how one of my favourite actresses performed live on stage with her band.
So at 4.30pm it was back to the Pavilion Stage for Toni Collette and the Finish. At that point the Pavilion was jam packed to capacity. As I pushed my way through the crowd I did think about that couch idea on the Brooker for a brief moment!
I loved this set from Toni Collette and the Finish. I am sure you are thinking “What? An actress that can sing?” I know we have terrible examples in our society of people crossing over from acting to singing but in Toni's case I think she has successfully crossed over industries. Toni and the band's presence on stage was enchanting.
The set opened with 'This moment is golden' from debut album 'Beautiful Awkward Pictures', finishing off with T Rex’s 'Children of the Revolution'. There is something about a singer that is raw and unpolished, not trained to a point to fit in with the rest and sound like a carbon copy of most of the crap that plays on high rotation on the seriously commercial ad-ridden radio.
Next on the main stage, were The Vines, and with the crossover of Midnight Juggernauts on the Pavilion Stage. My reviewing at this point is pretty sketchy. It was 5.45pm when The Vines jumped on stage and it was so very cold and getting dark that I really had to concentrate on a break.
From my vantage points I could say The Vines sounded amazing, the lights were working overtime now the dark was setting in and the coffee line... well it was getting to point where people were either warming up or trying to counter act alcohol – the opportunity to stay alert now we were getting into the “Big Dudes” in the line-up.
Midnight Juggernauts were playing under my feet as I sat eating chips and drinking peppermint tea with my lovely friend. We got a moment to talk to Adam Cousins, a fellow Tasmanian who had been playing on a “Busker's” Stage that was directly opposite the Main Stage. During the course of the day I did wander past and was quite taken with the quality of musicians on that stage. The crowd was small but appreciative and it gave the people waiting in line for food and warm drinks something to keep them occupied, stimulated by the sounds and visually entertained.
After defrosting and refuelling inside, I made my way across to Main Stage to see UK band Gomez take the stage at 7.15pm. Last year saw them bring a sold out tour across Australia so the opportunity to see them at the Roots was one I could not miss.
I was not a die-hard fan of Gomez but after seeing their hour set I think I am converted from occasional listener to girl on a mission to find EP's and albums to catch up on the past eleven years of Gomez.
Wolfmother and The Lemonheads clashed and I was torn. Do I see the boys from Oz, or do I see Mr Dando with his touring band in the Pavilion – my childhood favourite who I had abruptly met earlier that day? So I made it to both... starting out at The Lemonheads catching the first few tracks before dashing across to Main Stage to plonk myself behind Wolfmother on stage to get a better vantage point of the crowd and the three boys in action.
Their live shows are so electrically charged. I couldn't help but move around to their pulsating music. Wolfmother played the usual suspects from their debut album, with the inclusion of a new track 'Pleased to meet you' from the newest Spiderman 3 Movie.
Well it was Pixies next and I must admit something definitely changed backstage at the Main Stage. All of us (regardless of the people surrounding levels of fame) were in the company of something we had never witnessed before.
Their hour set was phenomenal. They were what most people had come for – the opportunity to see a band that formed in back in 1985 – with legends like Black Francis and Kim Deal playing on stage to us, the people of Tasmania, often the forgotten state when it comes to international “Super Bands”. It was amazing to see the band that preceded Nirvana, who Kurt Cobain acknowledged the debt Nirvana owed to the Pixies, introducing The Pixies to a new generation of fans.
So at 11.30pm with sore feet, layers and layers of clothes and still freezing I made my way to the Curly s after party. Which although didn't attract any of the bigger acts certainly was a nice way to wind down after the hectic hours proceeding at the Showgrounds.
And finally at 2am I arrived home, showered the cold and grubbiness of a festival away and tried to sleep... oh and made sure Easter Bunny was organised whilst I passed the bunny in the hallway!
So that was my Southern Roots experience. If it wasn't for writing it all down now, downloading the memories onto the keyboard and having little scraps of paper in my possession, I would of thought it all to be a lovely dream.
My first festival experience rocked, it was the opportunity hear and meet some talented musicians that thrilled and excited me to a fever pitch, but it was always in the back of my mind to absorb it all like a sponge, take it in and well, experience the Southern Roots for all of those who didn't have the cash to make it inside the gates of the Royal Hobart Showgrounds.

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