Southbound Festival Review

By Brad Treeby
9 January 2007

Southbound, WA's finest music, camping and arts festival returns for the third year running and puts on a stellar show.

In just its third year WA’s Southbound has expanded to be one of Australia’s finest festivals. This year for the first time the entertainment was spread over two days, and those wanting the full festival experience could pitch their tents for easy accommodation. For the campers Friday night saw intimate performances from the likes of John Butler and Michael Franti; for the rest it all kicked off on Saturday morning. Unlike previous years of the Blues and Roots festival (also put on by Sunset Events) the organisation was watertight. There was easy access to everything including parking, entry, cloak room, food, drinks, and even sun-cream. A big achievement for a festival with over twenty thousand punters. But it’s all about the music right?

Cue the bands. Three main stages, two outdoors, and one inside a massive tent offering a mellow break from the southwestern sunshine. There was a good mix of genres; artists like Dallas Frasca, Matt Costa, and The Audreys fitting perfectly against the commercial draw of Eskimo Joe, and the John Butler Trio, along with a mixture of hip-hop, electronic, blues, rock and indie acts. Early on Blue King Brown and The Vasco Era played strong sets to big crowds, highlighting the growing popularity of the broad roots genre to the mainstream. Wolfmother, one of the main stage headliners, were sadly disappointing – their abundant onstage energy seeming to be at the expense of their chops. Michael Franti was a highlight, getting the fists pumping the air. His customary onstage guests this time featuring Nat Pa'apa'a from Blue King Brown and Katy Steele from Little Birdy.

But even the most well planned events have a few hiccups. American indie legends Modest Mouse, scheduled for an afternoon main stage performance, were unable to go on due to a gear mishap. The crowd (somewhat strangely unaware?) were treated to a second performance from The Audreys who had finished playing on the tent stage little more than hour before. A reshuffle put Modest Mouse back on the smaller outdoor stage at the close of the night although their set, along with the Basement Jaxx, was cut short due to a strict midnight noise curfew. All things considered Southbound 07 was a great festival, extras like the ecovillage and artbound, combined with good organisation and fantastic bands making it a success.