Good Vibrations Festival 2009 - Saturday 14th February Centennial Park, Sydney

“Who needs to go to Glastonbury when you have this?” screamed one young punter as she stomped around in her gumboots. Sure, it was in the middle of a torrential downpour, the crowd were split between the “haves” and “have-nots” (has a poncho, doesn’t have a poncho) and flinging mud upon unsuspecting festival-goers likened the scene to a possible outtake from Planet of the Apes – the Festival edition...but that’s not the point – the main reason for being there was the Good Vibrations Festival, held at Sydney’s Centennial Parklands, which I’m sure have since been renamed to the Centennial Wetlands!

Despite the weather of the preceding week, I couldn’t help but think that the organisers were slightly surprised by Saturday’s weather. Whilst there was cover for all stages bar the main stage, the amount of mud and the sparse yet sporadically placed woodchips in an attempt to allow some sort of sure-footing didn’t convince me that were was a Plan B. Admittedly, the organisers couldn’t control the weather but if like most festival heads they refreshed the Bureau of Meterology’s website throughout the week it could be predicted well in advance. Amidst the rain and mud, many festival goers took to the surroundings like…wait for it… a duck to water.  There was a festival with a veritable smorgasbord of acts to be enjoyed, and darn it, a little bit of rain wasn’t going to get in the way.

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New Zealand’s P-Money kicked off the main stage on a suspiciously early set and surprised us all with a handbag-electro dj set clearly designed as a plan to get the masses to the stage. My surprise was short-lived as he was joined onstage by his troupe of MCs and proceeded to knocked out the hip hop tunes we all know him for. Van She followed soon after, rocking out their live electro-dance set that was lapped up by the growing crowd. Walking for what seemed like an eternity to the Laundry tent, Jeff Drake was taking over from The Aston Shuffle and kept the EDM kids baying for breath. It was the first time I’ve seen ‘The Drake’ perform outside of a club environment to a large crowd and he didn’t disappoint, with a strong set that kept the energy leaping from the crowd. Staying on in the Laundry tent and out of the rain seemed to be the order of the afternoon. Rico Tubbs was up, and the Finnish Bomfunk MC’s dj brought an interesting breaks/electro inspired set to a tent that added a side of sweat to the deepening puddles on the dancefloor. Knowing Chromeo were about to start on the main stage, I hurriedly scampered from the Laundry tent.  Just when everyone thought the heavens couldn’t open anymore, a cataclysmic wave of water descended from above to take away any glimmer of hope for us drowned rats scurrying across the open plain, leaving many scanning the horizon in vain for the lads of Bondi Rescue to come crashing through the seas of mud and yank us to safety. Chromeo launched into an infinitely danceable performance with their nu-disco sound that was embraced by all, and, making their second appearance to our shores in as many years it’s clear that Sydney has much love for the duo. One of the biggest surprises of the day was Wale and having heard all the hype but never experienced the young hip hop sensation, the Roots tent was bouncing along with an insatiable vigour. He met the hype and left it in his wake.

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All in all it was a great event with an eclectic spread of artists that was soured by the weather. The Centennial Parklands is a fantastic venue with large, open spaces and plenty of grass to lay out on, but unfortunately the gods weren’t on our side which made the trekking from one stage to another a mad dash. There were plenty of bars and food outlets, and on this point the organisers are to be commended - it was the most efficient service of food and beverage I’ve encountered at a festival. It was great to see that the energy across the crowd wasn’t dampened by the deluge, with many appearing to be dressed (and in a lot of cases, undressed!) for the occasion. Full marks to the artists, all of whom delivered a sterling performance while contending with the conditions. Check out the GrooveOn Galleries for a great visual accompaniment.

- Peter Banco

Hi, where/what/who is Glastonbury?