Grapevine Gathering @ Sandalford Estate
w/ Two Door Cinema Club, Flight Facilities, Crooked Colours, Mallrat and more
Sunday, December 1, 2019
There’s nothing like a festival to kick off summer. In that sense Grapevine Gathering was perfect, with everyone’s favourite acts, a super cool location and plenty of photo opportunities. But it was such a hot day, and perhaps some couldn’t handle the heat. A lot of the dancing was saved until the evening, with most people finding any corner of shade they could earlier on in the day.
Sandalford Estate provided a beautiful venue for the festival, with a great amphitheatre type area for the stage. It meant everyone could see the onstage action, although there were possibly a few site planning issues; those in the VIP area could not see the stage from their balcony, and art installations such as the ‘goon washing line’ were not easily found. There also seemed to be a lack of sunscreen and water (without buying a water bottle), which in such conditions was potentially dangerous.
However, what was available, was exciting. The stage boasted huge bunches of grapes on either side, and the chapel was a staple, with many friends and lovers getting ‘married’. There were plenty of great photo opportunities, with the venue itself being very picturesque, but there were also several points set up, like the entry arch, that punters were loving. Food options were great and no one was complaining about the wine and alcohol available; and of course, the line up was excellent.
Perth’s own Triple J Unearthed High success Arno Faraji had to, unfortunately, cancel his Grapevine WA set due to flight issues, however Spooky Sushi and Big Words held down the stage in his absence. Kira Puru stunned audiences with her incredible voice and party-starting tracks, including Molotov, Tension, Say Something and her most recent jam, Why Don’t We Get Along.
Touch Sensitive was the next one to bring party anthems to the winery, and he definitely got the crowd dancing despite the heat, especially when the popular Pizza Guy rang out through the festival grounds. Late Nite Tuff Guy continued the party with his remixes and some of his own tracks, including Do U Wanna Get Down.
Australia’s favourite pop angel, Mallrat, was next up, providing a more chilled out set than those on stage before her. Opening on her collaboration with Basenji, Nobody’s Home started the singalongs early, before diving into newer cut When I Get My Braces Off. For Real and UFO got punters up on shoulders, and the singalongs only got louder for her hit Better. She and DJ Denim then took things down a notch for slow jam Charlie before amping it right back up to party mode with set closer Uninvited. Perhaps the heat was to blame for Mallrat forgetting some of her words during the set, although the crowd had no trouble remembering them for her.
Crooked Colours helped us cool down as the sun slowly disappeared with their alternative brand of dance music. Their set cemented them as hometown heroes, as they played a rare show in their home state. Tracks like I Hope You Get It and Do It Like You went down as smooth as the wine had been throughout the day, and their vibe most certainly suited the sunset/ golden hour time slot they had been given.
With the sun still slightly setting, Flight Facilities took to the stage and got everyone dancing. Owl Eyes absolutely shone on vocals, and ensured Arty Boy, Crave You and Claire de Lune went down a treat. The electronic duo debuted a new track, Ghost, which kept every one dancing. They also incited a lot of ‘up on shoulders’ action, and the crowd looked like a sea of double ups. Flight Facilities finished on latest release Better Than Ever, which in a way, described their set.
Internationals indie royalty Two Door Cinema Club took up the stage for their headline set to big cheers and opened with Talk from latest album False Alarm. This got everyone dancing right away, and it did not stop until the set reached its end. Steamrolling straight into one of their biggest hits, which is now (unfortunately) Tik Tok famous, Undercover Martyn, the UK natives had the crowd eating out of their hands.
I Can Talk and Are We Ready (Wreck) followed before they jumped into some fan favourites This Is The Life and Dirty Air. Changing of the Seasons had people on shoulders and they stayed there for What You Know. The band then voyaged into some lesser known cuts Lavender and Satellite, however they still kept punters engaged with their ever-changing backdrop giving us cool shapes, colours and patterns.
For their self professed “last show of the decade” (how lucky are we!), they also treated fans to slower but much loved track Eat That Up, It’s Good For You before getting the entire crowd dancing again for finales Something Good Can Work and the ultimate festival fave Sun. The band’s fun loving guitar riffs and dance inducing synths were the perfect festival closer, leaving most very satisfied with their first Grapevine Gathering experience.
Having been a staple over east for quite a few years, it was nice to have such a boutique festival make its debut in Perth, and it was definitely a standout day. Hopefully we can party with Grapevine again next year.
KIERRA POLLOCK
Photos by Patrick Boere
