Review: Perth Firewater Festival at Langley Park
Friday, January 6 – Sunday, January 8, 2023
w/ Drapht, Eskimo Joe, Diesel, Gyroscope, End of Fashion, Joan & the Giants and more
Last weekend Langley Park was the scene of the most surprising music festival Western Australia has experienced in some time.
The Perth Firewater Festival – presented by the Perth Leisure Lifestyle Show – has been described as Perth's best kept secret, with mainly fans of the individual artists getting the heads up long before the general public were dialled in.
Appealing to diverse music tastes, the festival offered something different across the three days. Friday's theme was hip-hop, while Saturday's was rock and on Sunday it was all about the blues. Checking out the ticketing, there was no package fee for attending all three dates – each date was stand alone. The Perth Leisure Lifestyle Show (presenter for Firewater), adjacent to Firewater ran during the day and as that wound down late in the afternoon, Firewater would kick in. Again there didn't appear to be any package deal for punters wanting to attend both shows, and the connection between the two events was something of a mystery.
While the promo machine might have been slow to get through to the public, the general organisation of Firewater was terrific. The festival grounds were perfectly set up with undercover areas to get out of the summer sun, with plenty of seats and tables to eat and drink at as well as heaps of room near the stage for dancing and getting close to the performers.
Alongside all the trappings of being well-prepared, there were some glitches that impacted the otherwise smooth runnings. These were most notably issues with sound that led to the Saturday openers – Joan & The Giants – with only enough time to play half the songs they'd prepared for. The tech problems raised their head from time to time through the weekend but the artists were professionals who kept up a chilled attitude, setting the tone for punters to be understanding too.
Particular music highlights for the three days included Friday's line-up of WA hip-hop royalty with Matty B, Downsyde and Drapht giving stellar performances. Saturday saw End of Fashion taking no hostages, followed by Gyroscope and Eskimo Joe seeing the night out with their passionate fan base not wanting to leave. Sunday had blues lovers in raptures with Diesel's return to WA followed by the frenetic energy of Blue Shaddy to close off the festival.
The general consensus was that Perth's inaugural Firewater Festival was a resounding success for punters of all ages and musical tastes. Hopefully the festival will return next year with a similar line-up of terrific artists and bigger punter numbers.
Words and Photos by
Linda Dunjey
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