Festival of The Sun @ Port Macquarie - 8-9/12/17

Festival Of The Sun was launched by Simon Luke who originally started running small free festivals in the region with the concept of building a live arts industry in the region. 2003 Festival of the Sun was born and now it's just wrapped its 14th year selling out in record time. As there is so much content pumped through the two days we decided to merge them together and focus on a few really good stand out acts. 

As we arrived at the festival after a long journey from the Gold Coast we were more than eager to see what this year would bring. Already the punters of Thursday night were well settled with a beer in hand ready to go. First for the day was the Tasmania's rising star Maddy Jane. Maddy has quickly become a name in the industry, not just for supporting Harry Styles which I would like to stress but she has also supported bands such as; Catfish and The Bottlemen, Tash Sultana, Luca Brasi, Kingswood and Polish Club. Not bad for just 23! Her set at FOTSUN was as usual nothing but captivating. 

Due to our interviews we missed a bit of the day but come 4.30PM knock off had arrived and it was time for the highly anticipated Bad//Dreems. The bellowing sea of people below the stage became a complete dust pit as the sand rumbled and carried airborne from the outrageous flying bodies. From then on it was full steam ahead with incredible sets from Press Club, Holy Holy, Hatchie, Meg Mac, Alice Ivy and finishing off the day Ball Park Music. The atmosphere charged, ambient and powerful as the sun began to set over Meg Mac's mesmerising voice and enticing stage presence. 

After a massive first day, the dust settled and all the weary heads around the campsite slowly made their way up, but we made sure we were ready to go to see the first band for the day, Mild West. Mild West won the Triple J Unearthed spot to play the festival and after seeing these guys play around Newcastle, Sydney and Forster we were keen to see them in a festival environment. Despite having the early slot they still managed to pull quite the crowd. The band have a very different sound to a lot of the bands who were on the lineup, I always think of The Temper Trap when I see these guys. Super well rehearsed and tight, make sure you see Mild West at a show if you get the chance! 

A few bevs down and we were ready to tackle the day, Dear Seattle were up next. It's actually crazy how quick the change overs are at Fotsun, having two stages next to each other, it's kinda like the music doesn't ever really stop. This band have been blowing up lately, playing festivals and headline shows all over the country, gaining praise from the boys from Violent Soho. A solid set with lots of interaction with the audience which is kinda rare now days, so it was nice to see! 

Fotsun is also known for the aussie hip-hop they tend to always incorporate into their lineups, and local band Manic Soul slot right in there - whatta bunch of absolute frothers! 

The sweltering heat began to below down on us and recovering from the day before, we weren't quite sure if we were going to make it. Luckily for us, it was time for The Bennies to hit the main stage and that contagious energy was exactly what we needed. REVAMPED and ALIVE after thrashing around , we were back in action for one of our favourite bands WHARVES. Watching this band grow over the last year has been truly something incredible and i have no doubt that the stages they play on, and the crowds they play too will double in size by this time next year. 

​

Raave Tapes with their hit 'K Bye' really got us going, and i mean really... I found myself thrusting the man in front of me screaming 'KETAAAAMINNEEEEEEE'... whoops! To be honest i would of been happy if I kept hearing that song on repeat. Then forth came The Pretty Littles and The Preatures who were absolutely all time. 

The night was finished off with Horrowshow, but the set times were all out of whack and appeared to be running ahead of schedule for most of the day. The music finished really quite early which left all the punters keen for more. So in Fotsun tradition, the rave tents were in full swing! The rave tents are where some random punters set up a fully equipped dj area and crank the dirty bass. It's a great time as people come from far and wide to congregate, desperate for more music.  It was a shame this year that noise restrictions meant that the raves were shut down early, leaving us forced to go to bed and call it a night by midnight.

Thanks Fotsun  ​for another great year! 

Photography - Tadhg Platt
Review by - Jariah Travan & Sarah McEwan