Once again, Saturday May 12 saw the annual migration of all the suburban indie kids to Bunbury’s Hay Park for The Groovin’ the Moo festival. Boasting an impressive smorgasbord of both local and international acts, the day was set to be one of good music, over-priced festival food and the inevitable smell of weed that was to waft over from the Winston Surfshirt set. Pelican sub editors and avid music fans Sophie Minissale and Finnian Williamson went to the festival and saw the acts far and wide so you don’t have to.
The local neo-soul collective got the GTM ball rolling as the first act for the day. As much as I like to think I know a lot about the Perth music scene, I’d never actually seen these guys live before. Nevertheless, they blew me away. They sounded effortlessly smooth, and had as much groove as a the underside of a new shoe. The whole set sounded nothing short of fantastic. Bella Nicholl’s vocals really shone through for me, familiar yet unique and ear-grabbing. Such a promising act and a definite listen. – Sophie
Geneve strikes me as nothing less than a musical gift. I felt oddly proud seeing a darling of the Perth music scene take the stage at such a major festival. Both Carla and her band played exceptionally well with her signature guitar and indie rock sound. In a weird way, her music to me feels similar to how I felt at the end of a long day. Both calm and refreshed. Seeing Carla live never fails to impress me. A must see and listen-to act. – Sophie
Surely one of the hardest working touring musicians right now (it’s hard to have not seen her name plastered on a poster around Perth), Lahey’s found a loyal crowd and she knows how to orchestrate it all too well. Completely at home up on stage and feeding off the crowds energy with every song, I feel like Lahey will only continue to be a staple of festivals for years to come. – Finn
Was really cool to see Sydnee getting some festival stage time. Her combination of an ethereal-pop and contemporary folk sound was quite stunning to listen to. Additionally, she had a great presence on stage. Definitely a gem bringing her own flavour to the upcoming Australian folk and singer/songwriter crowd. – Sophie
A late addition to the line up but surely one to be grateful for. Armed with his pink high top Converse, Duckwrth’s catchy beats and groovy vocals lead to what was an absolute killer set. Packed full of energy and a great interaction with the crowd, the hip hop up-and-comer will be one to keep an eye on for the next little while. – Sophie
Chilled out, punchy and casual in the best way possible. Not sure if it was the second hand weed smoke or the music that made me enjoy the set but nevertheless I had a great time. They sure know how to work a crowd and it really showed how much they appreciated their audience. A highlight of the set was Winston walking in and around the crowd trying to find some shoulders to carry him back to the stage. – Sophie
Never heard her music before but the UK grime artist had the most visually striking presence I could have ever imagined. An absolute on-stage powerhouse, her dancing and energy was matched by only a small handful of other acts that day. She also managed to make great banter with the audience. Leshurr made for an incredibly vibrant and fun set. – Sophie
It’s obvious that the majority of the crowd only knew the boys for their runaway hit, “Feel It Still”, and the Alaskan band’s all too aware of that. Starting off with a kooky visual gag of Beevis and Butthead riffing on the video on their smash hit, the fellas swing into a non-stop set and impressive visuals to boot. Even if their set was a case of “waiting for that one song”, they did a solid job of keeping everyone satisfied in the meantime. – Finn
Sampa’s set was bold, powerful and delicate all in one. Her beautiful stage design of bouquets of flowers complimented her fun and expressive set. The female hip hop powerhouse was lyrically and vocally on point. Her take on Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo Wop’ was also a great tribute to the hip hop legend who paved the way for many more female artists who followed her. There was no way I was going to leave this set early. An absolute wordsmith who is worth your while to listen to. – Sophie
If I had half of the amount of energy in my life as Baker Boy had in his set I don’t know what I’d do with myself. Absolute commander of the stage, Baker Boy filled the crowd with all the hype needed for the rest of the day. Impossible to keep my feet still through such tracks as, ‘Mr La-Di- Da’. Adapting his set list to include a few didgeridoo solo’s was also super cool and interesting to see. – Sophie
I can’t help but feel that these guys suffered the same fate as Portugal the Man. Everyone seemed to be on edge for that ‘one song’ (Confidence). The group had a great synergy about them and still managed to please the ears of the waiting crowd. On stage presence and visuals were really great and complemented the atmosphere well. Overall, a really solid set from the boys. – Sophie
Veteran of the Australian music world, Paul Kelly was full of passion and soul with a crowd to match. He didn’t need more than a guitar and his small band of back up singers to win the crowd over again and again. Expected nothing less than excellent from the expert and I was definitely not disappointed. – Sophie
When I was about 15 and discovering Australian indie music, I was enamoured by Ball Park.
This set brought me right back to those moments of first-time concerts, and discovering new music in general. Sounding absolutely excellent, their on-stage comradery was unmatched by anything else I saw that day. I took out my ear plugs for these guys. Eating red frog lollies from side stage and soaking up all the nostalgia in their music will be a personal moment to stay with me for a while. – Sophie
Arguably the biggest international act of the festival, the 24 year old rapper’s hits – “Caroline,” and, “Spice Girl” – unsurprisingly went off like a rocket. Expectations were high the moment I saw on the bill and not gonna lie, I did feel a bit shortchanged. His lesser known tracks failed to make much of a splash and he had a habit of cutting his tracks short – only half of, “Red Mercedes?” Why? Most people were happy enough to be witnessing the dude and his boundless energy, but I feel catching him in a solo show would be much more value for money. Plus, his interactions with the crowd were just cheesy. Sorry dude. – Finn
The best act of the festival, no competition. Despite probably being more suited to an older demographic (eg. not just 16 year olds), even if you were to watch this rock duo perform with no knowledge of their discography you’d still be happy to find yourself in the mosh. With a classic drum solo, cool black and white visuals and a well-orchestrated stage presence, the duo delivered on every front and deserved to play at HBF stadium the day after their GTM gig. – Finn
I’m not awfully crazy about Confidence Man’s music, but, most people don’t go into a Confidence Man show solely for their tunes. It’s all about the show. And yep, they came prepared. With flashing coloured suits, the most energy out of all the acts and chorcepgrahed dance moves, Confidence Man are here for a good time and nothing else. Props to them. – Finn
Production-wise, there was no one else. The smartly dressed duo are known for their grandiose light spectacle and set up (especially for festivals), and they didn’t let up. Bringing out new Grace Pitts and Ric Rufio to cover Reggie Watts and Emma Louise, it’s clear why the boys are often put on as festival closers. – Finn
I had a good day. The management were an absolute dream to work with and the day seemed to run smoothly despite a few technical errors here and there. Top notch experience. Still confused as to why you would have a silent disco at a music festival – Sophie
Also, shout out to the mini club Heaps Gay going off throughout the day. Screw waiting for an hour in the silent disco line, Heaps Gay is a fun time. Bring it back (just a bit bigger please xoxo) – Finn
Sophie Minissale and Finnian Williamson