It is always a strange sensation venturing into Brunswick Street Mall during the daytime for a musician. It’s warmer, there’s sunlight, there’s less people and Kaliber Lounge isn’t assaulting you’re eardrums with ‘hits’ from the 90’s.
However, last Friday, Saturday and Sunday were different. It was Valley Fiesta, ‘Brisbane’s biggest street party’. Four stages had been set up in inner Fortitude Valley and two roads partially blocked off to accommodate the event, and for good reason. Valley Fiesta is one of Brisbane’s prime all ages music festivals. It is the perfect opportunity for local bands to perform their repertoire to the under eighteen demographic they would not normally get the chance to. For everybody else, festivals are a great way to get a high dose of concentrated live music injected straight into your cultural bloodstream.
Most tastes of genres were catered for; DJ’s, acoustic acts, roller derby, a touch of hip-hop and of course ‘indie’ bands galore.
The Creases showed that the hype around them was justified. Although you could count the number of gigs they’ve had together on two hands, they played and performed every bit like a well-seasoned posse. Jeremy Neale filled in at the last minute for Palms sudden cancelation at 6:30pm. Had he been on the bill and not a fill-in, I do believe Mr Neale and his gang would have been a main draw card. A raucous performance from the skinny lad proving that even on minimal sleep and interstate jetlag he can still belt out the hits.
The overwhelming traits of Valley Fiesta are the consistent quality of the bands and the fact that the majority of them are local. Three of the headliners The Creases, Dune Rats and Cub Sports all herald from Brisbane. Unfortunately, Queensland’s typical summer weather played a more substantial roll than usual this time, with heavy rains cancelling the last few bands on Saturday night (including Melbourne’s ‘Architecture In Helsinki’) and causing delays on Sunday afternoon.
Overall the event was well orchestrated and the Valley Fiesta team deserve full credit in putting on a three-day festival whilst battling a small apocalyptic down pour. There was even a handy smart-phone app, with the set time of each band; what stage they were playing on; and a map so you didn’t get lost! This turned out to be a great tool for punters, journalist and photographers alike.
It’s an annual event, so if you missed out on going this year, there’s always next. I’d suggest bringing an umbrella or a poncho though.
Words and Photo by Thomas Oliver
