By Sofia Silvestrini
University Of Wollongong 22nd October 2022
October 24, 2022
A festival with an all Aussie 90s alt-rock lineup for over 18s in the gong? Yes please! Border closures, COVID restrictions, and Mother Nature crying her eyes out resulted in postponements and a location change. The fact that Spring Loaded Wollongong was finally, actually happening made punters super keen. So keen in fact, that when doors opened there was an unprecedented line around new venue University of Wollongong, meaning a bit of a wait before attendees got in. This didn’t dampen spirits though as most were basking in the glow of live music being back and lines simply being a part of that experience.
Both the Loaded and Just Ace stages were packed out from the get-go. Home-town heroes Tumbleweed, who loved playing for ‘the best-looking crowd’, Wollongong, had us moving and grooving their whole set. 30 minutes of their dirty, grungy riffs and soulful vocals didn’t feel like enough!
Next up on the Loaded stage was Frenzal Rhomb. 2023 marks 20 years of ‘San Souci’, so we were treated to several tracks off their 6th album – including ‘Ball Chef’ which once lead to an altercation with Deftones… Don’t think they’ll be covering it at Good Things fest later this year. The crowd really got going to Frenzal staple ‘You Are Not my Friend’, Nathan Cavaleri came out to play a few tunes including Eagles’ ‘Heartache Tonight’, and despite a few sound gremlins showing up and muddying the vocals a little – we all had a bloody good time.
Post-Frenzal, I followed the smell of chip-on-a-stick around to the Just Ace stage to fight for a spot for some 90s vibes courtesy of Screamfeeder. The Brisbane four piece delivered a tight set complete with discussion of nipple clamps and new songs.
Back to the Loaded stage I went for the mighty Jebediah, who should have been on much later in the day. They played an incredible set that properly warmed up the mosh which included jams ‘Fall Down’, ‘Animal’ and ‘Leaving Home’ – the crowd bouncing so much by the end of the set I momentarily thought we’d have an Enmore Theatre floor caving in situation. Jebs forever!!
Unfortunately, the sound gremlins were back in full force for Regurgitator, and despite the gurge giving it their all and looking like they were having fun on stage – many found their set too hard to listen to and headed outside. Discussions about Homebake, other Aussie acts, seeing Gurge when the sound was on point, and gig plans for the rest of the year ensued. Oh, and complaints about the half-strength alcohol and bar lines.
Fueled up and well-rested, the masses went back into the hall for Aus rock royalty You Am I. After a bit of a delay combatting the sound issues, Tim Rogers and co. sauntered onto the stage oozing cool. We were treated to a range of delights from their back catalogue, including ‘Who Put the Devil in You’, ‘Heavy Heart’, and ‘Mr Milk’ which was dedicated to the lactose intolerant members of the audience.
Happy and well-warmed up after YAI, the packed-out hall was buzzing with excitement for our headliners, Grinspoon – and rightly so. Phil, Pat, Joe and Kris are playing the tightest sets of their careers, and tonight was no exception. Mr Jamieson burst onto stage accessorised in a white and gold crop jacket and round sunnies, and with a megaphone for ‘American Party Bomb’. Cutting shapes and covering as much ground as possible, Phil was a sensational frontman. Accessories were shed and replaced with a guitar a few songs in, and the band tore through gems ‘Hard Act to Follow’, ‘Just Ace’, and ‘No Reason’. The sound issues had been fixed, the nostalgia levels were through the roof, and ‘More Than You Are’ was the perfect tune to finish today’s Aus rock fest.
The line up was stellar, all the bands performed brilliantly, the crowd was entirely made up of fans and the nostalgia was next level. Sure, there were some sound issues and getting to the bar was a bit of a wait, but a few hiccups due to a venue change less than two weeks out from the show instead of whole event getting cancelled? SO WORTH IT! Bring on next year.
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