IT hailed, it rained, the wind blew cold and the ground became mud, but the crowd at Kennedys Creek Music Festival was undeterred.
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Even in the face of such testing weather, KC (as it’s affectionately known) enjoyed its most successful year to date.
“It would have been perfect if it didn’t rain – that was the only problem we had,” organising committee member Joe Gardner said.
Over eight outings, KC has grown from a big one-night party at the local hall to a three-day boutique festival attracting buzz bands from around the country and raising funds for the hall’s upkeep. This year’s event was the first to reach its cap of 1000 tickets.
After last year’s successful experiment of having DJs perform on Friday night, organisers went all out and programmed a line-up of top bands, including Colac punks Japan For, Geelong rockers The Living Eyes, and triple j buzz band Dorsal Fins. A record 700 punters turned up for the first night, exceeding organisers’ expectations.
The rain disappeared Saturday morning, leaving a quagmire in its wake. Cars had to be pushed into the campground (and pushed out again the following day) and rice husks and sawdust were spread around the festival arena to ease the passage of those who hadn’t thought to pack gumboots.
After the opening sounds of Alister Turrill, a talented triumvirate of local acts impressed – Warrnambool export Leah Senior, and south-west “supergroups” Gums and Gullies were highlights, more than holding their own against the bigger name acts.
Melbourne’s The Naysayers and The Mary Goldsmiths got the afternoon rocking before crowd favourite Alex Lahey put on a top-notch set that included her triple j-approved singles You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me and Ivy League.
The quality continued well into the night. Shaolin Afronauts got the crowd dancing to their infectious Afrobeat sounds, The Pretty Littles got things pumping with tracks from their new album Soft Rock For The Anxious (and an unexpectedly awesome cover of System Of A Down’s Chop Suey), and punk icons Cosmic Psychos slabbed out plenty of pub rock gems from their 30-year career.
Now that it’s reached peak attendance, KC can only refine itself, as punters will no doubt buy up the 1000 tickets faster and faster each year.
Meanwhile, the hall will again reap the rewards. Last year’s festival resulted in a new kitchen, a fresh lick of paint and repairs to the guttering.
This year’s event will pay for an outdoor decking, where no doubt many punters will enjoy a beer or two at KCs to come.