It was a beautiful day waltzing into Shakafest, this year held at the Broadwater Parklands in Southport. Not a cloud was to be seen in the sky, and the usual QLD humidity was replaced with a nice breeze.
The main stage was pumping from the get go, with an array of hip hop acts and rock acts providing musical variety. Bec Sandridge brought to her early afternoon her melodramatic vocals, high energy guitar shredding, and epic power-stance, playing through new material, as well as faves like 'In The Fog, In The Flame', and 'I'll Never Want A BF'. Seaside slowed it down a bit with their chill, surfy vibes and pretty, soft vocals, showcasing solid rock undertones with a saccharine coating. Jesswar brought it back up with her hard-hitting rap and huge on stage personality.
The later afternoon was pumping on the Rabbit Stage, with punk band Clowns providing opportunity for a rabid mosh circle to form - including some crowd surfing from lead singer Stevie. Cakes continued on this vibe, tearing up the small stage with short punk screamers and distorted guitar licks.
As dusk began to fall the vibe over the festival became more serene. 90's rockers IV League brought it down a notch after the punk display on the Rabbit Stage, and crowd favourite Alex The Astronaut calmed the crowd, enchanting the punters who were becoming a bit rowdy by this point into a wholesome singalong. Her set included fave such as 'Not Worth Hiding' and 'Happy Song' as well as an interesting take on David Bowie's 'Space Oddity'.
As night fell the energy pumped back up, with Frenzal Rhomb bringing their individual style of 'dad rock meets left wing hipster' to the main stage. Their constant roasting of everything and everyone, (but most notably Russel Crowe's band) provided a hilarious change in timbre. On the Rabbit Stage, local band VOIID showed off their Dreamwife vibes with a dramatic and well performed set, and Moaning Lisa showed that they were a force to be reckoned with, playing tracks like 'Carrie (I Want A Girl)' to an excited audience. Back on the main stage, local headliner Last Dinosaurs showed why they were deserving of that spot, playing a high energy set that got the crowd pumped up and dancing. Bliss n Eso finished the night on a bang, sending the remaining punters into an alcohol fuel frenzy of dancing, moshing and cheering.
One of the best things about Shakafest was the inclusion of so many female fronted acts, and LGBT+ artists that are out in the public sphere. Acts like Bec Sandridge, Alex The Astronaut and Moaning Lisa not only killing it on the stage in their respective ways, but performing identity affirming songs to a huge audience reaction was a definite highlight and a really great initiative to see. Hands down (or shaka's up) to Shakafest for throwing such a memorable party!
Olivia Shoesmith