Golden Plains shines yet again in 25’
Last’s years Meredith Music Festival was my first time on the site and like anyone attends, I fell in love with it instantly and want to attend both festivals every year. Like many people, I was scrambling for a ticket as I missed out when they were on sale and quite frankly, I accepted that I was going to be sitting at home watching everyone’s Instagram stories with envy. Luckily though, I was given the task of providing you with my recap of the festival.
One of my most pertinent observations when I’m in the ‘Sup is that due to the eclectic music programming, you get to see unbridled passion for music in its purest form. Every set is different from the other and there really is something for everyone!
Saturday
I first entered the ‘Sup midway through Mulga Bore Hard Rock’s opening set, but what I got to watch was a great way to open up the festival! Front person Alvin Manfong was triumphant in leading the crowd in a chant of ‘Hard rock’ repeatedly and hearing the Golden Plains crowd yelling it back at the band with a truck load of gusto really got me in the mood. They’re quite a young bunch and while I unfortunately didn’t get to catch the whole set, what I saw ruled.
The first full set I got to enjoy was Melbourne/Berlin based ensemble Wet Kiss! Wet Kiss is the project of front woman Brenna O, and I refer to them as an ensemble due to the sheer magnitude of personnel on the stage. While there were ten people on stage, every single member has their place and purpose.
Brenna is not one to shy away from saying things when addressing the crowd that may turn some heads and is a natural born provocateur, but when I see a front person that does this, it puts a big smile on my face. Wet Kiss to me is one of the purest forms of expression in music that fills my cup and reminded me of why creative art forms in general are so important.
Teether & Kuya Neil are a collaborative pair that have been on my radar to see live for a hot minute now. Right from the word go, you can see exactly why they are such a great match. Their chemistry on stage when performing is very apparent. The set was full of surprises like some newer tracks and also having guest appearances by Sevy and BAYANG (Tha Bushranger) to do a verse or two! Teether at one point asked if there’s a ‘way to turn off the sun’ which was relatable as hell since it was boiling hot, but that didn’t deter from the crowd showing the duo a load of love.
@teether and @kuyaneil_
The beauty of this type of festival is that there is no way you can be across every single act you see and Bonny Light Horseman is one act where that was the case. I was glad I did as this Americana/folk rock group boasting members of well celebrated bands like The Shins and The National took me be surprise with their soaring harmonies and lush, shimmering instrumentals.
This is the kind of band I adore discovering organically in a live music setting. If any band pulls out a harmonica and incorporates it effectively, you’ve instantly won me over as it’s an incredible addition to any sound palette when used tastefully.
One act on this first day I was extremely keen for in the lead up was the legendary jazz collective Sun Ra Arkestra.
Unfortunately, Sun Ra left us in 1993 which meant he couldn’t see what his contributions to jazz have amounted to, but it’s noble to see that people he was playing with up until his passing are keeping the legacy of his compositions alive for future generations to discover. They started by buttering us up with more comprehensible swinging jazz and as the set progressed, the songs became way more dissonant. The only way I can describe this set is that it felt like a voyage through space. Shoutouts to the band leader for pulling out all the insane cartwheels that got the crowd absolutely buzzing as well! Absolutely electric scenes.
Another act I anticipated was beloved synth pop darlings Magdalena Bay…and they did not disappoint. They took this hour long slot as an opportunity to play their widely celebrated record Imaginal Disk front to back and had the crowd in the palm of their hand.
Front person Mica Tenenbaum holds a demanding presence on stage and keeps the crowd engaged with multiple costume changes throughout the set. This set had me smiling ear to ear and I am so grateful to have witnessed it. This set lifted the ‘Sup to heights I hadn’t seen it get to throughout the day and it was utterly joyous.
Now if you want a perfect example of genre whiplash, look no further than the next act…legendary psych/garage rockers OSEES. Lead by charismatic front person John Dwyer, they sent the ‘Sup into an absolute frenzy right from the get go as the crowd was absolutely heaving and bouncing while they powered through various favourites from their massive back catalogue. OSEES boast two drummers who are placed right up the front of the stage and while you may wonder why they need two drummers, you completely understand why when you’re seeing them shred in front of you. Each drummer brings their own flair to the rhythm section while also keeping the tempo driving in a straight line. Absolutely a force to be reckoned with in the live setting as not many can compare.
The frenzy didn’t stop as next up was breakout Irish hip hop act Kneecap. The stage lighting shrouded them in darkness leaving the crowd dying to catch a glimpse of this hot property act and you could tell everyone was loving it. Both MC’s brought an unmatched level of energy roaring at the crowd to open up the pit, as well as leading the crowd in a deafening chant demanding a free Palestine. I highly recommend finding the reel of this moment doing the rounds and seeing how incredible it was for yourself. This was one of those sets where it felt like if you were there, you were going to be talking about it forever and if you weren’t, you wished you were.
Sunday
After nursing the wounds of being on foot for a whole afternoon in sweltering heat, Acopia kicked things off on Sunday morning at 10am and this choice was absolutely bang on to me. Their music is so lush that you don’t feel like you’ve left your tent and are still in a dream like state. Dream pop/indietronica like this is exactly what you need to be hearing first thing in the morning when you’re getting ready for the day ahead. It takes you to such an other worldly place and while it’s taken me quite a long time to finally catch this trio live, they did NOT disappoint. Definitely a stand out act for me.
One band I am no stranger to is Sydney art punk group R.M.F.C (Rock Music Fan Club). It’s absolutely a pleasure to watch a band like this play on a bigger stage than I’m used to, but this performance cemented for me that no matter the stage they’re on, they are a force to be reckoned with. I am always gobsmacked by the fact that band leader Buz Clatworthy can pummel the drum kit and sing simultaneously. Anyone who is a drummer knows that’s like running a marathon and it’s superbly impressive. A second saxophonist in the mix for some additional texture alongside their regular saxophonist Emma Brophy was a great sonic choice as well. In years to come, I think people will look back on R.M.F.C as a cult classic Australian band.
You know when you’ve wanted to see an act play for the longest time, but the stars never align? That’s been my problem with being able to see Grace Cummings. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely yes.
Grace has such a commanding presence when she performs and when she took the stage solo by herself for the first song, this was abundantly clear. She performs with so much conviction that it is incredibly difficult to not be captivated. Grace Cummings is a gem in Australian music that should be preserved forever.
One thing that I love about Meredith and Golden Plains is the act of giving ‘the boot’ to the act that you love the most for the whole weekend. The catch is you can only use it once, so you have to choose wisely. For me, there was no other contender than boom bap icon Bahamadia.
This is one set my friends and I were all chomping at the bit to watch and she absolutely smashed it out of the park. Bahamadia still spits bars with eloquence nearly 30 years later after her debut album Kollage and gave us a master class in everything that is amazing about hip hop from the 90’s.
Bahamadia said two things that stood out to me - and they were the two quotes of ‘be your own self’ when talking about the idea of being true to yourself and also the quote of ‘if you’re not doing things that back up what you’re saying, you’re on some BS’ when talking about using your platform to speak up about injustice in the world.
It’s an extraordinarily rare occasion that Bahamadia performs from what I can tell, so anyone who witnessed this got to see something truly special.
Durand Jones And The Indications are another act that I went in blind on and they quickly became one of my highlights of the weekend. It’s a truly rare occasion for me to get to see a soul/R&B group that is taking influence from legendary source material and this was the perfect slot for this kind of act. Jones has so much charisma that he had the crowd in the palm of his hand and it was another set where I had a smile beaming across my face. He allowed space for all of his band to be able to shine through solos and it was truly such a great way to warm up the crowd for the evening to come.
Now earlier in the day, there was an announcement advising a thunderstorm was meant to hit over the site with high winds and lightning. Before PJ Harvey was meant to take the stage, said thunderstorm being close would delay the start of her set by 15 minutes to ensure all was good before she took the stage. The crowd let out a collective sigh and were left a little bewildered as a result of the delay, but when PJ took the stage, a thunderous roar bellowed from the adoring crowd. Her newer material did take favour throughout this set, but she did give the fans quite a few classics like 50ft Queenie and To Bring You My Love which went over delightfully!
Fontaines D.C. are definitely having a moment right now. I remember when they first appeared off the back of their debut record Dogrel and right from the word go, they were a band to keep an eye on for me. Fast forward to 2024 and they drop the widely acclaimed Romance LP which raised them to new heights. The second they took the stage, you could tell that they were THE band a lot of people were here to see. They charged through most of the aforementioned Romance LP with a few classics sprinkled in like Jackie Down The Line and Boys In The Better Land. While the recent LP isn’t something that resonated with me as hard as it did for others, seeing them play those songs live made me realise that this is a band who are going to influence a new generation of kids starting guitar bands and I can’t wait to see what it breeds musically in the next few years.
One artist that was not on my bingo card to see in 2025 was 90’s house powerhouse Robin S. She’s an artist that might have you trying to work out who she is, but when you hear the intro to her 90’s house classic ‘Show Me Love’, you know exactly who she is. In a genre where it’s well documented that the bigger acts were either miming live performances or just weren’t the people who sang the songs in the studio, Robin was here to show us that she is not playing around. She even did some acapella vocal lines for us to show us she was the real deal and I could not stop shaking my hips during this set! An unexpected favourite for me.
My last act of the weekend as I had to do the drive home the next morning was the marathon 2 hour DJ set by Soulwax under their 2manydjs moniker. I just knew the second my friend and I realised they dropped (You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real by Sylvester that we were in for Other highlights during that set were Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads, Girls & Boys by Blur and the most unexpected mash up…Blue Monday by New Order with Von Dutch by Charli xcx. What an absolute treat!
I am so grateful to have been there despite not thinking I’d make it and proclaim Golden Plains XVII a momentous weekend for all involved! Thank you to Aunty Meredith and everyone who makes this festival possible for graciously allowing Sapling the space to give my review and take some photos!
All photos by @gucci.lil.piggy