In and amongst a rapidly shifting climate for music festival organisers across the country, few have managed to evolve and remain on par with trends and expectations quite as effectively as the team at Listen Out. Presented by Fuzzy Events, Listen Out returned to its spiritual home in Sydney’s Centennial Parklands to serve up its sixth stellar event in as many years.
An evolution of the late and great Parklife Festival, this year’s meaty lineup of hip hop, electronic and alt-pop saw punters flock from all across NSW to bathe in the sounds of today’s youth. From triple J Unearthed winners, Triple One, to one of electronic music’s most celebrated producers, Skrillex, it was nothing but clear blue skies and positive community vibes as thousands came together to officially kick off the festival season.
As always, we were on the ground to soak up our fair share of the sun’s rays and embrace a few positive lessons from the day’s festivities:
LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR
As the Aussie music scene continues to push to the forefront of the global stage, more and more festival lineups are placing big bets on homegrown talent. This year, Sydney artists, in particular, certainly rose to the occasion. With the last minute cancellation of American Rapper Lil Skies, Listen Out acted quickly to find a more than suitable replacement in Aussie emcee Manu Crook$. Slotted in for a half hour mid-afternoon slot, you would’ve been forgiven for mistaking the rising talent for one of the headliners, as thousands made their way to the Atari stage to catch a glimpse of the hype, as he proudly waved the flag high for Western Sydney.
At the same time, other local acts like electronic-pop trio Glades and funk project Poloshirt garnered similar receptions as the crowd made a strong effort to get behind their fellow Sydney-siders and show pride in our homegrown artists. Boasting a strictly Sydney lineup of up-and-coming local talent, the Third Base stage was the place to be to discover the festival’s future headliners, with artists like Milan Ring and Imbi The Girl proving exactly why they have tastemakers from across the globe perking up their ears.
THE BEST BOY BAND SINCE ONE DIRECTION
Following the heartbreaking collapse and subsequent breakup of One Direction, a new collective voice, in the form of Brockhampton, rose from the ashes to reinvent the ideological image of a boy band. Proudly LGBQTI-inclusive, multicultural, and supremely talented, Brockhampton appear to be a complete reflection of the progressive ambitions of our generation.
At sunset, thousands of fans flocked to catch their set, with many pushing as far forward as possible to witness their idols; amongst them were dozens painted blue from head to toe, making Brockhampton the only act on the bill to inspire cosplay. Though the boyband references have often come across as a joke, after watching Brockhampton move together on stage in such a well-choreographed and orchestrated manner, it quickly became apparent that this was no joke — they are, in fact, a fully-fledged boy band with every intention of continuing to take the world by storm.
LONG LIVE BIG BASS
Big bass. Is it its own genre, or just an umbrella term for filthy dance music? Either way, year in, year out, big bass music has played a vital role in festival lineups as continues to defy the odds and grip the hearts of generation after generation. Clashes with other artists on the bill had some punters torn as, in some instances, hip hop heavyweights like Brockhampton and Skepta sadly had to lose out to the infectious allure of phat beats and intermittent sirens. With producers like Enschway, Fisher and Camelphat buttering up the crowd, it was the one and only Skrillex who would triumphantly steal the show.
Skrillex is no stranger to Aussie shores, so there’s no doubt that news he would be headlining this year’s festival was met with a bit of scepticism. “Is dubstep still even a thing?”, many asked, and less than a minute into his monstrous set, they were abruptly answered. The musical maestro wound back the clock to deliver a set that was equal parts shockingly grungey and beautifully nostalgic, as punters head-banged their way into the night to close out yet another killer Listen Out festival.
Photos by Jordan Munns.