What: St Kilda Festival
Where: St Kilda, Melbourne
When: 12th February, 2017

For more, please visit: www.stkildafestival.com.au

The day started cloudy, windy and miserable, but by early afternoon the sun came out and attracted the crowds. This free one-day festival on the St Kilda foreshore attracts over 400,000 attendees per year, with a vast range of performances, workshops, kids’ entertainment, sport, dance, carnival rides, buskers and a whole lot more. The streets are lined with numerous food and craft stores, where you can pick up snacks, food, clothing, jewellery and various other things.

I expected crowds, but you can’t really prepare yourself for how many people you actually see. I can’t say I fully embraced what the St Kilda Festival is all about. I hardly amerced myself in it at all in fact. I arrived late afternoon, as I had a couple of interviews to do (more coming soon on the blog, just FYI … keep your eyes peeled), but only saw two acts.  I’ve never been one for crowds, and also the idea of walking around alone didn’t seem like the most enjoyable way to spend an afternoons. If I was to attend again, I would go with a big group of friends, because the thing I learnt is that St Kilda Fest is more enjoyable with friends. Sit on the grass, have a glass of wine or a can of beer, chill out, see some acts, eat some food, go on some ride, and above all us, enjoy it – it’s free and a great day out! I tried to see as much as I could while I was there.

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Thom Lion: www.thomlion.com
First up was Thom Lion and the Tamers. Hailing from Adelaide, Thom and co impressed the crowd with their laid back sounds. His band member, Troy even stood up while playing the drums (that’s something I’ve never seen before!) and Thom ended the set with his signature handstand (no easy feat after having broken a rib only a short time before on a recent trip to Norway completing his second EP).

Wallace: www.wallacegollan.com
Shortly after was Wallace. I didn’t have time to hear her play, as I had to rush off for an interview, so I took some happy snaps and left. But from what I saw, the crowd really dug her style. She attracted quite an impressive crowd at such a small stage.

Daryl Braithwaite: www.darylbraithwaite.com.au
I had no concept of what Daryl Braithwaite looked like until I saw him grace that stage. None. Nada. You could have pointed out anyone and said that was him and I would have believed you. But there was no doubting his powerhouse voice. Wow. He’s an Aussie legend, and for good reason too! You could tell through his age and experience that he’s learnt how to really work a crowd. Surprisingly his audience was mostly older teenagers and young adults (he kept making jokes that no one in the crowd would have been alive when said song was released all throughout his set), while a lot of them were drunk, Horses was the audience favourite. There was a singalong and the song lasted at least fifteen minutes. It was incredible to watch such an incredible performer from up close in the media pit. Awe inspiring!