Fairbridge Festival

Forgive my absence over the last week - I was being held hostage by a Politics essay but now that that is finished, hopefully I will have some more time to update. Over the weekend I attended the annual Fairbridge Festival, held in Fairbridge, a small town just outside of Pinjarra.

Going to start this off honestly - I wasn't really sure how Fairbridge would be. It was a camping festival, and aside from school camps, I've never been exposed to the world of the great outdoors by sleeping under the stars. The festival also has the reputation of being quite "hippie" - although my trip to Cambodia taught me that I can rock loose, floaty pants just as well as the next gal, I don't tend to get out my inner wild child/ flower power all that often. However, doubts aside, I packed a (hugely, massively, over the top excessively full) bag, and drove down to Fairbridge with a group of friends on Friday morning.

After setting up our tent and dying in the heat (we were all in jeans, super hopeful that winter was going to arrive), we headed off to grab some lunch - crepes may have made an appearance - and then back to the tent for a quick afternoon siesta. Waking up newly refreshed (although still feeling the effects from our early start/ massive food binge - no Laura, you don't need to eat a packet of shapes at 9am and then just keep snacking for the rest of the day), we headed off to Youthopia, where we watched the Formidable Vegetable Sound System. If you want to listen to songs about permaculture and saving the planet (and even if you really don't), this band is for you - very upbeat, very happy, and something very (very) different to enjoy.

After that, we wandered to the main stage area to enjoy a performance by Himmerland, a Danish multicultural band. Once again, this group was definitely a bit out of what I'd usually be drawn to, but with beautiful vocals and violin by Ditte Fromseier (even though I couldn't understand a word of the songs) and incredible percussion by the wildly energetic Ayi Solomon - to name only two of the five musicians - it was impossible not to be foot tapping and hand clapping along to this group. Not my usual cup of tea, but I would definitely see them again.

A nice long sleep and a few inflatable (really, deflatable) mattress issues later, we were up for the first full day of Fairbridge. Some highlights of the day included a ukelele workshop (turns out if you're rubbish at any sort of string instrument, by having one person strum and the other deal with the chords you can get by), an Irish dancing workshop (very fun to go back to my old dancing days!) and the Scotch College Choir. However, as for my favourites, there were three standouts - China Doll, David Lazarus and The Seals.

David Lazarus is a singer songwriter with a captivating voice and the ability to turn simple experiences into enchanting songs. We enjoyed songs such as "Stay This Way" - a song about our reluctance to change, and "My Best Girl" - a catchy anthem dedicated to his five (!!) sisters, and my personal favourite "Love Me With Your Eyes" (which sadly, didn't make his EP). My iTunes library tells me that he's in the 'pop' genre, but I'd classify him more in the singer/ songwriter or easy listening categories. A definite must see.

After watching parts of Morgan Bain and Ami Williamson's acts (she was absolutely incredible, very clever with her lyrics and incredibly versatile [I wasn't expecting a requiem about old food and a beautiful rendition of Hallelujah in the same set]), we headed back to the Youthopia stage for The Seals. Without a doubt, this group was the highlight of the weekend for me. With vocals by all five of the incredibly talented band members, as well as a mix of guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin, double bass and an impressive harmonica solo, the crowd went absolutely wild dancing to this group. ITunes describes this band as a mix of country and folk, and they'd have to be spot on there. Easy listening was peppered with catchy hooks and super danceable music. Absolutely loved this band, and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. While I do love my music, I wouldn't be able to say I've had a grin on my face for a whole set before, but with The Seals, I couldn't stop smiling. Also have to say that the guy were lovely - we met them later to fangirl get them to sign some CDs and they were very friendly.

Following The Seals were China Doll, a Perth based band with tap dancing, fantastic vocals, and catchy tunes. So popular that everyone stayed for them in the gushing rain (with no lack of apologies from the charismatic lead singer, Karan Page), China Doll were a definite highlight. Something else that was special about this gig was the protective outside of a tent being thrown over the crowd to keep us dry. Hopefully the tent was not in use at the time, but it must have been a great sight for the band to see a moshing orange blob! I'm glad I got to catch China Doll before Karan heads off for 18 months. I'll definitely be purchasing their music of iTunes.

After a quick stop to watch the Formidable Vegetable Sound System again (arriving just as Ami Williamson was finishing her next performance - so glad we caught this!), we headed back to the tent for another night of inflatable mattress issues (got a lot closer with my friend Rebecca than usual due to the huge dip that appeared in the middle) and gumboot issues - if they are a size nine, they are a size nine, not a size ten. Subsequent use will result in you laying spread out through the middle of a car with one friend holding your arms while the other four try to pull your gumboots off.

After an early wake up to head to the chapel for the annual "Singing the Spirit" to catch The Seals again, we went to watch the acapella group Ballpoint Penguins before packing up the tent. We watched David Lazarus again - he rounded out his set with a great mash up - before packing up our tent and getting absolutely soaked when the heavens opened just as we finished started the car!

It was such a great weekend and I would have to say, don't knock Fairbridge before you've tried it - I will definitely be back next year.