THERE was a moment on Saturday afternoon at the end of Gareth Liddiard’s snarling acoustic set which perfectly summed up the charm of the Gum Ball festival.
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How it’s rough around the edges, but has a lovable heart.
Having just dropped enough F-bombs to sink a battleship in his bluesy rendition of the anti-political diatribe Taman Shud, a cheeky Liddiard apologised to the two small children in the front row.
The pair were oblivious. Instead the children were too busy blowing bubbles into each other’s faces. “Sorry about the language,” Liddiard said. “But I really like your bubble gun.”
The Gum Ball has grown into both a laid-back un-corporate music festival and a family-friendly camping trip. Perhaps the occasional blue language and alcohol means it’s not your typical PC-family adventure, but it’s one many would argue is far more culturally enriching.
The number of families making the trek to Dashville in Lower Belford has only grown as the music festival clocked up its 12th edition over the weekend. The kids were out in force enjoying the skate half-pipe, arts and craft and the sand pit. While some older ones played Uno or chess.
Of course the main reason for The Gum Ball is the music.
The opening night on Friday was relatively low-key. Cat Empire frontman Felix Riebl showed his softer side in a set of ‘70s-inspired soul. You couldn’t help but wonder how Dashville would have been pumping had Riebl dragged along his Cat Empire buddies.
The Celtic-flavoured The Go Set and loose rockers HITS drew the biggest crowds, but Canadian electro duo The Funk Hunters seemed an odd choice to close the evening. Dashville isn’t Subsonic.
Saturday was the main course and it featured arguably The Gum Ball’s strongest ever line-up.
Maitland’s Dave Wells, who launched his new single Run Free at the festival, and Liz Stringer both impressed early on day two before Liddiard took the festival down a more sinister path.
In a set that straddled both his solo material (Blondin Makes An Omelette, Strange Tourist) and his more famous Drones back catalogue (Shark Fin Blues, Oh My), Liddiard was in entertaining form, waxing lyrical between songs in his laconic mumble.
The intense performance was rewarded with one punter handing Liddiard a plastic cup of scotch.
Musical comedy troupe Tripod provided some diversity in the late afternoon, but told one dad joke too many, before Kim Churchill and the Dashville Progress Society really had the Gum Ball rocking.
After last year’s white soul exploration, the Progress Society returned to their classic rock roots. There was KISS (I Was Made For Lovin’ You), Paul McCartney (Band On The Run) and if the cover Blue Sky Mine didn’t get you excited about Midnight Oil’s reunion then nothing will.
Newcastle’s Ben Gumbleton helped establish himself playing the Gum Ball with his former band Benjalu and his return with Boo Seeka was triumphant. The electro-soul two-piece attracted one of the biggest crowds to show they’re a polished live article.
Caiti Baker added some much needed sass with her jazz and blues-inspired repertoire of R’n’B and.The Peep Tempel provided a blitzkrieg of rock. Part Saints, part Cosmic Psychos, part Drones and ultimately wonderfully Australian.
If the kids weren’t tucked away in bed by the time the headliners Regurgitator arrived on stage, they should have been. The 90s alternative rock legends dished up plenty of their crude humour in a greatest hits set.
Ben Ely couldn’t contain his delight to be back on stage, leaping repeatedly into the air and remarking about the beautiful gum tree surrounds.
With the gums brightly coloured from the scrobe lighting under a starry country sky, it was definitely hard to disagree with Ely.