Staying true to its name FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), FOMO put on a show that no electronic lover would have wanted to miss. It was hot, the drinks were flowing, people were relaxed, it was everything you wanted it to be and more. Each Dj, band and performer absolutely killed it with both their original and remixed tracks and we as a crowd thank you and FOMO for giving us a day and night to remember.
GEORGE MAPLE
Lets just start by saying George Maple is a total babe. So stunning and fuelled by confidence she took ownership of the stage and stole the hearts of everyone. Playing a collection of her original songs and featured songs, George Maple had the crowd wrapped around her little finger. Highlight track was definitely her feature track with Aussie DJ What So Not Gemini or her popular single DJ Snake remix of Talk Talk. Every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to be with her and sounding just like she does on recording queen Maple killed it !
SLUMBERJACK
Pumping the beats from start to finish, SLUMBERJACK were the ultimate party in the sun with fans running to the shade of the mosh to shake their groove thing. Covering songs such as Divide & Conquer by What So Not, Ms Jackson by Outkast and a couple tracks by Flume, SLUMBERJACK kept the crowds energy high and their voices loud. Halfway through their set the boys invited Vera Blue to the stage where they played their latest single Fracture. Adding the extra touch of the incredible live vocals of Vera took the slow and synthy track that is Fracture to a very intimate level and the crowd loved it. The fan favourite was definitely SLUMBERJACKS most popular single Enigma which is a trap and dub step track that really showcases the boys musical versatility and ability to make a sold out crowd rise to their feet to dance.
GOLDLINK
Dressed in a bright yellow Sex Pistols tee and taking on the energy of a freshly lit fire cracker American rapper Goldlink spat lyrical fire during his set . With the support of his DJ, DJ Kidd Marvel, Goldlink was leaping around the stage like a mad man. It was almost impossible to remove your eyes from his performance as he was not only the front man but his own hype man all in one. Tunes such as Dark Skinned Woman and Spectrum had the crowd bouncing to the beat but the overall party starter was his 2016 hit single Fall In Love, an upbeat funked up hip hop track. Goldlink would be best described as a mixture between Bruno Mars and 80s rap group A Tribe Called Quest. His lyrical style is old school hip hop but his beats are funked up party tunes that bring out the best of the bad dance moves in all of us.
PEKING DUK
Canberra duo Reuben Styles and Adam Hyde go together like two peas in a pod and as Peking Duk they don’t miss a beat. Starting off with their classic David Hasselhoff entrance tune the crowd were instantly hyped and the duo were more than ready to bring the party. Teasing fans with the starting beats of popular single High, Peking Duk quickly transitioned Riverstage into a sweaty and booming party house with canyons, fire and confetti. Take Me Over, Say My Name, You name it they played it with crowd favourite Stranger taking out the award for most people on shoulders or what we like to call a double decker party. Bringing with them an unexpected surprise, Peking Duk brought Ivan Ooze out to the stage where they remixed his 2015 single Fire as well as Ivan spitting a neck breaking freestyle over another killer dubstep beat. Taking us all the way back to 2013 and to where it all began Peking Duk played the single that started their career The Way You Are before rewinding all the way back to the start and playing 2014 single High from start to finish.
EMPIRE OF THE SUN
I’m going to be honest and say my expectations weren’t exactly high for Empire Of The Sun, but boy did they prove me wrong. The Sydney electronic group were the only band on the FOMO lineup and their stage performance took the vibe of the festival to whole other level. Neon sparkly suits, headdresses, live instruments and an awesome light show added a special spark to the already crazy vocals and tunes that make Empire Of The Sun who they are. In the end I think I counted 6 costume changes from the dances who were the animated version of the music and from smashing guitars to confetti canyons it was like one big theatrical musical. The crowd favourite track was by far We Are The People, but was closely followed by Walking On A Dream and High Or Low and like all good old school favourite their were voices singing aloud from all around the venue. But if I’m going to be honest, Empire Of The Sun had so much happening on stage that it didn’t matter what song they played because the crowd were loving it anyway.
FLOSSTRADAMUS
How do I even begin to describe Flosstradamus?! One of the best electronic dj performances I’ve seen in a long time comes as a very mild understatement. Every song was different, every song was louder and with every song Floss had the crowd in a frenzy and the SOLD OUT pit of bodies just did not stop moving. Remixing songs such as M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar, You & Me by Nero and Purple Lamborghini by Skrillex and Rick Ross kept the sing alongs at an all time high but those tracks were no match to the madness of floss’s original tracks. From singles Came Up to Mosh Pit, fans had warning hand signals in the sky as circle pits were formed during all the best drops. The strobe lights and smoke created this crazy on stage war zone, one that I couldn’t keep my eyes off, but one that was also generating a slight eplileptic seizure. I almost cried when I heard my mum and I’s old car music track Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay and then to top it off canyons of confetti were trinkling down while all us 90’s babies reminisced. If you listened to dub step, trance, trap, drum and bass, hard step it didn’t matter Floss played everything and they played it better than any DJ I have heard before. Flosstradamus put on the party of the century and they defiantly protected the Hi Def Youth.
I will admit I was a little skeptacle about FOMO before I got there, only because my experience at Stereosonic was completely awful. But people were wearing clothes, the staff were friendly, Every act played to the schedule, the stage lights were killer and every moment was an absolute blast. Here’s to next year FOMO, have no fear there is anyways next year!
