Shakafest was one of the nicest festivals I have ever been to. Held at their new home of Broadwater Parklands Southport, Shakafest took place on a sunny Saturday with 2 stages, a half pipe, heaps of incredible bands and a pack of bloody legend festival goers. Shakafest didn’t over sell tickets, the bar lines were short and there were plenty of toilets. You had the room and freedom to either mosh with the crowd or sit back and relax on the grass while enjoying some of Australia’s best acts. It was an incredibly run, stress free and enjoyable day and the security, staff and team behind Shakafest should be super proud!
Kicking off my day was Gold Coast female emcee Jesswar. From the minute she stepped on stage Jesswar had immediate charisma and a natural stage presence which quickly warmed up the crowd and got them moving. Playing tracks such as Middle Finger and Holiday, Jesswar leapt around the stage with so much confidence, executing every word with complete perfection while also making it look effortless. Jesswar’s connection with the crowd is something that can’t be taught. During single Savage she encouraged the crowd to move forward and without thinking twice a swarm of people made their way to the barrier to get down and dirty to her grungy track. You could tell she was so stoked to be up on that stage sharing her music with those who support her and she made damn well sure to give us a show we wouldn’t forget. This was my third time seeing Jesswar perform live and she gets better every single time. If you like female rappers such as Missy Elliot and Young Ma you need to get onto the Jesswar buzz NOW!
After spending a good half hour spellbound by the incredible skate boarders shredding the half pipe I moved back to the main stage to catch Sunny Coast legends The Chats. The Chats are the type of band that are 100% better live than on recording. You need to see them in the flesh with their bad hair, speed dealing glasses and classic banter to get the full experience from what they have to offer. Its 50% music and 50% performance and these boys know how to slay both. But don’t be fooled, Although they come across as care free and a little immature these boys are super professional and extremely talented musicians whose tracks will having you bopping your head in no time. Playing songs such as Mum Stole My Darts and The Clap, The Chats took control of the crowd with their infectious beats and ridiculous yet super relate able lyrics. The best received song by far was definitely their hit song Smoko but to be fair the crowd would have stayed just to listen to them talk shit.
After sinking a few mid strength beverages and taking a look at the live Graffiti I made my way to the last half of Carmouflage Rose’s set. Brisbane based and Zimbabwean transplant, Carmouflage Rose brings the hype tracks you didn’t know you needed. Hes the amplifier of your Saturday night and the soundtrack to your dance moves and the party going off in the mosh pit was proof of all of that. Tracks such as Late Nights and Wildflowers showcased Carmouflage Roses true style while some of his more bass and trap tracks showed off his party starting vibe and high energy performance. To be honest I spent more time rocking out than most during his set and I’d be happy to do it all again.
Next up was a band I have been waiting to see for years, Brisbane indie rockers Last Dinosaurs. As soon as their first track kicked off I automatically felt more relaxed. Last Dinosaurs collectively give off such a positive and chill vibe both with their music and stage presence and at 8pm at night it was exactly what I needed. With hits such as Dominoes and Honolulu the mosh turned into a dance floor. Feeding off the crowds energy Last Dinosaurs played a mega cover of The Prodigy Breathe and Move Your Feet by Junior Senior and from that moment there wasn’t a still body in the whole Parklands. Some of my all time favourites such as Zoom and Apollo were played with perfection and I grew a new love for the band due to their consistency between live and recording. Even their newer tracks such as Eleven received a massive appreciation from the crowd, but how could you not when every killer guitar solo and groovy bass line is so addictive and catchy. Last Dinosaurs produce the best easy listening tracks for anytime, any place and anywhere and I was over the moon to finally see them rock out in the flesh. If you like bands such as Two Door Cinema Club you’ll love Last Dinosaurs.
Honestly who doesn’t love some classic Aussie hip hop and who better to get the party started than Bliss n Eso. Kicking off their set with Iron by Woodkid (Also heard on Assassins Creed) the crowd absolutely lost it, screaming as loud as they could until Bliss N Eso were seen on the stage.
Ripping straight into some of their fresher tracks from their ‘Off The Grid’ album such as Tear The Roof Off and Moments the crowd was instantly hooked and Bliss N Eso looked like they were having just as much fun as we were. My personal favourite has always been their single Act Your Age and clearly it was everyone else’s as well. By the sight of all the Bliss N Eso shirts scattered throughout the mosh it was no wonder their older tracks such as House Of Dreams and My Life were so well received. People were on shoulders, hands were to the sky, there wasn’t a song or second of their performance where the stage and the mosh weren’t jumping to the beat. We were treated to MC Bliss beat boxing Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes and a stripped back acoustic version of their single Down By The Rive. We also had time to groove to some Flume and Savage while the boys has a quick break and it was sung amazingly by the accompanying female vocalist who killed it with her backing vocals the entire time. Throwing their bodies on the line the boys finished up with single Dopamine leaving the crowd on a high.
After multiple calls for one last song, Bliss N Eso returned to the stage for an encore of their track Friend Like You. Before starting the single the boys gave a shout out to Gold Coast stuntman Johann Ofner who lost his life during the filming of the music video asking the crowd to send their love to the sky for him. Watching Bliss N Eso’s performance was like receiving a shot of adrenaline. Every song was perfect, their wasn’t a beat or a word out of place and their on stage charisma and energy was addictive. They absolutely killed it.
