The Grapevine Gathering has once again produced the best fruits with a superb day of live music. Fans from all over the East Coast braved what started out to be a scorching hot day at Hope Estate. A steady flow of festival lovers building quickly in volume, streamed into the beautiful well-manicured and organised grounds at Hope Estate with many on arrival scrambling to secure the protection of shade from the blistering sun. Bravo to the crew from Dancewize who seemed to be on hand everywhere with sunscreen slip slop slapping 50+ and to the teams from Hope Estate and Grapevine providing adequate offerings of H2O to keep the hydration topped up. A healthy and passive presence of NSW Police and a very busy sniffer dog greeted everyone entering through entry gates with a smile on hand to ensure a safe environment for the big day of music ahead leading up to the headline act of the day, Hayden James.

After a heartfelt Acknowledgment of Country that included one minute of silence for all that have been lost and not forgotten, The Teenage Joans launched the day. The infectious energy from the exciting duo of Cahil Blakers and Tahlia Borg blew everyone away with the relatable lyrics and catchy melodies they are well known for.

Joining the Grapevine Festival from Avalon on the Northern Beaches in NSW, the 4 piece rock band of The Rions drew their loyal and dedicated fans close to the stage like a magnet. ‘Tahlia’ from Newcastle surrounded by her besties who were all crammed up against the punter barrier to be as close as she could to her idols proudly shared that ‘she would marry them all’. The Rions continue to pave their way upwards on the music scene since taking out Triple J’s Unearthed High School in 2021.

Time for Grapevine Hosts Lucy & Nikki well known for their popular ‘Happy Hour’ podcast and ‘Jagger and Stone’ fashion label to hit the stage while a busy crew prepped between artists. A huge shout out to the stage crew who worked tirelessly in incredibly hot conditions to ensure things ran smoothly at the event. After playing their catchy Podcast Intro, Lucy & Nikki whipped up a frenzy drawing punters into a very entertaining game of ‘never have I ever ‘. After lots of outrageous laughs and giggles the clock had ticked long enough for the next artist to make their way on stage.

It felt like a volcano was about to erupt as Vanessa Amorosi characteristically dressed in black exploded onto stage. With combined album and single sales reaching over 2 million worldwide, the commanding performance from Amorosi raised the hairs on the back of your neck as she belted many of her most popular and well-loved tunes. Expectedly, finishing with ‘Absolutely Everybody’, Amorosi set anyone that was in sight of the stage off into a frenzy of arms raised and hands clapping all joining into the catchy and memorable chorus of this epic song. Yes, the one that is going through your head right now!

With the sun finally disappearing over the horizon and temperature significantly dropping to provide everyone a welcomed relief, the ‘golden hour’ seemed to fittingly add something mystical, mysterious and magic to what was already going to be an outstanding performance from King Stingray. The Australian rock band from Northern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory arrived on stage with a joyous and youthful energy, ready to deliver a tight performance to back their skilful and sharp songwriting. With a smile from ear to ear that did not leave his face, lead vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu chanted ‘It’s good to be in Newie, and we gunna play a newie!! ‘. What a fabulous and memorable set. Their self-titled album ‘King Stingray’, now resides at the top of my playlist. I encourage all to have a good listen to this one.

Past the halfway mark of what was already an outstanding day of music, the time had arrived for the much-awaited UK Indie rock band, The Wombats. Forming in Liverpool, back in 2003, the post-punk and new-wave-influenced pop band bounced, bopped and danced all over the stage from the first beat to the last. The band surprised all when with a presence larger than life when they were joined on stage by 2 performers in wombat costumes. Dedicating their final song of the set to the ‘brave soul’ who crowd surfed to their previous song, The Wombats bid farewell until their next album tour. This may be a good sign that they will be returning to our shores.

Needing no introduction at all to the Grapevine punters, Spacey Jane with their lovable vibrance and eclectic personalities visiting the East Coast once again from Fremantle in Western Australia never fail to finish a gig as a crowd favourite. With twerky and catchy tunes that cover and explore life, love, the losses and all that is in between, you just cannot help syncing in to get the body moving to every beat. Stage craftsmanship and onstage performance from lead guitarist Ashton le Cornu never fail to entertain with his unpredictable manner with gravity-defying kicks and aerials while maintaining never to miss a strum or note on the guitar. Spacey Jane continues to cement a foothold in indie rock with the freshness of their contemporary and classic sound which always seems like it is the first you have heard and seen them.

On a day with such a broad variety of musical genres, it’s hard to pitch the last set to be the main event. Then again there is Hayden James and headline artist of this year’s Grapevine. With nothing short of a spectacular light and sound extravaganza, James performed perched high above the stage atop an array of perfectly choreographed panels of visual displays. As if that was not enough, pyrotechnics were masterfully synced to his tunes to provide a euphoric visual experience. Referring on multiple occasions to family and friends who shared his performance all perched on a small stage directly behind his DJ booth, James genuinely shared that he was delighted to be playing in front of a NSW audience again. When his set finished, it felt like my heart stopped too as I stood in silence and in awe of what had just taken place before my eyes and in my ears.

Grapevine 2023 certainly did not disappoint anyone who made the way out to Hope Estate, which continues to bring the best in live music to a magnificent venue. We certainly look forward to what fruits the vines might bear once again next year in 2024.

Review & Photos by Mark Stevens

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