Saturday 27 September 2025, Toronto Hotel, Lake Macquarie. A postcard afternoon slid into golden hour as the lake threw back bands of honeyed light and balconies filled with neighbours on their “free seats,” cheering and clapping between sips. The Toronto Hotel crew kept the bar lines moving like seasoned midfielders. The lawn was a quilt of camp chairs hours before the first chord, 1,200 strong for a festival that’s gone from nothing to “must-do” in six or seven short years. The weather was beautiful, the beer was cold, and the crowd were absolutely up for it.

A who’s-who house band anchored the day — Dario Bortolin (Baby Animals) on bass, Gordon Rytmeister on drums, with session guitar and keys players - the kind of session pros who make everything feel both effortless and alive. Chantoozies opened and proved “first on” can still feel like prime time. Ally Fowler and Eve von Bibra stacked glossy harmonies on Baby It’s You,, winked their way through Love The One You’re With and Wanna Be Up, and tossed in AFL-Grand-Final banter about Snoop’s wandering hands. Thirty tight minutes, people dancing from the start, big smiles, bigger sing-alongs — the perfect ignition.

Wendy Matthews drifted on in white, barefoot, and asked for “a quiet moment — it might be the only one today.” She got it. The Day You Went Away drew the loudest cheer so far, her voice still a silk ribbon that settles everyone down without ever dimming. Token Angels, Standing Strong, and then a gentle dare: “Before I leave here today, give the person next to you a hug… choose carefully — always choose carefully,” she laughed, and closed with (I Don’t Want To Be With) Nobody But You. Class and poise, start to finish.

Then chaos (the joyful kind) in leopard print. Mark Gable was a late ring-in, stepping up for his mate Swanee who was unwell, and you’d never have guessed it from the throttle he put on the place. “We might play a few Choirboys songs tonight,” he smirked, diving into Never Gonna Die and a filthy-fun ode to Queanbeyan before Struggle Town. Crowd work? Weapons-grade. “Sing for me, Toronto… sing betterer… sing louderer!” “Is it alright if I do a song about people with penises?” — straight into Boys Will Be Boys. He counted to three and asked for everyone’s name (a glorious nonsense roar), then tipped his hat to lineage: “The first song we recorded was in the same studio as this next one,” and belted Long Way To The Top. He hauled up James Van Cooper (fresh from The Voice, Team Kate) for Bad Boy For Love, then “you might not know this one, we just wrote it before we came up here on stage…” - into Run To Paradise — the lawn surged, the chorus belonged to the crowd. As he tried to exit - “I’ve got to buy a pizza… but I will have all your babies after!”, MC Mark waved James back for a spur-of-the-moment kicker: I Was Made For Lovin’ You. Dario and Gordon dropped in instantly — no dots required — and the place went up again.

Mi-Sex pivoted the vibe to neon new-wave polish. Dario stayed on bass, James Van Cooper on guitar, and Murray Burns’ keys drew those cold-hot lines through Graffiti Crimes, But You Don’t Care and Down The Line. Frontman Steve Balbi was untethered theatre — repeatedly and violently wrestling his mic stand, kissing and roughhousing bandmates, prowling, preening. If it’s part of the regular schtick, it works — the man commits. “I’ve got in-ears in, so I can’t hear you,” he grinned, “and I’ve just had some magic mushrooms so I’m feeling a bit spastic!” Three times throughout his set - he asked, “Is it good to be alive?” and each “Yeah!” got bigger. Blue Day arrived with a heartfelt dedication to Pete Fleming “who saved me from sure death in the gutters of Kings Cross,” floated in with soft Hammond and lovely stacked harmonies (James chiming in beautifully), and then the band slammed Computer Games before the call-and-response into People. Balbi’s closing words landed hard: “I can’t tell you how grateful we are for you being here tonight — and I know that I speak on behalf of all the bands that have played before — and those still to come… this just isn’t just showbiz talk — we really fucking mean it — it means a lot to us. Thank you.” - the sentiment got a huge roar of support, with other artists and musicians applauding and nodding side of stage.

Thirsty Merc felt like someone grabbed the master fader and nudged it from “great” to “electric.” Rai Thistlethwayte toggled effortlessly between piano and rhythm guitar, Matt Smith’s light-blue “electricity guitar” did anything but play nice, and Phil Stack bulldozed the low end with that unmistakable Stack swagger. Mid-set, Rai delivered the quote of the day: “That’s Phil Stack, by the way… I don’t know how to describe it — it’s like following a truckload of cattle and the doors swing open and you have 72 cattle on the front of your car — that’s how that bass feels. It has a bovine kind of vibe about it.”

Phil, for his part, tipped his hat to his rhythm-section partner: a huge shout to Gordon Rytmeister — he’s the hardest-working muso onsite today — who’d already powered the day and slid back into the pocket for Merc. Gordon let Someday Someday breath - playing with brushes, before lifting the energy and playing with sticks; Tommy & Crista came with a wink “This one’s about growing up in the suburbs - not about me — honest!” and a cracking piano solo; Hard Way went out to Rai’s dad Ian (in the crowd), complete with the ‘Dad & son fixing the car screwdriver meets leg' anecdote. A couple of enthusiastic F-bombs slipped out; Rai turned towards his father, and apologised with a laugh. Twenty Good Reasons landed with its true meaning — inevitability, loss - and things never quite going back to how they once were. The Merc waved September out with In The Summertime, beers aloft. Top-tier showcraft, genuine gratitude, and not a single frayed edge.

Personal note: as a drummer, I’ve seen Thirsty Merc a dozen-plus times with a handful of different guys at the throne — Mick Skelton, Pete Drummond, Johnny Salerno, Gordon Rytmeister, Tim Firth. Every time, it feels like that drummer’s been with them all 25 years: every accent, crash, break, rest, swell — locked. That’s a credit to the band’s musicianship and to the calibre of their drummers. Today, it was Gordon — taste for days, engine purring.

The Radiators closed with a proper pub-rock victory lap. Brian Nichol arrived in a long black overcoat, swinging a white towel, dark glasses with fluorescent green rims — lit up, literally — before the coat and sunnies sensibly came off (warm night, hot stage). Geoff Turner thundered on bass, Mark Lucas delivered the obligatory “it wouldn’t be a rock and roll gig without a drum solo,” and Martin Cilia — these days also tied to the Mental As Anything family — peppered tasteful lines. “He joined us through COVID,” came the aside. “We lost our old guitarist through COVID — he didn’t die, he just pissed off up north and he’s living his best life!” Big laugh. Bring On The Crazy drew a huge reception. This next one is a tribute to our old mate (Andrew) "Greedy" Smith - founding member, lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter for Mental as Anything, who sadly passed away in 2019, gone far too soon: the guys ripped into a fantastic cover of ‘Live it up’ - huge round of applause. They slowed the set briefly with Hit & Run, turned the lawn into a bouncing chorus for Gimme Head (participation, not… you know), and 17 (I Wish I Was…) had every generation singing. When the Coming Home riff hit, the crowd were already there, belting it home. “Thanks for sticking around — goodnight from The Radiators.”

Out on Victory Parade, the air tasted of salt and sunscreen, and the chatter told the story. A bloke with a sun-rosy forehead in an OG shirt: “That wasn’t nostalgia — that was a proper show. Gable’s still got rocket fuel.” A woman on a balcony waved her empty prosecco flute: “Wendy made me cry. Thirsty Merc made me dance. SPF 50 next time.” From somewhere near the ferry: “Mi-Sex on ‘Computer Games’? Downloading the whole lot when I get home.” And a final nod from a camp-chair sherpa: “Whoever picked that house band deserves a medal.”

Performance of the night? Thirsty Merc by a nose — tight, energetic, emotional, and holding the lawn in the palm of their hands from first note to last. But the whole bill did what a lakeside spring festival should: stack good vibes until the shoreline sings. From Chantoozies’ gleam to Wendy’s hush, Gable’s glorious chaos to Mi-Sex’s neon swagger and the Radiators’ big-hearted lap of honour, Sunset Sounds on the Lake was beautifully run and gloriously refreshing. Organisers, staff, security, stage crew — nailed it. Judging by the happy, red-cheeked faces and balcony applause, Sunset Sounds isn’t just alive — it’s thriving.

Same time next year? - see you there!

Full gallery https://musicfestivalsaustralia.com/new-blog/sunsetsoundstoronto

Thank you to Sunset Sounds, Empire Touring, Triple M and The Toronto Hotel for having us along.

Review & Photos by Andy Kershaw for Music Festivals Australia