Parklife Festival Review + Photo Gallery
Photos: Stuart Freeman
As I made my way through Sydney’s Centennial Park, the bass thudding through the air crept closer and closer, the crowds became bigger and the excitement was palpable. Chiddy Bang, Wiley, Benga, Rusko, Labrinth, DJ Fresh, Alison Wonderland, Robyn, NERO, Justice, Plan B and The Presets - so much amazing music in one night, it was overwhelming! I rushed through the entry, grabbed a beer and I was in. Finally, Parklife Sydney, 2012.
The Parklife tour has been travelling across Australia, leaving a trail of ringing eardrums and lasting memories. Last week was no exception. With the music loud, the crowds huge and the drunkenness apparent, I wedged my way deep into the swarms.
The eclectic electronic Parklife line up is a sign that the new age of hard-hitting bass and shrill stabbing synths is here to stay. The once underground, experimental, hide-from-mum music has officially made it mainstream. The crowd was surprisingly young and ready to make the long weekend turn into a blurry memory.
As the sun beat down, the drinks and the tracks kept coming. The music was upbeat and light-hearted during the day, but slowly the bass grew and everything became darker and down-tempo as the moon set in.
The highlights of the day range from Chiddy Bang’s melodic crowd pleasers to Rusko’s usual headbanging mosh. Labrinth showed off his talents by not only singing and rapping over the beats he produced, but also bringing out the guitar and piano for a true live experience. The Presets also blew me away with their bouncing rhythm and tracks that rumble in your stomach. The most memorable part of Parklife however, was the hangover the morning after. There is no doubt that amazing talent was on display, but so was a lot of intoxication. But hey, what’s a music festival without a few of your favourite vices?
So what do I take away from an exhilarating and exhausting day? If you come to Sydney’s Parklife, you better come to play because this is no ordinary festival. Parklife is only for the true dancers, the true drinkers and the true partiers. It had been a wild long weekend and the end of Parklife 2012, but just the beginning of the ongoing momentum for Parklife 2013.