Heaps Good @ Adelaide Showground, Wayville 6/1/2024

Heaps Good 2024 stormed into Tarntanya/ Adelaide with the force of Zeus atop Mount Olympus, unleashing his fury. Be damned the weather! There was music to relish.

For the early birds, there were plenty of great Australian artists to enjoy.

Queenslanders kicked off the festival on the Good Stage, housed in Duncan Pavilion. Multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer, and songwriter Logan gave his all in the opening slot with songs Stop & Stare, Huh, and Famous, among others. Singer-songwriter and producer Sycco followed. The former Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year finalist has already amassed a significant discography, including singles Nicotine, Dribble, Germs, Time’s Up, Superstar, Jinx, and Ripple, to name a few. Except more in the years to come.

Sydney’s MAY-A was next. Having released her second EP, Analysis Paralysis (2023), and attained a Hottest 100 number-one with Flume, her star continues to soar. For those lucky to see her perform, it was simple to ascertain why. The self-professed attention whore commanded the stage during her forty-minute set as she sang the new single LOLA and Sweat You Out My System, among others.

The first of the handful of international acts—all from the United Kingdom coincidentally (or perhaps not) – to perform was Holly Humberstone. The singer-songwriter generated a big crowd as she shared with us Paint My Bedroom Black, Into Your Room, The Walls Are Way Too Thin, Falling Asleep at the Wheel, and Kissing in Swimming Pools. Flatlining, a song about being friends with an ex-lover, followed. Then, Ghost Me that tackles the phenomenon of being simultaneously grateful and unsatisfied, and Scarlett, a classic break-up song.

Humberstone was chatty and appreciative of the fans. She expressed, “This is so fun”. It was for us, too.
Over on the Sound Archive stage, which had the misfortune of being located under a solid canopy, causing temperatures to skyrocket, the Divide resident DJs kicked things off. They were followed by Denim and RONA., who played to solid-sized crowds. By the time Logic1000 came on, numbers had swelled, and cooling fans had been brought out on stage to try and combat the heat. While it was stifling and oppressive for some, others thrived and danced all night. DJs Salute, Kettama and Mall Grab rounded out the sets at Sound Archive, including a trio mix much to people’s joy.

Back at the Good stage, singer-songwriter GRIFF offered a truly delightful performance. We heard songs, including Walk, 1,000,000 X Better, Head on Fire, Vertigo, One Night, which transitioned into Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) and a huge sing-a-long, Remembering My Dreams, and Black Hole. GRIFF’s stage presence was effervescent and infectious. Her vocals were sublime. As she twirled around the stage, it was difficult not to smile with her.

Having already garnered international success and many awards, GRIFF’s success will no doubt continue to increase.

Declan McKenna began his show with an acapella version of The Beatles classic With a Little Help from My Friends. The softly spoken introduction vanished with an explosive rendition of Beautiful Faces.

There were appropriate ebbs and flows throughout his performance. When not playing the guitar centre stage, McKenna was bouncing around like a pinball. You Better Believe!!, Make Me Your Queen, Elevator Hum, Sympathy, Nothing Works, The Key to Life on Earth, show highlight Brazil, and British Bombs were sung with gusto and rapturously received.

McKenna’s performance signified the conclusion of the younger, emerging artists on the Good Stage. All hail the veterans!

The Avalanches need no introduction. Now mainstays on the world festival circuit, they produced a stellar mix taken from Since I Left You (2000), Wildflower (2016), and We Will Always Love You (2020). Ironically, The End (The Doors) introduced their set. Then, it was an hour-long foray into a blissful electronic musical journey laden with flawlessly interwoven samples. Interstellar Love, The Divine Chord, Pure Imagination, Music Makes Me High, Subways, I Want to Break Free, Running Red Lights, and Since I Left You were just some of the gems.

The Avalanches never fail to generate a feel-good atmosphere with their music. Their performance placement perfectly fused the emerging and established, thus preventing a fragmented flow.

For the first time in a decade, FOALS returned to the home of their first-ever Australian gig. Blending their unique brand of technical post-punk-inspired guitar lines with danceability laced with pure emotion had everyone salivating.

A moody, smoke-haze-filled intro set the scene as the band came on stage. The pop-inclined Wake Me Up was an appropriate opener. Lighter in sound, if not sentiment, for a FOALS song and a highlight of Life Is Yours (2022). It paved the way for the bangers that were to come.

Mountain at My Gate, Olympic Airways, 2001, My Number, 2am, and In Degrees metaphorically blew the roof off the venue. It was high energy, guitar-heavy, loud brilliance. Then there was Spanish Sahara.
Spanish Sahara will never not be marvellous live. Lead singer/ guitarist Yannis Philippakis knows this and capitalised on the song’s gradual build-up and intensity with a well-crafted audience participation routine. It was powerful. It was magical. It was unforgettable.

A slower rendition of Red Socks Pugie followed. Then, Late Night and the lush Inhaler before the mammoth finale of What Went Down. What went down was a wall of sound and strobe lights that had everyone scream-singing and thrashing about. It was an ideal ending following a ten-year absence to the Festival State.

Headliner Flume took advantage of the buzz Foals left behind. He harnessed the electric-infused vibe and ensured it transcended to astronomical proportions. Flanked between two rows of decks high atop the stage, Flume wasted no time continuing the party. As the deep bass reverberated through the floor and, what felt like, into the bone marrow in our spines, it was on for young and old.

Joined at times by various special guests, including MAY-A, who performed their Hottest 100 number-one single, Say Nothing, plus another, and much to everyone’s wonder and glee, Vera Blue. Vera Blue whipped her long red hair while dancing and singing to another Hottest 100 number-one single and show highlight, Never Be Like You. She also added her vocals to I Can’t Tell and Rushing Back.

With a stellar light show complementing the music, the grandiose scale of a Flume show was apparent. The lasers, clearly designed to shine brightly into the night sky, were cut off by the pavilion roof. It detracted from its splendour. Unfortunately, despite its beauty, it surmised Heaps Good was not in an ideal venue.

While the aforementioned storm dampened the city in the morning, it had passed by the time the festival was in full swing. Whether the decision to make both stages undercover occurred because of the weather or that was always the intent, I don’t know. However, it blemished what was a good event. An event better suited to an outdoor locale.

Among other tracks, we also heard Flume classics Sleepless, On Top, Drop the Game, and Say It. A remix of Lorde’s Tennis Court was the epic set and festival conclusion.

Ignoring the weather, Heaps Good was not without its flaws. Unfortunately for Tarntanya/ Adelaide, Naarm/ Melbourne lucked out on the location, and layout. Some may argue, also the line-up (we missed you Basement Jaxx and SBTRKT). However, it was a decent, intimate festival. A wonderful way to launch into the live music scene of 2024.

Heaps Good, it was pretty good.

Live Review By Anita Kertes

Photo Credit: Ian Laidlaw