Harvest Rock @ Rymill & King George Parks, Adelaide 25/10/2025
Adelaide needs music festivals, that goes without question and Harvest Rock definitely scratches that itch. Having a year off to regroup in 2024 they are back with a bang with some big headliners on Day One with The Strokes and The War On Drugs making it a highly sought after ticket. Just those two bands alone is worth the ticket price alone and the rest is just cream on top. That’s not diminishing some of the other bands experience by any stretch as there were plenty of stand outs on the highlights reel.
The forecast for the day would have created some tense and anxious moments for organisers in determining what to do with the looming storms which hit late in the day. With an event of this size and magnitude there is a lot at stake and potentially soul destroying with the many of months of planning behind the scenes to make this festival a success.
With the number of other public outdoor events cancelled that day questions have to be asked about whether this could of been handled differently given the amount of people already at the festival or on their way. How this was communicated, appreciating the complexities once the storm hit, is an obviously area for improvement. Fortunately Mother Nature didn’t get her way either with the storm eventually passing which had the potential to derail things completely.
For a good chunk of the afternoon, ponchos, gum boots and whatever was needed to prevent getting soaked right through was at a premium. There was mud… and plenty of it. I’m not going to lie but the conditions made it brutal and tough going with seeing it through to the end proving to be a major accomplishment testing one’s resilience. That aside, the music alone made it a lot more bearable. It was unfortunate that there was a casualty with Wolmother not being able to perform their debut album in its entirety (but later playing at The Metro).
Cloud Control were brilliant and it seemed ironic they were on just before the heaven’s let loose. It’s been a long while since they were last here but this time it was about celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Bliss Release wit set highlights including Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why), Gold Canary and big set closer Scar. With the rain, the storms and no action on the Harvest or Vines Stage it was baton down the hatches for the next ninety minutes, not under a tree (but where???), with fans told to seek shelter or leave (creating a myriad of problems later on). Losing patient and quickly this period definitely tested my resolve wondering if festivals are a much younger persons’ caper now.
Catching a glimpse of Genesis Owusu as things were getting up and going again, there was a massive crowd to see him, making it very difficult to see anything from the sides the way things are slightly sloped. Just enough time though to hear Stampede and Waiting On Ya. Even now thinking about it I highly doubt I’m not sure it was the greatest idea having the Vines Stage facing directly at the Harvest Stage.
Lime Cordiale proved to be an absolute godsend picking up the collective spirits of everyone, myself included, playing an energetic, fun and lively set kicking off with Temper Temper followed by Enough of the Sweet Talk. Standing for a lot of causes Ollie pointed there was one they are strong about, hmm ‘self indulgence’ let’s say playing The Divinyls I Touch Myself. The crowd were encouraged to get on shoulders, have a vape and take a photo. Loaded with bangers to finish their set with Money, Robbery and Inappropriate Behaviour.
Vance Joy was a great inclusion also and comes across as a likeable chap that everyone seems to know. He has definitely evolved in to a world class performer and the strength of his back catalogue is second to none. Opening with Mess Is Mine and Fire and The Flood, Vance revealed that his secret weapon is his mum, who is an English teacher, who helps with some lyrics. Lay It On Me was gold and Vance spoke of some of favourite Adelaide artists and conceding he didn’t have the vocal range to play Sia’s Chandelier opting for Paul Kelly’s To Her Door. The other gem thrown in was “throwback cover” of I Was Made for Lovin’ You by Kiss ending on career starting hit Riptide.
It was the second time for me seeing festival exclusive The War On Drugs, seriously elite. It was an absolute masterclass in musicianship and it is hard not to be awe of their performance. Absolutely blown away by how good this band is. No theatrics, no banter, just music geniuses playing a faultless sixty minute set. The average song spanned longer than five minutes complete with epic riffs and loads of catchy hooks that stunned and amazed. Adam Granduciel pointed out that he doesn’t say much but made the well chosen “Hello everybody, you look beautiful”. Opening with Comin’ Through there was so much to like with Red Eyes, Strangest Thing, Harmonia’s Dream and my fav Under Pressure. Time literally flew finishing on I Don’t Live Here Anymore. So good!
It was a difficult choice deciding what to do next but I made sure I laid stake to my piece of turf at the Harvest Stage for The Strokes. I can’t honestly believe organisers pulled this one off but they were the obvious highlight and day saver. Despite all the sufferance to get to his point I left very happy seeing The Strokes again here in Adelaide after a very long absence. These guys are bonafide rock stars, have plenty of swagger, getting on stage fashionably late but more than proved why they were the headliners. Their set list was jam packed with hits and absolutely no filler at all. It was a rampaging start with Bad Decisions followed by a treasure trove of hits including Reptilia, The Modern Age, Hard To Explain and Juicebox for starters. “Radelaide, my freaks,” front man Julian Casablancas proclaimed. Some of his musings were confusing but this is the most animated I’ve seen him.
Plenty to love with Automatic Stop, What Ever Happened?, Someday and finishing the main set on The Adults Are Talking. Even at this point a lot of boxes were ticked and there was still more. The encore kicked it up a notch with Ode To The Mets followed by crowd pleasers Last Nite and show defining statement Take It Or Leave It (jokingly about Strabucks). This was definitely everything I thought it would be. Now to get these old bones home for a Panadol and a lay down!
Weather aside, Harvest Rock delivered a great blend of music and other experiences to make it a decent day out especially if they can keep delivering festival exclusives to make this experience all the more unique. Harvest Rock 2026, who can it be now?
Live Review By Rob Lyon