Review: Strawberry Fields Festival 2018
Last weekend, thousands flocked to the banks of the Murray River just outside of Tocumwal for the tenth annual Strawberry Fields Festival. Held at a new site just down the way from where the previous festival took place, punters were divided in opinion about the changes made to the festival by organisers since its inauguration. Doof purists have been vocal in their disapproval of the commercialisation that has occurred over time, especially in the music being shifted from psytrance and underground to focus on house and disco.
Strawberry Fields has grown to accommodate a crowd of just under 10,000 across five stages and the change in location meant a reshuffle of the layout that drew both compliments and complaints. In previous years the Wildlands stage was the draw-card; 2018 saw main acts spread across all of the stages, which were in close proximity of one another — meaning no tiresome trek to catch your musician of choice, and more variety, especially after nightfall. Some commented that the stage rearrangement meant there was sound interference between those that faced in the same direction, but this was only something I noticed when in the open area behind the main stage, not in the crowd, as was often the case.
One of the biggest improvements to the layout that came with the location change was the beach. Previous years required a long walk to the far end of the festival boundary, and in most places a sketchy climb down a slippery drop to reach the water; 2017’s beach stage was a precariously placed shack built out over the bank. 2018 saw a larger stretch for swimming with only a short step down into the water; the shoreline dotted with hammocks, shades, and places to bask in the sun; the stage the central focus of the area, constructed around the trunk of a large tree.
Deep Jungle was a new addition, although it was easy to see it was filling the void of the popular Organic Audio stage that drew crowds in previous years. The set-up replicated that of the O.A Stage, too — a brightly coloured structure stretched around a 90 degree angle, which allowed people to ascend the stairs until they were dancing above the crowd. This stage was the winner in my books — the sound quality was unparalleled; clear and crisp, without being uncomfortable, even if you were positioned next to a speaker.
Site shuffling aside, Strawberry had so much to offer — musically and artistically — that it was a difficult task choosing where to spend time. The Beach stage stole much of my weekend as I was unable to ignore the appeal of swimming and sounds together. Wax’o Paradiso and San Soda took over as Cafe Del Murray for Friday afternoon; Adi Toohey preceded Move D and Jayda G on Saturday, both of which were a personal highlight. Jayda G dropped Warren G and Nate Dogg’s ‘Regulate’ late into her set as the sun sank to the river, creating an ambience that would be inimitable anywhere else in the world.
Noteworthy performances were far and wide, with HAAi providing one of the most talked about sets of the weekend, taking the stage from crowded-but-comfortable to packed in what seemed like minutes. DJ Seinfeld followed, and impressed most of the crowd, many of whom seemed to be pleasantly surprised with the lack of Lo-Fi House (one nearby doof stick aptly pictured Jerry Seinfeld with the text “What’s with all the Lo-Fi?”) and made way for an electric performance from Pearson Sound.
The Grove is the stage that traditionally plays host to live acts; featuring Hiatus Kaiyote on Friday Night, while Germany’s Max Graef played to a small, uncertain crowd on Saturday afternoon — many of whom seemed to be expecting the dance music that made him his name, but were instead met with the experimental sounds heard over his recent solo album No Hablo, as well as collaborative project Ratgrave, also released this year. Kamaal Williams and Henry Wu — both pseudonyms for different musical projects from the same person — performed, the latter keeping everyone dancing well into the night with a typically jazzy-house set that included classic crowd-pleasers like Kerri Chandler’s classic ‘Rain’, and later ‘Do It Again’ by Soichi Terada and Shinichiro Yokota.
The Grove stage had been ramped up since last year, and changing animations (including, at one point, close-up footage of dogs’ mouths) were projected onto the intricate structure surrounding the stage. It appeared no expense was spared at any point, as with the rest of the festival, the lights and sound were just right, until one of the only negative festival moments that I witnessed. Following Henry Wu, a visibly frustrated DJ JNett soldiered through a slot that was riddled with sound issues, with the music cutting out completely at one point.
The cherry on top of the tenth anniversary was the art. An entire gallery was constructed on the banks of the river, displaying works from local artists alongside an exhibit of photography from festivals past. A friend experiencing her first Australian festival was enthralled with the life-size pirate ship that seemed to be just an adult’s playground, complete with netting to lounge in and ladders to climb. There were lasers, lights, mazes and mirrors, and although I made a promise to visit every installation possible, there was too much to see.
Before attending this year I was certain that it would be my last, but I was determined to have a red-hot go. Now, I’d say there’s a high chance of future endeavours to the shores of the Murray.
