We start the afternoon catching the afternoon sun fall behind Tumbalong Park, where Irish-American duo Dug and Taiwan’s Managona play to a mix of conference dwellers, passers-by and early-arriving festivalgoers. The space itself is open to the public, a highly underrated place to wander through, grab a bite, lounge in the sun for a few hours and catch some live music.
Dug, made up of Irish songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly and Californian banjo player Jonny Pickett, grab everyone’s attention. Their set is rowdy and full of heart, mixing tight harmonies with clever banjo picking and fiddle tricks. There’s a real weight to it, fun contemporary Americana folk that still feels rooted in something lived-in and with the perfect songwriting cynicism to boot.
Managona follows with something completely different. Their performance blends sound art, electronics and visual tech into something powerfully hypnotic. It’s sharp, precise and still, but full of fluid movement.
The festival’s opening night showcase at The Underground kicks off with a stacked lineup of Drifting Clouds, Suichu Spica and 2Charm.
Drifting Clouds, the solo project of Yolngu musician Terry Guyulafrom, is unlike anything else on the bill. Their sound moves between synthpop, 80s rock and country, but what makes it special is how deeply it’s tied to culture and community by drawing on Songlines, Dreamtime stories and life in Bunhungura NT. It could be called electronic indie-country, but it’s something uniquely theirs.
Suichu Spica take the stage next and immediately shift the energy. Fronted by a guitarist-vocalist whose tapping technique borders on impossible, they fuse Japanese rhythms with rock and pop in a way that’s completely their own. By the second half of their set, the room is teetering on the edge of a mosh.
To close the night, 2Charm bring chaos and charisma in equal parts. The Australian “g00ner p0p” duo are what happens when you and your best friend start lip-syncing in the lounge room at ten years old and just never stop. It’s hot, loud and full of personality, with vintage Chanel glasses and all. They’d make a perfect opener for Charli XCX or any experimental club night, and they know it.
