The inaugural Lutruwita Festival has been held at The Goods Shed in Hobarton Friday, 19.12.2025.
In an era of seemingly shrinking returns in the live music industry, it was refreshing to see a new entry into the live music scene in Hobart, when 6 bands took to the stage throughout Friday afternoon and evening. Four Tasmanian bands – Elektra, Tai Harlii, Spooky Eyes and Lennon Wells were joined by headliners, Kingswood and Wolfmother to provide a hugely stirring evening of top-class entertainment
First up were North-Eastern Tasmanian surf-rock outfit, Ekidna, who brought some classic good-time vibes and festival energy to the stage as the crowd began to slowly filter into the venue.
Next up were Tai Harlii, whose neo-soul/R&B and classy musicianship spoke to the wonderful array of great artists across a diverse number of genres that exist here in Tasmania at the present time.
Following on from Tai Harlii were Tasmania’s latest sensation, Spooky Eyes, a 3-piece psychedelic rock band. Lead singer and guitarist, Jude Hastings announced the band with “We play rock & roll”, and rock & roll they certainly did as they pulled the crowd away from the food tables and outside areas as they laid down their exciting brand of psychedelia to a growing, and highly appreciative audience.
Lennon Wells, showcasing their debut album release, Blink (and You’ll Miss It) followed with their polished, pop-rock sensibilities, while singer, Ben Wells’ frenetic performance and his interactions with the crowd kept it fully engrossed as numbers continued to balloon prior to the two headliners slots.
Kingswood were next, and by this time, the crowd had swelled to capacity, with the excitement level rising in tandem. The band started out with an obvious fire in their bellies as they rocked their way through an hour-long set, seemingly energized by their visit to Tasmanian shores once again.
Wolfmother were to close the night out, but not before a few technical difficulties delayed the start of their performance by nearly fifteen minutes.
However, once the issues were sorted, Andrew Stockdale (minus his signature locks) and fellow bandmates Brett Wolfenden and James Wassenaar rode the crest of the wave that all of the previous bands had laid down with a magnificent set built largely (though not entirely) around the band’s classic debut self-titled LP, the international best-seller, Wolfmother which had been celebrating 20 years of release. The crowd, by this stage were heaving and hits such as Woman, Mind’s Eye, Dimension and Joker & The Thief only served to send the crowd deeper into their frenzied revelry.
Lutruwita Live, in its first iteration, was an outstanding success, with a capacity crowd soaking up a great afternoon and evening of outstanding live music.
Wolfmother Gallery:
Kingswood Gallery:
Lennon Wells Gallery:
Spooky Eyes Gallery:
Tai Harlii Gallery:
Ekidna Gallery:
All images: ©fullonrockphotography/Andrew Fuller
