By David Ryan
While the northern hemisphere shivers between rugged-up runs from club to club, Australia enjoys an extended Summer festival season with an increasing reputation of a non-stop party population. At the peak of the Summer circuit, Summafieldayze plays out across the aptly named Gold Coast, an annual fixture of the post-hangover (or determined kick-on) of the New Year’s Eve overload.
As if on cue, the sun rides out in full force to welcome a top heavy line-up featuring the likes of David Guetta, N.E.R.D, Armin Van Buuren, Armand Van Helden and his equally infamous collaborator A-Trak. On the live act tip, Chromeo’s upbeat set is matched by the intensity of a full-band Trentemoller, and the local flavours of Miami Horror and Art Vs Science flying the Australian flag.
EYE CANDY
Visually, the Summafieldayze spectacle is on a scale and intensity that is unmatched, ranging from the overwhelming wall of LED screens on the Summa stage, through to the tanned and fit Australians soaking up the sun on a strip of land between a beach on one side, and a harbour on the other. The multiple stage setup spreads the fashionable horde across the site, incorporating the cherished cooling mist and water tents, bustling bars, and more than a few embarrassing moments on the fun park rides.
The abundance of stages is more by necessity than design, with an enormous line-up that sees the likes of Claude Von Stroke kicking early in the afternoon, handing over to Dennis Ferrer who peppers a festival set with more than enough jacking House to get the purists in a sweat. A theme for the day, as a nearby Boys Noize pushes the tempo and temperature into the red. With the setting sun comes the arrival of festival favourite Armin Van Buuren, the cheers sweeping through the packed Summa stage. While Armin’s “Going Wrong” pulls the hands in the air for a singalong, the insistence of Faithless’ “Not Going Home”
becomes the unofficial theme for an up-for-it party crowd.
A DAYZE TO THE END
Equally anticipated are the dueling headliners of David Guetta and Justice, representing the diversity of the Australian festival scene to split equally between an inescapably joyous set at Guetta’s hands, or an extreme wall of sound under the laced boots of Justice. For Guetta, there are genuine tears during a lights-out request to raise every mobile phone in the air, resulting in a sparkling landscape of iPhones blinking into the night. A live auto-tune vocal leads into the ever increasing list of hits, and the chorus of voices in “I Gotta Feeling” warms all but the hardest of hearts. Those were of course, already across on the Field stage with a pair of mad Frenchmen.
If Justice’s Xavier de Rosnay appeared relaxed during an all-day side of stage viewing of the likes of Erol Alkan, his game face drops for the finale. While not the full live show, the DJ set is armed to assault all the same, rolling out a dizzying mix summed up by the trainspotters attempting to follow “Block rocking Beats” of The Chemical Brothers fame into the Dizzy Rascal sampled “The Big Beat” by Billy Squire, before ramming into “Da Funk” by a pair of French robots. The eclectic mix, reminiscent of a pair of DJ’ing Belgian brothers, slams to a halt all too soon for those of us hanging off of every beat. As another incredible Summerfieldayze winds up for the year, I add my grin to the waves of smiles sliding out into the night, already counting down until next year as the tall tales and kick-on questing begins in earnest
