Yours & Owls 2023
Where the Gong Uni lawn becomes a smorgasbord of music
Review and photos by Brittney McCarthy of BM Image
Would you believe this was my first festival? I’ve been to mini festivals such as the Smashing Pumpkins The World is a Vampire Festival, but a five-band wrestling-fest isn’t quite the same as a two-day event featuring over 100 artists across five stages. In the months leading up to Yours and Owls, my hyper-fixation (read: anxiety) was listening to every single artist on the bill, planning out who was a must-see over the weekend.
Yes, I had a spreadsheet. Yes, it is colour coded.
As soon as set times were announced, I started working on the puzzle of who I could realistically see. My final list was made up of over twenty acts I hoped to catch across the huge weekend, nine of whom were new to me before I checked out the Yours and Owls lineup. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of acts across the two days, ranging from rapper Earl Sweatshirt to punk legends Descendents, indie pop goddess Vera Blue, and Baltimore’s hardcore punk group Angel Du$t.
Arriving at the Wollongong Uni it wasn’t obvious where to go to actually enter the event despite the provided cartoon map, which would benefit with some permanent landmark labels like a street name rather than just the temporary event markers such as stages and bars. I wasn’t alone in my confusion as a group of girls walked in front of me remarking their exhaustion at being lost. They had been walking around for the last 40 minutes in the 27°c heat and they had not even entered the festival.
Merely five minutes after finally entering the fest, I reapplied sunscreen and managed to get enough in my eye to render that eye useless for the remainder of the day and make my general demeanour appear egregiously upset. This was almost enough to upend my plans for the day. Yet, in spite of my dependency on a lone eye and discovering new places to sweat, I was determined to make the most of it.
Before I dig into the music, I wanted to include my the pro/con list I ended up with from the notes in my phone over the weekend:
Pros:
Endless sunscreen and water
Phone charging tents
Impromptu group singalongs while trying to navigate the swarming crowds heading to the next stage, such as DJ Ötzi's Hey Baby
Tornado potatoes
Every artist on the Rad stage
The stage manager for Rad stage, total legend.
Cons:
Cigarette smoke
The sun
Trying to walk anywhere in a sea of drunk people
Hair in my food not once, but twice
Lil Tjay, who repeatedly asked, “where the ladies at?” and played a sample of glass breaking at the start and end of every song
Portaloos
Getting home after a festival
Usually when writing about shows, I will waffle on, but I don’t plan on writing an anthology about the weekend. So let’s just toe dip into the acts I think are worth checking out.
On Saturday the first artist to win me over was The Sweaty Bettys, a Wollongong trio that sounds like Camp Cope just with savage eyeliner. Singer Ruby Apps gasps at the Rad stage crowd the area filling up rather fast for the early set; “This is so fucking unreal. Thank you all so much”. At the time of the festival only one track Skin Deep was to be found online from the group. Apparently I had smashed it since I was able to sing along with the chorus and I don’t even know all the words to Happy Birthday. The group are catchy, could be your best mates, and bound to be going up in leaps and bounds from here. They have since released a new track to satisfy my addiction, Gas Light.
Next act to blow my tiny brain was another Wollongong all femme trio, garage punk babes Private Wives. I didn’t want their set to end. The dynamic between the three and the punchy guitar were an instant winner. I could hear some Amyl and the Sniffers and Peaches influences throughout their set. While never hearing of the group before Yours and Owls, I’ve since added more than a few tracks to my current rotation.
Though completely unintentional, I am stoked that the next band to steal all of my attention is another all femme act - Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers. The moment the guitar came in for Lights Out I was immediately the main (misunderstood and angsty) protagonist of a mid 90s movie. Vocalist Anna Ryan yells out to the crowd “I love you”, someone at the barrier euphorically cries out “shutthefuckupIloveyou”. Releasing their debut Album I Love You on the 6th October, a week before playing at Yours and Owls and the crowd were singing along to their set word for word.
Of all the new-to-me acts, this next one was the stand out for me over the entire weekend. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, talking about, or listening to Chimers. Another local Wollongong act, the post hardcore duo, vocalist/guitarist Padraic and drummer Binx have supported some major loves of mine, Mudhoney and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. I should have known the moment I saw Padraic’s Wipers t-shirt that I was in for a good time. Binx effortlessly plays the drums with enough force to give you an arrhythmia, her eyes closed focused on making a sound that penetrates and disrupts your equilibrium. Combined with Padraic's swooping movements across the stage, jangly punk guitar sound, low in the mix but unforgettable vocals it was start to end a blast. I was so enamoured by the duo that I caught them during their recent run in Melbourne with Built to Spill. My guess is my Spotify Wrapped will show how chronically I’ve had them on repeat since first hearing them at Yours and Owls. Their 2023 single turn on the lights is my track of the year. It’s fuzzy, punchy, and nostalgic, and makes me want to dance even in public. As a self-admitted ‘stick up the arse haver’, this is most definitely not something I would do. I’m not being hyperbolic about this.
Another new to me act is Kaurna Land/Adelaide five-piece, The Empty Threats. I enjoyed every moment of their set. I was drawn to the dreamy guitar, the high energy (dare I say sexy?) performance, and their style. I'll never be cool enough to pull off an Adidas skirt and fishnets. Their lush and powerful post-punk sound varies from track to track keeping you on your toes. They remind me of Sad Lovers and Giants with less synth. It’s the dreamy, hypnotic flow of the music that has me addicted. Vocalist Stuart Patterson, between clarinet tootin’ and sultry serenading of the crowd, jumped up on the amp stack to scale the side of the university building and gyrate against it. That’s only a snippet of the kind of show you’ll get from The Empty Threats.
Capping off day one for me was Descendents. A band I have been listening to for over 20 years and have somehow never seen live. You couldn’t wipe the goofy smile off my face as they launched into Everything Sux, I looked around at everyone else around me beaming up at the stage and the crowd were furiously fistbumping the air. Finishing their song Van frontman Milo Auckerman says with a sly smile, “Thank you Gary Numan”. Before leaving the stage Milo quips, “Finish up your drink and fuck off!”. Thankfully for you, Nat covered their show in Sydney in depth.
Starting off Sunday was Vera Blue - an unexpected addition to my weekend, as I don’t listen to a lot of electronic pop. However, I was encouraged to watch her live set by a fellow photographer so I rocked up early to make sure I would not miss her act. With her dreamy hair, insatiable inhuman voice, and potty mouth, I couldn’t peel my eyes away. Celia thanked the crowd for coming down early. “Just because it’s early doesn’t mean you can’t party though!”. Included in her set was a cover of Orinoco Flow (Sail Away), a courageous decision to emulate Enya’s voice, though Celia more than delivered with her gorgeous interpretation. “This is our last song, let’s fucking go!” then leapt into Rushing Back.
Melbourne’s six-piece Gut Health has been a favourite of mine since they released Inner Norm in November 2022. Everything about them pleases my heart and soul. If I am in a funk, I’ll put Gut Health on and poorly attempt to sing along, shaking out the bad energy and inviting in only the cheeriness that Adam Markmann’s bass summons. As always, the group puts on an exceptional show, singer Athena Uh oh gives 110% into her performance. I cannot take my eyes off her, captivated by her expression flicking between alluring and bewildered. Her whole-body interpretive dance and unique, and sublime voice accompany the hypnotic electropunk to perfection. Gut Health’s music reminds me of Le Tigre and The Screamers, but they have a strong funk influence in their sound. They are an utterly unmissable act.
Yugambeh/Bundjalung group Nerve Damage brought a welcomed dose of heavy and loud sounds to the weekend. Yours and Owls is catered to the average Triple J listener, which leans far away from the DIY punk or hardcore sound, so I was curious to see what kind of crowd would appear, and how involved they would get. Singer Shaun Allen led their fast-paced set with enthusiasm and passion, spending part of it propped up on the university building to the right of the stage. I was stoked to see a huge crowd for their set and many getting involved with moshing.
Girl and Girl were on my ‘must-see’ list because I had seen they were recently signed to Sub Pop, and historically, I enjoy many artists on their label. I have zero regrets about checking out their set. Girl and Girl are a Brisbane based garage rock 4-piece. Their sound combines nostalgic rock and post-punk elements, making it perfect for a day in the sun. I hear influences from early Arcade Fire, Together Pangea, and The Smiths in their music. I’ve been putting on their EP Divorce+ as my morning soundtrack to ease me into facing the day.
Naarm’s Terminal Sleep is currently one of the best hardcore acts in Australia. The band is tight, and their live show is powerful. When asked how to describe Terminal Sleep, guitarist Will Robinson replies, “heavy and loud”. I’d counter this by saying that they are bone-shatteringly loud and so intensely heavy my heart actually aches. Watching vocalist Bec Thorwesten, you can see and feel her anger as she spits out lyrics, particularly during Tired and True, a track I’m sure many can relate to. If you’ve spent time on their socials it’s easy to see where Bec can pull this from with comments from men more focused on discussing her shorts than their music or talent. While I listen to Girl and Girl to ease me into the day I listen to Terminal Sleep to get me through the day, and the only way to listen to them is really fucking loud.
These New South Whales (with an ‘h’) entered the stage to ominous sounding kookaburras, perhaps a nod to the animal emblem of New South Wales? Given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the group, it could signify almost anything, though likely nothing at all. The group opened their set with Broken System, a track reminiscent of The Clash thanks to the Strummer-esque Brit inflection from vocalist Jamie Timony, who is intensely charismatic and an engaging frontman. Despite their comedic approach and exaggerated caricatures of themselves portrayed through their TV series and podcast, TNSW is a tight and professional band, it’s clear that the group is writing and performing music they love because everything they do is 10/10, and they are doing a lot. The closed off their set with Under The Pressure from their 2023 self titled release TNSW. The band have mastered delivering media to both your earholes and eyeballs, now go and immediately consume it all back to back.
The final set on day two for me was from Baltimore’s Angel Du$t. Coming to Australia just after their newest release, BRAND NEW SOUL. The crowd spilled out of the Rad stage area, necks craning to see a glimpse of the group. The genre-blurring group brings something unexpected with each release, and their latest is no exception. The group is usually described as rock or hardcore, but although this album certainly has hardcore elements, it is mostly playful groove-rock. Tracks like Born 2 Run feature a surf-rock sound and some bongos thrown in, contrasting the urgency of Very Aggressive and Space Jam. Fans were wide-eyed and in a trance as the mosh pit increasingly recruited new members. Vocalist Justice Tripp is both a character and an impressive performer, exuding energy from start to end. He was constantly jumping up and down from the stage, getting into the mosh, while continuing to enunciate every lyric with ease. The set was nowhere near long enough for the crowd, unwilling to declare the weekend over. The only evidence left at Rad stage of anyone’s wild fervor for the group was the world's largest bra, likely a record-breaking size.
While the festival was jam-packed with big names, the real gems were the local and regional artists from around Australia, featured alongside these huge international or national acts. I spent most of my time at Rad stage, which was the smallest at the festival and featured only one international act. In my opinion, it showcased some of the best talent across Australia in those two days.
Have I aged out of festivals, despite attending my first in my mid-30s? Probably. And will I end up getting sunscreen in my eyes again, thanks to my self-care skills resembling those of a 6 year old? Almost certainly. But despite all this, would I go to a festival again? Absolutely, yes.
Pendulum
Towns
Sorry
Hobo Johnson
