The Totally Sound team were very excited to partner with CinefestOZ in this their 10th Anniversary year. What an amazing event it is. The lads were kept busy with a range of unique events in many lovely locations throughout Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River.
The event encompasses general screenings of Australian and French film, short films, intimate sidebar and ‘in conversation’ events, community events, the Cinesnaps School Program, IndigifestOZ, and of course the wonderful combinations of film and great food in gorgeous locations. It culminates with the Gala Night and Screen Legend and CinefestOZ Film Prize, a stunning red carpet event in which an Australian feature length film is awarded a $100,000 prize for excellence in film making.
What an amazing weekend in beautiful Nannup. It was warm, very warm, but after being rained on at so many gigs this year, warm was good. As you enter the town on festival weekend the first thing you notice is all the bright colour everywhere. Colourful signs, flags, art installations and all the colour of the market. By Friday night the place is buzzing with people and you can hear tent pegs being banged in all around as people set up for a full long weekend of great music, art and entertainment.
It was a fantastic lineup of artists this year. So many good bands from a world of different backgrounds. From the deserts of central Australia, the Northern Territory, Melbourne, Albany, Denmark. Tash Sultana was of course very popular, as were Skinnyfish Soundsystem, Southern River Band, Tin Pan Orange, Morgan Bain and so many more. The morning yoga sessions were super popular as well. Yoga accompanied by live music….bliss.
The stages changed a little this year. There was the main amphitheatre, the Nannup Hotel and the Town Hall as usual. The new stage “Tigerville” set in amongst the trees with it’s very own cute bar was a big hit and was full most of the weekend. The Playground is the other main stage, which is always popular with families as it is surrounded by a huge array of things to keep the little people entertained.
Awesome food trucks kept the big crowd fed for the weekend. Such a wide range of interesting and delicious food. Street theatre and buskers really add to the wonderful vibe of the festival. All in all a great weekend. Special thanks to the lovely ladies at the Nannup Hotel who welcomed our crew for the weekend. Big congratulations to Phaedra and the committee and many volunteers who must be so proud of what they achieved. Another great Nannup Music Festival.
Tubby
Nannup Hotel
Main Amphitheatre
Main Amphitheatre
Phaedra and the triple J's : James Luscombe, Jared Ross and James Newhouse. The main amphitheatre crew.
What a roller coaster ride for the community preparing for the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival this year. Music Park with it’s own purpose build stage was looking spectacular in the lead up to the big event.
Then the rain came and the river began to rise……and kept rising. So the community build a wall to hold it and protect Music Park.
But it kept rising, lapping at the top of the wall.
The decision was made for the safety and comfort of all to relocate to the oval. This created it’s own challenges (like getting stages in at the last minute – thanks Lonsdales Party Hire & Street Hassle for your speedy work!) and tightened up time frames.
There was a great line up of talent this year, with headline Lee Kerneghan, Carter and Carter, Patrick McMahon, Greg Champion, Karin Page, Rohan Powell & Acoustic Juice, Dave Prior, Justine Standley, Renegrade and Ralway Bell. There is so much more than country music on offer at this festival. There was an art exhibition, Bush Poets Breakfast, Boot-scooting, Street Festival Ute and Truck Muster and the WA Country Music Awards. The streets were crazy busy for the early Street Festival and Ute and Truck muster. When the crowds all came together for Lee Kernaghan on the saturday night it was clear that it was indeed a big crowd.
WA Country Music Awards
James Newhouse at FOH
Another awesome festival comes to an end. It was a little more challenging than usual, but it was a great festival. Special thanks to Colin and his family for their lovely hospitality. Thank you to the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival Committee for having the Totally Sound team down there again this year. Congratulations to all involved. It really is a wonderful, unique thing you do each year.
A day for all things Aussie, the Australia Day City of Bunbury Skyfest has become an iconic event in the Southwest. It is a day packed with entertainment for the whole family. Keen Aussies started the day early with the Australia Day Breakfast. This was followed by the Runner’s Club fun run and the Mayors Citizenship and Awards Ceremony. There were a range of free activities all day including the kids stage, workshops and water slides at sprinkler city. As usual there were plenty of food vans as well as sideshow rides and games. The family concert at the Graham Bricknell Memorial Shell is a big feature of the day and this year saw lots of talented locals take to the stage. Later in the day Mitchell “Fingers” Cullen and band ‘ Great Gable’ entertained the crowds in the lead up to the fireworks spectacular over the inlet. Crowds were big again this year as people came out to celebrate Australia in classic Australian summer weather.
The Totally Sound team were busy from very early right through until the fire works finale……then of course there is that little pack down/load out job to do! The crew love working with the City of Bunbury events team, Lomax Media, Lonsdale Party Hire and all the other local businesses who come together to build this event each year.
Well it is a bit of a drive, but the lads look forward to our annual pilgrimage to Kal for the Christmas Carols. This is a huge community event and people come from all around to help put it together. It was warm…..like 39 degrees kind of warm, but that did not deter the crowd who seemed to appear from nowhere as the sun started to descend. It is always a joyous event with plenty of smiling faces on stage and a real community feel.
The forecast was for rain and wind on the 11th December, the night of the City of Bunbury’s Christmas celebrations. This did not stop the people of Bunbury gathering their Christmas cheer and heading to the city for the parade and Christmas Carols. There was no shortage of activities for the whole family. Food vans, camel rides, market stalls, the amazing Wonder Workshop and the Little Elves Craft City. The parade of floats, dancers, and community groups made its way through the CBD, finishing near the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, leaving plenty of time for people to enjoy all that was on offer before the carols at Bicentenial Square. By evening spirits were high and the crowd sang and waved their candles to all the carols we know and love performed by local community groups and special guests. The weather held out perfectly, with the thunder rumbling soon after the crowd had left the square.
The Totally Sound crew worked alongside Lomax Media (always a pleasure to work with these creative people) on the sound, lighting and audiovisual production. Every year this event draws a huge crowd and it is awesome to be a small part of the big team of people who make it all happen.
Another fantastic year at the Sunsmart Ironman in Busselton. Such a beautiful part of the world to work in. The Totally Sound Crew worked alongside the lads from Lux Events. Sound systems were set up on the iconic Busselton Jetty, at the start and finish of the race, at the swim exit and the expo and merchandise tents.
So many super fit people all together in one place. Truly inspirational, especially as the day draws to a close and exhausted athletes are finishing and celebrating their achievement.
Hard to believe this is the 5th anniversary of this amazing event. So many food and wine experiences to be had. Crew are usually lining up to get a berth on this gig and with the lovely Nigella Lawson in the line up, this year was no exception. Joining Nigella were Rick Stein, Adam Liaw, Guy Grossi and many other international and local celebrity chefs. With many of the local wineries involved, this event is a foodie and wine connoisseurs paradise.
The Totally Sound team were kept on their toes with 26 individual PA Systems, 50 channels of RF , using some 120 speaker boxes. As the photo’s suggest though, they did still find time to taste some of the delicious food on offer at the Gourmet Village!
Chefs Theatre, Gourmet Village (home to 12 of WA’s latest and greatest restaurants) at Leeuwin Estate
Mission Control, Gourmet Village
Nigella at Chef’s Theatre in the Gourmet Village
James takes on a doughnut infused with some gooey yumminess
Blue Shaddy Bringing the festival to an end in style
Another great Blues weekend down in Bridgetown. Thursday setup was hampered by cold, drizzly conditions, but this was soon forgotten with perfect festival conditions arriving just in time on the Friday.
The festival opened with local schools coming together with 19-Twenty. This was a an awesome beginning and immediately captured the community spirit that is Bridgetown. Must admit to feeling a wee bit emotional when the band were gigging alongside school students. So many big smiles. Hats off to 19-Twenty for the lovely way they engaged with the young ones.
The line up just kept coming after that, with Chris Cain, Kingswood, Tex Perkins, Russell Morris, Dave Hole, Stonefield, Blue Shaddy, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, The Fumes….and many more.
The Totally Sound crew were kept busy at the Blue Owl Stage, Geegelup, Festival Club, the Bridgetown Hotel, Scotts Tavern and a street stage on the Saturday. We all stayed at the lovely “Sunnyhurst Chalets” (Thanks Cos and Tracey!)
What an awesome weekend! If you have never been, do yourself a favour and plan for next year. It will be the festival’s 25th birthday and is bound to be special.
Sunset Events bought another awesome Groovin The Moo to Hay Park in Bunbury in May 2016. Our crew were stoked to be involved. Totally Sound did the sound, lighting and staging on the Mootown stage. Great to catch up with the crew from AAA Production, Concert and Corporate Productions, Frontier Lighting and Audio Technik who did the Moolin Rouge & Channel V/Triple J stages.