Live Review: A Day On The Lawn

The sun shone on new kid on the block A Day On The Lawn festival at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens on Sunday, creating the perfect conditions for an afternoon of music, revelry and picnics in the park.

From the outset it was obvious that a lot of thought went into not only the line-up but also the general atmosphere of this festival. Walking through the gates of the gardens, guests were welcomed by a brass band and smiley, efficient staff who quickly processed tickets and checked bags — an absolute boon for an arriving festivalgoer and something that's often overlooked.

The main stage was nestled at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by breathtaking vistas and parkland. Two well-placed bars and several food trucks occupied another part of the garden. The vibe was relaxed, and that's exactly what the audience did.

Picnic blankets, fold-out chairs and sumptuous feasts of cheese, wine and crackers were quickly laid out and the music started not long after.

Dark Matter Of Storytelling kicked off the afternoon on a rock'n'roll note. The band describe their sound as "big, progressive, ambient, psych-rock", which is pretty accurate. Fat bass by local troubadour Jed Appleton, rhythmic percussion and deep vocals drove their high-energy set. The music soon encouraged a few brave revellers to start the dancefloor. The Tasmanian band carried out an almost-seamless performance, playing tracks from their debut EP including Art Of Darkness and Run, and finished with a worthy cover of Never Tear Us Apart by INXS. They received warm applause from the crowd, which had temporarily gone into karaoke mode for the band's final song.

Following Dark Matter Of Storytelling, another local band of a different ilk took to the stage. Soul Truck, a seven-piece soul and funk outfit well-known to Tasmanian crowds, play regularly around Hobart. They've mostly been in hibernation for the past year and were a welcome addition to the festival line-up. Soul Truck singers Amelia Johnson, Mia Palencia and Katy Raucher are all talented performers in their own right and maintained the buzz with a combination of easy, smooth and boppy tunes. Their cover of TLC's Waterfalls and remixes of old favourites perfectly matched the surrounds.

After a good dose of local music, Sydneysiders The Preatures took to the stage. The band kicked off their set with popular 2016 number I Know A Girl. The track was an instant crowd-pleaser and the audience surged forward a few bars into the song. Frontwoman Izzi Manfredi deftly manoeuvred her way through the performance, serving up hits such as Somebody's Talking, Ordinary and Better Than It Ever Could Be. At times Manfredi lay down on stage, hidden from our view. During these moments, guitarist Jack Moffitt pulled focus with his hypnotic guitar solos. While Moffitt's face was almost entirely covered by hair for the majority of the set, he was still a captivating performer and strong lead.

Mid-performance, Manfredi read out a song request from a young fan. Much to the delight of the audience and fan, the band obliged and performed a cover of Divinyls hit Boys In Town, punctuated with squeals and head shakes from Manfredi. They then served up a sneak peek from their forthcoming album, before rounding off the set with Is This How You Feel?.

Boy & Bear kicked off their set and drew the all-ages crowd back to the dancefloor. Their easy indie-rock sound has mass appeal and the audience ranged from parents with babies to teens to elderly couples. The band played crowd-pleaser after crowd-pleaser, with tracks such as Where'd You Go, Feeding Line and Part Time Believer. The audience shook and swayed along with hands in the air, full of enthusiasm for what felt like an all-too-brief set.

The final performer for the night was local DJ Kowl. Given that it was a Sunday night, the vast majority of the audience cleared out after Boy & Bear's set, yet those who stayed were definitely keen to party. Kowl served up a remix of (I've Had) The Time Of My Life, made famous by '80s film Dirty Dancing, which perfectly described the crowd at this time. The audience flung themselves into the music with passion and no inhibitions. Bodies bounced under blue lights as Kowl danced along onstage. It's no wonder he's a regular on the Tasmanian festival scene.

Day On The Lawn is a winning combination of good music, locale and laid-back vibes. It's a welcome addition to the festival circuit that will hopefully continue past this inaugural year.