Woweee, our collective love for wine was already present and active, but we were blessed with another fab year of chardonnay-filled Wine Machine goodness.
And rest-easy mates, if ‘ya didn’t make it out to the various valleys and wine estates across the country, we’ve handpicked our five best learnings and highlights to roundup the fabulous time it was. Top up that glass.
#1 Hot Dub Time Machine Is Literally Defining Our Gen
Yes lawd. It’s a bit crazy to think how much HDTM has blown up over the past few years. I remember seeing him at the (pretty small) Metro Theatre in Sydney, and now he is headlining + running festivals. Like, serious props. And from the old school classics, to the 90s nostalgia and current gems, his set has become a staple to defining us millennial kids. It’s a massive sing along in the extra fun atmosphere of a festival. I’m pretty damn excited to see what’s next from this legend.
#2 How Good Is It To Have SPACE At A Festival?!
Now look I’m not adverse to a froth filled mosh of sweaty goodness, but it is so refreshing to just be able to pull up a patch of grass and honestly either sit down or have a cheeky ‘lil boogie with your SO or group. If you made it along to any of the festivals this year, you would have seen people enjoying a dash of red with a rug, the real keen beans up front and central in the mosh, to the majority just taking up a little spot of their own.
The generally chill nature of the events are a staple, and we hope they stay like that for years to come.
#3 Aussie Lineups For Minimal $$ Are Life
The bill wasn’t long for the festival, but rather a list of stellar all Aussie names (how good) that are synonymous with both mainstream and triple j crowds (probably the same thing these days, let’s be real.) With Hot Dub at the top, we saw the likes of Sneaky Sound System, Touch Sensitive, Kite String Tangle and Luke Million also on the roster – a brilliant local roster.
And considering the fact tickets are considerably cheaper than some of the bigger festivals, you can’t go wrong. Only one stage, no clashes and cheaper tickets? M8 where do we sign up?
#4 Sneaky Sound System Will Always Be Royalty
I SAW A UFO AND NOBODY BELIEVES ME. They’ve been on a bit of a hiatus recently, but man SSS are just iconic. You might have forgotten the amount of straight hits these guys have, and they brought their A-Game during this tour. It was a nice mix too, with a more tech-house vibe and feel to the set, featuring all of their classics smoothly tied in. Fingers crossed for new music!
#5 Road Trip Festivals Are Worth Every Blissful Moment
We’ve seen the popularity of Groovin The Moo take off over the past five years, despite the festivals being in more rural and less-city based areas. And Wine Machine looks very much the same. There’s just something about that multi-hour drive, the banter, the music, the sing alongs, the shit talk on the way to and from the festival that makes it so much more memorable.
Add a winery or two on the way, and you have an even more enticing little festival option for your next musical adventure. ‘Til next year Wine Machine.
Image Source: Patrick Stevenson (WeAreHobo)
