I think everyone can agree when I say that it’s been a very long two years without festivals, like Groovin The Moo (GTM), which has always been a super loved festival in Australia.
Finally! After the very long wait, GTM is back and better than ever in 2022 which kicked off strong in Maitland, NSW on 23rd of April with a fully stacked up lineup of incredible talent. The rain thankfully kept away for most of the day. The ground was super muddy from the rain the previous days which quickly turned into sinking sludge as people filled in the Maitland Showground, ready for a huge day of live music, tasty food, good drinks, and a whole lot of fun.
The first performance that I got to check out was the insanely talented Hope D and her band. It’s been so great to see Hope D gaining more and more fans over time and growing with her phenomenal music. I was super excited to finally be able to see her live and one word that comes to mind to sum it up is: WOW! The performance was fun and had the early crowd dancing around to the indie instrumentals and raw vocals. It was such an enjoyable time and everyone in her band also did a fantastic job which is no surprise as they are all very talented.
Hope D
Redhook is a strong forceful band that play with such power and energy. Every time they play live, they know how to put on a great performance and get the crowd moshing around. Frontwoman Emmy Mack is so captivating with her incredible stage presence and fun antics that you seriously cannot stop watching. Their tracks are full of energy and are so catchy that I had the majority of them stuck in my head for hours afterwards. Redhook never lets you down when it comes to an incredible performance and I really loved seeing them on a big stage at GTM.
Redhook
Next up, Aussie singer-songwriter SYCCO appeared on stage and took me by huge surprise. Every song that was played had a really great beat to it and meshed well with her thrilling vocals that swept out into the crowd and took hold over everyone there. Throughout the whole performance, SYCCO had a big smile on her face as she looked out at the many fans and shared their energy.
SYCCO
Middle Kids are a bright and colourful band with a solid set of great indie and alternative songs that people can relate to. As they walked out onto the stage, the sea of people screamed out in rue excitement, hungry for them to start. The band played through some older, much loved favourites while also playing through some absolute bangers from their album Today We’re The Greatest, which was released last year. Their music echoed around the showground and created such soft and vibrant vibes that everyone was enjoying.
Middle Kids
On the next stage, Hockey Dad were set up and ready to go with an ever growing crowd of screaming fans behind the barrier. The band played through a huge set of some of their best songs that had fans screaming and smiling in total awe throughout the entire show. It was heartwarming to see so many people singing their hearts out back to the band. The vibes are always high when Hockey Dad play a show and that’s why so many people love watching them perform.
Hockey Dad
Montaigne is an actual angel and you can’t change my mind. Her set was none other than breathtaking – the way she moves around on stage and totally owns it with power is so admirable. I could listen to Montaigne perform for hours on end and I’m sure that her fans would agree with me as the crowd spent the whole time singing and dancing to the radiant vocals and melodic pop sounds that rang out into the sky.
Montaigne
Talk about total opposites. Metalcore band Polaris took to the next stage over with a whole lot of force and played an absolute hefty set that was filled with head banging, screaming, and a lot of fists in the air. The crazy energy that these guys had throughout was insane and the crowd loved every minute of it as many circle pits formed through the set. They played every track on their set list with so much power, which really was a lot of fun to watch.
Polaris
Spiderbait were everything that I had hoped for. The Aussie rock legends had the crowd absolutely hyped before they came out onto the stage and played a badass set which included much loved tracks like “Calypso”, “Fucken Awesome”, and closed their time on stage with “Black Betty” which had almost everyone rocking out and singing along. It was also really great to see the three band members really enjoying every moment up there while they exchanged smiles with each other between playing songs. The crowd was filled with fans, old and new, who were singing their hearts out to all the songs. It was a much loved time by a lot of people.
Spiderbait
New Zealand pop duo BROODS didn’t disappoint as they played a stellar performance that blew my mind from start to finish. The music was incredible and the visuals at the back of the stage was pleasing and really added something extra special to the show. It was one of the sets that I was very impressed by and even the crowd that reached out all the way to the back of the showground were grooving around especially when track “Peach” played.
BROODS
Lime Cordiale took to the stage all wearing different coloured suits, which I knew from that moment that it was going to be a great time – and it was! Their whole performance was such a fun one, from their stage presence to the powerful energy of the audience who were dancing around and screaming out to the band. There is no doubt in my mind why these guys are so loved after seeing them play live.
Lime Cordiale
I could go on forever and ever about United Kingdom band Wolf Alice. Their music is really something else – a true experience. Throughout their tracks, they never really stick to one sound and they do that so well. During their set, I felt waves of every emotion that is captured through their sound and lyrics – the live performance was just such an amazing experience. On top of this, every member in the band have really great charisma and you can’t help but not take your eyes off them. From the reaction of the crowd, you could tell that Wolf Alice were very loved – and how could you not love them? It was a truly incredible show by an extremely talented band.
Wolf Alice
It was interesting to see the crowd become bigger and bigger, and then so big that when you looked out into the night, all you could see was just a gianormas sea of excited people who were eagerly awaiting hip-hop icons Hilltop Hoods to begin. The excitement on everyone’s face was something else – it was good to see so many happy people who were vibing before the set even started.
As soon as these guys took to the stage, confetti and smoke shot out and up above the crowd as everyone screamed in pure excitement. Hilltop Hoods played a quality set as they played through some of their most loved tracks that had everyone jumping and singing along. You can tell that they really love and appreciate their fans as they spent a lot of time engaging with the crowd between playing songs. It was really awesome to see.
Hilltop Hoods
You could really tell that everyone were very appreciative to have festivals back. The whole day and night saw a lot of very happy people who had great energy and were vibing with their mates to the sweet sounds of the music that echoed through the air and created a fantastic atmosphere that was something you only feel at festivals. Groovin The Moo 2022 in Maitland was a huge success and such an incredible experience. There is no better feeling than sharing those moments with some of your favourite people while listening to some really great music.
The GTM team always work super hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly and everyone has a great time.
All in all, it looked like everyone had an absolute blast and really enjoyed themselves, I really wish I could say the same for their shoes from all the mud though.
