When we arrived we were not quite sure. Let’s face it, even under the guise of Midland it is hard to wipe the stain from the name. From the outset we feared we had made a mistake. 2 minutes in though and our tune had changed. There was a lovely bar with some locally brewed Swan Valley beers on offer, a litany of scrumptious food stalls and some pretty swell sellers of wares. We settled onto the grass to wet our appetite and satiate our thirst. Get the Indian. Wowee, it was good stuff. And well priced. God. I will be right back, I’m just driving back down to Midland. Seriously.

It was pleasant enough. Then Anton Frank took the stage.  Here were some gawky hipsters from the Northern suburbs taking the stage. Lo and behold though it was a match made in heaven. As the melodic charm of Anton Frank wafted into my ears I was truly awoken. Here I was on a balmy eastern suburbs night with a soft warm breeze curling around me, just soaking in the joy of the world. It took me back to my school bush dances of old. Towering gums above, darker than the blue of the night after what was a sensational sunset. I was truly content.

Make no bones about it, Midlandia is a triumph. What could have been cheap and contrived reveals itself as a pièce de résistance. Not burdened by the success of Perth fringe or the Festival, Midlandia actually does better. They have created something new and great. It’s like a little known bar that far surpasses the pleasures of the well trod floors of bigger establishments. Midlandia is worth attending because it has to be. 

Tom Camp