Photos courtesy of @livinglikeafreebird

There’s no doubt that we are lucky to live in Perth – and if you were at Wine Machine last weekend, you would have easily forgotten we were in lockdown several months ago.

Having sold out, Saturday’s festivities saw thousands of people pouring into Oakover Grounds for a fun-filled day. Though, the last time I had seen this many people in one place was at Castaway: WA Unlocked at HBF Stadium back in July. With the scenic vineyard setting and open-air festival vibes reminding us of our lives pre-pandemic, it was like looking at everything with fresh new eyes.

This momentous return of one of Australia’s most beloved festivals, of course, cemented WA as the golden state. The people were back in full force either dressed to the nines or in their matching group co-ords. Left, right and centre, you’d be bumping into old friends you hadn’t seen in months or making new ones in the mosh – making the day seem like a huge, celebratory gathering you just had to be at.

Roaming around, it seemed the layout of the venue also differed from last year’s. To our benefit, the bars were spread all across the festival site: reducing congestion and fulfilling everyone’s needs with a dedicated cellar door and cocktail bar – themed beautifully with bohemian throws, seats and picnic rugs. Photo opportunities were aplenty with photo frames, decorative vines, and swings set up to help you capture the moment.

While the line-up was compromised as a result of quarantining logistics, it simply was what it was – and I was more than happy with artists like Spacey Jane and Young Franco on the bill.

By far, Spacey Jane shone the most on stage. As one of WA’s most frequently touring acts this year, the festival-goers still couldn’t get enough. After getting the crowd hyped up with classics like ‘Good Grief’ and ‘Feeding The Family’, the four-piece treated us to songs off their 2020 album, Moonlight. Having just announced another stack of WA shows, it’s safe to say the band is having a busy year despite all things COVID-19.

Young Franco has always been a favourite of mine. In fact, many were piling into the crowd to catch his set (myself included). The DJ/producer dropped a groovy remix Anderson .Paak’s ‘Tints’ and even a notorious mashup of Justin Timberlake’s ‘SexyBack’ and Tame Impala’s ‘Less I Know The Better’, which worked a little too well. His signature songs like ‘Drop Your Love’, ‘About This Thing’ and Girls Don’t Cry’ made an appearance – but it was ‘Juice’, his track released earlier this year, that had us truly going at it in the mosh.

The timeless Bag Raiders was another standout. Although the pair could only play a DJ set due to WA quarantine rules, we were treated with some sneaky originals. Think ‘Sunlight’ and all-time classic ‘Shooting Stars’, the latter of which had everyone chanting its most iconic verses.

An angel of a singer, Owl Eyes had also swept the audience off their feet that day. While she’s most well-known for touring alongside Flight Facilities, her solo presence was not to be underestimated. Flawless in every regard, she delivered a spectacular live performance featuring hits like ‘You And I’ and ‘Tokyo’ – though it wasn’t the last we saw of her.

During Hot Dub Time Machine’s time-travelling DJ set, Owl Eyes joined in to lend her vocals for Stevie Nicks’ part in Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. After reaching Europe’s epic The Final Countdown’, glorious fireworks ensued and almost caught everyone by surprise. Cycling through the decades, we finally got to the 2000’s – in which a completely 2020 addition had Tik Toks playing on-screen.

In between all the socialising, wine to be had and dancing to your heart’s content, you just had to pinch yourself. Much like everyone, I was well chuffed to be at one of Australia’s only music festivals.

With that said, if this is the calibre of festivals we’d have to live with for the next few years, I wouldn’t mind one bit.