Good Vibrations Festival 2007

It would be easy to sum up the Good Vibrations Festival in a simple and clichéd way; by merely using it's name and leaving this there.

But there is much more to this one-day festival experience, in the beautiful Centennial Park in Sydney's east, than good vibes.

As I trudged through the stable section of the Park, under fences and through long grass (having entered from the wrong side), I was feeling energised already. The weather was perfect, if a little too hot, and I was heading towards my first Vibes experience. But as I got closer, I heard the delightful sound of Van She's track "Kelly" and realised I was missing my favourite band. But it was okay, because as I waited outside the festival I got to observe the fascinating goings-on surrounding me – the "victim" fashions, the trashed people (already!), the self-made shirts, the drumming outfit to entertain waiting punters and then the sounds of Christina Aguilera? No, just the DJ Steve Lind filling in between sets!

First on the agenda was festival junkies 4-piece Cut Copy from Melbourne. I love these guys but they never seem to put on a show that leaps out at you. They just do their thing – no more, no less. Still they pulled out all of their JJJ featured tracks: "Going Nowhere", "Tonight" and some newbies, including "Cold Youth" which certainly satisfied the crowd that was then growing at the Good Vibrations (main) stage. The boys do have super fashion sense – I love their groovy fringes and retro cardies – which always make watching an outfit that little bit better.

Wandering around to get drinks and such after CC finished their tight set, we caught Nightmares On Wax (DJ/musician outfit from Leeds, UK) who sounded fabulous, but alas the Roots tent was not set up to handle the heat we were having, as the marquee's walls were to the floor and there was no way I was staying in there. The poor set-up of the Roots tent made it not only impossibly hot and claustrophobic, but also impossible to fit the masses inside. This caused me (and many others) to miss apparent act of the day Jurassic 5 and avoid the Roots space for the entire festival. But, I had to give up and submit myself to local Sydney act, Sneaky Sound System.

Sneaky were in full band mode on the Good Vibrations stage, which after seeing them in DJ mode previously, was a nice, relieved surprise. They opened with "Your Hot" which always gets the crowd moving, with Black Angus strolling onstage, wearing an awesome checkered shirt, braces and a cute hat. I really dig this band's older, more alternative songs, so I was excited when up next they delved into "Hip Hip Hooray". New addition, singer Miss Connie waltzed onstage and Sneaky answered with a barrage of hits off their new self-titled record, including " I Love It" and latest track "Pictures", which they also rehashed in the encore utilizing the Ministry Of Sound's remix. The highlight for me was the vocal teamwork between Angus and Connie on the slower tracks from their Sneaky Sound System release. When these two really work off each other, it gives this (now mainstream) outfit a much-needed edge and differentiates them from other, similar outfits in the scene right now.

There was no way we were going to move from our great possie near the sound desk, so we sat through yet another one of Ajax's sets, which I don't think was up to par, especially when he threw in a really rough remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's classic, gorgeous track "Gold Lion".

But things turned around when surprise act Snoop Dogg slid onto stage in the vacant slot on the timetable. Personally, I am not familiar with Snoop Dogg's contributions in the music realm, nor did I think I would ever want to be. But, as he proceeded through his well-rehearsed set, with his sparkly, personalised microphone and Rabbitohs jersey, I was more than impressed. He played through all of his popular songs, involving the crowd at every opportunity, which was of course getting us to scream out hi name as much as possible. Highlights were the older hit "Gin and Juice" and more commercially known track "Drop It Like It's Hot"(originally featuring Pharrell Williams). Of course it was interesting to view his antics first hand, which incorporated getting someone in the crowd to pass a joint onto stage, then proceeding to light up and "get high" so he could continue his set!

Last, but certainly not least, the Good Vibrations stage boasted the Beastie Boys. There is really no way to sum up the experience of seeing these boys live. Well men really, seeing that they are now some 20-odd years from when they first gained popularity on the music scene.

With a brilliant musical introduction by the one and only Mixmaster Mike, the Beastie Boys bounced onto stage (quite literally, I don't know where they get there energy from) wearing matching grey suits and ties, looking as sharp and hyped as the next band.

Obviously, being around the scene for as many years as they have, you would expect a professional and entertaining show, but on Saturday night the Beastie Boys not only did this, but also showcased their amazing talent for their craft

Of course they performed their crowd pleasers including: "No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn", "Intergalactic", "Body Movin'", "Ch-Check It Out", but they also featured Snoop Dogg early on in the set, and gave Rahzel (New York beatboxer) a guest spot on "Brass Monkey". "Sabotage" went off like a firecracker towards the close of the Beastie's set, but it was when the boys took to their instruments that really sent a ripple through the crowd.

I wasn't aware of their instrumental-based tracks, but they proved to be fabulous, mixing Flaming Lips type sounds, with experimental and psychedelic influences, creating a dynamic soundscape that went beyond the realms of their early hip-hop style work. I did hear a lot of people complaining in the crowd about the fact that they had dared to try something new, but from a musical perspective, the Beastie Boys couldn't have put on a better show if they tried.

Although there were some glitches in the organisation of this festival, overall Good Vibrations was an enjoyable showcase of music, which really did live it to its name.