It’s hard to sum up the energy in Manly last night as Surf & Sound Festival kicked off. People were buzzing, venues were packed, and a bunch of giant inflatables by artist Jeremyville were floating around, giving the whole place a slightly otherworldly feeling.
Of course, there was also a huge sense of anticipation for legendary Aussie rockers The Whitlams, who kicked off their ‘Return to Rock Island’ national tour with a show at Felons. Delivering a set with zero low points, we were quickly reminded why Tim Freedman and co, the guys behind ‘Blow Up The Pokies’ and Hottest 100-winning tune ‘No Aphrodisiac’, are national bloody treasures.
Things went up a few notches after that, with the Felons DJs, particularly Chris Arnott, serving up some seriously saucy beats for those of us who kicked on after The Whitlams. Yes, our legs are still feeling it from that dance floor, but we’ve still got some juice left in the tank. Which is probably a good thing, considering…
This was only the first night of Surf & Sound, with heaps more live music to come over the next few weekends, including Skegss, Babe Rainbow, Teenage Joans, Kita Alexander, Skunkhour and plenty more (check it all out here). Throw in a stack of surfing, art and other happenings around Manly, and there’s a pretty good chance we’ll be spending more time on the Northern Beaches than at home this month.
Check out all the action from opening night in the gallery above, and we’ll see you back in Manly very soon.
