Bougie~ bo͞oʹzhē ~ noun.
Aspiring to be a higher class than one is. Derived from bourgeois – meaning middle/upper class, traditionally despised by communists.
“When my friend Miya wears a blazer or Lucy gets a massage I call them bougie cause we’re unemployed college students.”
Who am I kidding – I love to get down and dirty with the rest of us. No matter what labels you wear to festivals and major events alike, you’re going to get dirty, you’re going to get messy, and you’re all going to look like you’ve been dragged through a Kathmandu clearance sale before the day is through. Arriving at around 2pm when the sun was high, the dress code clearly made a mark on some; shorts, flannelette wraparounds, snapbacks, lace skirts, gypsy drapes, tank tops and no tops at all. It really looked and felt like the first taste of summer, so there was a sense of release the minute you walked in. I’m talking DJ Sammy ‘Boys of Summer’ music video. It had been a long hibernating winter, and we were all ready to dance off our winter coats.
For the most part, the music was great and the sound was crisp and clear , to the relief of many who witnessed first hand the amplification issues of previous events at the Catani Garden festival site. The 909 stage was consistently high quality, delivering the hard-hitting electronic dance beats that felt euphoric and in measure to all the people around you. Gorgon City was a real highlight, delivering a smooth set that had us all seamlessly moving from start to finish. However, this unfortunately wasn’t mirrored during Jauz’s set as rhythm ducked and weaved so many times that I was forced to retreat out back to the main Atari stage.
The main Atari stage was enjoyable, however, it really depended on where you were in the thick of things. Being the larger of the two stages, the artists that could really fill out that space were A$AP Ferg and Rüfüs, in terms of engaging with the back row as well as the front. I think the previous artists struggled with the size of the audience, and their presence may have been received more warmly at the alternate, smaller 909 stage. In this sense, you shouldn’t need to be in the middle of the mosh to get your money’s worth – which is somewhat disappointing, but nonetheless a bi-product of the festival format. Luckily, Ferg and Rüfüs did exactly what was needed when it counted; finishing off the day’s music in style – high energy, great visuals, slow builds and heavy drops.
I highly recommend this for anyone to go next year; this festival is smaller, intimate and doesn’t try to be overly flashy with commercial activations and 27 stages.
Naturally, I tried to take photos of interesting characters all day…
1) The Two-Piece festival outfit
2) The First Girl to get on the shoulders
3) The First Guy to fall off the shoulders
4) The Girl that fell in love in the moshpit
5) The Drunk Guy that fell in love with everyone
6) The Guy that took better photos than me
7) The Toilet Line that never is quick
8) The Girl that dances in the toilet line
9) The Girl who takes the rain head on
10) The Lights from Rüfüs that gave everyone a solid Selfie
11) Those 2 New Friends you always make along the way
