You couldn’t have asked for more beautiful day. Canberra’s warm autumn sun over the lush green fields of the University and over twenty of the best indie, rock and dance acts you can find to entertain.

Kicking off was Triple J unearthed band The Trivs who play an expansive indie rock full of great riffs and intelligent songwriting. Hancock Basement were the first surprise of the day. The Canberra group play infectious indie flavored pop full of catchy hooks and singalongs. Guitarist/keyboardist Nick Beresford-Wylie even threw in a saxophone solo at the end of the set.

Muph & Plutonic were the token hip hop act at the 1:00pm time slot, which seemed too early for the boys. It took a few songs for them to really find a groove but by the end of the set the beats and rhymes flowed across the field nicely.

Melbourne’s Kisschasy were next out to get the growing crowd jumping. Playing hits like ‘Spray On Pants’ and ‘Opinions Won’t Keep You Warm’, the band were the first of many to be plagued by a dodgy generator running the P.A. Award winning Lisa Mitchell snuck out to thunderous applause. The fan favourite’s set seemed slow paced for the festival environment and paled in comparison to her slot at Falls. And the fact she didn’t play her hit ‘Coin Laundry’ seemed odd (perhaps she’s sick of getting coins thrown at her? Apparently that’s happened quite a bit in the past when she plays that song… – Ed.).

British India were on song coming off the back of a new album. The new songs came across well live as did older gems. Their cover of Nirvana’s ‘Lithium’ was the highlight. Electro act Miami Horror got the crowd dancing but I found myself growing bored as their set went along. This also carried over and soured my Spoon experience as I found beer and socializing to be more important.

Convincing a Canadian girl to check out her fellow countrymen (or is that women?) Tegan & Sara, the twins, put on a flawless display of love-riddled pop songs, swapping vocal duties as often as they changed guitars. The duo also suffered some P.A issues but still delivered a great set.

It’s safe to call Grinspoon festival veterans. They know how to get most out of a short time slot by delivering a greatest hits set, highlighting the popularity of their older songs over newer offerings. I know this may be wrong to say but Phil wrote better songs when he was drunk and on drugs.

I will go on record to say I don’t like Luke Steele. Something about him makes me want to smack him in the head. But in the interest of fairness and unbiased journalism I watched Empire Of The Sun’s set. And to be honest, I enjoyed it. They put on a show with the costumes, dancers and videos. I even had a dance, and I don’t dance!

Vampire Weekend write catchy indie pop songs. It’s hard to not like at least one of their tracks. Mixing songs off new album Contra and their smash debut, fifteen thousand Canberrans sang and danced along to the New Yorkers preppy stylings; a faultless set that segued nicely into the most anticipated performers of the day… Silverchair.

After a lengthy absence the ‘chair returned and owned the day with a great set of classic Silverchair anthems. ‘Without You’, ‘Israel’s Son’, ‘The Door’ and ‘Straight Lines’ were dished out and swallowed by the now freezing crowd. Daniel was in a playful mood and seemed to be enjoying his music again. While his Kit Kat joke didn’t go down so well, the songs did. And despite some more sound and guitar problems, the ‘chair proved that they are still relevant and that they still rock.

Groovin’ The Moo was a great little festival. The concept of non suburban city venues is fantastic and the whole event was well organized. All involved should be congratulated.

(To my Canadian friend Melissa, sorry I lost you during Silverchair. I hope you made it back to Canada safely. Thanks for hanging out with me!)

They turned out in droves (ahthankyou) to witness both international and national bands rock the shit out of the city, which is a tough ask given that Canberra normally calls it quits around 5pm. However, the likes of Silverchair, Vampire Weekend, Tegan and Sara and Spoon were enough to keep people interested.

Split between two main stages and a tent, Groovin’ the Moo proves that not every festival has to be massive like Splendour or Big Day to hold it’s own.

Jonathan Boulet and his band rocked up after a quick pit stop at General Pants, and their brand of electro pop went down a treat. Wrapping it up with ‘Community Service Announcement’ was a good move.

Given that Groovin’ The Moo is all ages – from the kiddies to the geriatrics – alcohol was only to be consumed in licensed areas, meaning you felt somewhat like cattle, which was strangely appropriate. It did put a bit of a dampener on things, but there was still ample room to watch Kisschasy inject a bit of Aussie punk into proceedings. They’re unashamedly fun and in between them and Muph and Plutonic, it was damn near impossible not to be smiling.

Lisa Mitchell had one of the bigger crowds of the day but her set was disappointing. Groovin’ The Moo is bang on for her; it’s chilled out and wistful, but the petite singer seemed uncomfortable. She did her thing but there wasn’t the same confidence of her BDO set.

As the sun went down, the smoke went up, showing some signs that the drug culture in Australian music festivals isn’t completely dead. It was harmless fun and as Spoon took the stage there was a delightful haze hovering above the crowd. Spoon were one of the stand outs; the Texans know how to impress and when they busted out ‘That’s The Way We Get By’ people were jiving like there was no tomorrow.

Some technical issues during the Tegan and Sara set called for some improvisation from the Canadian twins. The crowd was made to sing Happy Birthday to Sara, even though it wasn’t her birthday. While they’re not exactly festival style musicians the duo did well. Every quirky girl there was in raptures.

Temperatures dropped below ‘oh my god I can’t feel my hands’ but that did nothing to stop the crowd’s enthusiasm. Grinspoon are always good value and Phil Jamieson was on fire, which meant that come Empire of the Sun, people were ready to party.

Luke Steele looked like he rolled Lady Gaga for her outfit but the hard core Empire fans were cool with it, and he made his way through his set with help from a cast of characters, with girls wearing fish heads, young children dressed up and bad eighties graphics in the background.

Next up were the boys from New York, Vampire Weekend. Given the current vampire hype it’s no surprise they’re popular but perhaps it has something to do with their infectious tunes. As international guests there was some pressure on them to perform, but as they kicked off ‘White Sky’ any apprehension was gone.

An hour set flew by, and it was downright fun. People were dancing, which was a good call given it was minus five degrees, and by the time they played ‘Horchata’ they’d won over a whole legion of new fans.

Wrapping things up was Silverchair. Daniel Johns had a good buzz on, and was Mr. Charisma, cracking jokes like it was no one’s business in between dropping tracks from Diorama, Neon Ballroom and even a couple of newbies. Despite their two-year breather the ‘chair have still got it.

Bunbury City Council and His Worship the Mayor David Smith worked together with Sunset Events to ensure the event was moved to a more suitable location after the community of Bunbury indicated a high level of support for the event through strong ticket sales.

“It has been changed to accommodate what has now become a bigger event where the extra space will allow for a more orderly presentation of these outstanding bands. I’m certain that with the high standard of security and management, and its scheduled finish time of 11pm it will be an event well received by the community,” announced His Worship the Mayor David Smith.

Dave Chitty from Sunset Events said, “We’d like to thank the music loving community of Western Australia for their support of Groovin’ the Moo, which has culminated in the event moving from Pat Usher Foreshore to Hay Park to better accommodate the demand the public has shown.”

On a national level, the support and response from all communities for the five GTM shows has been unprecedented.

“The response to this year’s GTM has been incredible. Maitland sold out in 4 days and Bendigo in 2 weeks. Townsville, Canberra and Bunbury are all selling strongly, so if you are planning to come along to any of these shows, please don’t leave it too late to buy your tickets or you may miss out,“ said Stephen Halpin (GTM Promoter, Cattleyard Promotions).

Stay tuned for further announcements in regards to local artist announcements and community initiatives.

Tickets are selling quickly across the remaining shows, but are still available for the Townsville (QLD) 2 May, Canberra (ACT) 9 May and Bunbury (WA) 15 May shows.

In 2010, GTM proudly presents a sonic smorgasbord for your delight featuring……

SILVERCHAIR
VAMPIRE WEEKEND (USA)
EMPIRE OF THE SUN

TEGAN AND SARA (CANADA)
GRINSPOON
SPOON (USA)
BRITISH INDIA

LISA MITCHELL
MIAMI HORROR
KISSCHASY

BAG RAIDERS
KID KOALA
THE SLEW LIVE (CANADA)

MUPH AND PLUTONIC
FUNKOARS
ILLY
AJAX

JONATHAN BOULET
YACHT CLUB DJs
KILLAQUEENZ
THE ONLY

TRIPLE J UNEARTHED + MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

www.gtm.net.au

www.myspace.com/groovinthemoo

DATES AND VENUES

GTM Bendigo
Saturday 1 May, 2010
Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showground
42 – 72 Holmes Rd, Bendigo VIC 3550

GTM Townsville
Sunday 2 May, 2010
Murray Sports Complex – Townsville Cricket Grounds
Mervyn Crossman Dr & Murray Lyons Cres Idalia QLD 4811
Get Tickets

GTM Maitland
Saturday 8 May, 2010
Maitland Showground
Blomfield St, Maitland NSW 2320

GTM Canberra
Sunday 9 May, 2010
The Meadows, University of Canberra
Kirinari St Bruce ACT 2617
Get Tickets

GTM Bunbury
Saturday 15 May, 2010
Hay Park
(off) Parade Rd Bunbury WA 6230
Get Tickets

Tickets on sale NOW!

GTM is a licensed all ages (16 + recommended) event. Persons over the age of 18 and wish to purchase alcohol MUST have photographic ID. No pass outs will be issued at Bendigo, Townsville, Maitland, Canberra & Bunbury.

PRICE: $95.90+ B/F

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM:

www.gtm.net.au

MOSHTIX www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 438 849 (GET TIX)

and selected moshtix outlets – check www.gtm.net.au

After a top-secret fan club show in Sydney last year and a special Triple J performance, 2010 sees Vampire Weekend touring more extensively in support of their latest album, Contra, released just last month. The album has thus far been received positively by music lovers and critics alike. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been in the ARIA Top Ten Albums for the past three weeks.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND TOUR – APRIL/MAY 2010
Frontier members pre-sale starts Thursday 18th February, Noon AEDT
General public on sale Monday 22nd February, 9am Local Time

Thursday 29th April
Auckland – Town Hall – ALL AGES
Tickets: The-Edge.co.nz, (09) 357 3355 or 0800 289 842

Tuesday 4th May
Melbourne – Palace Theatre – 18+
Tickets: Ticketek.com.au, 132 849

Thursday 6th May
Adelaide – Adelaide Entertainment Centre – ALL AGES
Tickets: Ticketek.com.au, 132 849

Tuesday 11th May
Brisbane – The Tivoli – ALL AGES
Tickets: Ticketek.com.au, 132 849

Wednesday 12th May
Sydney – Enmore Theatre – ALL AGES
Tickets: Ticketek.com.au, 132 849

Sunday 16th May
Perth – Metro City – 18+
Tickets: Ticketek.com.au, 132 849

Anyway I’m too drunk to finish this so here’s the press release, anyone who doesn’t go is crazy!

In one of the most exciting collaborations to grace the stage in years, Canadian turntable masters Kid Koala and Dynomite D team up with former Wolfmother crew Chris Ross and Myles Heskett to create a psych/heavy-rock-drenched project The Slew.

Kid Koala proudly presents The Slew Live featuring a hefty six turntables with Chris and Myles from Wolfmother on bass and drums. Hitting up major capital cities across Australia in May, it’s rock turntablism like you’ve never seen it before.

Four and a half years ago, Eric San (aka Kid Koala) and Dylan J. Frombach (aka Dynomite D) started working on a rock record. The pair, who met on the Beastie Boys tour in 1998, had been approached to soundtrack a documentary feature film. The film was eventually abandoned, but with Mario Caldato (longtime producer for Beastie Boys) on board for mixing, San and Frombach were already deep into the psych rock-influenced score and there was no turning back.

Teaming up with Chris Ross and Myles Heskett – the former rhythm section of Grammy Award-winning band Wolfmother – The Slew set out to put together a full-blown rock band experience to do justice to the material in a live setting. And justice was served: The truly excessive six turntables, drum, bass, keyboard and wall of amps that made their way across North America this October made for a full-on raw, pummeling rock experience. The Slew bring attitude back to the turntable unlike anything you’ve ever heard.

Kid Koala Presents The Slew: Live
Six turntables meets the Ex-Wolfmother Rhythm Section
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2010
Presented by Handsome Tours, triple j, inthemix.com.au, 3D World, Beat and Scene Magazine

Wednesday 5th May 2010
Brisbane – The Zoo
Tickets online from the venue and Oztix. In stores at Rockinghorse Records (City), Kill The Music (City), Butterbeats (City & Valley), Bombay Rock (Townsville), Cooly Hotel (Coolangatta), Disasterpiece (Southport), Gooble Warming

Thursday 6th May 2010
Sydney – Metro Theatre
Tickets from Metro Theatre Box Office; 02 9550 2990 or Online, and Ticketek.

Wednesday 12th May 2010
Melbourne – Corner Hotel
Tickets from Corner Box Office (57 Swan St Richmond 12-8 Mon-Sat), ph. 9427 9198 or online. Also available at Polyester Records (City & Fitzroy store)

Friday 14th May 2010
Perth – The Rosemount
Tickets from Heatseeker, Moshtix and 78 Records

The Slew are also appearing at Groovin The Moo Festival nationally. Check www.groovinthemoo.com for more details. Their new album ‘100%’ is out now through Ninja Tune/Inertia.

Canadian twins Tegan and Sara Quin will be out in the country this May as apart of the massive Groovin The Moo festival shows. Both being big fans of Australian audiences, having toured here almost on a yearly basis, this time around they are playing five headlining shows across the country in support of their new album, Sainthood.

Joining them on the road will be Astronautalis and The Jezabels which will make a fantastic evening of quality indie-folk pop.

Tegan and Sara Australian Tour 2010
With special guests Astronautalis (USA) and The Jezabels (AUS)
On Sale February 12th, 2010

Tuesday 4th May
Brisbane – The Tivoli
52 Costin Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Tickets: $55 + bf from www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849
Doors 7.00pm

Friday 7th May
Sydney – Big Top, Luna Park
1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, NSW, 2061
Tickets: $55 + bf from Big Top Box office – 1300 BIG TOP or www.bigtopsydney.com and www.ticketek.com.au
Doors 7.00pm

Tuesday 11th May
Melbourne – Forum Theatre
154 Flinders st (Corner Russell & Flinders Streets) Melbourne, 3000
Tickets: $55 + bf from www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849
Doors 7.00pm

Thursday 13 May
Adelaide – The Barton Theatre
112 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville SA 5031
Tickets: $55 + bf from Venuetix, www.venuetix.com.au or (08) 8225 8888
Doors 7.00pm

Friday 14 May
Fremantle – Fremantle Arts Centre – All Ages (w/ conditions)
1 Finnerty Street Fremantle WA 6160
Tickets: $55 + bf from www.heatseeker.com.au, Heatseeker retail outlets
Gates open 5.30pm

For more info visit www.teganandsara.com.

Band of the moment Vampire Weekend lead the international charge, with Tegan & Sara and Spoon coming along for the ride too. Silverchair are making their first festival appearance for the year, with promises of yet another new sound on their new record. Check out the full list below:

Vampire Weekend
Tegan & Sara
Spoon
Silverchair
Grinspoon
Empire Of The Sun
British India
Lisa Mitchell
Kisschasy
Miami Horror
Bag Raiders
Kid Koala presents The Slew live
Muph and Plutonic
Funkoars
Illy
Ajax
Jonathan Boulet
Yacht Club DJs

The festival will stop off in Bunbury, Canberra, Bendigo, Townsville and Maitland in May. Check the Groovin’ The Moo website from tomorrow, Wednesday 3rd February for more info.

Courtesy of a new opportunity in the nation’s capital and a partnership with Sunset Events, GTM will be embracing the communities of Canberra (ACT) and Bunbury (WA) in addition to the already established and welcoming communities of Bendigo (VIC), Townsville (QLD) and Maitland (NSW).

GTM has become a fixture on the Australian music event calendar and is distinctively the only single day touring music event to dominate the youth market in regional areas. 2009 attracted over 38,000 punters Australia wide, and now the bar has been raised again. With another two stopovers added to the tour diary for 2010, more regionally based music lovers can experience what GTM has to offer.

With a growing reputation for boasting a unique atmosphere and a consistently exciting line up of music (from both Australia and Overseas), GTM will feature two main stages and the huge Moolin Rouge circus big top playing home to the dance tent. The diverse tastes and needs of all punters will be catered for with a large variety of local food and market stalls along with licensed bar facilities, slingshot rides, chill out areas and not to mention a free water tank.

We are pleased as punch to present the 2010 GTM tour diary:

Saturday 1st May
Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showground, Bendigo VIC

Sunday 2nd May
Lou Litster Park, Townsville QLD

Saturday 8th May
Maitland Showground in Maitland NSW

Sunday 9th May
The Meadows, University of Canberra, Canberra ACT

Saturday 15th May
Bunbury Showground, Bunbury WA

Be sure to mark it on your calendar as the 2010 line up will be announced early February, with tickets going on sale for all events shortly after. Go to www.gtm.net.au to subscribe and be the first to receive updates and further information.