REVIEW: Chase Park Music Festival

By Jon Gibson on August 24, 2012 in Music

After picking up a Chase Park Music Festival wristband, following a public transport adventure to Whickam, I was pleasantly surprised to the find out that the purpose of the day was twofold. Most evidently, to showcase regional household names such as Hyde & Beast, Let’s Buy Happiness and The Crookes, but a more covert purpose of the festival was unearthed when I talked to festival organiser, Alistair McDonald.

When I asked what differentiated Chase Park from other regional festivals, it was great to hear that this unique gig had been tailored towards the local community’s accessibility requirements – Chase Park Music Festival holds the tile for the first music festival which is fully accessible to the disabled. So, the festival itself served as a stage for attendees of Chase Park Rehabilitation Centre to showcase their personal development which instilled a great sense of wellbeing into the festival atmosphere.

After this was apparent, I knew the chosen acts could only enrich the ethos of the day. I was played into the festival grounds by Collectors Club, whose upbeat style of indie/pop went hand in hand with chilled pints and grassy seats. As I explored the festival, I discovered a tent including CDJ’s and a mixer alongside a tutor giving out tips to those interested in the electronic side of music.

Amy Holford then caused a dip in dynamics with a stunning amalgamation of guitar and harmonica, followed by Cattle & Cane who kept up a similarly relaxed mood. A continuum of good weather ran parallel to a continuum of good music; Let’s Buy Happiness stood out for me – I am easily seduced by intricate guitar/vocal relationships, so this was inevitable. Whickam Villa was drawn to a close by 60’s revivalists, Hyde and Beast, who summed up the day with a 45 minute set: calm, tidy, but full of inspirational substance.

Image kindly provided by Jazzy Lemon

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