Artist: Various – Springloaded Festival
Venue: Sandstone Point
Date: 19th June 2021
Reviewer: Hayley Treadwell
Photographer: Andrew Treadwell Photography

Walking into Sandstone Point for the first time in a over a year, the vibe was high and I was excited. I love this venue.  And for Springloaded 2021 we were greeted with a gorgeous big ferris wheel among the lush green lawns, food stalls and bars.  The set up for this festival was great, they really know how to put on a show. And you have to give huge props to everyone involved in keeping this show going when faced with a band shortage at what I’m sure felt like the 11th hour. A huge effort that was clearly appreciated by the fans throughout the day and night. 

We arrived early and grabbed a spot on the grass in the sun on what was a gorgeous winter day.  There were people arriving and grabbing spots as Caligula were introduced to the stage.  Instantly taken back to my teen years! Front man Ash Rothschild make the joke they were happy to headline the festival, and while they were the opener, they sure set the bar high to those who followed.

Next up we got to go on a little journey with local Brisbane band Screamfeeder. I loved these guys growing up.  Kellie Lloyd’s voice took me straight back to the days of teenage angst and when I thought life was so bad.  Kellie’s voice hasn’t lost a thing over the years.  They sure proved while they are stalwarts of the Brisbane scene. They were a welcome addition to the line-up of this nostalgia filled festival. 

Tumbleweed were one of the bands to save the day and not having seen the boys from Wollongong live before I was happy they were able to make it. I don’t think I’ve listened to Tumbleweed since about 1997, but I may throw them back into rotation.  They have not lost a beat in all these years and their fuzz rock tones and stoner hippy vibe, kept the crowd bouncing, even socially distanced at that.

Frenzel Rhomb took to the stage next. I love just how themselves these guys are.  This was the band that made you feel like swearing wasn’t just something your parents yelled at you for. With their choice lyrics and song names, Frenzel has always told it how it is in their way.  They always put on a good show and totally don’t take themselves seriously nor want to be taken seriously. I think they are the most un rock star band out there but still bring it. Now I have to admit I was a little sad when I heard Regurgitator couldn’t make it, they were my band in the 90’s, but I was thrilled when their replacement was announced. 

As day became night The Superjesus took to the stage with their next level energy and crowd connection. There is no doubt Sarah McLeod is one of the most engaging and interactive people in her performance and she left nothing behind at Sandstone, having photos with fans while walking the barrier and playing the guitar, the faces of fan in utter surprise and delight is something that puts a smile on my face.  Music means a lot to people and I think this is something Sarah understands.  And the rest of the band are consistently flawless. 

Tex Perkins graces the stage next and it was nice to see a more mellow vibe though still teaming with energy and aggression rolled in to a very “Man In Black” vibe. Aussie legends You Am I blitzed onto the stage dressed the nines, as they do!  It’s one of my favourite things about this band, they always look good and they sounds even better! Playing through a great catalogue of songs, I love the way Tim Rogers has his own swagger and this ads to how each song is delivered, he really is a remarkable showman. 

As we waited for Grinspoon to close out the night, a big banner was added to the stage so the crowd was left in no doubt of who was about to come out.  I took a moment to look around and be grateful for being at a festival.  The Ferris Wheel lit up looked amazing and somehow added an additional little bit of magic to the night.  It had become freezing cold but the crowd wasn’t going anywhere.  Everyone was ready for what was no doubt going to be a belter performance.  The music started and the members of Grinspoon took the stage and as soon as Phil Jamieson appeared with all his charm, the crowd went nuts and the band it seemed everyone had been waiting for kicked into overdrive.

Grinspoon got through 4 songs before the show came to a halt.  It might be strange to seemingly deviate in my review, but that’s what happened at the show. We had not long come out of the photo pit and were standing up the back of the ‘mosh pit’ to watch the end of the show, when all of a sudden there was an ungodly noise.  As I turned my eyes to the noise, I saw the barriers down and people running in towards the stage.  I saw people get stuck in the barrier, people fall over and get trampled, and as we went to move in the other direction to safety, the barriers on the other side went down and the people came rushing towards us.  This was easily one of the scariest moments of my life.  Literally.  I thought we were going to be trampled.  My husband grabbed me and turned with his back to the rushing mob and we were just still as people engulfed the space around us and we just hoped for the best.  Thankfully security managed to get the mob of people to stop and we moved to safety. But I did not feel safe.  And as the song that was on came to an end Grinspoon left the Stage and Lindsay came out and reminded the crowd of the importance of caring for each other, of why were are in these conditions at the moment and how hard everyone involved worked to get this show running.   

We didn’t know if the show was going to be able to keep going.  The crowd capacity for the mosh pit had doubled.  Then the announcement came that the crown who rushed in needed to move out or the show would not go on. And to my surprise, they moved.  But I have to say for the remainder of the night I was oh high alert.  The feeling of safety I had had earlier was gone.  We tried to enjoy the end of the show, and as Grinspoon came back on stage, they did their best to end the night on a high note.   And for the most part they did.  Grinspoon are an enormously entertaining band, with a flamboyant frontman who ads his character to the songs to give them that extra edge live.

All in all, Springloaded was an absolute blast!  To everyone involved in getting this great day organised, and to keep it afloat in the face of uncertainty I am truly grateful.   As well as these folks, I am grateful to the bands. We are really lucky to do what we do and sometimes we get the opportunity to see the people you see on stage, as just people.  On Saturday the bands were all milling around the gorgeous backstage area at Sandstone Point like a big old reunion, it was a really cool thing to see, and everyone person I interacted with was lovely.  All just there for the love of music. 

Music can fill you with moments and memories, and Springloaded did that on every level for me and I am sure that feeling reverberated through the crowd. I was transported back to wonderful memories of times of joy with friends, time spent in my youth, and I made amazing new memories through so many amazing moments offered up at Springloaded 2021.

Thank you to Empire Touring and On The Map PR, we had a fantastic day.