Move My Way // Festival Review

This past weekend saw the debut of a new festival hitting the shores of Australia. In a festival ecosystem that has seemed to take a bit of a hit over the past decade (besides the radical continued success of Laneway) Move My Way looked to cement itself as a new force in the single day festival landscape.

Couchdog attended the Naarm leg of the festival's 2 city pitstop and we came away with a singular experience that immediately placed this new festival in the ‘must attend’ category.

If you are unfamiliar, Move My Way focuses itself on the spread of genres such as Hip Hop, Soul, Jazz and all forms of club adjacent music. These genres, while incredibly popular, are typically a side attraction to most of the country's current big festivals. In a lot of line ups you may see the odd Hip - Hop/Soul/Jazz act on a bill for some variety, but with this festival presented by Astral People these genres take centre stage. Not only as a drawing card for fans of these genres but as a celebration of the communities that make up the subcultures surrounding them and the literal essence of movement that they all cultivate from listeners when experiencing these sounds.

A major compliment has to be first given to the incredible line up. A genuine act of curation that has its finger on the pulse of not only up and coming local acts, but international musicians that all currently have a claim to being the most sought after in their particular genres. Another special shout out to the care and attention that the organisers also put into curating an entire stage to the legendary Naarm record store Northside Records. Giving a platform to an institution that for years has championed Soul music in this city, showcasing local selectors and giving them a platform to spin some wax in front of a larger crowd.

Now for the most important part. How were the acts? It shouldn't come as any sort of surprise that due to the sheer level of craft and musicianship that goes into creating this style of music, that all the performances were stellar. Miles Nautu and Xmunashe were the first 2 acts to open up the main stage. Opening acts are best suited as a tone setter for the day and both acts teed up all the early attendees for what to expect for the rest of the event. The incredibly soulful and smooth set from Miles and his band immediately followed by the controlled chaos of the improvised Xmunashe was an amazing display of the sounds that were developed and fostered locally. It would not be surprising if when this festival returns that these two acts are higher up on the bill in a year or two's time.

The band Couchdog was most excited for was the supergroup duo Gena (comprised of vocalist Liv.e and drummer Kariem Riggins). Fresh off their debut album The Pleasure Is Yours this powerhouse combination of virtuosic musicians left the crowd in complete awe with their chopped up off kilter take on Neo Soul and RnB. The movement of the crowd became evident throughout this set, hips became looser, feet became lighter and the dancing that this festival was trying to cultivate really began to take shape and continued through to performers such as the sultry and hypnotic Qendresa. A performer who captivated the crowd under the beaming sun with her catchy hooks and effortlessly cool stage presence.

Another stand out was Takuya Nakamura. An artist that Couchdog wasn't familiar with before looking into this amazing line up. The blend of Drum n Bass, Jungle, Break Beat and his signature live trumpet had the crowd in a frenzy. A frenzy that would continue to the main two headlining acts of one Mr Freddie Gibbs and Ezra Collective.

Freddie Gibbs brought a more intense energy than many of the other sets of the day. His bravado and commanding presence lit a fire under the moonlit (decorative) crowd. Blasting his way through tracks from his consistently great discography, the more nimble and joyous movement of the crowd from previous sets turned into a more defiant and aggressive vibe. Not out of anger or any real animosity but out of passion. This large crowd was here to rap along and were here to do so with the same force of nature like approach that the MC is so famed for. A powerful performance.

The headliners for the evening were the Afro Jazz London icons Ezra Collective. A band quite famous for their live shows (their show at the forum last year was one of the best I've attended). If the organisers of the festival needed an affirmation of their ethos for the festival then it was delivered by this purely joyful set. Ezra Collective not only performs at a high level with incredible commitment to providing an immense amount of energy, but their greatest strength is how they demand the same energy back from the crowd. They demand to see the same joy that they bring onto the stage, they demand movement, they demand bliss. Couchdog has honestly never seen a crowd so full of excitement and love during a set. The infectious grooves and amazing hooks provided from the brass section had the crowd singing every note as if the Australian crowd became European.

Move My Way was an amazing success, we left this festival feeling full of life and excitement. Thank you to all of the performers and the organisers.