Arts

Review: Future Music Festival, Adelaide 2014

It was a solid year at Future Music Festival once again, and we dare you to find someone who will challenge that notion.

photoIt appears that this Future Music Festival in Adelaide there were a few things optional (mostly sunshine and shirts). Although the day didn’t provide the clear blue skies that Adelaidians are used to, the dancing was not hindered one bit!

Admittedly, I didn’t plan my day out thoroughly enough to catch every act, and how could you with six very different stages and such a great line up. This premier Australian electronic dance music festival delivered above and beyond my expectations in its first ever year at the Adelaide Showgrounds.

Pharrell Williams was a crowd favourite, pulling what seemed the greatest audience of the whole day. Sure, his set wasn’t very long, not completely live, and a backing track did the hard-yards for him, but with a fantastic selection of hit songs under the producer’s (much smaller in real life) belt it made for a brilliant show. The superstar even invited many party going girls onto the stage to enjoy the set, urging them to appreciate the music and put away their phones. Shout-out goes to the girl who didn’t obey and was removed from the stage while snapping a selfie.

Grammy award winning artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were another headlining act this year. Although I have never been a devoted fan to their music, I have been won over by their infectious and over-played hit songs that have raised them to the top of the charts again and again. Also, I do love a cheeky costume change and never say no to a back-up dancer or two. I’ve got to give it to them; the guys had the audience in complete awe and genuinely seemed to connect with every person, even the hip-hop-Grinch in me.

An honourable mention should be made to the following:

  • The French kids on the block, Pheonix, for providing a much-needed alternate-rock edge to the day.
  • Rudimental, for delivering their second year at Future Music effortlessly producing an energetic performance that had the mass gagging for more, mostly with their arms up in the air.
  • Swedish DJ, Eric Prydz for gracing us with an EDM experience much more intense than his hit-single Call On Me, which the hardcore fans went crazy for!

The chaotic day finished up with electronic royalty Deadmau5 squeezing every last bit of energy I had out of me. The visuals of the EDM master’s performance were so mesmerising that not even a sprinkling of rain could move the crowd from the sights of the stage.

Future Music Festival is never a disappointment when it blesses Adelaide’s soil. However with that being said, I have only two suggestions for forthcoming years.

One: Sneak in a couple more pop-based electronic artists to keep top-ten lovers like me excited *coughFOXEScoughELLIEGOULDINGcoughLITTLEBOOTS*.

Two: Maybe don’t put two main stages right next to each other because at times the music between the artists sounded like a strange and not so awesome mash-up.

The estimated 22,000 plus festival audience may not be the classiest of Adelaide’s population, but everyone was there to have a great time. I think I even spotted a young gentleman who was enjoying himself too much to stop for a $5 bottle of water so he drank out of a puddle on the ground, which is a clear sign of dedication to the festivities. It was a solid year at Future Music Festival once again, and I dare you to find someone who will challenge that notion.

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