- This year saw Sugar Mountain, one of Melbourne's more adventurous summer festivals, transplanted from The Forum Theatre to the streets, plazas and exhibition spaces of the Victorian College of the Arts. This allowed for a greater focus on sound art, the highlight of which had to be Robin Fox's light organ performance. With stages tucked away down backstreets and cul-de-sacs, the audience were encouraged to explore the site for themselves. But for all its positive tweaks, musically Sugar Mountain didn't appear to have stretched itself. As impressive as the lineup looked on paper, it was lacking in concept and cohesion, with very little in common between the acts.
The festival had two main types of artists: big draw indie bands on the principal Dodds Street stage (Swans, Ariel Pink) and party-focused dance acts (Soul Clap, Dan Deacon). Groups like NO ZU fused the two camps somewhat, particularly with Sal P of legendary post-punk-disco troupe Liquid Liquid onboard. How exactly he was contributing was unclear, but together they made a sort of souped-up Balearic chug. Earlier, Japanese psychedelic shamens Bo Ningen were all joyous disruption, sounding like a more Metal version of Acid Mothers Temple. Sporting waist-long manes, the band's closing drum crescendo sounded gloriously absurd.
Later on Dodds Street, Ariel Pink stuck mostly to his latest album, Pom Pom, serviceably delivering the material but without any of the record's punch. The Car Park stage was home to some of the more interesting artists of the day, but suffered from heat exposure. How to Dress Well's set was marred by sound issues, and even when they got things working Tom Krell's seductive tones were lost in the barren space. In light of the weather, The 2 Bears eschewed their usual furry get-up, and their poppy, occasionally cheesy, hip-house went down well with the crowd. Horse Meat Disco delivered a similarly party-friendly performance, treading the housier edges of disco, mixed smoothly with chunky electronic rhythms. The sun finally set while they played, causing the dance floor to swell considerably. The atmosphere was primed for an explosive finish, but frustratingly it never came and the UK outfit slunk off stage before I'd even noticed.
Set in a secluded corner with its own food and beer kiosks, the Boiler Room area seemed the safest bet. Early on, Wax O'Paradiso provided an inviting mix of soul and Latin rhythms, perfectly suited to the midday warmth. Noise In My Head's pitched down sounds veered from retro Clone bleeps through to Hamburg deep house (Lawrence's "Black Lodge" stood out). Up next was FunkinEven, who proved the undisputed festival highlight. Turning out an hour of driving machine funk, the Londoner fused surging Detroit energy with slamming kicks, all stitched together in his signature animated style. Soul Clap's closing slot started well, but I found the frequent shifts in sound and mood jarring.
As the day wound down, Swans took to the main stage. They were formidable and disorientating, their monolithic dissonance a welcome contrast to the rest of the festival. The downcast mood continued, in a different form, with Nas. Performing the seminal Illmatic in its entirety, the US rapper appeared genuinely thrilled to be there. The recent trend for revisiting landmark albums can veer into lazy nostalgia exercises, but Nas was always present, his delivery and anger as sharp as ever. His set made for a powerful end to a patchy but enjoyable festival experience.