Southbondage rocks on: part two

The second day of Southbondage witnessed more great music, more creatures tap beer and the deterioration of the portaloos. After breakfasting with Joh and Dunc we got ready for a day that promised some awesome gigs including Jose Gonzales and Gotye.

Dave came prepared - sun-protected and sun-creamed up. To avoid sunburn he wore a jumper and defended himself to the many randoms who interrogated his unusual summer attire. After falling in love with a shirt at one of the market stalls I convinced him to wear this cute t-shirt adorned with bicyclettes!

Gonzales was packed out and stifling, so we relocated to the bar and happily sipped beer as we caught ‘Teardrops’ and ‘Blood Stain’. Having lost Joh and Dunc in the fray and festivities, Dave and I wandered, checking out other gigs like Angus and Julia Stone (again) and sampling the ‘recycled themed’ festival art. We bumped into Rhys whenever we could.

Unexpectedly, due to overcrowding and sound/venue issues, some of the random shows offered up the best entertainment. We rocked out to the Go Team! And come evening time, and a few smuggled-in vodkas later, we were all jumping around like crazy to Regurgitator. In fact, Dunc also wore his vintage Holy/Holey Regurgitator shirt for the occasion. It was a touching act of dedication!

The downside was definitely the portaloos. A depressing hodgepodge of faeces, blood (!), shorts and mess, they raise a concern about the personal hygiene of today’s youths! But apart from that, it was an awesome weekend.

Making sure everyone has a good time at Southbound!

Come Sunday morning, all we had left was an easy pack-up and the promise of the inviting water at Bussleton.

We stopped in at Busselton’s beachfront café Goose for a nice cooked breakfast. We then swam and showered, improving the group’s spirits and aroma.

Southbondage: Friday

Talk about a revival. Been back in Oz for awhile now, doing boring things, making money, spending money, scratching the travel bug's gnaw.

For Dave's birthday, I thought some in-state entertainment was in order. One credit card transaction later, I secured tickets to Southbound, a music festival which happens annually in Bussleton.

Boy and I, armed with tentage, sunscreen and an esky of goods (including water bottles disguising vodka), set off for some southbondage!

Joh and Dunc, our splendiferous friends, accompanied us on this jaunt to this fest in South-western Australia. They rode down on Dunc's hotted up bike and secured a camping spot near us. Laid back and heaps of fun, these guys made the weekend awesome!

Dave, a one-year Southbound veteran, came prepared with an inflatable mattress, a monster esky, pillows, sleeping bags and stuffs galore. And a trolley to boot!

You see, 8000 festival goers park their cars in a designated area. All stuff must be carried in by hand on the Friday to the camping area and no exit is permitted until you leave on the Sunday.

With Dave's ultra-handy trolley, we made the 1km trek to the check-in line easy, to the envy of the boardie-clad, sun-bothered campers around us. Dave's friend Dot borrowed the trolley to make friends and score a few beers as she helped people get their stuff to the camping site.

Weekend long, a line-up including Gotye, Jose Gonzales, Regurgitator, The Waifs, The Go-team, Kings of Leon, The Hilltop Hoods and many more played in different areas.

Friday night was exclusively for the 8000 campers, with other people attending on Saturday (20,000) for the day. Friday night we watched Angus and Julia stone, Lior and the Waifs and drank beer to get into the spirit of southboundage.

Angus and Julia Stone have this cute and quirky vibe. Although they were annoyed with sound issues, they put on a mellow show. The two siblings have a strange onstage kinship connection. Julia looked quaint and feminine in a pretty pink frock as she frolicked and trumpeted around the stage.

Opting out pretty soon after the Waifs played the last evening gig, Dave and I went to bed early. To the envy of campers we slept through the raucousness to awake afresh in the morn.