Gig

Wallapalooza - Festival Review & Photo Gallery 7th May @ Mudgeeraba Showgrounds, QLD

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

May 12, 2022

7 min read

Wallapalooza
Mudgeeraba Showgrounds, Gold Coast QLD
May 7th, 2022
Featuring: Grinspoon, The Butterfly Effect, 28 Days, Bodyjar, British India, The Poor, Rhino, Valhalla Lights, Hammers, Among The Ruined and more!

It’s been a while since the Gold Coast had a massive day festival let alone a cracker like the lineup for Wallapalooza 2022! For the past 12 years, it has been held at the Wallaby Hotel. This year it took a big step into the outdoor arena setting up shop at the Mudgeeraba Showgrounds. Originally set for September 2020, Covid restrictions, border closures and floods forced the event to be rescheduled 3 times before finally going ahead.

It was a bit of an exciting moment for me too – it’s the first big show I’ve shot since December 2019. So off I went camera in hand for an epic day of rock, punk and metal. Another amazing part of the day was the rain and mud did not deter the fans. Even though at times it was hammering down with rain (there was nothing you could touch that wasn’t already wet and covered in mud), everyone was having the time of their lives. Live Music is Back!

On the Dan Morrisson stage, I managed to catch Hammers, Among the Ruined, Valhalla Lights and Rhino. An eclectic bunch – but they did impress. I highly recommend giving them all a spin.

On the Corey De Luka stage – The Poor (had a totally rocking 80’s vibe going and nailed it. There were certainly a few oohs and ahhs from the crowd about the time Lead singer man Anthony Skene ripped his shirt off! British India who I have a bit of a soft spot for (having followed them for years) and first seeing them in a dingy old pub in Rockhampton some 15ish odd years ago had the crowd singing along to all the favs.

Bodyjar is a band I've loved since I was in high school. Their set brought back memories galore and it was especially great to hear some new tunes from the boys from their latest album New Rituals. As for 28 Days, my inner-21 year old was a happy little camper! I’ve still got their first self-titled CD kicking around somewhere. Was great to see the kids on stage with the boys – the next generation of music! These guys rocked even though it was raining profusely. And the crowd sang on with old favourites ‘Say What’ and ‘Rip it Up’.

The Butterfly Effect were the biggest highlight for me – all the bands were amazing but I have been wanting to see TBE live for a long time – and to be super close inside the barrier was spectacular. The band played new tunes including ‘Nil By Mouth’, and old favs with ‘Gone’ and ‘Window and the Watcher’ stirring up cheers from those in attendance.

The big grand finale with Grinspoon always goes off with a bang - they never cease to amaze on stage. Frontman Phil Jamieson clearly had the time of his life and it showed. The crowd surfing went off including a special moment for one festival goer who was lifted up in his wheelchair to surf the crowd all the way to the front. Once he was back on the ground and the song was over Phil Jamieson remarked (I can’t remember verbatim what he said but it was along the lines of…) “Well that was a fantastic moment” and it was. All the hits were played including one of my favs ‘Just Ace’.

The thing I loved about this festival is the huge lineup of local bands. Andy and the Wallapalooza crew did a great job in providing a much-needed platform for local bands to showcase their talent alongside the big guns, spread across 2 fantastic stages.

The rain did not deter any of the artists as they all put on the best show possible, and the fans, while drenched under a sea of ponchos and feet in the mud, still danced, cheered and had a ball.

Can’t wait for next year!!

Photo Gallery by Bec O’Reilly. Find Bec on Facebook and Instagram.
Please credit Wall of Sound and Bec O’Reilly if you repost.

Among The Ruined

[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amoung-The-Ruined-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amoung-The-Ruined-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amoung-The-Ruined-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-3-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amoung-The-Ruined-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-10.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amoung-The-Ruined-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-13.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amoung-The-Ruined-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-18.jpg|"]

Hammers

[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Hammers-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-3.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Hammers-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Hammers-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-10.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Hammers-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-14.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Hammers-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-29.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Hammers-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-40.jpg|"]

Valhalla Lights

[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Valhalla-Lights-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-4.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Valhalla-Lights-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-12.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Valhalla-Lights-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-17.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Valhalla-Lights-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-26.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Valhalla-Lights-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-28.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Valhalla-Lights-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-29.jpg|"]

Rhino

[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Rhino-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-23.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Rhino-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-4.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Rhino-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Rhino-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-12.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Rhino-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-16.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Rhino-Wallapalooza-2022-Wos-18.jpg|"]

The Poor

[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Poor-Wallapalooza-2022-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Poor-Wallapalooza-2022-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Poor-Wallapalooza-2022-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Poor-Wallapalooza-2022-26.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Poor-Wallapalooza-2022-41.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Poor-Wallapalooza-2022-1.jpg|"]