5 Standout Moments from Lookout Festival, Bribie Island
Lookout Festival
Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island QLD
April 6, 2024
Featuring: Live, Incubus, Birds of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe and The Superjesus
Having completely slipped my mind until the day before, I couldn’t let a night like this pass without making an effort to leave the house and check out a music festival setup at Sandstone Point Hotel – a mere 30min road trip up the highway from WoS HQ.
Boasting a lineup of rock greats, noughties icons and the always magnificent Birds of Tokyo, the Moreton Bay region had plenty on offer – and the best part was the thunderstorm that threatened to steal the fun had disappeared long before gates opened.
Having frequented Bribie Island many times before, this was the first music event I had caught at the infamous hotel and the setup was exceptional. Plenty of space to get around – even after the mid-afternoon arrival we had. Stacks of bars, ample food options and a plethora of space to the left as you first arrive + that iconic gum tree smack bang in the middle which served as the ideal meeting point and setting for the show.
While the venue still has some issues with vacating to work on for next time, it provided everything and more for the 12,000 strong who made the effort to make an appearance.
Here are my 5 Standout Moments from Lookout Festival‘s second outing…
#5 – “Vintage” Merch Spotting.
When mates and I attend metal music festivals, we play an internal game of ‘Count the Metallica shirts’ as a fun way to pass the day. I think our record was something over 200+ at Soundwave one year, but this time the majority of merch shirts I clocked were from the recent blink-182 tour that passed through Brisbane in February. I spotted at least 40 before losing interest, but in the process, I also caught sight of a relic Big Day Out 2013 jersey and even a clean and crisp-looking Soundwave 2015 shirt on one punter.
It proved that despite the glory years of music festivals being well and truly over, fans are still keen to pack out fresh fests if the lineup is right and the drinks are flowing.
#4 – Eskimo Joe still pulls a solid festival crowd.
The Big Day Out and mainstream media veterans looked more at home here than their recent appearance at Good Things Festival with many of the elder (errm, experienced) concertgoers getting into ‘Sarah‘, ‘Foreign Land‘ and ‘Love Is A Drug‘. But when ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine‘ and ‘Sweater‘ were pulled out, you could tell who was a former triple j listener and who had no idea what was going on.
#3 – LIVE are pinnacle Dad Rock for a reason.
I know this was their show, but by the time LIVE hit the stage, I was wrecked. However, they managed to bust out 15 rock hits for the ever-impressive array of Dads and Mums who sought babysitters for a night of throwing down… tinnies and wine. Vocalist Ed Kowalczyk had the crowd in the palm of his hands as they belted out the likes of ‘All Over You‘, ‘Selling The Drama‘ and ‘I Alone‘, as well as bringing back ‘The Distance‘ live for the Lookout Fest run.
There wasn’t a quiet moment during ‘The Dolphins Cry‘ and luckily for punters, the only ‘Lightening Crashes‘ were during the final song of the set.
#2 – Birds of Tokyo STILL go hard with their heavier material
I spent the majority of Birds of Tokyo‘s set swooning over frontman Ian Kenny (IYKYK) and despite being a long-term fan of their earlier work (Day One and Universes), I found myself flabbergasted by the number of new songs I was yet to learn word for word.
Being a band I played extensively in my radio career, hits like ‘Plans‘, ‘I’d Go With You Anywhere‘, and ‘This Fire‘ were well received by the radio rock fans, while newbies like ‘Lion‘, ‘The Greatest Mistakes‘, ‘Two Of Us‘ and ‘Good Lord‘ provided a decent sing-a-long at mid-level excitement (or mid-afternoon buzz from the beverages). ‘Lanterns‘ scored the biggest reaction with punters pulling out their phones to light up the venue just as dusk hit; but for me, the best part of the day came about when they asked the crowd if they should play a ‘heavy’ one before busting out ‘BRACE‘ amidst a sea of onlookers wonders wtf was going on.
The sound was immaculate, Kenny’s vocals were on-point (especially considering this was the band’s second performance of the day – following a cheeky early set in the Hunter Valley) and this gig alone reminded me just how far Birds of Tokyo have come in their time. Despite not hearing former set staples like ‘Broken Bones‘ or ‘Silhouettic‘ (blasphemy if you ask me), it was well-received by those in attendance with many people around me stating they didn’t know the band could rock out like that.
#1 – Incubus stole the show (as expected)
Speaking of Soundwave, the last time I caught Incubus was at the 2008 run when they co-headlined with The Offspring. This time around, they stole the show the second they walked out with a sea of Gen X-ers around me reliving their high school years as they bashed out 14 originals and a questionable 3 covers during their 75min set.
When frontman Brandon Boyd commenced singing, it was hard to take your eyes off the alluring vocalist’s stage presence as he positioned himself front and centre (sans shirt) like a second coming Anthony Kiedis (only much better on the eyes). Hearing and watching Chris Kilmore scratch away on the turntables brought out a feeling of nostalgia I hadn’t heard in years – not even with Limp Bizkit at Good Things Festival – there’s just something about live DJ scratching that just sounds so much better in a live setting.
But, the real show-stopper was their new bassist Nicole Row, who took to the role like she’d been there since day one. Her bass lines were felt through the speakers and she offered a yang to Boyd’s ying with their back-and-forth singing throughout.
Standout tracks were (obviously) ‘Nice To Know You‘, ‘Stellar‘, ‘Pardon Me‘ and ‘Are You In?‘ A personal fav for me goes to hearing the sexy and lust-filled anthem ‘Karma, Come Back‘ live for the first time (swooooooooon) but the biggest celebrations came with iconic slow-jam radio hit ‘Drive‘ and closer ‘Wish You Were Here‘. I did question why three covers made their way into the set (The Beatles ‘Come Together‘, Portishead‘s ‘Glory Box‘ and Bowie‘s ‘Let’s Dance‘), but I don’t think anyone minded as they stood eyes-glued to a shirtless Brandon Boyd bouncing about the place.
All in all, it was a great day out for ageing festival goers to relive their youth, sink a few tinnies and then spend a few hours getting off the island and back to the reality that awaited them.
Thanks for having us.
Words & Pics by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownpaul
Birds of Tokyo
Incubus
Lookout Festival continues around Australia
