New Bloom Fest - Review & Photo Gallery 17th March @ Melbourne Pavilion, Melb VIC

New Bloom Festival
Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne
17th March, 2024
Featuring: Citizen, Movements, Touché Amoré, No Pressure, Softcult, AWOL, Better Half, Armlock, Post Heaven

With the devastating loss of Groovin’ The Moo, Falls Festival and Download Festival, the longevity of large-scaled Australian music festivals is once again in question. As our joyous and unique ways of celebrating alternative and mainstream music amongst thousands of others seemingly begin to become nothing more than faded memories etched into the minds of Australian music fans, a new hope emerges. Following the success of small-scaled boutique festivals such as Knight and Day, Our First Kiss and CVLTFEST among many others, it only made sense for festival organisers to capitalise on the success of this trend to gift us with New Bloom Fest. With a lineup that would make almost every alt-rock/emo festival organiser from around the world curse with envy, New Bloom Fest‘s inaugural event was destined to fill the void in our souls.

I arrived at the venue just before opening time to find an already lengthy line stretched for hundreds of metres down the street. As I entered, I was delighted to find that the festival’s layout was perfectly planned and executed; food trucks were outside, a pop-up photo booth and a bar with ample seating (and plenty of stage views) at the rear of the venue, which offered a more tame experience of the performances. Merchandise stalls, which were adjacent to another bar area, were in their own section of the venue, which kept considerable queues within this space, making acquiring merchandise a harmonious and stress-free experience. Despite a sold-out crowd being present, at no point did the busy venue seem overcrowded or cluttered, which set everyone in attendance up for a great day ahead.

Post Heaven

This Melbourne-based melodic hardcore act took on the responsibility of kicking off festivities. As the group broke out into their opening track, frontwoman Yasmin De Laine made it hard for me to direct my attention in any direction but her own. Her well-defined, clear-cut clean and unclean vocals offered a strong contrast to the group’s secondary vocalist and guitarist, as well as her captivating stage presence which made her a pleasure to observe. The group’s abrasive sound may require some refining, however, I would still say that this group is destined for a bright future.

Armlock

This indie rock trio produce a soft and mellow, yet dreamy sound that captivatingly sucks you in as you find yourself tangled in a whirlwind of emotion while watching this group perform. Vocalist Simon Lam‘s soft-spoken vocals are the reassuring voice of reason, which makes you feel as if all will be okay when all you want to do is lie in bed all day long. Armlock‘s minimal movement on stage and crowd interaction left me, as a crowd member, hanging to them, rather than the other way around. Despite this act being well outside my usual go-to genres, I would go out of my way to watch them perform again.

Better Half

I’ve been a fan of this group for several years, however, I have only been lucky enough to watch them perform a few times, so as you could imagine, I was most eager to get amongst their set. As the half full music venue patiently waited for this Melbourne-based alt rock group to arrive on stage, issues of some nature occurred, resulting in a fifteen-minute delay, which carried through for the remainder of the event. Nonetheless, the band made it onto the stage to the joyous cheers of the sizable crowd. As they began their set with ‘Burning Like Violets’, their wealth of experience as individual musicians quickly became extremely apparent as the festival’s first mosh pit was produced. Vocalist Christopher Vernon interacted with the crowd in an intimate and personal manner as he spent a fair portion of the set on the barrier in the faces of the fans who were singing his lyrics back to him. As the group performed a mix of new and old songs, it was abundantly apparent that their older songs were most loved by the Melbourne crowd as boisterous singalongs emerged from the hundreds in attendance for closing track ‘Rest Your Head‘. This act shows incredible potential for the future as they continue to further establish themselves in the alt rock landscape.

AWOL

Adding yet another layer to the diverse array of performances, AWOL undoubtedly delivered the most intense act of the day at New Bloom with their relentless, high intensity hardcore sound which managed to ignite the crowd into a frenzy, creating the largest moshpit of the event within seconds of the group taking to the stage. Powered by two-step riffs and an unmistakable passion, AWOL demanded the audience’s attention like no other, drawing in the most engagement of the day. Throughout their set, it was impossible not to be drawn in by frontman Christian Schultz as he poured his heart and soul into every harsh vocal, seemingly on the verge of exploding with emotion at any second.

Softcult

As the opening international act, this grungy-shoegaze sibling act enthralled the audience with their serene and otherworldly melodies. Their soft-spoken songs held the crowd in a hypnotizing captivation, gently assisting them to recover from the intensity of the preceding performance. Amidst the euphonious soft-spoken ambience, the twins from Canada displayed moments of thrilling energy, winning over Melbourne’s hearts throughout the thirty-minute set.

No Pressure

To my surprise, bringing one of the most high-spirited performances of the evening, California’s No Pressure can only be described as the epitome of pop-punk. The precision execution of the trio’s anthemic sounds stayed true to the studio recordings by emulating their quality perfectly. As a slew of bodies flung themselves around in the various circle pits throughout this performance while perfervidly singing along to the Parker Cannon‘s lyricism, it was evident that Australia’s love for this group runs deep, particularly for tracks ‘So You Say‘ and ‘Doin’ Fine‘.

Touché Amoré

The US act’s regular tempo shifts and introspective lyrics which find you in a position of confronting beauty shine a light the post-hardcore/emo genres, which Australian audiences increasingly embrace over time. Vocalist Jeremy Bolm mesmerizingly strolled the stage, commanding the undivided attention of all present, to which vigorously fueled mosh-hungry crowd responded. The quintet operates as a finely tuned unit, moving in perfect synchrony, blending individual artistry with seamless on-stage choreography, leaving me quite aesthetically pleased amongst the auditory pleasures of ‘Flowers and You‘, ‘Pathfinder‘ and more.

Movements

As the time began for this Southern Californian act to perform, backing guitarist Crust Young took to the microphone and explained to the already jostling crowd that vocalist Patrick Miranda would not be performing as he suffers from strep throat. In a last ditch effort to keep the show going, Ira himself announced that he would assume frontman duties for the evening, giving the Melbourne punters the opportunity to observe this unique event within the bands’ history.

As Movements out into first song ‘Full Circle‘, it became evident that Ira’s flair as a musician is above anything that I have witnessed previously. His ability to seamlessly change roles within a band with no prior warning and flawlessly pull it off left me in amazement. His constant plea of ‘you have to help me sing, I’m not used to this’ seemed incredibly unnecessary.

Citizen

Closing out the festivities with a huge 16-song setlist was none other than US giants, Citizen. Personally, I was most excited for their older, emotively focused tracks from 2013’s Youth album. However, I was taken back by the groups recent indie rock sounds that resonated with the sea of attendees that filled the large venue. While acknowledging the extraordinary efforts of the previous band, vocalist Mat Keres expressed genuine gratitude for the opportunity to headline a festival in a country where fans had welcomed them from across the globe.  With not one single band member standing still for a single moment throughout the entire set, the crowd mirrored this attitude by dancing along, particularly throughout the closing track ‘I Want To Kill You‘.

With a carefully curated line-up, appealing to a wide variety of tastes, it is no wonder that New Bloom Fest was a resounding success. following on from the continual winning streak of boutique day festivals, it is with high hopes that we see this event lead into its second edition.

Festival Review by Adam Rice

Photo Gallery by Adam Portelli. Insta: @adam.ellia
Please credit Wall of Sound and Adam Portelli if you repost.

Post Heaven

[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Post-Heaven-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Post-Heaven-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Post-Heaven-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Post-Heaven-8.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Post-Heaven-10.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Post-Heaven-11.jpg|"]Armlock[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Armlock-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Armlock-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Armlock-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Armlock-8.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Armlock-10.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Armlock-11.jpg|"]

Better Half

‍[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Better-Half-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Better-Half-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Better-Half-10.jpg|"]AWOL[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Awol-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Awol-9.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Awol-6.jpg|"]

‍Softcult

‍[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Softcult-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Softcult-6-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Softcult-7-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Softcult-8-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Softcult-9.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Softcult-10-1.jpg|"]

‍No Pressure

‍[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/No-Pressure-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/No-Pressure-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/No-Pressure-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/No-Pressure-8.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/No-Pressure-9.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/No-Pressure-10.jpg|"]

‍Touché Amoré

‍[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-8-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-9.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-10-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-11-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-12.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Touche-Amore-13.jpg|"]

‍Movements

‍[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-4.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-8-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-9-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-10.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-11-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-13-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-14.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-15-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Movements-16-1.jpg|"]

‍Citizen

‍[gallery type="square" ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-1.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-3.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-4.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-5.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-6.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-7.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-9.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-10.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-12.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-13.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-15.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-16.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-18.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-19.jpg|"]