And for the final day on the ground at FALLS Festival Byron Bay 2022/23, here's who took us out with a BANG...
Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys captured by Charlie Hardy
ARCTIC MONKEYS
If there was a name on everyone's lips across the weekend, it was the English indie rock band Artic Monkeys. Forming in 2002, it's inspiring to see what 20-plus years of experience does to a band's sound. Their stage presence was transcendent, as frontman Alex Turner oozed charisma. His soul-rich voice commanded those gathered around the El Captain stage, leading fans through hits such as ‘I Wana Be Yours’, ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High’ and ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’. Their sound was immense, and the lighting was assertive, while passion flooded throughout the crowd to close out FALLS Festival 2022/23 in the most epic way imaginable
Young Franco captured by Charlie Hardy
YOUNG FRANCO
As always, Young Franco brought that rag-tag house party feel to the packed-out tent he was playing under (seriously, someone get this guy a bigger tent next year). The energy was high and upbeat, as the Australian DJ, producer and songwriter played his unique blend of house, funk, and R&B mixes. He weaved in his high-hitting original tracks with remixes and edits, including the 2002 banger ‘The Ketchup Song’, which had the whole crowd screaming ‘I said a hey, a ha, a hey’ with the accompanying scissor hands moves. A whole lot of fun, from a whole lot of talent. Praying this year will see Young Franco’s music career propel to new heights. He definitely deserves it.
LUUDE
Huge, unstoppable and unpredictable energy coming from Gold Coast producer and DJ, LUUDE. The Galaxy tent was packed to the brim, with punters going crazy for his trademark heavy-bass wubs and electronic melodies. His knack for reviving old classic tracks was in fine form, with t. A. t. U ’s ‘All The Things She Said’ being a standout for all the angsty millennials amongst the crowd. His set was tight, crisp and full of energy. It’s only a matter of time before his name appears on a Coachella lineup.
Ocean Alley captured by Charlie Hardy
OCEAN ALLEY
Being a self-proclaimed Ocean Alley super fan, this set was one of the main drawcards that pulled me to FALLS Festival 2022/23. And by the magnitude of the crowd, I can easily say I wasn't the only one with the same level of admiration. The boys brought their usual psychedelic reggae-rock sound to the El Captain stage, while the audience belted out tunes such as ‘Confidence’, ‘Infinity’ and ‘Knees’. Having watched Ocean Alley perform countless times, I can honestly say that although they brought the energy at the beginning of their performance, unfortunate sound issues saw this wean off towards the end of their set ending it 15 minutes early. Still, great to see them back on stage!
