Lost Picnic in Sydney – live review
Lost Picnic launched with such promise: Great food, great drinks, great music, all in the beautiful surroundings of Centennial Park at the tail-end of summer. Unfortunately, putting the aforementioned food and drinks into the hands of attendees proved a little challenging for the organisers, who seemed to have underestimated the level of thirst on a sunny Sydney day.
If you have ever wondered what a crowd of irate hipsters looks like (and if not, why not?), a wander around the drinks tent at about 4pm would have given you your answer. And yes, I did say ‘tent’ – singular. Queues of up to an hour, combined with no food options if you hadn’t had the foresight to pre-order a gourmet hamper, grated a little on the punters who had thought there might be a little more picnic at Lost Picnic. Having said that, the first year of any event is bound to have teething problems – it’s a little unfair to expect a new idea to launch fully formed and perfect.
Anyway, moan over; here’s the good stuff. Firstly, this was possibly the most laidback event I have ever attended. At the risk of stating the extremely obvious, it’s just very nice to have a big picnic in the park with your nearest and dearest, surrounded by lots of groups of chums doing the same. Secondly, the little touches (kids face painting, the ridiculously ‘instagrammable’ Lost Picnic sign on arrival) were executed well. Thirdly, the music (the music! I knew I was forgetting something…) was just as had been promised – perfectly curated, Australian acts.
Highlights included local boys Sons of the East, a cross between Passenger and Mumford & Sons, who opened proceedings with a bouncy set and a great cover of Summertime Sadness.
Dustin Tebbutt’s beautiful folky pop was followed well by an upbeat Emma Louise, whose beautiful voice and mesmerising stage presence won over the crowd.
After a day lounging around on picnic rugs, The Rubens was the act which got everyone surging towards the stage for a proper knees up. Last but not least, headliner Megan Washington had them staying up, surrounded by silver balloons and showing off new material.
A little more thought to food and drink options, and I think Lost Picnic will be a firm fixture on the Sydney calendar.
Review by Sonia Clarke.
