From a mud pit to a dust bowl, the conditions couldn’t have been more different for Vanfest 2015 compared to its debut last year, however one thing is for certain - the music festival was once again an event to remember and has cemented itself as a festival to watch out for on the Australian music calendar.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With rough estimates of 10,000 people - 3,000 Friday night and 7,000 Saturday - converging on Forbes Showgrounds for the two-day festival, the second annual Vanfest was without a doubt a raging success.
The carnival atmosphere went down a treat to the many who had travelled from as far afield as Melbourne and Brisbane and then some.
“It was fantastic, we couldn’t be happier,” Vanfest co-founder Matt Clifton said.
Vanfest 2015 went off without a hitch and the thousands of revellers were very well-behaved from all reports (see page 2)
“It was without any issues whatsoever,” Matt said.
“Licensing, police, everyone was happy.
“The crowd were extremely well-behaved.”
The line-up featured a who’s who of Australian music from Sticky Fingers and Illy to John Butler Trio and Birds of Tokyo.
Keefy started proceedings on Friday to a dedicated crowd before Hillston product Kuren further enhanced his reputation with tracks impossible not to absorb.
Grmm was anything but while Kilter combined electronic music with instrumental dexterity most cry for.
Rudimental arguably stole the show with the performance of the night on Friday, while Peking Duk closed the evening in front of a dedicated crowd.
Yet Saturday was the day the crowds flocked despite the high temperatures and they stayed until the last.
Pick of the afternoon session was the Jake Farriss-led Twin Fires along with Matt Boylan-Smith from Bathurst while the evening session featured some outstanding performances.
The Sheppard siblings led the way in the evening and had the crowd singing along to their indie pop hits including ‘Bombs Away’, ‘Let Me Down Easy’ and ‘Geronimo’.
They were followed by popular acts Illy and the quirky, eccentric team from Sticky Fingers.
John Butler amazed the audience with his sprawling, earthy riffs while Birds of Tokyo did not miss a beat.
Aussie model turned DJ songstress Stacie Todd closed the festival with a bang.
“It was a great success and we are very pleased,” Matt’s father and Vanfest co-founder Grant Clifton said.
“Everything came together well and it went off without a hitch.
“We now look forward to bigger and better things in 2016.”
The Cliftons are now looking ahead to Vanfest 2016 and say we can expect even more next year.
“Give me 24 hours and I’ll start planning for next year,” Matt said.
“We’ve set the bar high and we will stay by our model and set to impress.
“Expect next year to be what you saw this year plus a few bits more.”
