'FLOW Festival' / Review
FLOW: Our Home and Heart is in Maribyrnong
This past weekend, Footscray Community Arts Center was home to FLOW Festival, taking place on a humble plot of rolling hills, perched upon the banks of the river. The main stage faced the hill, whilst the side stage was conveniently sequestered away in the shaded amphitheatre.
The day was hot. As punters trickled in, Brown Suga Princess opened the amphitheatre with a tour de force in bass, club, percs and jungle, dropping equal amounts of Pelada tracks and girlboss grime. Her set was a celebration of femininity and women in music as she dished out many a smirking stank face for a furtive pack of early dancers, bringing serious percussive energy for the day ahead.
Wax Museum Records resident - DJ Shio - held down the interstitial slots on the main stage, starting with a mellow blend of soulful jazz and R&B, moving through to sprinkles of UKG, hip hop, house and footwork as the day progressed.
As the afternoon sun started to rear its head, people lounged on the hill to bear witness to a most profound and impactful Welcome To Country. ‘Come with purpose… to the land of the two bays’ said Gheran Yarraman Steel, Boonwurrung Traditional Owner, which was a fitting and heartfelt mission statement for the festival.
After six lockdowns and many months of isolation, festival goers were encouraged to reflect on the community purpose of celebration. Flow was asked to situate themselves in an 80,000 year history of people gathering on Wurundjuri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong land, in order to conduct similar rituals of music and connection.
After the Welcome to Country, the Mayor of Maribyrnong, Cr Anthony Tran, spoke to us about his love of R&B music and his excitement for the day. These opening addresses from leaders of communities of colour made clear that FLOW is a festival with a very particular modus operandi; to present music and arts in a beautiful local setting, with deep respect to the custodians of the land and the progenitors of the music. Echoes of Detroit, Chicago, and Memphis cut through, and were not forgotten.
While many festivals are undergoing a rude awakening with their shortsighted lack of BIPOC artists and a series of ensuing outcries, FLOW foregrounds these artists, so that their voices can be heard.
Shio held down the interstitial slots on the main stage, starting with mellow blend of soulful jazz and R&B, throughout the day playing sprinkles of UKG, hip hop and house. While in the amphitheatre, interstitial duties were handled by DJ Smilez, who stitched together a sleek blend of percussive Gqom and dancehall.
R&B and Soul singer, Kee’ahn, opened with a series of profound ad-libs, declaring that this land always was and always will be Blak land. With lines such as ‘I've been wondering how to speak my truth’, Kee’ahn’s songwriting highlights the experience of growing up young, Blak and with your heart on your sleeve. Their delivery was elevated by honey-toned vocals, set against the background of an electric guitar, bass and drums. Flow was even treated to a sneak peak of Kee’ahn’s new song called, ‘I’m Done’ - a topical track about the existential struggles of lockdown.
Four-piece neo-soul band Trad Ukiyo delivered silky smooth R&B jams in the amphitheatre, with a seductive cover of Drake’s ‘Passionfruit’ and dreamy originals about love and heartache, filled with glossy, wurlitzer styled keys and crisp drums. Their arrangements had intentionality, utilising a dramatic pause as much as a play. and resting on layered, dense textures and harmonies.
Emma Donovan and the Putbacks were an early highlight on the main stage. Hailing from Eora of Naaguja and Yamatji heritage, Donovan and cohort delivered a generous serving of buttery old school, organ-laden soul. Raspy, impassioned vocals were striking in the early haze of the afternoon, as Donovan demonstrated an affinity for both passionate heart-belters, as well as swaying ballads. Her performance felt powerful and sacred, Donovan shared songs taught to her by aunties and grandmothers, allowing the audience to take part in an act of intergenerational storytelling.
Back on the side stage, Selena provided a cool reprieve from the afternoon heat with sweet invocations of Boom Bap and R&B, dropping “Tabou’ by French hip-hop duo Les Nubians.
While the main stage was more guitar focused, Selena sustained a cool and collected vibe with the classic ‘boom…clap’ - of 808s and record scratches. Selena moved on to a series of slick and clean UKG tracks; music where subs started to sing and the groove got going. Kgomotso followed a set of raucous afro-house and percussive bangers.
After Donovan had melted the hearts of many, Dallas Woods and Fly Boy Jack shared the stage for some home grown First Nations hip-hop. Woods, coming straight out of the Kimberly, performed with deadly hot bars, kicking the afternoon into gear with hustle and style. Fly Boy Jack, the alter-ego of Jordan Denniswas also a surefire go-off, riding a riddim flawlessly with Jujo Beats on the decks, before jumping into the crowd to conjure up some real time energy.
Coming off the back of an Aria Award win for Best Jazz Album, Mildlife delivered a strong, clean, steady, groove. As the sun began to dip, , the musicians donned flare pants and retro sunglasses to unleash their inner kosmiche. Cowbell, cosmic arps, and dub echoes cascading out into space populated their sonic landscape.
The inimitable C.FRIM followed afterwards with a masterclass in percussive club, bass and techno, mixing tracks swiftly with unrivalled energy. C.FRIM opened with an explosive series of hand-drum bangers, congas and claves crashing everywhere, before moving into more bass line tracks and Detroit Techno territory. Nothing short of sensational.
Riding the tidal wave of energy, Calle Luna Latin Band mounted the stage as night fell, delivering a generous serving of Cumbia and Salsa to finish off the night. The crowd was all hips and 1-2 steps as the lead singer would sing from the depths of her lungs, poking and prodding at the air with all manner of expressive gestures.
Written by Charis Yang (@nascire) and Adam Hollander (@aduardo_adalini)
Photos by Charis Yang (@nascire)
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Here in ‘Australia’, Indigenous people are the most incarcerated population on Earth. Countless lives have been murdered by white police, white government policies and this country’s white history, institutionalised colonialism and ongoing racial oppression. Racial injustice continues today under the phoney, self-congratulatory politics of ‘Reconciliation’ and the notion that colonialism is something that must be denied and forgotten, an uncomfortable artefact of the past.
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Please consider making donations to the following organisations (the list is so small and the work to be done is so large, do your research to find more grassroots, Indigenous-lead community organisations):
Indigenous Social Justice Association - fighting to stop Indigenous deaths in custody
Firesticks Alliance - who campaign for Indigenous land management, cultural burning and looking after Country