The Final Crescendo – Reviewing GradFest

Friday 10th of November, I had the pleasure of attending UOW’s Music Gradfest. This event was hosted by the third-year creative arts, music students of Wollongong Uni. Mesmerised is an understatement. These were regular people who you’d pass by casually on campus, but Friday night at the Jillian Broadbent building revealed their undeniable talent. You could not help but be wonder-struck – each performance was one to remember.

The night started off with a tour of installations designed by a few of the students. A plucked, single-string instrument created by student, Tish Styche, was on display. Accompanied by soothing mood lighting and music; this was a clever hands-on activity for guests to enjoy and observe the different tones or pitches of the instrument. In a separate room, an identical remake of a student’s bedroom was exhibited. A scene most of gen-z are all too familiar with. The random assortment of belongings scattered on the bed such as makeup, headphones, and of course the crucial bottles of water. This dark space only lit by a soft bed side table lamp and the (all too essential) mellow, ambient hues of rgb projected lighting. Behind this bed situation, stood a projector screening a video montage of the simple pleasures in life. The sweet sounds of birds chirping; bedroom lace-curtains billowing from an open window, and the warm feeling of a morning sun bask. The music labs were also open for guests to explore. On different computer screens were short bios for each of the students and the musical ventures they had pursued over the course of their studies. There were sound bites of the songs that they created.

Alright so the time is here, we (guests) enter the theatre through an outdoor courtyard and take our seats. The concert begins with Ella Grace’s ‘Peak’; an outgoing, lively piece, which will be an opening number of a musical that she is currently in the midst of creating. Definitely an amazing intro for the night, showcasing great blends of instruments by the talented support band with Emily Whisson (guitar), Daniel Munro (guitar & voice), Ethan Ferguson (drums), Noah Lattanzio (bass), and Annie O’Reily (marimba & voice). This song had that comforting, modern musical vibe to it and stands as a great taste of what is to come from Ella Grace Quist in the near future.

The second act featured solo artist, George Schweitzer, with his song ‘Fighting Haze’. A soft mellow, smooth rock/indie song. His soothing attention-grabbing voice, accompanied by his talents of layering electric guitar loop ballads, with a Boss RC-300 loop pedal and other effect pedals. I can’t get over how talented his voice and song were.

Third act of the night, was ‘Naïve’ by Benny Carroll (guitarist & voice), supported by Schweitzer (guitar) and Tishaan Styche (voice). Benny has a phenomenal voice for his folk style piece, written about the naivety and excitement about the unknown of a new adventure. A catchy, road trip vibe song made sweet with the company of Styche’s melodic soprano.

This next act was oh so sweet. ‘A Girl’ created by Erin Griffin (voice) with a 6-piece female support band. Girls rock! This song is an ode for the girlieeeesss, and the collective experiences we all seem to have in common, such as getting ready for a night out, giving other random girls compliments, sleepovers, and the club/restaurant toilet gathos we like to have. Iykyk.

Daniel Munro’s ‘Silence and Space’ was amazing to hear live. The thought-provoking title followed through with its engaging lyrics about the night sky’s beauty and intertwines with feeling distracted from the present moment. Talented band with Gerty Balbao (guitar), Mathew McNaughton (drums), Emilly Whisson (bass) and Annie O’Reily (guitar). The song structure was akin to Ben Howard type songs with its primary ominous sounds that lead into a full rock climax.

Tom Price put on a standout performance with his song ‘Moxie’. His spectacular stage presence only exemplifying what ‘Moxie’ represents; an anthem about the people you know and the confidence they have in themselves. The whole band was epic, we even witnessed the classic two-drummers rivalry play within the song. Loved every bit of it.

The 7th Act; Finally! Someone plays the metal. Awe-struck is an understatement when Emily Whisson belts out scream-singing for her song ‘Apocalypse’. A deeply relevant song written about the effects of climate change. Whisson’s stage presence with the gloomy red stage-lighting captured it all. I’ve heard scream-singing ain’t easy and Emily smashed it.

Noah Lattanzio followed the metal-core sounds with his record ‘Anchor’. Lattanzio is an outstanding guitarist, and it was exhibited with this heavy metal piece. ‘Anchor’ is a trash and groove piece influenced by Lattanzio’s personal experience and he wanted to create a song that sounded familiar to the songs that raised him.

After a 15-minute interval, guests were treated to the serene grand piano harmonies of ‘Reprieve’ by Martin Sholl. How someone just creates a classical piano song? I will never know. But I can tell you that this was mesmerising. Watching Sholl play the grand piano was simply breath taking. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a classical music act, and this left me speechless – in awe. The song was a peaceful journey, similar to that of engaging movie scenes by Studio Ghibli.

The following act, ‘My Nothing: Active’ by Jack Robbie was an astounding poetic piece, which began with Robbie’s gloomy opening vocal line; My Nothing: Active. The song progresses instrument by instrument, into a clash of sounds. This was a well-thought out act, with the 7-piece support band each wearing black clothing and a metallic mask, to direct attention towards the front man. The band had some choreography, which amplified the suspenseful atmosphere of the song. I was impressed by the performative act of Robbie, as he fulfilled his dark, disturbing character engagingly.

‘Will I Drown?’ by Gerty Balbao was so sweet and emotional. Balbao centre stage with her guitar opens a mellow, sombre indie piece; the audience fully engrossed in her lyrics. A melancholy song written about being at your lowest point. The additional instruments of bass (Jack Robbie), piano (Annie O’Reily), guitar (George Schweitzer), and drums (Ellie Thompson) created a dramatic atmosphere for this number.

Annie O’Reily produced a soft, indie rock song that started off sounding similar to Radiohead’s Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi. Her cool, smooth vocals accentuated the daydreamy vibe of the instrumental music. ‘Slipping’ is a bittersweet song about the passing of time and navigating the motions of life. The guitar riff towards the end of the song was a great boost of energy for the piece.

The concluding four songs of the night were just such beams of funky, jazz, lovely sunshine – beginning with Ethan Ferguson’s upbeat bop ‘Curtains’. This song is about seizing the day, and as he perfectly describes the infectious rhythms made you want to get up and have a boogie. Ferguson is a talented drummer and well supported by his band, which included the first saxophonist element of the night. I mean who doesn’t love a bit of sax?! The energy of the band was sensational.

Afterwards was ‘Bossa Evening’ by Brody Blackman – another instrumental funk-jazz piece. This had a more romantic feel to it, with the guitar and saxophone riffs. Curating this song seemed like it wouldn’t be easy, and I admired how all the instruments complemented each other glowingly. What I loved most was the highlighted solos of the song, which included the pianist (Sholl), drummer (Ferguson), and guitarist (Blackman).

‘Me’ by Jack Clare still had a funk instrumental vibe but his marvellous earthy voice gave us some soul. His confidence as a performer lit up the stage. This song is definitely a soon-to-be radio hit. Clare says this piece encapsulates his journey of finding his own original sound and discovering who he is as an artist.

The final song of the night: ‘The Blowhard Strut’ by Evan Batkin (saxophone) began with a cinematic voice-over introduction of the front man, Batkin, as he walks onto centre stage. A powerful funk piece to end the night. Batkin is a gifted musician to say the least. His punchy, edgy, dirty, rowdy saxophone melodies only amplified via the spirited grooves of the animated support band.

Look I highly recommend you guys to go watch the stream on Youtube ‘UOW 3rd Year Music Concert Livestream’, so you can experience what I witnessed. I certainly can’t translate into words how incredible this Gradfest was. Again, it was such a pleasure that I got to observe the talent that UOW has nurtured. To the music students of 2023 CONGRATULATIONS! You all have something to be well and truly proud of & Godspeed for future endeavours.

Read the interviews with Gradfest musicians – Tom, Ella, Jess and Daniel.

Images: Screenshot/Livestream