10 Years of Beyond The Valley: Dancing into the New Year.

It was the 10th year anniversary of Beyond The Valley, with a huge lineup spread over the 4-day period, festival goers were in for quite the treat for their New Year’s celebrations.

DAY ONE

Arriving just after midday, the iconic Dance Dome was already pumping with music and energy, with its multi-coloured canopy illuminated by the bright sun. Attendees were out and about, all dressed for the hot Australian summer weather we’ve all been holding out for. Homemade doof sticks scattered throughout the crowds, bouncing to the beat as everyone danced and moved around the festival grounds. 

At the other end of the arena was a cluster of smaller stages (Jack Daniels House Party, Redbull Unforeseen, Cirque Du Slay, and Smirnoff Schmall Klub), each with their own unique designs and sets. My favourite was the Jack Daniels House Party, a make-shift house with comfy couches, a table tennis table, flying ducks on the wallpaper, courtyard and a stage set up with coloured lights. Garden Lane took to the stage with a punk rock performance, truly felt like I was at an intimate house party enjoying a local band with friends! Later on, Left at the Avenue performed with a full crowd, all dancing and clapping along to their indie-rock sound.

Back over at the Dance Dome, KILIMANJARO was delivering rhythmic beats. All the way from the UK, he had everyone dancing and was having a lot of fun himself.

The prominent Dr Dan’s stage returned this year, and I caught Yes Boone’s set. The innovative Sydney-based producer was levelling up the stage with each song, playing his compelling track ‘All I Really Want’ towards the end of the set.

With acts both local and international, it was a great first day to open up the festival and to build anticipation for the days to come. 

DAY TWO

The Valley Stage is now open! Sex Mask’s performance attracted some mid-day moshers, followed by the three-piece indie band EGOISM who had fans singing along at the barricade. The playful and flirty 2Charm was up next. Two familiar faces showcasing their new sound on the main stage, including ‘boyfriend’ and ‘paris (to get you out of my head)’, all accompanied by their captivating choreography - couple goals. 

I had to catch Daezy at the Jack Daniels stage. Such a big year for these guys, it was so nice to see them perform at BTV. Gorgeous heartfelt sound, stunning vocals by Daisy and organic interaction with the crowd - get them on the main stage next year!

Following the Welcome to Country ceremony, Miss Kaninna took to the main Valley Stage and performed with such strength and beauty, using her music and platform to speak up for important topics, such as the rights of First Nations people, toxic cultures and women's autonomy.  

The indie-rock band DICE was a much anticipated act of the day, performing both with ease and energy. Each member of the Perth-born boys had their turns playing to the crowd, grinning ear-to-ear while doing so, with inflatable dice bouncing around a sea of fans as they all rocked along. Can confirm, the guitar riff in ‘Double Espresso’ sounds even more incredible live. 

The ethereal Mallrat graced the stage, playing through her discography from over the years, dancing around with some serious twirling. She threw it back to 2018 by playing ‘Groceries’, which was perfect for golden hour. 

R&B pop princess Jojo was next, who drew a huge crowd of excitement. Working the stage like the pro she is, her happiness was contagious. She performed her hits ‘Too Little Too Late’ and ‘Leave (Get Out)’, which had everyone singing along. 

After the sun had set, 070 Shake stepped out onto the Valley Stage. Her voice echoing through the air, and deep sounds from her tracks transported us all into a different world.

To finish the night, Addison Rae opened her set with ‘Fame is Gun’. Playing through all the hits from her debut album, she moved with such confidence, and it was so fun to witness her choreography. Born to perform, she always looks and sounds like she’s having the best time, and audiences certainly were feeling the same. ‘Diet Pepsi’ and ‘Headphones On’ were crowd favourites, you couldn’t help but sing along.

DAY THREE

The Tullamarines were the first act I caught on Day Three. These guys always have the best energy when performing, and have such a fun established sound. They opened with ‘Idiot’ and closed with ‘Running On Empty’ - two songs that I believe will be looked back on as essential indie hits of the 2020s.

Next was Boy Soda, whose set was the definition of silky and smooth. Equally classy and groovy, he had everyone swaying their hips and he was hitting those high notes. Soul star!

Over at Jack Daniels House Party, Paraquay amped up the stage with an energetic rock show. Later on, Erica Avenue had everyone dancing and singing along to their indie pop-rock music and relatable lyrics, with some great song covers and audience interaction. Keen to see where these two bands go next!

All the way from Ireland, duo 49th & Main brought their joyous dance-pop music to the Valley Stage. A few audience members (who were also from Ireland) brought along an Irish flag, as well as an Irish ‘doof stick’, which the duo loved so much they brought these props onto stage to dance around with them.

The New Zealand-born brothers Balu Brigada was a personal highlight for me. I’ve been listening to these guys since 2019; to witness their sound evolve over the years, and to see them play on the main stage at Beyond The Valley was really special - they’ve found their sound and it clearly resonates with audiences. They played their energetic hits ‘Backseat’ and ‘So Cold’, which had fans cheering and dancing along. 

Later in the night, Channel Tres entered the stage in a head-to-toe hooded green coat, supported by two incredible backup dancers. Once the green coat was off, Channel Tres joined the dancers and was grooving along to his fusion of rap, funk, electronic and house. It certainly felt like a monumental performance, the atmosphere was so euphoric, it was the Channel Tres show. 

Australia’s indie sweethearts Spacey Jane was the last I saw of the night, and they always put in 100%. It was a set that brought everyone together, as we’ve all witnessed these guys grow over the past few years. Hit after hit from all three albums, their music is pure authenticity and heart in both lyrics and sound. When they played the legendary ‘Booster Seat’, the audience became one while belting out the lyrics.

DAY FOUR

Chloe Parché opened up the Valley Stage on Day Four, with a warm and sincere indie-pop performance - she’s a rising star and one that everyone should check out.

Up next was back to back R&B; first was Larissa Lambert, who had a gorgeous stage presence of vocals and backup dancers. She also invited a fan onto stage to sing with her - long-time fan Alyssa fit right in and sung so beautifully with her idol. Right after was KAIIT who brought a passionate aura to the Valley Stage, playing a trance-like and soulful discography.

Julia Wolf brought early-2000s-ethereal-vampire-rock from New York, with powerful and emotional vocals supported by grungey guitar riffs and drums.

Later on, Aussie music legends The Temper Trap opened up their set with ‘Love Lost’, and continued on through a blend of old and new, debuting some of their upcoming music. They finished up their set with ‘Sweet Deposition’, which was unreal to hear live. It was such a beautiful scene: friends with arms around each other, people on shoulders waving their arms, bubbles floating through the air, loud voices singing along - all these people sharing the moment of happiness and nostalgia. 

Excitement continued to build as Turnstile entered the stage. Lead singer Brendan Yates was singing from the heart, and from slower ambient moments to explosions of high energy, the whole band was putting in their all into the performance. The crowd experience was like no other; everyone was jumping and dancing, several moshes circling around, it was an exhilarating experience.

Nostalgia hit the stage again with Kid Cudi’s set. Walking out onto stage with the biggest smile, he paced back and forth taking in the setting and showing appreciation for the huge crowd that gathered to see him. He played through songs from his whole discography, such as ‘Day ‘N’ Night (Nightmare), ‘Maui Wowie’ and ‘Mr Rager’, each song hitting as hard as the next. The hypnotic rhythm and comforting lyrics of his music carried the crowd, lifting them up and encouraged engagement with the present. Ending with ‘Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)’, the significant impact of Kid Cudi’s music on audiences became evident in that moment. 

As the night began to conclude, more and more people swarmed to the main Valley Stage, as the countdown into the new year was about to begin. Followed by a transformation of the stage design, huge numbers appeared on the screens starting at 10 and counting down to 0 - the words HAPPY NEW YEAR flashed in-front of our eyes, with streamers and haze showering over the crowd. Dom Dolla kicked off the new year straight away with his signature performance of infectious and exciting music that has you moving from the first beat. Major tracks including ‘Take It’, ‘San Francisco’ and ‘girl$’ boomed through the valley, accompanied by a laser light show - the crowd was dancing their way into the new year. As a BTV veteran, it only felt right for him to close off the 10th Anniversary of the festival. 

Four days of elation, community and dust, the festival displayed so many of the best international, and (most importantly) local acts working today. It’s truly an impressive set up of facilities, stages and activities, and I want to shout out the hard work put in by everyone behind the scenes to make an amazing event like this happen - there would be no BTV without these people!

From the Jack Daniels House Party to the Dance Dome, there was an insane amount of talent that makes me super excited to see what happens within the world of music in the years to come.