Kicking Off Festival Season At Listen Out
Photographs by Ishani Buff
Melbourne had just received its first summer’s day and what better way to have spent it out in the sun for Listen Out Australia 2024! With various headliners having switched up the placements for a few acts leading up to festival day, hundreds and thousands of hip-hop, R&B and techno lovers still gathered at Caribbean Gardens for an unforgettable night ahead.
Being an avid attendee for the past 4 years at this festival, Listen Out has forever been the highlight of my year. It was the official beginning mark of festival season here in Australia and what better way to start this season than with artists like 21 Savage, Lithe, Jessie Reyez, John Summit and many more making a mark down in Australia.
Consisting of three stages this year - Atari, 909 and Prophet, each stage had its unique artist appearances and was filled with nothing but electrifying and heart-rushing performances. There was always an artist performing that could cater to your liking of music taste and really set the tone for how you wanted to enjoy your day at the festival.
Amongst the crowd, there were also plenty of people who had come with friends dressed up in radiant and chic outfits. You can imagine lots of jorts, leopard print, tassels and sneakers worn by fellow festival-goers. A drink or two in their hands to stay hydrated throughout the day with a touch of Liquid IV that by surprise tasted good.
As the sun continued to set in the distance, you could feel the energy in the air only going up from here and highlighting some of the incredible last-minute additions including EarthGang, Sampa The Great and a particular favourite, AK Sports whose set got me up on my feet like no other.
It was only until around 7 pm that I could barely see the Atari stage anymore from a distance. With lights magnifying from one stage to another, it was something that I hadn’t seen before. And to top that off with Skepta casually dropping an A-class performance one by one it was an experience in itself that you had to be there to believe it.
Listen Out Australia has yet again proved to be one of the best festivals in Australia and I am super excited to see what’s next for the coming year ahead.