Live Review: By The C Festival

Bevvies, tunes, beach, repeat! The sold out event proved that Perth was hanging for a new festival. Situated on Cottesloe Beach, the waterfront venue delivered a picturesque backdrop for a music-drenched Sunday soiree.

Created by the collective effort of renowned WA event masters Zaccaria Concerts & Touring and Metric Events, the inaugural festival is the first concert on Cottesloe Beach since the Beach Boys played in 2004. Taking advantage of the prime oceanfront location, the organisers' goal was to create a community-focused vibe with an eco-friendly theme. Green-conscious pop-up shops and local food truck vendors lined the outer edges, emphasising the ocean-wise and environmentally aware efforts of the overall event.

Grace Barbe opened the day with as much groovetastic style as she had energy. Poking fun at her windswept hair, she invited the audience to shake their coconuts. Rightly so! The tropical island rhythms and wailing rock guitar fusion got early arrivers dancing and bopping along while they sipped frosty adult beverages in the sun.

The crowd was heaving by the time Peter Bibby and crew took to the stage. A quick "Hey, how you going?" and the band crashed right into it. Gritty as ever, Bibby shrieked out tracks like Home Alone, Whyalla and the infamous River Guts - never dropping his cheeky grin. An unfortunate accident meant bassist Strawberry Pete was unable to perform for the event, which led Bibby to switch up the act and include two solo songs. Bibby thanked the crowd, comically apologising for cursing before meandering off stage.

The much-anticipated Angus & Julia Stone graced the stage, dropping straight into crowd-pleasing A Heartbreak. The sun-soaked spectators drunk in the sultry lyrics, as Julia sung confessions of a past lover during her Divinyls cover, I Touch Myself. Although the audience happily sang along to popular songs, the overall energy from the Australian duo seemed a bit flat. That said, it was hard to diminish the atmosphere with such a blissfully set amphitheatre.

The coastline rolled into a unanimous roar the moment John Butler Trio took stage. The Fremantle locals opened with Betterman, followed by Cold Wind. It didn't take long before a 6,000 person dance party broke out, lasting the remainder of the set. Nostalgia was the name of the game, enticing everyone and their mother (half joking) to belt out each lyric while the sun set on the legendary day.

A few logistical hiccups including lengthy food queues and supply shortages dampened a few spirits, but it's easy to imagine that these kinks will be ironed out if BTC returns for a welcomed second year.