Live Review: Hot Dub Wine Machine

Nintendo 64s. Polaroid cameras. Vinyl. Everybody loves a throwback. Latching onto this unrelenting love for nostalgia, Sydney's Tom Lowndes, better known by his stage name Hot Tub Time Machine, has gained incredible traction over the last few years touring his time-travelling DJ sets around the world. With a bunch of huge names by his side to help bring the party, last weekend saw him descend upon Perth's Swan Valley for the second time in as many years.

Festivalgoers couldn't have asked for a better day to sip on a few beverages among friends as the festivities kicked off in fine fashion with Falcona DJs and Luen Jacobs. The stunning Oakover Grounds served as the day's playground, featuring a sprawling open layout. Complete with everything from water-dancers floating in plastic balls to barbershop stands for that last-minute trim, a dull moment wasn't on the cards.

Ex-Australian Idol finalist Owl Eyes then had the crowd entranced with an uplifting vocal performance, before part-time triple j presenter/part-time alt-right meme Tom Tilley kept the party going. After floating around the festival for a while and indulging in a weather-appropriate gelato, it was Luke Million's time to hit the stage. The Adelaide synth-lord quickly put the crowd in a time machine of his own with his groovy, '80s-influenced set.

One of the best parts of the recent emergence of boutique festivals is the fact that they usually have a solitary stage, vanquishing the distress that stage clashes bring and allowing punters to absorb all of the sonic goodness that's on offer. This next bit of goodness came in the shape of alternative-electronic artist The Kite String Tangle. Hot off the release of his 2017 self-titled debut album, the Brisbane producer delivered a set packed with his signature emotive-but-dance-friendly sound. Featuring hits such as The Prize and Arcadia, it was clear to see why The Kite String Tangle is quickly becoming one of Australia's top-tier electronic artists.

Keeping with the theme of the day, the nostalgia continued with hit-makers Sneaky Sound System continuing proceedings. Given their catalogue of bangers and the strength of the evening's support acts thus far, Sneaky Sound System's set failed to fully deliver with underwhelming renditions of some of their strongest songs. Nevertheless, the classic UFO and newer I Ain't Over You provided moments of elation. Paces then injected a dose of hip hop into the night with hard-hitting remixes of Travis Scott's Drugs You Should Try It and Kendrick Lamar's HUMBLE. Capping off his stellar, trap-heavy set, the Gold Coast producer ended with a with a not-so-intimate "family selfie" of himself and the 15,000-strong crowd.

Finally, the time had come for the day's headline act to cure the crowd's cravings for nostalgia with over 60 years of music packed into just 90 minutes - a recipe for success by any calculation. Twisting and shouting their way past the '50s, the crowd were momentarily transformed into rockers as Black Sabbath, Queen, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin anthems scattered across the '60s and '70s. The momentum only increased as the night went on, with the pristine vocals of Michael Jackson and Prince encapsulating the '80s before the opening chords of Journey's Don't Stop Believin' sent the crowd into rapture. As the '90s passed by, it became clear that this decade really was the pinnacle of pop (and cringe?) with your favourite boy bands and girl groups all featuring.

As the instruments disappeared and the electronic production infused the music of the new millennium, hits from every genre and year were heard: from Daft Punk to The Killers, House Of Pain to Jay-Z and Macklemore to Peking Duk - not a single song failed to hit the mark. That's not to say the set was perfect. Unfortunately for those among us who had attended shows in the past, the setlist was almost identical; surely a yearly revamp beyond the addition of the most recent year's hits is not too much to ask? And while it's possible he may have been referring to Sydnee Carter, the 19-year-old vocalist who assisted with live vocals for a couple of songs, it sounded very much like he had forgotten what city he was in as he repeatedly thanked 'Sydney' (and the singer did not appear to be on stage at these moments).

If the increased scale of this year's event is anything to go by, this is probably not the last we'll see of Hot Dub Wine Machine. Aside from a few minor pitfalls, the event provided the goods as music lovers young and old pooled together to enjoy a boogie for the ages.