Dashville celebrated a decade of Skyline over the October long weekend with a fantastic line-up of music, magic and a little bit of mayhem.
The popular Cosmic Country Weekender didn’t disappoint the legions of faithful fans, many of whom have been to all ten Skyline festivals, and others who made this year their first of what we predict will be many pilgrimages to the well-organised festival site at Lower Belford.
It’s taken us two weeks to come back to earth and collect our thoughts on the 10th birthday of this iconic Country and Americana music festival and are now ready to share our list of ten things we love about Skyline.
1) SKYLINE HELPS TO PUT LOCAL ARTISTS ON THE MAP
Celebrating and elevating local music is part of the DNA of all festivals at Dashville. When it comes to the line-up of Skyline, Magpie and the Dashville crew always go to great lengths to showcase the diversity of talent in the Country, Folk, Blues and alt-country scene in the Hunter.
Every night of the 2024 festival saw a local act shining bright amongst a festival line-up of heavy hitters from across Australia and overseas. Local songstress, Piper Butcher returned to the Dashville stage as one of the first artists of the festival on Friday with a new look and feel following her stint on the reality music show, Australian Idol, with a polished new look and some killer new tracks. The unofficial king of Skyline, and talented local singer and songwriter, William Crighton didn’t disappoint when he came to the stage to take his usual spot as a top-billing artist on the Friday night. Crighton is deservedly a festival favourite and drew a large crowd. But the local stand-out on Friday was undoubtedly Kingsley James and the Forest Keepers. Kingsley captivated the audience in a packed Grateful Shed with this soulful voice and humble stage presence.
Field of Crows woke up the dusty crowd with their guitar-driven sound in their debut Skyline performance on Saturday, and Good Corn Liquor brought a sense of celebration and fun to the Grateful Shed on Saturday night, with the packed crowd jumping and jigging along to the bluegrass sounds.
Leroy Macqueen, frontman of local iconic duo The Gooch Palms, got his country swoon on Sunday morning and Magpie Diaries were well placed to settle the crowd before the big finale of another stellar Skyline.
2) THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Even if you don’t consider yourself a lover of Country, Blues, or Americana, you know that you will have a great time at Skyline because of the thoughtful curation of the artists that are included in the daily and whole festival line-ups. Skyline also has a unique festival vibe compared to other more traditional Country music events, which adds to its appeal to a broader audience.
When you have had enough of live music, or want to mix it up, there is always something else to see or get involved with. Dashville festivals are renowned for offering workshops to spark creativity and teach new skills, activities for the kids and free Yoga sessions for punters to stretch and bend their way into the mornings after a big night of music and fun.
At this year’s Skyline bush poetry, guitar workshops, open mic sessions and Two Step dance classes were welcome additions to a jam-packed schedule.
3) YOU’LL LEAVE WITH A BROADER PLAYLIST
You are guaranteed to leave a Skyline festival with some new additions to your music playlist and with a new appreciation for music styles that are not usually on your music menu.
New additions to our playlist from this year’s Skyline are the sweet accordion sounds and classic Country harmonies of Small Town Romance, and the grungy Americana sound of established Texan outfit Uncle Lucius, who blew the crowd away with their powerful live performance and musicianship on Saturday and Sunday.
4) YOU TICK ICONIC ARTISTS OFF YOUR MUSICAL BUCKET LIST
Every year Magpie and the crew make sure that there are masters of their craft celebrated and showcased as part of the Skyline line-up.
This year was next level with the special celebration for the festival’s 10th birthday, with the inclusion of Australian music icons Shane Howard of Goanna fame, and the boss – Ross Wilson.
Ross Wilson and the Peacenicks were well placed near the top of the bill on Saturday night. Wilson wowed the crowd with his vigour, smooth voice and a rockin’ set that included hits from his expansive career including songs from Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock and his celebrated solo career. If you have never seen this celebrated Aussie songwriter live before, make sure you make the time when he is in town next. At 76 years young, he showed that you are never too old to celebrate your love for music.
5) EVERYONE BELONGS AT SKYLINE
Skyline is a festival for people who appreciate music and for being in the company of other people who love music, no matter your age.
It’s always lovely seeing young punters, older punters and families with little ones coming together, communing thanks to their love of music and good times.
Dashville is a safe space for all types, people of any interests, backgrounds and ages. It’s a winning formula that keeps the punters coming back year after year.
6) THE ORGANISERS ARE NOT AFRAID TO SHAKE THINGS UP
This year’s Skyline was jam-packed with more music and activities than in recent years, with the team switching up the festival set-up for the milestone anniversary.
The addition of extra stages and performance spaces meant there was so much more to see and do than at previous Skylines. Having to move from stage to stage to see as many acts as you could also added to the special vibe of the festival, as you got to chat with people moving between stages or see bands in smaller, more intimate spaces which added to the sense of adventure and created some special festival memories.
The lucky punters who squeezed into the Grateful Shed on Friday night to see Rock-a-billy favourite 19-Twenty in the will understand. The buzz around the festival about their rollicking performance meant the three-piece had a huge crowd for their outdoor gig on the Saturday night.
This year’s set-up was a homage to the early days of Skyline. We hope the organisation and the spoilt-for-choice schedule become a regular feature of the festival in the future.
Another special addition to the 2024 Skyline was the inclusion of the In The Round Sessions, where three established musicians and songwriters played acoustic versions of their songs loosely following a common theme. The Friday night performance by Melody Pool, William Alexander and Jeff Lang was a standout.
7) WE’RE ALL OLD FRIENDS AT SKYLINE
We love that artists are keen to return to Skyline and are just as keen as the punters to get amongst it, join the crowd to be part of the festival experience and share a yarn with passers-by.
It’s part of the Skyline charm that a list of artists is keen to keep coming back year after year to once again be part of this special festival’s story. Return visitors Watty Thompson and Andy Golledge were deserved crowd favourites. Watty and his band got the small crowd on Thursday night gigging and smiling, and Andy and his band played the smaller stage on Saturday afternoon bringing their usual sense of fun, and pumping up the crowd for another big night of music.
8) HOW’S THE SERENITY
Skyline is always a little smaller than its big sister festival Gumball, which is held at Dashville on the Anzac Day long weekend. There is always lots of space for everyone at Skyline to spread out, bring their caravans, and vans and set up comfortable campsites so they can fully enjoy the weekend in the beautiful bushland setting.
The hot showers and the fact that you bring your own food and drinks into the campgrounds also add to the unique nature of this special festival. You also don’t need to bring your own food, as there is always a range of food trucks and well-stocked bars offering everything from beers to wine and cocktails on site.
9) DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY MATTER AT SKYLINE
Women and First Nations artists are always included in the Skyline line-up, as are emerging and established artists, or people who are young and old.
The Dashville ethos of creating a safe space for all punters and creatives, and ensuring that all types of talents are showcased, should be applauded. Inclusion and diversity are established elements of the Skyline and Dashville brand, which means that even at a time when it is hard for promoters and organisers to turn a profit from events and festivals, the Dashville crew can continue to push the boundaries of what types of music and acts they include in the festival line-ups because that is what the punters expect. We love that.
10) BEN QUINN
It’s not a Dashville festival unless the Hunter’s biggest and most lyrical music fan, Ben Quinn is at the helm as the emcee. Ben’s depth of love for music is evident as the gregarious and charming emcee of Skyline. Punters love his laconic introductions of artists and the Morning Constitutional events when Ben talks music with the artists or other people associated with the music industry are a must-see for any Skyline festival goer. This year Ben’s chat with Watty Thompson, when Watty played acoustic versions of his catchy and emotive tunes, was well worth dragging yourself out of bed for. When Watty played the song he wrote about his recently departed Mum, he touched the small crowd and drew a tear from the eyes of many. Another magic Skyline moment.
