There’s something really special about an outdoor summer festival. It’s a place where music lovers gather, united by their desire to get among their favourite artists, sweat it out, get lost in a sea of bodies and just party.

Because summer festivals are a place where even your most deep-seated worries seem to slip away, and you’re caught up in a blissful whirlwind of a tiny alternative universe. A place where the beer tastes sweeter, the music is always louder and it’s just all about the good times. This is exactly what happened during another installment of the ever-growing Sugar Mountain Festival for 2017.

The sweet sounds of Jaala filled the air as punters began to pile into the Victorian College of the Arts for another sweet run of the tune-fuelled escapade that is Sugar Mountain, the VCA transformed into a maze of just the right amount of chaos with festival goers continually flowing from stage to stage (or in some cases, theatres), chasing tunes.

Speaking of tunes, the Belligerents are a band that are really tailor-made for the festival stage and frontman Lewis Stephenson never fails to bring his very own personal brand of party, getting punters on their feet early and kicking off the day on the right foot. Although crowds were initially caught up by the likes of Moses Sumney, by the time ‘Caroline’ filled the transformed urban space, gig kids were packed in, bopping their sweaty heads along to a killer Australian band.

Looking at both the timetable and lineup, it was incredibly tempting for punters hunting the big names to simply find their spot on Dodds Street and passively enjoy an onslaught of great tunes, only leaving, of course, to brace the lines for yet another mid strength beer or two. A clash-heavy middle section, however, had punters fighting for snippets of sound.

Perth kids Methyl Ethel were smooth and, in blending together hits like their latest offering ‘No. 28’ with on-point hipster nonchalance, their set was the perfect backdrop to the afternoon. But punters on the hunt for something darker packed in for KUČKA, brooding along with the set on the movement stage.

There’s always a sense of warm and fuzzy that comes with seeing punters take a chance on a relatively new act, particularly at such a stacked festival. But to see that same artist really crush their set takes that feeling to the ultimate next level and, in the case of Sugar Mountain, that title was most definitely awarded to Jack River.

Despite competing with Aussie heavyweights Big Scary, the small town artist packed out the Theatre stage, treating festival goers to some incredibly catchy indie-pop. The crowd was a distinct mix of day one fans hugging every word – as well as the front rail – blended with those who just really wanted to access to whatever was going at the packed stage, which at one point had completely reached capacity.

Despite her relatively new brush with triple j rotation, the up and coming Aussie artist proved she’s no stranger to the stage, performing an incredibly solid set impressing every corner of the crowded room. In closing out, Jack River was gracious, taking time to thank fans for their support before belting out “the one and only track you’ve probably heard of mine,” ‘Palo Alto’.

But it was really UK MC Little Simz that provided the most impressive set of the day, and her performance could not have come at a better time – that key time slot in the day where the sun is starting to fall behind buildings and you’re just starting to catch onto the harsh reality that comes with spending a full day in the sun. But Little Simz was not only showing no signs of slowing down, she refused to let any punter fall behind.

Leaving nothing side of stage, she continually egged the crowd on, propelling the rest of the festival into overdrive. It was really the kind of set that did its best to remind you that the headliners are not just tied to set times. It’s about the hype, passion and performance, and Little Simz delivered.

Both Pantha Du Prince and Slum Sociable capitalised on this resurgence of energy, meshing together bodies and blending beats, pleasing all punters. But come 9:40pm, the moment that it seemed every single punter had been waiting for finally arrived. It was the moment that fuelled the murmurs through the packed crowds throughout the day: The Avalanches, who had stepped up to replace missing headliner Blood Orange.

Collectively, they really brought the live factor back to their performance, squashing any hint of the unsatisfactory comeback gigs of recent memory. Blending the best parts of Since I Left You with Wildflower, The Avalanches not only gave the crowd what they wanted, but they gave one hell of a performance, closing out Sugar Mountain 2017 in pure style.

Although it may not be as prominent on the festival radar as some of the bigger summer parties, Sugar Mountain turned it up and gave Melbourne punters the opportunity to cram in and jam out to some incredible artists. Despite the hurdle presented by their missing headliner, Sugar Mountain 2017 was another Australian festival success story, and will hopefully be back in 2018 bigger and better.

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