DASHVILLE SKYLINE

October 4-6th, 2024

Hunter Valley, NSW

This was the tenth year of the cosmic country celebration that is Dashville Skyline, in the exquisite surrounds of Wonnarua Country in Belford, Hunter Valley, and it was another exceptional long weekend of music and catching up with friends new and old. 

A slight layout tweak meant that instead of the two main Townes Hall and Willie Wall stages being side by side, they were split, with the latter taking up residence smack dab in the middle of the festival grounds, making it the perfect central focal point, nestled between the merch building and the bar. This meant there was what MC Ben Quinn coined ‘the great migration’ as the dusty, grinning punters traveled between stages after each act, or diverted across to the western side of the festival to The Grateful Shed. Due to the on-ground temperatures over the weekend the indoor space gave off the humid vibe of a giant sauna crossed with a traveling revival revue tent, constantly packed for two-step dance lessons, in-the-round performances, workshops and more.

Musically the highlights were aplenty with personal faves Rose City Band including two hypnotic sets of psychedelic country where The Grateful Dead and West Coast psychedelia met kosmiche yacht rock. Led by the eternally chilled Ripley Johnson. Like fellow US countrymen, the revelatory Uncle Lucius, they integrated themselves into the Dashville spirit, the audience responding with enthusiasm as both graduated from nighttime small stage sets to larger stage afternoon sets with bigger crowds who has clearly heard the buzz about both acts. Hurray For The Riff played a slightly restrained set but still proved unequivocally why their The Past Is Still Alive album is one the year’s finest Americana releases.

One of the magical things about Dashville is the freewheeling and far-reaching demographic the festival attracts. From crawling toddlers to octogenarians, freaks to the mild mannered, part of the fun is kicking back and just talking it all in, the weird and wonderful, the retirement age party-goers and the teenagers revelling in the adventure of a loosely governed escape from daily life. It all connects with the diversity and acceptance, the goodwill and courtesy that everyone shares.

Saturday’s highlights were aplenty, with Small Town Romance easing the slowly emerging campers into another hot and sunny day with their melodic Americana sound – heartfelt and engaging. Jeb Cardwell enhanced his reputation as an expansive gun guitarist and Andy Golledge was the perfectly placed link between the daytime laidback atmosphere and the increasingly energised run towards sunset. Ella Hooper proved she’s equally at home as an accomplished Americana artist as she is a rock/pop singer. Enthusiasm galore, a super strong voice and a killer band for her fine songs made for a rousing audience. 

The highlight of the Saturday evening was Emma Donovan, showing us what an upbringing immersed in country, soul, gospel and r&b can sound like when it’s channelled through a voice and spirit such as Emma’s. Playing songs from her childhood, tracks from her excellent recent album and more, it made for a special and transcendent set.

Day Three and everyone looks settled-in, familiar faces around each corner was they moved from food trucks to bars, market stalls to kids play areas. Weathered by sun and dust, ears abuzz from nearly 20 hours of music at this point. Even if one is feeling a tad worn out, that quickly changes as the music kicks into gear. Leroy MacQueen was an early revelation. With a punk irreverence and charm, they brilliantly channeled Orville Peck, Springsteen and Chris Isaak, with covers standing toe to toe with originals. David M. Western was another of the many Victorians that made the trek north and he showed why his album On, On & On is so damn good, rolling slacker sounds mixing jangle and twang, like Townes Van Zandt and MJ Lenderman covering Pavement songs. There are new recordings on the way too!

Grace Petrie played a superb main stage set, with protest folk music, a sharp wit and personal, poetic songs that challenged and championed identity, personal expression, political failings and more. Grace was a firm crowd favourite, confirmed by the long queue to meet her at the merch desk.

Much like Emma Donovan, Shane Howard connected the land and the waters to his songs and the spirit of the festival, playing an impressive set where songs from across his storied career had equal impact with the iconic ‘Solid Rock’. Magpie Diaries always throw a fun party in their own backyard, a release of the stress and incredibly hard work of creating a music festival, and that joy and exuberance shone through as always. They too have new music on the boil which is great news.

On a personal note it was great to catch up with friends and industry compadres such as Areatha of Mother Hen Touring, publicist extraordinaire Jo Corbett, Luke from Cheatin’ Hearts Records, Adam Simon, Amanda Rose (Flop Eared Mule, Eastside Radio), Kaz Waters (ABC Country, Red Rebel Music) plus connect with fine folk such as Mike Tucak, over from from RTRFM in WA and a plethora of stellar musicians.

So… ten years! From humble beginnings and a plan to celebrate cosmic country, folk music, blues and rock ’n’ roll, the festival continues to prove itself as the perfect blend of adventure, heartfelt optimism, love, respect, good vibes and brilliant music. They celebrate the trailblazers (Slim Dusty, Archie Roach etc) raise up the newcomers just starting to build their audience and inject the perfect amount of high quality international talent into the mix. As other festivals sadly stumble and struggle, Skyline continues to gather its people and protect and enhance its inherent musical and moral values.