KING STREET CRAWL 2022
REVIEW & ALL PHOTOS BY: EMERALD VIOLET
After being pushed back and rescheduled three times due to COVID-19, people were rejoicing when restrictions were lifted and King Street Carnival was locked in to go ahead. But as the time got closer, with just under a week to go, there was the thought in our minds that we were finally out of the woods and it was happening until the severe weather in NSW hit and unfortunately the announcement that the festival had yet again been cancelled hit hard for everyone. With that being said, the event organisers worked super hard and worked closely with the artists to move everything back into venues and create an updated King Street Crawl program which wasn’t a disappointment in the slightest. The King Street Crawl saw 200+ acts over three days across multiple venues and let me tell you now, the vibes were so high during this weekend of great music. So many people came out during the weekend whether they stayed at one venue, or went to multiple it was great to see so many people out and about, enjoying live music again.
The event organisers did a spectacular job at putting on an unforgettable weekend that so many people could enjoy.
Even if you wanted to, it would be impossible to see every single artist that’s playing throughout the weekend. Here are some of the artists that I had the absolute pleasure of seeing.
Groovy rock & roll band Dead Witch always cast a spell on you through their music when performing, no matter what, they always perfectly captivate their audience and get everyone up and having a dance throughout their set. They show good chemistry between each other on stage and are always smiling and just having a good time themselves. Even though only 3/5 of the band could play on Saturday afternoon at The Union Hotel, they made it work and put on a really great show.
Down at The Duke, Johnny Hunter were getting ready to perform as they were one of the secret headliners during the weekend. The venue quickly became full as everyone waited patiently for the show to start. Johnny Hunter are one of those bands that are truly mesmerising, lead vocalist Nick Hutt has an incredible stage presence and knows how to engage with the audience. The vibes were great and there were a lot of dancing happening as the sweet sounds of Johnny Hunter filled the venue up and echoed all around.
Back at The Union, the venue was full to the brim with a line outside that started to form as Salarymen were on stage and playing their hearts out. The five piece brought their A-game and played a great and entertaining show to a huge crowd who enjoyed every second of the set.
Onwards to the next venue The Moshpit, Jess Finlayson (Raising Ravens) played solo and it was nothing but incredible. Her enthralling performance was loud, unapologetic, and powerful which was more than enough to put on a great solo show that certainly echoed through the tiny venue.
Sunday at the Marly saw Moody Beach kick off the day with a set of ambient pop tunes that drew people in and warmed them up, and refreshed them for the rest of the day. Moody Beach made you instantly happy that live music is back and had you appreciating every second of it.
More and more people slowly crept in as Private Function started setting up to play a not so secret headlining set. The vibes were high as the crowd made their way to the front in anticipation for the band to start. What. A. Set. Incredible to say the least. This band gives their all and puts so much energy and force into the performance which had the crowd going off hard, moshing around and yelling out lyrics, it was a wild and fun time.
Bakers Eddy and Towns both brought everyone back down to earth after a rowdy punk gig with their pop punk tracks that made you want to dance. Both of the sets were great and were enjoyed by the ever coming and going people that were running from one venue to another.
Last up at The Marly, The Buoys got ready to play to a packed out room that was full to the brim of an excited crowd. Just when you thought that everyone around must be tired after a huge weekend, The Buoys kicked off hard and fast with huge energy and created an amazing atmosphere that engulfed the sea of people who were singing and dancing their hearts out.
What's better than to have the Newtown streets booming with live music on every corner at different venues. Throughout the weekend, you could really feel the happiness from all the different people who were so grateful to have all this live music back. It really was a killer time and if you didn't get the chance to catch it this year, then I highly recommend catching it next year as you will always find a band or artist that you really enjoy.
