PHOTOS BY MONIKA SMITH
REVIEW BY MONIKA SMITH
NOTES BY MELISSA POOLMAN

**THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM - PHOTO BY MONIKA SMITH**

First things first. To the organisers, the promoters and everyone involved in creating Next Exit Festival.

BRAVO! What a well put together festival that went off without a hitch from start to finish.

As we lined up it seemed somewhat surreal to be in a line that was going in to a festival. The rain lightly drizzled upon the waiting patrons as many scrambled to put on ponchos to shelter from the icy rains.

A rather large portion of people showed up early which was magnificent to see especially for an opening act. Which was the absolutely incredible Clews. Clews drew the crowd in closer to the stage. Fronted by sisters Lily and Grace Richardson who originally hail from Mollymook now residing in Sydney treating the early arrivals to their hauntingly beautiful Indie Pop Rock vibes.

Lily jumped up and down in sync with the crowd which amped up everyone even more.
As the breeze carried one of their first songs “Crushed” over the dancing people in the audience you could see massive beaming smiles on everyone’s faces as they connected with the band and the people around them. While it was still sprinkling a little bit; the blue sky snuck back into view.

**SUPER PUMPED CROWD - PHOTO BY MONIKA SMITH**

After a quick change over by stage hands the infectious Merci Mercy took to the stage starting strong off the already soaring crowd's good mood by diving in to “Falling Apart”. You couldn’t knock the beaming smile off Merci Mercy’s face if you tried. Picking up a ukulele to serenade the crowd it all matched with the now beautiful day in Gosford.

With a little mishap starting to a new song, it got the band and the crowd laughing before they fully kicked in to a song she wrote because her mother told her she was drinking too much so she thought “FUCK YOU” and wrote about an Alcohol Free Day.

You could tell how grateful she was to be on the stage especially when she got to wave to her brother in the crowd and he was enthusiastically greeted by everyone around him.
Finishing off her set with “Fucked myself up on purpose, 'Cause too much is never enough, What is it you want from me, This shit don't come so easily!”

**SOME PEOPLE IN THE CROWD CHILLING WAITING FOR THE NEXT SET - PHOTO BY MONIKA SMITH**

Dear Seattle took the stage as it was getting darker. At this point the crowd had a few drinks in their bellies and were rather enthusiastic, but who wouldn’t be with the energy from such a band as them? The band chewed up the energy of the crowd and spat it back out at them like a rotating tornado.

**DEAR SEATTLE - PHOTO BY MONIKA SMITH**

The band were jumping and thriving on the crowd which was jumping up and down throwing their hands in the air eating up and living in the moment of live music.

The band played their Like A Version Triple J cover of Missy Higgins’ “Special Two” which everyone sang along to.
Brae Fisher dedicated everything he learnt and knows about music from his father who passed away in a tragic surfing accident when he was 6 years old kicking in to their track “I Keep Dreaming”
Finishing their set with “Daytime TV” on a massive high of rocking out all over the stage to match everyone cutting loose in the crowd.

**SOME OF THE FRIENDLY FACES IN THE CROWD - PHOTO BY MONIKA SMITH**

Spacey Jane took to the stage and as soon as they took the stage everyone was drawn away from the food and drink stalls the second the band banged out their first note.

As ‘Skin’ swept over the crowd with Caleb's voice dancing across the audience “Call it off, it's raining in the summertime, I'm careless and I'm breathing in, I'm running wild, Hope it's easing up, 'Cause it's filling up all the empty cups, But it's better them than the rest of us, Hope it's easing up”

The crowd all moved together swaying in unison, jumping up and down as one, and on the outskirts of the massive crowd people grooved and floated while playing stuck in the mud from the earlier rains.
The moment they began to play ‘Feeding The Family’ people clambered onto their friends' shoulders and there was a sea of mobile phones in the air recording the memory from their set.

The band also interacted in the most obviously happy way to be back in front of crowds. As Peppa Lane and Ashton Le Cornu began a dance battle with each other twisting, turning and in between singing breaks Caleb joined them for one of the best highlights of the night just to see people doing what they were meant to do be doing. Finishing the night off evening with ‘Good For You’. Kieran and the whole band just looked so accomplished with beaming smiles from their flawless set.

**ALL SMILES AT NEXT EXIT FESTIVAL GOSFORD - PHOTO BY MONIKA SMITH**

Angus Goodwin, Nic Blom, Lach Galbrait, Mitch Galbraith & Tom O'Brien walked on stage Having played in Gosford a few times now Ocean Alley were enthusiastically greeted by a boisterous and vocal crowd. Baden Donegal has a dominating presence on stage and you could tell the moment he stepped foot on it and the crowd saw him.

The energy escalated even further. “Melted wax on the seats inside, Fingers crossed, this old girl can make it, Cover your eyes, now the sky is burning, Grip that chair so tightly, might break it” danced in the ears of the punters as they moved as if they were one giant tree and its branches were being playfully swirled around by a gust of air.

A few of the bands tonight played some cover songs but Ocean Alley bust out with some Pink Floyd which was met with equal appreciation from everyone. At one point during the set the band was drowned out completely by the crowd singing their songs in unison. “I think she knows, and I think she knows, She's making me nervous, she's making me nervous, I think she knows, and I think she knows, She's out of my league, 'Cause it's all about confidence baby” echoed out across Gosford Racecourse into the darkened skies with the moon floating above. As the lights from the stage created shadows and highlighted the faces of the punters.

You could see them all singing along and you could hear the chorus of vocals with not one single person standing still.
The rest of their set was absolutely perfect set which totally rounded out the most spectacular festival I have been to for a while.