Hidden betweenย anย Officeworks and a Bing Lee in the industrial suburb of Belconnen in Canberra,ย The Basoย didnโt seemย toย be a viable space to host Essence Festival 2024 an entire two-day music event, especiallyย givenย the current climate for live events.ย
And yet,ย the inaugural Essenceย Festival managed toย defyย theย odds and succeed inย gatheringย an exciting line-up of local โheavy musicโ,ย fallingย somewhere between the lines of a music festival experience and rough-around-the-edges barย night.ย
The festivalย was jam-packedย withย continuousย musicย on both days,ย alongsideย someย subtle extracurricular experiences.ย Artists alternated between two stages โย the bigger stage in the main roomย equipped with a backing screen, and a smallerย more intimateย stageย on the side.
It was a welcome relief from theย usualย festivalย dilemma of schedule clashes, thoughย theย non-stopย line-upย meantย missing outย onย an act to take a breather,ย as well asย the potential of goingย onย a three-hour benderย to see desired acts. The sets were admittedly condensed,ย all falling between 30 and 45 minutesย to keep in line with the rigid timetable, but as suchย it set the stage for two nights ofย exposure and exploration.ย
The first nightย felt like anย ode to theย localย metalย scene,ย featuringย acts from across the spectrum.ย Midnight Odysseyย played ethereal black metal, alongsideย Subterranean Disposition,ย who played a deconstructed blend of doom and dark ambient completeย withย a saxophone solo.ย Evenย Essence Festival organiser, Dan Nahumโs own band,ย Altarsย joined inย with a bout of death metal โย a reminder that Essence had been organised from within the community.ย
Highlight of the nightย wasย Impetuous Ritual, who arrivedย in leather playing an intense black metal set, butย kept a sense of humourย asย every break between songsย was a non-verbalย discussion with the sound techs.ย Australian death metal pioneers,ย Abramelinย closed theย nightย withย aย pummellingย setย that felt like a celebration of the local death metal scene.ย
The second dayย startedย much earlier at 3pm andย was more expansive, withย many acts departing from theย metalย band format that had dominatedย the night before. Itย wasย anย open day for the non-metalheads to come out and exploreย adjacentย genres like industrial and noiseย through aย range of artists.ย
On the main stage,ย Caustic Gripย caught many off guard through their athletic EBM beats and a tinge of 80s nostalgia with old Transformers animation footage that gave all the metalheads something to dance to and reminisce about.ย
Melbourne doom veteransย Whitehorseย played to their strengths on the main stage with a loud set featuring a lot of old material for an appreciative crowd that was clamouring for it. The whole festival finished off with a trippy black metal set from Spire, who delivered one last auditory blast.ย
Sow Discord, the solo project of Whitehorse electronics member David Coen, was the highlight of the night for this reviewer, with a hip-hop tinged set of heavy industrial beats that managed to reel in everyone in a way that truly personified Essence Music Festival.ย
Meanwhileย on the smaller stage,ย Black Alephย played a chilled-out doom metal set,ย featuringย a cello andย aย daf.ย Blood of a Pomegranateโsย sensationalย blend of Armenian folk and industrial wasย crowned byย an electric dudukย and choral-chanting over aย noisyย wall-of-sound.ย The single international act of the night,ย Mondernteย from Iceland,ย played a spiritual, reflective set mixing ancientย Nordicย chantingย and distorted guitar.
Essence rounded out the festival experience at The Baso withย Ghostyโsย stall of spooky painted dolls and plenty of band merch.ย The Basoโs incredible aesthetic and decoration, featuringย a set of 70s hard rock-themed pinball machines, an impressive collection of guitars tied to the ceiling and even aย playableย table made from the innards of a piano, also helped set the scene.
Read: Performance review: The Dilly Dally of Death and Dying, Trades Hall
All in all, Essence Festival managed to pull through with a grassroots festival dedicated to heavy musicย that put Canberra on the cultural mapย andย this ambition truly paid off.ย Essence wasย made for metalheads by metalheads, but with its dynamic line-up, itย keptย the door open forย musicย explorers, and if given the patience, everyone in attendance would have found something new and exciting.
Essence Festival ran from 27-28 September.
