2014 — Meredith History

This one was a bit hot, particularly on the second day.

But fairly excellent weather really.

It managed to lodge in the memory bank nonetheless, as it was the first one Chris Nolan had missed since 1996, the year of his life changing illness. Chris spent quite a bit of time in the ICU in 2014, and found himself back in there again not long before Meredith.
Mary Nolan wrote in the Owner’s Manual:

“With Chris very ill in emergency, the ambo who’d brought him in with emotion said, ‘Nolesy I knew as soon as I went into your room who you were. I just want to thank you for starting MMF and what an amazing experience it is for so many of us. It’s a highlight of my year’.

In ICU, a couple of nurses were MMF punters or knew him. All gave Chris identity other than just ‘a severe ABI’ who, if he/she can’t talk, is often thought to be ‘not there’ with no identity or purpose.

Despite unwellness, Chris’s face and that of the other person lit up in these experiences.”

A very big get well soon card was put up against the Nolan stand, with many leaving messages of support and gratitude.

24-Meredith was the year of the Emu, but also the year of the couch.

Local artist Mark Cutherbertson produced a life-sized and concrete couch and side table that was, and still is, out of the front of the pub on the Midland Highway corner.

He did it by first creating a giant silicon mould and then a second mould of the first mould that could hold the weight of the concrete.

Thanks to Mark and the Golden Plains Shire for getting it together and continuing to look after it over the years.

2014 was the first year that we met with Wadawurrung elders out on the site, who took us on a tour to share a bunch of their knowledge about the vegetation and landscape.

The Sunset Strip bar had it’s first go around at this one, the old caravan that had been used for other pursuits converted into a ragtag bar to provide sustenance to the now large crowds congregating on Sunset Strip to clap the sun below the horizon.

Just don’t lean too hard on it, as the wheels might fall off.

If you wanted to see the sunset below the horizon, you’d have to take a ride on the Meredith Eye.

And this year it was free.
Free free free.

Which meant it became even more popular. I can highly recommend going for a spin (it’s a giant Ferris Wheel) if you’ve never been.

And if you wanted to take a ride on a bus, you could do that this year too with the introduction of the Supernatural Express, with picks up and puts down in Melbourne and Geelong.

A truly fabulous thing that means less cars on the road and in the campgrounds.

Big thanks to all the bus takers, as well as Doug & Fay McFarlane and Dale McIntyre for driving and organising all the buses over the years.

And the artists?

This was a period of near peak NZ, with Tiny Ruins, Jen Cloher and Marlon Williams all leaving their undeniable stamp on The Sup’ at this one, just as Aldous Harding would do at GP in a couple of months.

The War on Drugs rode a wave of enthusiasm to deliver a wave of euphoria on the Friday night, despite a few issues with the sound waves.

Jagwar Ma played and slayed, the live renditions from their album Uncertainty perfectly suited to the Nolan farm.

The War On Drugs - live at The Meredith Music Festival 2014

Jagwar Ma - live at The Meredith Music Festival 2014

The Lemonheads featuring Courtney Barnett - live at The Meredith Music Festival 2014

Saturday afternoon featured the now mildly famous Ghostface Killah set, which had been going along ok, with maybe a little bit of a disconnect between performer and audience, until Dylan Alcott managed to crowd surf his way to the front and make it on stage.

Along with a young fella from Geelong, the two proceeded to nail the verses to Ghostface’s Protect Ya’ Neck.

The ‘Geelong represent’ with which Dylan’s running mate concluded the song turned the whole thing into the surprise hit of the weekend.

Otherwise Saturday was mostly defined by the back to back joy of The Skatalites into De La Soul.

The former had been in service for fifty years at this point and were ten strong on stage, dancing almost as hard as those in the crowd. De La Soul were celebrating 25 years in the game, and were clearly very happy to be here.

Weren’t we all – Satuurrdaaaaay.

De La Soul - live at The Meredith Music Festival 2014

Ghostface Killah - live at The Meredith Music Festival 2014

Other highlights included Blank Realm, Sleep and Bombay Royale on the Friday, and Cloud Nothings hot afternoon set on the Saturday.

Sleep ran with the heat and turned it up a notch, with an almighty rendition of Dopesmoker that they managed to condense without losing (or finding) the thread.

Another highlight that needs mentioning was the marriage proposal that happened at the end of The Gift, which featured Meredith’s very own Tors, who can still be found doing many wonderful things in the Helpers department.

This year’s notable tidbit is the “Little House on the Prius” that long time Meredith attendee Jimbo from Moe brought along to this one. Apparently he built it owing to the vagaries of the weather at Meredith the last few years, wanting some protection from rain and sun.

The canary he got on the way home was a small price to pay.

Who Played?

The War On Drugs Tiny Ruins Ty Segall De La Soul Mark Lanegan Jagwar Ma Factory Floor Augie March Sleep James Holden Live Mia Dyson Ghostface Killah The Skatalites Jen Cloher Phosphorescent Cloud Nothings The Lemonheads The Bombay Royale Vakula Silence Wedge Painters and Dockers Blank Realm Sun God Replica City of Ballarat Municipal Brass Band The Harpoons Teeth & Tongue The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra Misty Nights DJ Phil Smith Marlon Williams Master Song Tai Chi Krakatau Hard-Ons Special Guest MC: Jess McGuire Gift Mistresses: The Town Bikes

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