We have to start this review of the fourth annual Hopkins Creek Festival with a tale of Bobby. After recently setting foot in Melbourne from the lands of Europe, he was quickly divulged to about the festival coming up in a few days.

With no hesitation and no way of getting there, Bobby bought a ticket. So desperate to go, Bobby made a sign on a measly piece of paper that said, “HOK INS CREEK”, and it wasn’t long before another legend on his way was in stitches at the sight of him on the street and helped the man get to the festival.

Those legends, among other legends, had a splendid time.

Each year, Hopkins grows in strength. From dedicating the bill to the Little Morocco tea tent with an impressive international and local ambient line-up, to a complete rehaul of fishing attire to deck out the bait shop, there were some pretty special additions to the festival. Here are some of the highlights.

The People  

Hopkins manages to attract a special kind of crowd. They’re usually there for one thing – to enjoy a great weekend away in the company of other good people who also have a delicious music taste.

Whether it’s your first or your fourth festival, the loyalty to the festy will be strong. Loyalty comes in the form of boogieing in a deep layer of fog that forbids you from seeing two feet in front of you. Or it comes in the form of getting stuck in your tent and partying on anyway – like a punter friend who got stuck in his tent during DJ Jnett’s set.

After a quickly needed cat nap, they awoke to the fist-pumping rage of her tunes and wanted to get to stage ASAP. But due to a faulty zipper, he was trapped. But regardless of this, he still had a really great time partying to her outrageously vibing set.

It also comes through the dedication to conjuring up the year’s best anagram – this year definitely beats the last. Herpes Kickon is not contendable. Disagree? Fight me on it with your next best suggestion.

Humorously, the letters were slightly altered last year, featuring artwork with little creatures. Rumour has it, they were built that way to prevent people from fucking with them. I’d recommend they keep the letters – it’s a part of the excitement waiting to see what’s pulled next year.

The Internationals

Some solid internationals were on the line-up this year. Alison Swing was a vibe and a half. Featuring psychedelic screamers, jazz-infused belters and sick spacey rock and roll, she made sure she was only throwing down bass-throttling booty shakers. Not too sure on her choice of playing the worst version of the Beverley Hills Cop Theme Song though, redone by the little shit that I thought I had forgotten – Crazy Frog [sighs].

The Armenian mastermind Dreems played a downtempo, somewhat comedic set as he pestered the crowd to get up and dance, exploring the use of his special effects. I’m surprised the talent didn’t get burnt as he played in the scorching sunlight mid-afternoon on the Sunday. Hats off (literally) to the punter who sacrificed his own hat and gave it to the great man as he played.

The Locals

Now this is a statement that will come as no surprise – the locals really outshone the internationals this year. Not to say that one was any better than the other, but it seems we can be as pleasantly surprised by the new additions of the productions of people who we hear regularly as those who come from across the other side of the world.

Lush Life were ridiculously tight. You only had to witness the eruption of the crowd to agree. Three superpowers joined forces, with Ryan Berkeley, Horatio Luna and On-Ly, to produce the sound of live jazz-house – but you can’t quite restrict it a certain genre. Stellar percussion and synths from Berkeley, with roaring, funky basslines of Horatio and On-Ly’s silky-smooth keys created a magical sound and I can’t wait to see what more they deliver. I’ll be waiting in glee.

Ingrid got the Bait Shop pumping with a super jokes, unapologetic UK Garage set – with more airhorns than thought humanly possible. And an ultimate favourite for the weekend was the Angler’s Club who took us back to the early 2000s with Dizzee Rascal, Moda, the cinematic Masayoshi Takanaka’s Rainbow Goblins and a classic, “Love Is in the Air”, to finish the great weekend off.

The music did feel as though it was leaning towards the heavier side for a majority of the Saturday, so fingers crossed the “Melbourne techno memo” doesn’t reign supreme to accommodate those who like a more melodic and detailed electronic auditory experience. But every sound and taste was accommodated to across the weekend, which can be credited towards the commitment of the team to represent a wide-ranging variety of Australia’s best emerging electronic artists.

The Festival

The team put in a heck of an effort to pull off the weekend. A huge kudos goes to all of those who managed to make it as homely as before. From lighting up the infamous trees by Barry’s Bait Shop, to trekking to an Estate sale to purchase a faithful late fisherman’s lasting fishing attire to deck out the shop, there was a delightful place to kick back no matter what mood you were in. Hopkins Creek remains as one of the best weekends of the year, and I’m getting a bit emotional about it now acknowledging that it’s going to be a long time until the next one.

Pic Cred: Zeazy