There's a grand total of four people doing yoga in Central Park as we queue for coffee. It's pleasing to hear campers paying tribute to George Michael (Careless Whisper) as we wander through the campground.
"It's been an amazing way to finish off the year," says Ecca Vandal about her Beyond The Valley set as we enter the Main Stage area, which has been mopped up thanks to a generous dump of hay overnight. Vandal has mad energy, superstar looks and bucketloads of talent.
In Central Park, hip hoppers The Outside Inn are natural showmen. They even try to get staff dancing over in the First Aid tent (and succeed for a couple of moves). The Outside Inn demonstrate a pleasing combination of soulful hooks and rapping with conviction. Then one of them ruins it all by advising, "Don't get any mud in your vagina." What!?
Back over on Main Stage - wow! Montaigne is channelling Amadeus, wearing what appears to be an embroidered chaise lounge that's been upcycled to become a suit with tails and ruffled pirate-shirt cuffs. She's kind of a cross between Katie Noonan and Washington with a bit of Kate Miller-Heidke thrown in. Montaigne plugs two songs she'd love for us to vote for in triple j's Hottest 100 (including 1955, the Hilltop Hoods track she features on). I Am Not An End dazzles and we're glued to the spot with eyes wide and pie holes open.
A helicopter lands near the Luxe camping car park, fuelling rumours that Kendall Jenner and her beau A$AP Rocky are here to see Chance The Rapper.
At about 3.46pm we overhear a young lady gently chastising her inebriated mate, "No more drinks for, like, half an hour." A helicopter lands near the Luxe camping car park, fuelling rumours that Kendall Jenner and her beau A$AP Rocky are here to see Chance The Rapper headlining on Main Stage this evening.
Later on, there's bubbles in the air surrounding Main Stage for The Delta Riggs o'clock. They're going off up there and there's always a feeling that everything could go pear-shaped at any moment with this band, which adds to the excitement. The crowd chant for one of the band members to smoke the suspicious-looking rollie that's dangling from his mouth. He happily obliges. And then The Delta Riggs deliver Bobby's Flowers - flawless. That key change in Supersonic Casualties truly elevates and we're baffled as to why this song wasn't a hit. Frontman Elliott Hammond and co are like early Kasabian at their best right now.
There's a Nana Judy party going on in the Main Stage VIP Bar when DZ Deathrays take the stage and you can always rely on the bang-on Brisbane bros to up the ante. It's a different band configuration now with added riffs from touring guitarist Lachlan Ewbank who joins frontman Shane Parsons and drummer Simon Ridley up on stage. They pour everything they've got out onto that stage and when Ecca Vandal storms the stage to help out on a cover of Sabotage by Beastie Boys there's a whole lotta head-banging going on. Those unfamiliar with DZ Deathrays ask around to discover their band name for further investigation, loads of "who dat?" chatter following their set.
Ladyhawke (Pip Brown to her mates) brings her humble presence to Main Stage and it's mass Dusk Till Dawn singalongs. Her catalogue is 100% pop wonderment and lyrics are withdrawn from memory banks: "Hey!/You're playing with my delirium." We always wish for permission to borrow from Brown's shiny bomber jacket collection and tonight's electric blue item is no exception.
Next up, What So Not drop Innerbloom by Rufus, encouraging punters to jump up on their mate's shoulders. "I want everyone in Melbourne to hear you scream right now," What So Not hollers and the hill is definitely lit.
Most of Zhu's tracks are tailor-made for a festival setting and we find our groove In The Morning. But nothing could prepare us for his epic Thriller remix. Now that's a crowd roar that could be heard from Melbourne! Faded is the perfect track to make moves on that future someone on the dancefloor who may one day become your Hometown Girl (or boy).
Ecca Vandal storms the stage to help out DZ Deathrays on a cover of Beastie Boys' Sabotage — there's a whole lotta head-banging going on.
Before Chance The Rapper's set, the music becomes more exclusively hip hop. We score Snoop Dogg's Beautiful for a bit then Drop It Like It's Hot before Kanye's Gold Digger and I Don't Like. We're ready!
Hmmm, Chance The Rapper is (fashionably?) late. He eventually bounces on stage at 12.15am (advertised start time was 11.49pm). His backing band includes a trumpeter for added verve and drummer Stix Jams (who's right up there with Questlove). The tempo drops for Blessings before a line of mad smoke cannons detonate to the beat across the front of the stage. "Yesterday I was at New Zealand... tonight's my first night in Australia," Chance The Rapper informs, before admitting he's lost his voice and asking for our help when screaming out "God Damn!" He may have lost his voice, but Chance The Rapper is big on the banter tonight. "Let me apologise real quick. I got so excited I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Chance The Rapper and I'm from Chicago, Illinois." He then shows us "jumping": "Do you know how to jump over here?" (Um, we share our Great Southern Land with kangaroos, remember?)
Suddenly there's no sound and we can clearly hear the doof up on the hill. Is he taking an unannounced break? Chance The Rapper returns: "Make some noise if you're here with your boo [pause]. FUCK that... If you know anything about me, you know I hate my ex." Baby Blue, the vitriolic Action Bronson song Chance features on, follows.
"Thank you for your weed," says Chance The Rapper.
Silence again. Punters break into a soccer chant: "Oh-AY-oh-AY-oh-AY-oh-ay!" Once Chance The Rapper returns to the stage, the crowd goes wild for All Night, this cut's "I been drinking all night" lyrics particularly striking a chord. "Thank you for your women - I wanna thank you in advance," Chance The Rapper says cheekily, before adding, "Thank you for your weed." The oversharing continues when we're told he had a great steak earlier today. Chance The Rapper thanks his MD, his "big brother" Stix and the trumpeter. "This is all we got/Music all we got" - Chance The Rapper speaks the truth via All We Got.
Sadly there are no Jenner or A$AP Rocky sightings. That means no free Nana Judy product for you, Kenny!
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