FOMO has certainly been one of the most hyped of the festival season. Our reviewer Jenny Nguyen shares just what went down at the Adelaide event.
Adelaide was hit with a weekend forecast peaking at 40 degrees, but luckily, it cooled down just in time for FOMO Festival. Returning to Adelaide off the back of a successful run in 2017, the line-up boasted high profile international names and a nice selection of homegrown favourites. The one stage show meant no set clashes and saw stage set-ups changed over in record time.
A strong surge of female acts kicked off and truly owned the opening festivities at FOMO. Sydney's Dena Amy enticed the small but growing crowd with her smooth deep house and fiery flicks of vocal energy. Powerhouse producer, Nina Las Vegas brought the goods with her genre-bending production and top picks from NLV records. Kota Banks joined Las Vegas onstage for a live rendition of her infectious summer bop, Holiday, which no doubt features the catchiest chorus of the summer. A true pop-epidemic in the making!
The Kite String Tangle, real name Danny Harley, had a huge set-up with his instruments and hit all the right notes in his performance of tracks from both his EP and debut album. Diving into the prog house stream, Harley's newer sounds were well received by the rowdy festival crowd. Also showing off his new music, UK producer Tourist provided the perfect summer soundtrack best complimented by the stinging, Aussie sun. The effervescent and summer sounds off the U record are both an incessant reminder for the late afternoon sunscreen reapplication but also a poignant marker of the halfway mark of the day!
Singer SZA was undoubtedly the most hyped act on the bill as the festival audience got noticeably bigger when she hit the stage, with killer dance moves to boot. SZA proved herself a modern day saint worth the surrounding hype. She paused through the set to address the safety of a young girl in the audience, before continuing on to cap off 35 minute set with the Travis Scott collab Love Galore.
Post Malone was met with an extra rowdy audience and spent much of his set instructing them to take three steps back. Ultimate groover Kaytranada calmed everybody down with his hip hop inspired tunes. Mixing his favourite inspirations between his own certified bangers, Kaytranada showcased a collection of familiar tunes and super tight remixes.
ZHU continued this energy with his Michael Jackson remix and various shout outs to "Adelaide" which of course, sent everyone wild. Closing off the night with a bang was trap and bass heavyweight, RL Grime. The Aussie festival favourite came bearing confetti and fire cannons to make his set a visually compelling event. RL Grime appropriately ended the night with his Miguel collab, Stay For It, and everyone went absolutely nuts.
FOMO Festival Adelaide was a sold out success in Elder Park, delivering on fronts from music to accessibility and hype.
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