BACK again for its second year, FKA Festival hit the Hunter Valley's Hope Estate on Saturday.
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Although temperatures reached a high of around 30 degrees, a constant breeze throughout the day cooled the festival goers as they settled out onto the estate's grassy hill preparing for an evening of fun and dance.
The smooth dance beats of Perth's Elk Road welcomed the crowd into the festival. Known for his upbeat electronic remixes he incorporated both his own music, such as 2018 hit Ghost, and a remix of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army.
A crowd favourite was his 2016 Triple J Like A Version rendition of Flight Facilities' Crave You which sampled the well-known guitar riff from Tame Impala's The Less I Know The Better.
Next up was Eves Karydas. The Queensland-born, indie pop artist lit up the stage with her smooth vocals and signature dance moves. Playing songs from her 2018 debut album Summerskin such as Couch and Balance, she incorporated a cover of Post Malone's Sunflower and finished up her set with arguably her most famous track, Further Than The Planes Fly, which got the crowd dancing and singing along, before signing off with a broad, "Thank you New South Wales!"
For a rather drastic change of pace, viral pub-rock sensations The Chats drew in the crowds as they took to the stage. The band engaged the fans with comedic comments between songs, such as explaining the lyrics to their tunes The Clap and Ross River.
Although the Sunshine Coast lads' lyrics and song titles may seem absurd to some, no one can deny the musical talent and showmanship. During their hit song Smoko, lead guitarist Josh Price ran through the crowd and even ended up on the shoulders of a fan, all the while still playing his guitar perfectly in sync with the band.
Finishing up with Pub Feed, The Chats solidified their stance as one of the crowd favourites of the entire festival.
As the sun began to set behind the valley, Sydney's Lime Cordiale brought their signature electro-indie to the stage. Playing a mix of songs from their 2017 album Permanent Vacation and newer EPs, the band got the crowd moving and grooving to favourites Naturally and Dirt Cheap, which both featured an impressive trombone and clarinet interlude.
For a '90s throwback the band played their recently-released Triple J Like A Version cover of Divinyls' I Touch Myself, much to the crowd's delight. The band finished with their single Robbery and an old classic Temper Temper confirming their place as one of the best acts of the evening.
Hip-hop artist Allday was up next. Not fazed by the ever growing gale sweeping through the estate, he got the crowd singing along to Sides and Raceway, favourites from his 2017 album Speeding.
He then threw back to some of his older songs such as Claude Monet and Eyes on the Road which were well received by the many diehard fans present. Allday was able to please the masses by incorporating many freestyle rap covers of popular hip-hop and R'n'B songs such as Childish Gambino's 3005, The Notorious B.I.G's Hypnotize and Nelly's Ride With Me, all of which got the crowd singing and dancing.
As the final rays of sunlight disappeared and the chill of the wind began to sweep down the grassy hill, Safia's electronic pop beats drew in the last of the remaining crowd close to the stage.
Featuring a spectacular light show, the Canberra three-piece band captivated the audience with their rendition of their 2016 hit Make Them Wheels Roll, featuring a lengthy electric guitar solo, and a cover of Britney Spears's Oops I Did It Again.
Embracing the crowd's warm reception, Safia got everyone singing to Counting Sheep then finished off with a bang on My Love Is Gone - another highlight of the evening.
Finally, headliners The Rubens took to the stage to close FKA. It was a change of pace from Safia's upbeat dance music, the indie-soul band started slow, with a rendition of their 2012 track The Best We Got.
The Rubens battled the cold as they put twists on their most popular music from their 2016 album Hoops which, for better or for worse depending on your music taste, made them sound similar to their most recent album.
A definite highlight was when the Rubens were joined by vocalist Lauren Azar to help out with Never Ever, a 2018 song which reached No.21 on the ARIA singles charts.
The Rubens then closed FKA Festival with the song that got them onto Triple J and started their enormous careers, Lay It Down.
Overall, FKA Festival 2019 brought a wide range of people to Pokolbin's Hope Estate for an afternoon of festivities and dancing.
From the comedic, punk rock set of The Chats to the smooth rhymes of rapper Allday, the festival really did cover a broad selection of music styles and catered to the masses.
