Homebake 09

A touch late, but I've finally got around to writing about Homebake last weekend. It was the 15th anniversary of Homebake, and you'd think after 15 years, they'd have got the basics right. No so much. They still can't manage to get people in smoothly - the queue was about half an hour long at 2pm, when the gates opened at 11am.

The recycling policy is a farce - it means a bottle of water costs $5, and while you get a $1 voucher if you return the empty bottle, that can only be used at the bar. Oooohhhh the bar, there are 4 bars, which is vastly inadequate for the crowd. We are talking up to 45min queues to buy a beer. There is nowhere near enough security to stop people jumping the queue, and there is no-one managing the queue once people finally reach the bar. The bar staff were disorganised. They kept running out of stuff and having to go through all the available options with each person, making the whole process even slower.

Then, at the end of the night, they don't open up the fences, everyone has to file out a small exit, which took 10 or 15 minutes. The whole experience is one of unnecessary control and inconvenience.

Still, the music was good. Tim Finn was the surprise standout for me. I've seen him on TV a few times in the last few years and he hasn't inspired me, but he had everyone dancing and I loved it. Sarah Blasko was lovely, the music was beautiful and her voice was divine, but for all that, it didn't grab me and I wandered off. I don't really know why.

Earlier Eskimo Joe were as good as they always were, the only real surprise being a bit of swearing. They're normally so nice!

Powderfinger were also predictably good, but they played mostly stuff off the two most recent albums. Neither of those albums have really inspired me, so I enjoyed it, but wasn't overly enthused with it.

It was a good day, but I think it will be my last Homebake. I'm over the bad organisation, and paying $7 for crappy, often warm, festival beer. I'm over spending a significant proportion of my day in queues. I'm over being regarded as a problem that needs to be controlled by the organisers.