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Live Review: Five things we learnt at FOMO Festival

15 January 2017 | 3:04 pm | Natalie Turner

The second annual FOMO festival hit our shores last weekend making the summer heat our only cause for increased temperature.

FOMO: A terrifying disease that handicaps young Australians in their endeavour to experience all aspects of summer festivals.

At one stage in our lives we have all suffered from this debilitating diagnosis but luckily for us, the second annual FOMO festival returned last weekend, making the summer heat our only cause for increased temperature. Starting off in 2016 as a Brisbane only festival, the one stage extravaganza now reaches three states around Australia giving the thousands of sufferers of FOMO a helping hand in their rehabilitation.

We were lucky enough to attend the Brisbane show that found an epic list of Australian and international artists hit the Riverstage. We found festival punters feeling much better after artists such as FLOSSTRADUMUS, GoldLink, Empire Of The Sun, Desiigner, JME and Slumberjack gave us a fast working antidote with their crazy onstage performances and perfected set lists. Safe to say it was a huge day, but in our time spent frolicking through the Riverstage's natural amphitheatre we learnt a few things that will not only give you an insight into the day but will help you for next year’s instalment.

1. Clothing can conquer the heat

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We were standing on a giant angled field, sun blazing, no trees in sight, so it was safe to say the summer sun really took its toll. However, as we took the time to look around we could tell that in cleverly devised festival prep, FOMO fans had come prepared with umbrella head gear, water pistols and every type of hat under the sun (literally). Even with these bright ideas we could say they weren't completely necessary, as the opening acts from Lastlings and Maribelle cooled the crowd down with their relaxed, summer inspired performances. All that was needed was an ice cold bev and the two Aussie acts took the rest into their own hands. One act that definitely took the weather into account was Desiigner who heated the crowd up again with his pump up slogan, "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Panda Panda Panda," before removing his shirt and stage diving into the crowd; he clearly missed the "clothing can conquer heat" memo. But for those who did not come prepared with protective clothing or pool paraphernalia, this year featured a massive circus tent at the top of the hill to give a little shaded R&R to those sweat drenched punters piling out of the Desiigner mosh pit.

2. FOMO must have: Glitter or confetti

In festival fashion, 9/10 FOMO-ers were sporting head to toe glitter. Now we aren't sure if this is a fashion statement or a reflective tactic against the sun but it created an atmosphere of summer exuberance. Unfortunately we didn't come prepared with glitter, but that became no problem at all as the first few hours of the festival had past and somehow we had a thin layer of glitter covering the surface of our bodies - and it was awesome. If you like the thought of finding tiny colourful material in the smallest crevice of your bag for weeks to come, then the next half of the day is definitely for you. Stacks of artists incorporated confetti into their performances, each time unexpected but warmly welcomed time and time again. The first lot of confetti reached our bodies during Peking Duk's 'Stranger', ending their set with the crowd jumping amongst the rainbow. People perched on shoulders, hands raised in the air and bodies colliding with excitement, it was a really nice moment. However, in terms of confetti chaos, Empire of The Sun took the cake. After front man Luke Steele interacted with the lucky few up the front with his rightfully owned blue head crown, the sun had set and confetti was illuminated by bright lights as the chorus of 'Alive' lit up the night. So, if whether you're an attendee or artist, glitter and confetti is a pre-requisite for FOMO; an utmost important guideline that we were happy to follow.

3. How not to get lost

Getting lost is almost a right of passage, even at a one venue, one stage festival such as FOMO. But, tbh its relatively easy when you get stuck in the 15 metre toilet line, or when you go re-hydrate at the water taps only to find your friends running into the mosh for Slumberjack's 'Enigma'. So in the 15 minute freak out where we became separated from the group, we took a look around and saw some petty neat ideas to not get lost, and no it does not involve a role call or buddy system...

Tip 1: Although it was hard to take our eyes off George Maple, there was a weird blur of purple in the corner of our eyes, to our left there was 6+ squad members dressed head to toe in various shades of purple. At first we were a little skeptical but at second glance it clicked! It was either the sea of purp, the outrageous dance moves or the buckets of glitter but either way they stood out like a sore thumb, so tip for next year, dress your squad like a mother with triplets.... every garment the same, and we guarantee you won't get lost.

Tip 2: As the sun sets its even harder to keep track of your crew (even if you've already taken tip number 1 into account) so another idea would be glow sticks, and lots of them. Not only will you be lit AF but you'll be able to track your friends like a Sunday morning uber!

4. Stretch

Although not as intense as a 3 day camping fest, you still need the stamina of an Olympic triathlete to withstand the constant stream of performances. Goldlink to Metro Boomin to JME to Peking Duk, Empire of the Sun and finishing with FLOSSTRADAMUS- there is no time for a breather. You don't want to be the only one backing down during FLOSS's 'Soundclash', you want to be able to take the wide-eyed kid throwing down next to you to town. We wish we previously had this advice as walking up stairs is still a struggle, so help your future self out and do your lunges.

5. Choose your mosh moments wisely

This year's FOMO lineup was outstanding to say the least. With a lot of electronica infused into each artist's set, you can image the craziness of the mosh pit. There was something different about the FOMO mosh this year: although hair pulling, accidental elbow to the face, drinks spilled and water bottles tossed into the air were all still a factor, there was a lot less aggression.  We only saw a maximum of two hardcore mosh circles which is a record in our books! The majority of the day was spent on the hill except when our ears heard the UK Grime intro to JME's 'P', this was our moment. With no hesitation we ran towards the stage, every step we took, every shoulder we brushed past, the temperature rose another degree and as the chorus dropped we were slightly lifted of the ground by the closeness of the fellow Grime fans around us. As the song ended, we were drenched in sweat, dehydrated and exhausted and there was not one ounce of regret. You have to experience the FOMO mosh at least once. It's intense and it's hot, but most importantly it's fun so we leave you with one last word of advice, enter with caution and choose your mosh moments wisely.

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