Another stellar NYE on the Hill

LIVE music was back with a bang, when local music festival NYE on the Hill made a triumph return to the Kernot hills.

As one of few camping festivals to run over the New Year period, organisers Aidan and Rhett McLaren were thrilled to get the eighth edition of the festival underway after the disappointment of last year’s cancellation.

Held on their parents’ Kerena and Peter McLaren’s farm, a sell-out crowd of 2700 punters enjoyed a return to normality in balmy conditions.

“To see so many people smiling and dancing and enjoying love music again is really special,” organiser Aidan McLaren said.

“To be able to provide paid work for hundreds of people after such a challenging couple of years for people in the music and events industry feels great too.”

From humble beginnings, the small festival has built its reputation as one of the finest boutique music festivals in the country.

This year, the festival was not immune to the ever-evolving COVID-19 landscape, with nine bands on the original line-up unable to perform at the event.

Despite losing headliners Hockey Dad and Baker Boy within 24 hours of the event, organisers worked overtime to find last-minute replacements.

And the organisers nailed it with their replacements, adding arguably one of Australia’s hottest acts, Client Liaison, who had punters grooving in the lead-up to the New Year’s countdown.

“Thanks to some favours and a bit of good luck, we pulled it off. Judging by the audience’s extremely positive reaction, I think we may have ended up with an even stronger line-up than what we had originally planned,” Aidan said.

“Seeing so many people really happy and having a great time is always the highlight for me personally.”

As always, there was a local flavour to the event, with Phillip Island’s Steve Cousins, San Remo’s Maddy May and former Phillip Island artist Emma Volard amongst the acts across the two days.

The Dalyston Football Netball Club provided baggage transport for punters, while the Korumburra Rotary Club and Loch Primary School ran barbeques throughout the event to raise funds.

Aidan paid tribute to the festival’s amazing team, volunteers and community groups which help make the event possible.

“Their positivity and hard work is one of the things that makes this event so special and unique,” he said.

“Without them we wouldn’t have a show.”

The Hills Are Alive Group’s next event is Ocean Sounds at Churchill Island this Saturday and Sunday, before UNIFY Gathering at Tarwin on January 20-23, Sounds of Summer at Inverloch on Easter Saturday and Gippsland Country Music Festival at Mossvale Park on Saturday, April 23.