Falls Festival 2013/14 | North Byron Parklands, NSW Australia.
Photographs by Jaimi Lee Fitzgerald for Spell.
Thank you to Tahl Rinsky and Teigan Nash for sending through a couple of iphone shots.
You know when your boots get so dusty you feel like you’ve spent the day road tripping through the desert sun? Within 10 minutes of being at Falls Festival, I had that feeling & honestly – it’s one of the best feelings ever. The sun was beaming down, the sweet, sweet sounds of the music weaving through the rolling hills & the smiles were out with plenty of good vibes in the air. Style was on with plenty of floral, a heap of glitter, black dusty boots & dirty white dresses exploring all the fun the Falls turned on for punters.
The first full day of the festival was the first day of the new year and what better way to start it with an organic coffee & a chill out of the hay bails in the middle of the North Byron Parkland forests. Plenty of post eve tired eyes and happy faces poured through the gates early in the arvo to check out Aussie band, The Preatures, as they took to the stage and got the crowd dancing to the 2013 anthem ‘Is this how you feel?’.
I spent a good 3 hours chasing down some banging outfits. You chicks do festival fashion so well, and especially loved spotting all the Spell out there. I found a spot on the hill at the Amphitheater stage and in between dances I was literally sprinting across the hills to get some snaps as I spotted girls in our Glastonbury Dress and Desert Wanderer print, and of course, playsuits aplenty. The day ended for me with young electronic band, Rüfüs, who turned the Forest Stage into an ethereal dream with mist, smooth tunes & the purple sky sunset behind the tall trees – one of my highlights of the Festival!
The last day of the festival was one of my favourite days ever! I chucked on my One Teaspoon jumpsuit, my blue cowboy boots, floppy hat with Concho hat-band and, of course, some tassels and headed in solo to really take in the festival vibes. I’ve always found something really meditating about walking around a festival alone, chatting to punters & watching those smaller acts that land the early time slots. Statement necklaces, leopard print & a whole bunch of vintage tees were worked back with floor length kimonos that floated through the air as chicks danced in the dusty walkways to the soulful sounds of Solange (Beyonce’s very very talented & uber cool younger sister).
Late in the arvo I grabbed a ice cold beer & joined in the crowd as old school rockers, the Violent Femmes, took to the main stage and played their hit ‘Blister in the Sun’. These guys had even the most tired up dancing, it was a true Australian festival moment!
Ping pong tables were scattered among tents and hay bails, I stopped and played with a fun group of dudes & mid game caught some super energetic girls dancing in the grass to country music in their lace bells, tassel vests & Lennon sunnies – it was seriously like i’d stepped back in time to Woodstock.
As the sun was setting behind the hills, I did one big final lap of the festival and chased down a group of chicks who had the best vibes going on – rocking signature Spell Leopard Jets, crochet crops & happy happy faces! The moon came out and it was all about the British bands as London Grammar packed out the Forest Stage & Crystal Fighters played into midnight as they produced one of the best performances I’ve ever seen at any festival!
My black concho hat is dirty as hell and so are my blue cowboy boots, my body is tired from the non-stop dancing & my life is changed as Falls Festival’s first shot at Byron Bay blew my mind & started my 2014 in the best possible way! Take me back to the teepees, the desert vibes & the happiness of that festival fairytale…
Jaimi-Lee xx