My first Groundwater as an artist, and what a weekend to be part of! Groundwater takes over Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, stretching from the beachfront parklands through the shopping precinct, with music spilling out of venues, onto the streets and across the big stages. From the moment I arrived, the place was buzzing.
Day 1 - Friday 16 October
Some big boots to fill here at Groundwater! This year is my second time at Groundwater, first as an artist performing! What a way to do it on the Gold Coast.
Great to catch up with Justin from the iHeart Country team for a little chat about what's to come! 👀 We talked about my first Groundwater as an artist, heading to Nashville, recording my songs and attending the CMAs with my team. Plenty to look forward to!
Quick pitstop to watch my mates Jake Whittaker and Jared Adlam killing it on stage! Caught Jake at the Kurrawa Big Top and he absolutely nailed his set, as usual.
Afterwards I wandered through the market stalls, checked out the local goodies and tracked down some lunch - Fricken Chicken got the nod, and I'd happily go back for seconds. Highly recommend!
The rain settled in late in the afternoon and evening, but it barely slowed anyone down. We ended up eating gelato while watching Dan Davidson on the Surf Parade stage. Rain, ice cream and country music - pretty good going, really. And what an entertainer!
One of the best things about Groundwater is how much music you can stumble across just walking around. Between the big stages and venues like the Pig 'N' Whistle, Den Devine and The Broadbeach, there was always another artist to catch and another reason to stay out a little longer.
Day 2 - Saturday 17 October
Saturday brought sunshine and a bit of wind, a welcome change after Friday's rain. We stopped to watch the beachside line dancing, which still blows my mind. How does everyone know which dance goes with which song? I'm flat out keeping my own feet in order, so I was happy to leave it to the experts.
Plenty of people were jumping in and giving it a crack, though, which made it even better to watch. Then it was time to switch from festivalgoer to performer - we checked into our accommodation and headed over to find the stage on the lawn at The Star Gold Coast.
Just got to the Lawn at The Star Gold Coast. Getting myself ready for a soundcheck! After spending Friday watching everyone else do their thing, today it was my turn.
Making sure the guitar works!
Soundcheck complete ✅ See y’all soon!
Opening the set with Jonah Kagen always gets me pumped up! As the sun went down, the festoon lights flicked on, the beers flowed, and I kicked off my set. A big thank you to everyone who came over to listen and be part of my first Groundwater performance.
Can't beat this view from the stage! During my last song, the line dancers joined in, which was pretty special to watch from the stage. I'd spent the morning wondering how they remembered all the steps, and now they were dancing along to my music! Need to take up some line dancing lessons.
Afterwards, we headed over to the Surf Parade stage and caught the second half of Tyla Rodrigues' set. She's an incredible performer, and I'm always in awe watching her do her thing. By then, the street was absolutely packed, and the restaurants were chockers. Broadbeach was well and truly making a night of it.
Day 3 - Sunday 18 October
Soooooo good to see the RB Brothers doing their thing on stage! Four young brothers from the Gold Coast performing together for the first time. We made it our mission to grab seats, but clearly everyone else had the same idea - the seats were gone well before they started!
What little legends. They know how to pull a crowd, put on a show and get the line dancers moving. If you haven't caught them live yet, put them on your list.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering between stages, catching as much music as we could. There were far too many artists to mention, and that's the beauty of Groundwater: you can head off to see one act and find yourself stopping along the way to listen to someone you've never heard before.
Caught up with Country queen Denvah. Her set was so good as well! Denvah won the Groundwater Country Music Festival Kix Start talent search in 2023, which set the stage for her breakthrough on Australian Idol, and she's now a Gold Coast local after moving from Rockhampton.
Tori Forsyth making sure people remember her name at the Kurrawa Big Top! Her new album is titled Self Preservation.
Kingswood brought the festival home with a bang! Those boys certainly know how to get a crowd going - a cracking way to finish the weekend.
My first Groundwater as an artist is one I'll remember for a long time. Great music, good food and people of all ages out enjoying themselves - there's a lot to love. I'll definitely be back next year!
