Lasso Country Music FestivalThe country music scene has exploded in recent years, with stalwart festival experiences like CMC Rocks, Gympie and Tamworth being joined by more recent additions like Strummingbird and Ridin’ Hearts, but apart from the artists, there’s little to link them together, with each festival having a unique vibe.
Lasso is a great example of a newer event that is providing something unique. An amazing lineup of musicians in the suburbs in an urban setting that this year delivered for the audience in spades. There’s something charming about heading to a festival to camp for five days, but this ain’t it. This festival is the perfect entrypoint to country music for busy urban people who want a night out, not a holiday and a second mortgage.
You can do your Saturday morning rituals, grab a bite of lunch and head on in. 45 minutes from either Brisbane or the Gold Coast, or right on your doorstep if you live in Logan, this is live music as it used to be. Convenient and where the people are. Dip in for a few hours or arrive at 1pm and grab an Uber at 1am from the afterparty (conveniently at the pub next door). No camping gear. Parking at the door. Family friendly. A roof if it rains (which it didn’t).
The biggest draw however is the cracking lineup. Not a single artist failed to impress and the curation ensured that there was a strong crowd from early in the afternoon right through to US headliner Drake Milligan.
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I wandered in, catching a great set from Michael Honan, who dropped a new single Hold You Close a couple of weeks back and he had everyone turning to each other saying “who’s this guy?”
From Mike straight into Brianna Dinsdale, the crowd was swelling and Brianna really brought the show. A Starmaker finalist a couple of years ago, she’s still the one industry insiders had their money on that year (as eluded to by the MC, local comedian Johnno Keetels) but her development over the last few years has been nothing short of amazing.
With labels sniffing around and a confidence that only comes from flying hours, Dinsdale proved why she is bursting out of Australian borders and taking on the world. The set could have sat in any Nashville venue and impressed them just as much as it did the encouraging Beenleigh audience.
One of the incredible things about this festival, now in its third year is that it’s owned and run by the Dinsdales, with Brianna’s sister (and bass shredder) Ashlyn running the show with Dad Ken. This is one of Australia’s big music success stories. In just a few short years, this family has not sat around waiting for the industry to come to them. They’ve got Brianna on the world stage, they run a music festival and they also manage hot property Mack Geiger, now signed to Sony Nashville and commanding nearly 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
This is a family that has made their own luck. If multinational tour promoters won’t knock on your door, do your own thing until they’re knocking on yours. But back to the festivals.
By this time the night chill is setting in and we’re warmed by another world-class Aussie Austin Mackay as the crowd continues to swell. This is another artist with a steep rise over the last few years. Seeing him solo in Nashville recently was an absolute treat, but with a full band in tow, Mackay really brought it. He’s fresh of his first headlining tour of the US and as with Dinsdale, you can feel the crowd rise to the occasion too.
Dinner is where the venue truly comes into its own, with a full food court, multiple bars and a setup that is hard to beat. As previously stated, this is not a greenfield festival with a few food trucks. This is on-site food court style options with multiple bars including proper cocktails, craft beer (there’s a brewery and distillery on site), mexican cantina, full smokehouse (try the briskett) and countless other options.
I wipe the BBQ sauce from my chin as we head back out to catch The Wet Whistles. I’ve seen these guys a few times and they are complete crowd pleasers every time. They are the kind of band that feel like you know every song (even the ones you don’t). The tight harmonies and the absolute joy they exude from the stage make it impossible not to fall under their spell. By this time the crowd is heaving and for just a minute you feel sorry for the headliner having to follow it up.
But don’t feel too sorry. Drake Milligan swaggers on stage and proves why he’s hot property. Playing Elvis in the Sun Records series and an American Idol and AGT alumni, Milligan is pure class. His band are incredible (even when the guitar amp blows up halfway through the second song) and you feel geniunely priveliged to be seeing A-class Nashville on stage here in suburban Logan. Rounding out his Australian tour where he already played to a sold-out Melbourne and massive Sydney crowd, it’s the perfect end to the tour for Milligan, playing in Australia’s home of country music…. Queensland.
Cycling through all his hits from Old Flames Old Whiskey to Sounds Like Something I’d Do and Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin’ the crowd knew the words and by the end, Milligan knew the crowd. As the crowd sauntered off to the afterparty or the long wait for an Uber, it was clear they’d witnessed something special.
While the Dinsdales are getting a lot of accolades for the success of their artists, Lasso is doing some heavy lifting, not just for bringing people to country music, but for showing a new option for music festivals. One-day, convenient and bucking the idea that you have to either be a million miles from anywhere or sitting in the inner city, Lasso is showing a new path for suburban music.
Brisbane’s “big country town” history has meant that music has largely been an inner-city affair (unless you’re stuck at the horrendous Entertainment Centre), but with great live venues like Sandstone Point and Eatons Hill on the northside and now this amazing facility at Distillery Road Market and places like the Kingston Butter Factory (also in Logan), perhaps we’re seeing the metamorphisis of the live scene.
With 20,000 capacity festivals struggling under their own weight, perhaps we just got shown the new recipe. Great acts, staged where people live with easy access and a good price. Lasso nailed it.
