GROUNDWATER: A BONAFIDE ROCKSTAR ON STAGE

COUNTRYTOWN Jess Martyn Live Review: Groundwater Country Music Festival 2024: The right song can turn a crowd into a family, and the performers at this year's Groundwater CMF knew how to win over audiences with each unique set.

The first day of the Groundwater Country Music Festival was alive with country spirit potent enough to lure just about anyone onto the grounds – and the crowds came in droves, drawn in by the brilliantly executed vision of Head Organiser Mark Duckworth.

As the sun began to sink, Jayne Denham was just rising up, delivering a gutsy vocal performance to match her unbridled confidence. Her song Lovin’ a Wild Thing kicked things off on a high, but it was their collective comfort on stage, particularly during songs like Hung Up On You featuring Jamie Lindsay, that cemented the resounding first impression that this band knew their stuff.

Denham’s covers were also something to write home about, including a charismatic take on the John Farnham number That’s Freedom that had everyone singing along and the epic leather-jacket-clad recreation of Kasey Tyndall’s Jesus & Joan Jett that was brimming with attitude. Denham was not only a bonafide rockstar on stage but also a human, gushing about fulfilling a dream she had held onto for ten years. 

Read the full review on COUNTRYTOWN here.