Youth Yindi descendants King Stingray will join fellow Australian music royalty DMA’s, Hot Dub Time Machine, The Jungle Giants, Mallrat, San Cisco and Alison Wonderland to headline Groovin the Moo at Sunshine Coast Stadium on May 5.

US outfits GZA from Wu-Tang, Stephen Sanchez, Claire Rosenkranz and Armani White will also play, as well as UK greats such as Spice Girls’ Melanie C (AKA Sporty Spice), Kenya Grace, The Kooks and Mura Masa, and also Canada’s The Beaches, and Meduza from Italy.

Logistical and financial pressures shifted the festival’s Queensland leg from Townsville to the Coast last year, held at Kawana Sports Western Precinct and drawing a 25,000-strong crowd, selling out in days.

This year it moves again to accomodate an expected 35,000 people.

Buderim music producer Alex Henriksson, who runs Rainbow Valley Records with musician Matt Corby, said the festival was an “amazing thing” for the Coast. 

“Hopefully this will also show people the Coast is a great place to play as a destination, and more smaller events will come of it as well to ignite more nightlife and local events too.”

Mufassa’s Dale Mallett, a popular local roots musician, said: “The more festivals on the Sunny Coast the better. Hopefully they get some local acts on the bill to support our music community.”

Wurtulla resident Lisa said she was stoked with the line-up, but said others should know there was no mobile phone coverage at last year’s event.

“My daughter went and it was drama, drama. There was no cell service. They all got lost and could not reach each other to meet up. Plus we lived on Kawana Island and had no cell service either.

“Big learning curve.”

Lisa said this year her daughter planned to meet her friends at vantage points if they got lost.

Noise and congestion concerns:

Residents who live a 15 minute drive from Sunshine Coast Stadium at Bokarina received notices in their letterboxes about the return of Groovin the Moo sparking concerns over noise levels and traffic congestion. 

While most in the music industry are thrilled that the Coast’s live music scene seems to be burgeoning again post-pandemic, with Big Pineapple Festival and The Station (formerly Nightquarter) returning this year, some say the region’s infrastructure still isn’t equipped for events of this magnitude.

Minyama resident John, who lives more than five kilometres from the precinct, received the notice from organisers on Tuesday morning, advising that the festival would attract “significant increase in vehicle and pedestrian traffic”.

The letter said “an appointed noise management company” would monitor amplified noise. 

John said while he was pleased to get the early heads up, he was worried about the noise levels given his home is “two suburbs away” from the precinct.

“Especially as I’m being letter dropped in Minyama and the event is at Bokarina. I feel sorry for the Bokarina, and closer, residents,” he said.

“I’m also surprised at the length of time for the festival, going all day and up to 10pm at night. That seems excessive for a suburban location.

“The crowd numbers are large for a suburban area. We will need tight control to manage this number of people.”

Concert-goers last year complained they were forced to walk kilometres to get an Uber, after giving up on bus lines.

Yelo contacted Groovin the Moo for comment regarding noise and traffic earlier this month but has not received a response.

Tickets to Groovin the Moo go on sale on February 6. Sign up for pre-sale here.