Pricey’s The Big Weekend brought a stacked lineup to Coolum’s Blackflag on Saturday with Sydney surf-punk band Goons of Doom headlining.

Photos: Dameeka Middleton. Words: Penny Brand.

Despite the chilly air, the parking lot at Coolum’s famous punk brewhouse – Blackflag – refilled with Sunshine Coast cool cats from both the music and surfing scenes on Saturday night.

Headlined by Sydney surf-punk band Goons of Doom, Pricey’s The Big Weekend music festival lived up to its usual reputation for delivering chaos, charm, and one hell of a party.

Now in its fourth year (second year at the brewery), the festival is a celebration of music and community spirit. It’s about supporting the local community and giving musicians a go, says Pricey (ex The Chats), who played at last year’s event with Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets).

Emerging rockstars The Lipsticks helped warm up the dance floor, with their psychedelic cocktail of funk, surf, and boogie rock. While melodic pop-rock band Whitt’s End, and garage-grunge Caboolture trio The Phosphenes rounded out a solid multi-genre line-up. With their wild dub-pub groove, Drop Legs brought a brassy, up-beat sound, and Dellacoma wooed the crowd with his soulful, explosive rock n’ roll.

Wave Raiders star pulled from the audience

Pricey – with his fresh new lineup – delivered his usual sharp, energetic pub-punk rock to an obvious sea of fans, who have followed him from his days with The Chats. His songs are full of heart and big hooks that had everyone singing along.

As though he was passing the baton to the younger generation, Pricey pulled Wave Raiders’ frontman Pete (pictured) out of the audience, who dazzled with his teenage guitar prowess.

Picture: It’s not the first time Pete has been pulled from an audience, after his bandmates were lulled on stage by Aussie legends Spiderbait at the last Caloundra Music Festival.

The Beefs offered up surf-country tunes, with feel-good nostalgia and Australian tongue-in-cheek. And as I ventured behind the stage briefly, I found myself enjoying a private show with these guys after realising I was the only one there. Just me and The Beefs for a moment in time. So cool!

Goons of Doom and Pricey’s legendary music legacy

And finally, the Goons’ frontman and bassist Ozzie Wright, AKA Ozzy Wrong, showed up on stage with his rebellious surf-spirit, firing up the entire crowd.

The Aussie surf legend and artist has a contagious high-energy performance which summed up exactly what The Big Weekend is all about.

As we all danced out of Coolum that night, I took a moment to reflect on the importance of this event for our region.

Having had his own share of fame and now in his own right, Pricey is a true testament to the resilience, dedication and passion of this music industry.

Thanks to Pricey and his dream team for continuing the trend of supporting homegrown talent, while celebrating the best of Australian music, and bringing the community together.

He is one of a few event organisers on the Coast who walks the talk, bringing shows of this proportion to Coolum every year, which is a huge boost to our nighttime economy. That’s a serious legacy.

The seamless execution of the event (which is “Splendour quality”), from sound to logistics, kept everything flowing smoothly. And with kick-ons (so we heard!) at Coolum Beach Hotel, this was one weekend to remember.

Pricey even provided his guests a free bus home. Was it the Coolum Courtesy Bus does anyone know??

#bigweekendforever

In pictures: The Big Weekend @ Blackflag

All photos by Dameeka Middleton for Yelo.

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