MODE FESTIVAL 2024

What is this “cultural celebration” that they claim takes place at Mode Festival? Here Finn Cameron finds out the truth.

Mode held its third edition on Wareamah (Cockatoo Island) on Saturday 12th October. Improving on each year, it seems they are well on their way to creating an annual quality electronic music festival.

Prior to European settlement the island was a meeting place for the Wallumedegal, Wangal, Cammeraygal and Gadigal people. The island was a sacred place, with its name ‘Wareamah’ translating to ‘Women’s Place’ as the island was traditionally used by women in cultural ceremonies and for birthing.

Constructions since colonisation on the island have left it unrecognisable from its original topography. First a convict gaol, then a shipbuilding facility, even once a prison-esque place that gave ‘industrial training’ to children, a reformatory for young women and a nautical school for boys. Now the island’s industrial halls and derelict machinery remain in place and, once a year, host Mode Festival. What celebrations took place this year?

Australian festival bookings are usually criticised in some way. It’d be easy to do the same with Mode. It pitches itself as a premier electronic display that pays homage to the underground. This makes bookings such as Tommy Holohan a curious one. He is a festival favourite in the Australian scene which makes him a commercially safer booking for the Mode organisers, but many may be perhaps too familiar with his hard groove/chaos that’s at times over-stimulating and could be looking for something new. 

The crowd was a blend of scenes, maybe reflecting the lineup. Some attendees should be asked to explain why they’re wearing a scarf, hat and sunnies given they’re going to be dancing on concrete inside a metal shed for most of the day. Yet, I’m grateful to everyone who expressed themselves through their clothing on the day.

Mode made an effort to pitch itself differently this year through a new fifth stage hosted by the InnerWest Reggae Disco Machine. They also brought the live bookings of Rochelle Jordan and Jeshi, both bringing a unique show. Overall, the on-paper performance of Mode left something to be desired on the day. Thankfully, the acts came together in a way that created a really enjoyable festival, and the curation showed itself to be more tasteful and deliberate than initially thought.

Maurice Fulton took over from DJ PGZ on the outdoor stage hosted by Resident Advisor (RA). He brought a characteristically muddy, old school deep house set, with sporadic disco tunes and arrogant occasional use of his Apple EarPods to mix. Somewhat of a hero of house music, he has released under countless names. The one constant across his production is funk. His funk comes from blending the melodies and happier sounds of disco and house tunes with deeper basslines. Disco is given a darker flavour by Fulton. The MM Acoustics system outside was upgraded from last year’s setup by Funktion-One. This sound system was a highlight of Mode, giving Fulton the power to drive in classic tracks like Adonis’“‘No Way Back”. At times the bass would whack you in the face. The set was sealed by an awesome mix of “Tell Me Lies” by Fleetwood Mac.

Oysters at Bondi. Source: mauricefulton

The RA stage had another two highlights of the festival. Rochelle Jordon played the dusk set and was captivating with her soulful voice backed by her usual uptempo R&B beats. At a festival that deliberately doesn’t book too many styles in the genre, Rochelle showed why diverse sounds on a lineup are so important. Her set broke up the evening into two parts, and she magically guided us between them. Having a stand-alone vocalist at a festival that mainly pushes traditional electronic styles was brave from the organisers. 

Rochelle Jordan was a great selection. Sweely performed his trademark live set that has seen him be booked all over the world. He has released on a number of labels including Butter Side Up, Limousine Dream, and Mulen Records. He routinely performs in intimate club settings with a residency at CONCRETE and he is a favourite at Amnesia (Ibiza) and Panorama Bar. His brand of minimal electro is bouncy and hops at high cadence. Something about his sound is sexy and fun. Crowd favourite track “All My People” uses the vocal track from Confidence Man’s “Toy Boy”: “With a face like that you don’t need to work hard, with an ass like that you don’t need to work”.

Unsurprisingly the Void stage sound setup was by Void Acoustics. It was powerful and had the clarity needed for the fastest sets of the day. Chlär’s brand of techno takes a lot of inspiration from classic ‘90s techno with hard, driving grooves. He typically layers this with hypnotic chords, sprays, gases, and hats. The Void stage was at its busiest during this set, the set built to something really hot as the sky went dark.

DVS1 took over from Chlär for the only two-hour set in the closing slots. It’s unlikely that he would accept anything less. The way that he builds a set over some hours, crafting his pacing, order and direction, is masterful. He is one of the icons of techno, the epitome of the underground before we knew it. He has now had a successful career regularly playing at the world’s techno temples. It is a pleasure to see him take festival bookings, given his public criticisms over the negative effects that festivals have on the dance music industry and club culture. In his view, the DJ earns too much spotlight: they were once there to help put on the party, and now the party seems to be about them. This guy’s influence goes well beyond sets like these ones. His Aslice platform before shutting down this year showed a viable way to realign the inequities between producers and DJs. He is humble and showed a lot of respect for the way that dance floors are formed, taking no further spotlight than he could possibly dodge. He closed out the festival and afterwards came down off his stage to chat to some of the lingering dancers wanting to thank him.

Mode was lucky to have Roza Terezni who is dominating European dance scenes at the moment. She had a slightly genre-blending set. Here is RA’s take on her: “Always keen to share the resonance of her inner world, she is presently curating her “Step Ball Chain” imprint as an inventive repository for her productions with a cadre of likeminded freaks & friends – est. in 2020, & only set to expand in sound & vision as it continues to unite chillers, ravers, & lovers everywhere… Simultaneously a daringly original voice in our present day hellscape while also indulging the heavenly potential of rave music’s heyday, she refuses to engage with nostalgic ideas of euphoria – instead focusing on the energy of music across eras that dares to imagine a more magical present & future for us all.”

Roza Terezni watching on from great heights. Source: Finn Cameron

A new experience for many was being watched by police, who were behaving like high flying hawks picking their prey. They certainly lack the agility of a hawk and would need binoculars to match the eyesight. Assuming Mode was given access to this part of the island this year… a clifftop stage should replace the police picket next year.

DJ PGZ played a huge three-hour set for most of the afternoon on RA. Around the corner, the Inner West Reggae Disco Machine opened with Ibo Jah. Mabel is popular for her production and DJing. She played to her home crowd at Mode Naarm/Melbourne on the 5th. She had a fast, trippy set that filled the Void stage in the early afternoon. Hopefully Australia can continue to provide a sufficient base for her sound despite playing some key slots in Europe recently, including at Mala Junta’s birthday party. 

Bored Lord played in a sunlit Turbine Hall. At this time it was easy to take in the structure around you and appreciate where you were. The large halls have been well maintained despite aging into beautiful rust-covered walls.

While Mode is a unique setting that provides a photogenic environment and novelty factor, it comes with issues. The architecture is hardly friendly to day long dancing, with one small patch of grass for sitting supposed to serve thousands of dancers. It’s exciting to think what could be done if organisers are given access to more of the island.

This is one of many complaints thrown at Mode: the logistical nightmares. Police were an eyesore and walked around with a sheepish look the whole time. The police dogs certainly did little to prevent the consumption of drugs and were mostly ineffective at sniffing out problems. NSW Police continued their intense surveillance of this festival. No cop has ever existed who isn’t a sucker for a drug fueled festival, they take to it like a shark to blood. Coming of age in a police state is obviously no fun. The state government has begun talks of removing mandatory police costs for festivals like Mode, but this is gulfs away from resembling a culture where art (and people) can exist free of blue uniforms scrutinising each move. “This island’s run by sharks with children’s bones stuck in their jaws”.

The ferry queue to depart took hours. Depending on your comedown, this could have been a nightmare. I’m not sure if much more could be done to speed this process up and complaining is just a little easy. Attendees mostly owe the festival to the artists.. But Mode should drop their pretentious spin that this festival is a “cultural celebration”.

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