Shadows of Wonderland 2024 Recap
I haven’t written a blog in so long
I haven’t written a festival recap blog in so long
How the fuck are we going??
Friday May 3rd, I attended the poor man’s Midnight Mafia - Shadows of Wonderland. For those unfamiliar with the hardstyle scene, HSU Events organise Midnight Mafia in Sydney every May. For those who don’t have the patience to deal with Sydney, HSU partner with Hard Kandy to bring Shadows of Wonderland, a similar event but on a smaller scale.
Despite only attending one Shadows previously in 2018, it’s got to be one of my favourite Melbourne hardstyle festivals. When I found out who was on the lineup this year, which of my friends were going, and the location, the decision to buy a ticket was a pretty easy one.
The venue:
Hear me out; Festival Hall is the superior event venue. Fuck this PICA bullshit, Festival Hall is where it’s at. Although the entrance is a bit of a maze, once you’re inside the atmosphere is like no other. The venue boasts a big open dancefloor, and on either side you’ll find amphitheatre-like steps, followed by tiered seating perfect for falling into a cuddle puddle while rolling with your rave bae. The smokers area is a makeshift pig pen in the middle of the car park where I have had many a deep and meaningful chat. Overall a 9/10 venue that I was very much looking forward to visiting again.
The lineup:
As mentioned earlier, Shadows is the poor man’s Midnight Mafia, meaning not all artists on the Midnight lineup will appear on the Shadows one. I told myself if Shadows gets at least three of Midnight’s big headliners, I’m in. You’ll never believe who we got. Sefa, Gammer, AND Radical Redemption??? Since Gammer and Radical Redemption aren’t on any of the lineups of the Europe festivals I’m going to, it would’ve been rude not to go see them at Shadows. Radical’s latest album is absolutely INSANE, Gammer has got to be one of the most fun DJs I’ve seen perform, and I’ve never actually seen Sefa in a festival setting before (because Defqon Theatre doesn't count). With a stacked lineup ready to go, all I needed was a stacked crew to go with.
The crew:
Big ups to my home girl Chelsea for coming in clutch for literally any event I’ve wanted to go to in the past six months. She knows how to bring the vibes. A few other rave baddies I have picked up along the way were also planning to be in attendance, all bringing the positive energy I needed to make this Shadows one for the books. I love when people I’ve met from different walks of life can all come together for a fat fucking boog.
Alright now that we’ve covered the bases that were set to make this night an unforgettable one, let's get into the actual night itself.
We rocked up around 8:30, a bit later than I would have liked but the trek to Festival Hall was a mission and a half (still better than any fuckass venue in Port Melbourne). Off the bat as soon as we enter we run into someone we met at Rooler’s gig, and again at Sikoti the other week. We quickly exchange hellos before entering into the sweaty abyss. We met up with a few of the crew and set up camp on the steps to the right of the stage.
While I’m waiting for a few others, Gammer starts his set in full force, and I can cross Hardbeat Market off on the list of songs I would love to hear. It truly is the song that keeps on giving. I ran into a couple I met at Reminisce Trance and have subsequently ran into at every single event since. It’s crazy how the rave vortex pulls people together. We shared a cheeky hakk and muzz while Gammer’s visuals went off. It was a great set, but nothing will ever compare to his 2022 Knockout set at the main stage. During Gammer I also ran into a few other friends, one I met in the front row at Knockout two years ago, and another from the good old PHD @ Room 680 days.
Vertile came on next. I’ve never really listened to Vertile, but I was holding out for Golden Hour. Such a casual, I know! As soon as I heard the first chord I yelled at Chelsea to get me on her shoulders. There were two particular songs I had been listening to in the lead up to Shadows, and this was one I just had to experience a main character moment with. His song No Sleep also struck an emotional chord, and man’s vocals were insane!
Just before Radical Redemption came on, I figured I was long overdue for a sidequest. One of our crew had wound up in the medical tent (don’t worry I’m not gonna out you) and I had decided to wander off and pay a visit. Another thing I loved about Festival Hall this time round was the security. They were so nice and easy to deal with when I asked them to direct me to the medical tent. One woman surveilling the door got another man to personally escort me to the tent! Medical tents at festivals kind of scare me ever since my Defqon Sydney 2018 debacle, but it was good to see my friend alive and well. After some quick banter with the medics where I’m pretty sure one of them pocketed my hand sanitiser, we got the all clear to go back in.
We finally made it to Radical, and I’m pretty sure I came and shat at least three times during his set. This man is built like a UNIT and has the crunchiest kicks known to man. During Radical I ran into another legend on the scene; a guy we met on the plane to Knockout 2022. Probably one of the nicest guys I’ve met throughout my rave era, we shared a muzz and I traded him a “muzz king” piece of kandi I had made the night before.
Lastly it was Sefa’s time to shine. I’ve only ever seen Sefa once, which was at his intimate performance at the Defqon Theatre last year, so I was super excited to see him on a larger scale. His goofy ass played some absolute bangers and was definitely the second best set of the night (after Radical obviously). After Vertile’s Golden Hour, the second song I was itching to see live was Sefa’s remix of Nobody Said It Was Easy by Evil Activities, and my wish was fulfilled! I screamed at Chelsea to get me up on her shoulders. Everything in my life had been leading up to this moment. It was my time to shine. I sat on Chelsea’s shoulders as if I was on top of the world. As if I had just climbed to the top of Mount Everest. I felt like a goddess, as if everyone below me was staring in awe on who this ethereal being was. As if that moment couldn’t get any better, little did I know a girl I had met earlier this year at Hardmission FILMED it. I was truly living my main character moment! Over a week later and I continue to chase that feeling. Despite leaving 10 minutes early to avoid the chaos that is leaving Festival Hall, Sefa was a brilliant closer. Who doesn’t love a bit of frenchcore to finish off the night?
That basically sums up the night, but here are some other honourable mentions:
Me looking super hot
The bottle of pepsi I bought halfway through Sefa
MC Villain’s commentary during Sefa’s set (Rare Villain W)
Being recognised from TikTok
Front row for Radical and Sefa
Watching Naked Attraction at kick ons accompanied by a few bowls
I asked chatGPT to write a concluding sentence for this blog because I didn’t know what to write and they churned out this bullshit but honestly it’s so stupid I thought I’d add it anyway:
As I chase the lingering euphoria of Sefa's beats and the electric atmosphere of Shadows of Wonderland, reminiscing on shared moments and new connections, I realise that sometimes, the magic of a night extends far beyond its final beat drop, echoing in memories and stories that continue to dance in our hearts.
Anyway, see you losers at Knockout!!!