Festival raid: surprise moment that stole the show

There were 80 acts, including some of Australia’s finest performers, but some local teens showed they could mix it with the best at the Caloundra Music Festival over three days from Friday (September 29).

Punk rock band Wave Raiders - Jayden Georg (Bass) and Thomas De Waard (Drums), both 11, and Peter De Waard (Lead Guitar), 13, all hail from the Sunshine Coast.

They enjoyed a starry moment when invited to take the stage with perennial favourites Spiderbait.

The connection for the teens could really pay off with Spiderbait mentioning they would be keen for the Wave Raiders to support them on any upcoming tours when they are up this way.

Sunshine Coast Division 2 Councillor Terry Landsberg said the combination of a compelling line-up of talent, incredible spring weather and a unique, family-friendly coastal vibe drew 16,000 fans to Kings Beach over the three days.

Queensland’s favourite music festival, which has been going for 16 years, offered six stages exploding with sounds from an assortment of music maestros.

The melting pot of talent from around the world was demonstrated in the Kings Club Piano Bar where venerable organ salesman Barry Morgan interviewed international artists like Arrested Development and jammed with everyone from New Orleans royalty Dumpstaphunk to crowd favourite Nicky Bomba mixed in with a host of local musicians.  

The festival is considered an awesome springboard for young talent and as well as the Wave Raider showstopper, another youngster also rose to the challenge.

Henry Catania aged just 13 years old from Conondale, made his CMF debut on the Norton Music Factory stage after winning Caloundra’s Live & Local Singer/Songwriter’s competition held through September.

Cr Landsberg said the all-ages festival was an inspirational platform for kids today.

“The interaction between international and local artists and bringing kids up on stage was setting a great example for our kids and youth,” Cr Landsberg said.

“It was great for local venues to have the opportunity to ride the festival’s wave by putting on local musos at a number of cafés and restaurants in the lead up to the festival.

“Bigger venues like the Kings Beach Surf Club hosted a ‘Get the Party Started’ pre-festival and Kings Beach Tavern held ‘After Parties’ over the three nights.

“The festival and town just had a great vibe and was a really good way to close out the school holidays.”

As the site-pack down starts, the parkland and traffic changes are expected to return to normal by October 63. Council acknowledges the patience and support from the local residents and businesses in the precinct during the build, delivery and pack down.

Next year, the event will return October 4-6, outside of the school holidays. Punters will still be able to take adventure of a Sunshine Coast long weekend due to the King’s Birthday public holiday scheduled for October 7, 2024.

The Caloundra Music Festival is an event initiative of Sunshine Coast Council and supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland Events Calendar.