Poison City Records’ Weekender Fest has come a long way since its humble beginnings nine years ago. With this year’s festival just around the corner Sarah ‘Thomo’ Thompson, drummer of Camp Cope and one third of Poison City, is eagerly anticipating its return to smaller venues, along with the band’s headline slot on a bill that features some of their favourite local and international bands.
Spread out across five venues this year, the festival may outwardly look like it’s becoming bigger, but as Thompson explains the reasoning behind the increased number of shows was to bring the festival back to smaller venues. “We had spoken about wanting to keep it more local this year since we prefer going to shows around Fitzroy and Collingwood rather than going to a big venue in the city. We wanted to do something a bit different and have more of a casual vibe where people can walk around and maybe go from one thing to another. It wasn’t really a conscious decision, it was more like, ‘Do we even need a bigger venue when we can spread it out across a few extra venues?’”
The festival is especially significant to Thompson as it came up just as Camp Cope realised they were on to something special. “Camp Cope played our second show at Weekender in 2015 and that was purely because Georgia (Maq, the band’s singer) was already on the lineup solo. It was really cool but also petrifying, we’d only played one show. Now we get to headline The Corner with bands we’ve loved for a long time. It’s crazy.”
It’s clear Thompson is keen to pay it forward when it comes to the generosity extended her way, with both Jeff Rosenstock and Worriers – two acts on the lineup who have taken Camp Cope under their wing. “We just spent a month with Worriers in America, driving across the entire country. They’re such great people, it’s cool we get to hang out with them here, they showed us such nice hospitality in America. I’m used to being the one who has to organise and worry about everything but I got to sit back while they took care of things. It’ll be nice to return that favour.”
Thompson admits that it will be strange to play after Rosenstock at the Corner Weekender show having opened up for him back in 2015. “Jeff took us on our first Australian tour. We’d open up the show and play to like five people in Tasmania. It’s going to be so weird for us because we’re playing after him this time.”
Given the ruthless festival climate, the continued success of the Weekender is proof that having a low key approach to putting on a festival is the best strategy. “It’s not as sterile as other festivals because it’s never intended to be anything more than what it is,” says Thompson. “It was never started as something to make a million dollars from, it was more like a showcase rather than a money maker and a chance for us to show everyone the bands that we’ve worked with along with our friend’s bands. I guess it’s like our Christmas. Having no other ulterior motive has kept it going.”
When it comes to the crowd’s safety, Thompson reiterates the band’s campaign #ItTakesOne, established last year to ensure their shows are safe for all attendees. “We feel so responsible for people when we’re playing, especially if it’s our own show because people are there to see you. If one person is having a shit time because of something happening, it doesn’t matter if there’s another thousand people in the room, you feel terrible. Everyone’s going to be looking out for each other at the Weekenders so don’t be that one idiot and definitely don’t do a shoey.”
The Weekender shows also demonstrate to the wider Australian music industry how easy it is to have a diverse and representative festival of talented acts. “When we put the lineup together I realised it was very non-male heavy this year without even giving it a second thought. It’s awesome that it’s so diverse but it didn’t take much effort to get it that way this year.
“It’s easy, they’re all great bands. The days of putting 16 men on a bill are gone. Obviously, there’s awesome bands that are four men, that’s not the issue, it’s just there’s so many other bands as well now.”
With no sponsors and no agenda other than wanting to bring people together to see amazing bands, the Weekender festival is perhaps the best example of how a music community can come together to solely appreciate what artists have to offer. “We’ve never done anything by the music industry’s rules and yet we’ve gotten here,” says Thompson heroically. “We’re not going to change that now just so someone else can make some money off us.”
As for what Poison City as a whole has done for Camp Cope, Thompson is most appreciative towards her colleague Andy Hayden. “Andy has been our biggest supporter from the start. He put the record out not really having heard much of it. It’s good to be able to actually have people at the shows to give something back to him, and sell a record or two,” laughs Thompson.
