Final day of the Mundi Mundi saw some heavy hitters in the Australian music scene grace the Red Plains in NSW – The” Pierce Brothers”, “Dragon”, “Leo Sayer”, “Kate Ceberano”, “The Cat Empire” and the “Hoodoo Gurus”
The twins (Patrick and Jack Pierce from the “Pierce Brothers”) kicked it into gear early in the afternoon, their smiles shining brighter than the regional NSW’s sun. A light breeze rolled through and took the edge of the sun as it was turning out to be a splendid day for amazing music. The lads fired straight up with some of my absolute favourites – 2023 track called “Bottle” has such a quirky tempo and fitting it was early in their set. Loved “Brother” it was a sultry change that just slowed the pace and allowed the fans to show how loud their voices were…. what a goosebump moment.
Their latest offering (a few days ago) “Losing friends when you’re older” really hit the mark for me – loved the honesty in the song and it was super relatable, and the crowd got right behind it…. I don’t doubt this will be a big hit for them. The plugged though a quick set (to be honest I could listen to them for hours, but I am bias lol) loved the fact that both of them have such a positive attitude on their music which made the 15,000 love them even more. They were a treat to watch and even more to listen too!
“Dragon” were next on stage, I had not seen them live so I was really keen to see how many of their songs I knew – being a product of the 70/ 80s music scene, I knew a couple, but I didn’t expect to know all of them. Sometimes you do forget just how impactful music is in your youth….. and “Dragon” was no exception. The 1978 classic “Still in love with you” echoed through the punters that were kicking up dust while dancing.
They sent us back to 1990 when they busted out “Show no mercy” and then when they opened up those famous cords from “April sun in Cuba” no one
was sitting down (even the seated section at the back of the festival were out of their chairs) and boy o boy did they sound magnificent with a backing vocal of over 15,000! The acoustic / stripped back opening of “Are you old enough” was special and then backed up by “Rain” …. I had not sung that hard since the following day…. definitely going to need a stiff drink after this lol.
Next up was the remarkable “Leo Sayer” – it amazes me how so much talent and entertainment can be packed into five foot and three and a half inches frame; it defies the laws of physics and nature. He is a machine…. from start to finish of his performance he had everyone’s attention (even the food trucks stopped serving food) that’s just how good he was! Opening up with “Thunder in my heart” stopped people in their tracks – me included. I have never heard a song at a festival sung so loud before!, I was glad I brought my ear plugs lol. Following up with “Love you more than I can say” which turned into a hand waving festival and then “one man band” then the slow melodic hit (cover) 1978 “Raining in my heart” tipped quite a few over the edge….. sharing an emotional moment on the big red plain, which turned into a bonding experience that I will personally never forget.
Then all hell broke loose when he started up with his 1976 hit off the “Endless flight” Album – “You make me feel like dancing”. Just like the champion that he is, he brought us back down to earth (as we need to get our resting heart rates back down) with one of my favourite songs that I remember so fondly from my youth – the 1977 hit “When I need you” ……. I needed a seat after that!
All the energy had been drawn into the dance area of Mundi Mundi it was going to require someone with a massive presence to fill that void Leo had left finishing his set……. Challenged accepted said “Kate Ceberano” ….. Kate kicked in the door of the Mundi Mundi, walked into the lounge room, turned the music up to 11 on the stereo and rocked the shit out of it…..not once caring about the neighboring tenants….. she was here to rock…. The louder the better…… and we loved it!
“Pash” came out of the gate sprinting, quickly followed by a assortment of Australian Anthems “Out of sight out of mind” by the Models got a run, “The boys in town“” from the Divinyls got the faithful in fine voice. Kate chatted to us about aging disgracefully and having fun in the moment.
Kate teased up with some “Jesus Christ superstar” and rolled into “Bedroom Eyes” which everyone loved (including a few in the media tent lol). We were even treated to a version of “Nut Bush” that kicked up that much red dust that it turned my grey hair red (a funny sight I can assure you, plus an interesting conversation when I get home). Kate kept the bar high now it was The Cat Empire”s turn to shine.
It was the “Cat Empires” first Mundi Mundi and they were blown away by the sheer number of people and the beautiful sunset that was occurring during their time slot and an already blissful day. “How to explain” echoed hard through the crowd with the powerful lyric – music is the language of the soul, a fitting song for such a powerful day celebrating Australian Music. Their hit “Two shoes” prompted everyone to dance, we went from the red plains to a Latin American inspired dance off in a matter of seconds…. Very impressive indeed.
Their latest (2025) “Blood on the stage” kept peoples hips moving and they kicked it up a notch with their most popular number “Hello Hello”. The Cat Empire cuts an impressive figure on the stage – everything from brass to percussion was on full display, working like a fine oiled machine. A fitting wind up to the next band “Hoodoo Gurus”
The Gurus have such an extensive lyrical history, a rich album collection spanning decades it was going to be impossible for anyone not to love their set tonight – we were going on a joyride on the big red plain. The 1984 classic “I want you back” got the dust rising. “Right time” and “Death defying” (from the Mars needs guitars album) kept all our heart rates up. It was such a tightly packed dance floor at Mundi Mundi, hands up in the air, kids on parents’ shoulders, colourful hats and go sticks lighting up the red dirt arena…. smiles as far as the eye could see.
The Hoodoo Gurus delivered hit after hit after hit for the remainder of their set “Good times”, “Miss freelove 69”, “1000 miles away” and “Be my guru”. “What’s my scene” rose the crowd to another level and then they kept us there for the classic 1987 hit “When I first met you. A blistering set and a fitting end to Mundi Mundi 2025.
Mundi Mundi is an experience that is hard to explain (ill try my best to do it justice) – it is like being out with your extended family at a massive family party, having a human juke box filled with a plethora of top ten Australian music…… throw in some dancing, a heap of smiles, a ton of red dirt plus costumes from Mad Max and you have a about 10% of what I am trying explain.
Mundi Mundi is an institution that has to be witnessed to be believed. This record -breaking festival is everything amazing about Australian Music, you need be in the red dirt, witness the music and have the red plain sunset on your back and then…… and only then will you understand just how beautiful this truly is.
Massive thanks to Cardinal Spin for the access, The media team (you were my family away from home), the Mundi Mundi team, the volunteers and most of all the 15,000 plus for sharing the experience with me. Keep your eyes out for next year’s line up – it will be iconic, see you next year on the big red plains.
