Push Over is Victoria’s longest running all ages festival, and even after 20 years, it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon, boasting yet another huge line up this year showcasing the country’s talented bands from a diverse range of genres.

First band for the day was Passport For Amy on the Green Stage. The Green Stage, for the most part of the day, showcases bands from around Victoria that have all won the FReeZA Push Start title in their regions and come together at Push Over to battle it out for the title of FReeZA Push Start Grand Final Winner. Having already seen Passport For Amy at their regional show, I was very keen to see them again. With their mix of indie rock and an energetic performance, it wasn’t surprising that the crowd were dancing along and all had smiles plastered on their faces. Their songs have a strong feel-good vibe and you can’t help but feel happy after seeing them. And it’s not just the crowd left feeling that way, the smiles on their faces show that the band thoroughly enjoy their time on stage.

Still at the Green Stage, and it’s co-ordinated chaos as Amber Lamps do their thing. Didn’t see much of these guys, but another solid indie-rock band. Their songs were great and there was a great mix between bass and synth, as well as great use of piano. Each member of the band has a certain charisma and captivated the crowd’s attention. Vocalist Henry Hammersla has a great tonality to his voice and the melodies compliment his range nicely. Amber Lamps also threw a Franz Ferdinand cover into the set, which got the crowd moving.

Dashing over to the Red Stage, where the heavier bands on the bill were to play. Up were Melbourne band Anchors. These guys are one of those bands my mates have been raving about for months but I’ve somehow managed to miss every show that they’ve played. And you know what, it was worth the wait. They were more punk/hardcore than I was expecting but once I got over that surprise I was blown away. Vocalist Brett moves effortlessly between screaming and “clean” vocals whilst still managing to run around stage like a madman.  Their fast-paced and aggressive style was complimented well by the band’s stage presence, which encouraged the crowd to get into the show.

Seeing Cass Ward on the Green Stage really changed things up in the day. An acoustic duo, Cassie Ward has a beautiful, soothing voice which perfectly matched the soft, mellow tunes that they delivered. In an industry heavily populated by men, it’s always great to see female musicians shine.

After taking a little break, I ventured back to the Red Stage to see Dream On, Dreamer who have come such a long way in such a short period of time. They were the first band on the day at the Red Stage where the crowd really let loose and the hall became insanely chaotic as security scrambled to grab the oncoming slaughter of crowd surfers. Dream On, Dreamer were as solid as ever in their live set and each musician played almost to perfection. Drummer Aaron Fiocca is especially captivating in the live spectrum, he plays so effortlessly and always has a trick up his sleeve. I was slightly surprised that they opened with an old song rather than a song off the EP, but it was well received by the crowd who knew ever word and sang along loudly. Considering this was the post-hardcore sextet’s last home show before they leave to record their debut album overseas, it was a fantastic send off. The crowd was left eager for more and you know that there will be kids already counting down the days when they’ll see this band next.

Following a much needed rest, up next on the Red Stage was Hopeless. The crowd was smaller than that for the previous band, but they were just as, if not, more intense. I don’t think that vocalist Brett Sutton actually stood still for a single moment in the band’s 30 minute set. He was also especially eager to get the crowd involved and spent most of the time down at the barrier with the crowd, who were all vying for a mic grab. Hopeless played a good mix of songs off their album Dear World as well as 2010’s EP Human, all of which were well received. Their fast-paced, hardcore sound was excellent for those in the crowd feeling the need to throwdown.

Having to pull out of last year’s Push Over due to injury, Break Even were back this year to an eager crowd. Hailing from Perth, Break Even have won over many fans with their debut album The Bright Side and its positive message. After a short delay where guitarist Steffen Scuito seemed to be missing (called out by vocalist Mark Bawden, saying Steffen was probably on his phone somewhere) Break Even launched into their set with the memorable riff from “Sunrise”, the first track off their album. If you’ve heard their album before and you think Bawden sounds good on that, he absolutely kills it live. His performance is raw, passionate, fuelled with emotion and full of energy. Break Even played a predictable set made up of songs off of The Bright Side and those who had seen them before probably could have foreseen the songs that would make up their set, but it doesn’t matter how many times you see these songs, every single time you will connect to them as much as you did the first time you heard them live, that’s the amazing thing about Break Even’s live show.

It was unfortunate that due to the timetabling there was a 10 minute clash between Break Even and House vs Hurricane and I was torn between the two! I ended up going with House vs Hurricane because of the “first 3 songs only” photography pit rule. House vs Hurricane played the Red Stage of Push Over in 2010 and this year were back and had upgraded to the Blue Stage, which is also known as the main stage. Staying true to typical Melbourne weather, the skies decided to open up and rain upon us all as we were outdoors, but that did little to quash the spirits of both punters and the band. House vs Hurricane played a set full of songs off their debut album Perspectives as well as crowd favourites off their ep Forfeiture. This was one of their first shows since the departure of their keyboardist, arguably the biggest show, and it definitely felt like they were out to prove that they were still going as strong as a quintet. They were a lot more solid and cohesive than the last time I saw them, and that may have been due to the fact that vocalist Chris Dicker wasn’t sick this time around and they were better prepared to be playing without a sixth man. Although there were a few stumbles along the way, I think they did a great job and really gave the crowd a good, solid performance.

It was a mass movement of people as the majority of kids at Push Over fought their way back to the Red Stage for the last band on that stage for the day Deez Nuts. I’ll admit that I’ve never listened to or seen them live before, despite how popular they are in the scene, and I didn’t really know what to expect. Vocalist JJ Peters is probably best known for his formative role as the drummer of influential metalcore band I Killed The Prom Queen. But Deez Nuts is far from that, with their hybrid of hardcore, punk and rap style. I wasn’t completely won over with the music but their performance made up for it and the crowd were really getting into it, so that’s what really matters at the end of the day. With lines that were most likely written to be sung along to (“Just remember you can’t make a ho a housewife”) it wasn’t surprising when these moments approached and the band dropped out so that the sounds of everyone shouting the lyrics would be more effective. Love them or hate them, you have to admit that Deez Nuts know how to put on a show!

As the day came winding down, I ventured back to the Blue Stage were Australian rock giants Children Collide were closing the night. Their brand of rock was fun and entertaining and the crowd were definitely enjoying it. It was different to all the brutal, heavy music I had spent much of the day watching, so it was a nice change. Their songs were catchy and well written, and as a trio, managed to play songs that sounded full and with thick texture. Bassist Heath Crawley had some great bass solos and he wasn’t shy when it came to stepping up and performing them to the crowd. Vocalist/Guitarist Johnny Mackay’s stage antics made for an entertaining show and hidden behind a curtain of hair, he had a magnificent voice that had a great tonality and timbre to it.

And the last band I saw for the day was indie/rock band Oh Mercy on the Green Stage, and there couldn’t have been a better band to end the day with. Their mellow, chilled songs went perfectly with vocalist/guitarist Alexander Gow’s soothing voice, which were delightfully backed by female vocals from bassist Eliza Lam. Oh Mercy’s songs were beautifully crafted and well executed, I’m one over by the 15 minutes of their set that I witnessed.

Push Over was once again a raging success this year and I want to commend The Push especially for coming up with such a diverse line up. The idea that some kids were able to get the opportunity to see a band that they never would have gone out of their way to see and be able to discover a new genre of music that they never would have thought to listen to or may have written off, is one that makes this all ages festival so memorable and such a highlight in the year. Yet another year, yet another triumph, I can only wonder what The Push will come up with next year!