Words: Lara Pacillo // Photos: Isaac Urban
Returning in 2024 for its fourth edition, Sidebyside is heading to Helen Mayo Park on February 24 for a day of electronic music, art and inclusivity, curated by event production company Pivot and Mapped Studio.
Amongst a fresh new backdrop along Karrawirra Parri/River Torrens, the boutique music festival will be home to two stages between lush overhead canopies, and a plethora of features including varied art installations of multiple mediums.
Classic festival eats will be on offer to fuel the dancing, with Pirate Life and Vinteloper providing beer and wine on the day.
Sidebyside’s lineup stretches a wide spectrum of electronic music, including imports Zed Bias (UK), Bashkka (DE) and Tom Trago (NL) alongside Australian favourites Tornado Wallace (Melb), Sophie McAlister (Melb), Andy Garvey (Syd) and Thilini (Syd).
Alley O, Hobbyist, Nantale, J.Hennessy, Prince Aaronac and Wallace & Malone make up the selection of local artists.
The balance of national and international acts backs the crew’s intention to help put Adelaide on the map for artists while showcasing Australian talent.
“There are many amazing underground artists in Australia who are well established here and overseas. It’s important for us to support them,” Pivot operations manager Elliott Jamie says.
“In addition, we want to book artists that have been influential for us in our exploration of dance music.”
Sidebyside was brought to life in 2019 by Pivot, which is made up of Elliott, Oscar Harding and Henry Jarman.
All heavily involved in Adelaide’s hospitality and nightclub scene, “it was a natural progression for us to run our own thing”, Elliott says, as well as a desire to produce and curate a larger scale underground music festival that they’d grown to love interstate and overseas.
This year, as an extension of Sidebyside, the team are also hosting an open air venue called Sanctuary over three weeks as a part of Adelaide Fringe which will run on weekends from March 1 to 16.
It not only allows the festivities to stretch over the duration of the Fringe period but supports the crew’s focus on platforming local talent where Adelaide DJs will be heavily highlighted.
Platforming local talent has always been a priority for Sidebyside where in 2022 a third stage was added to the mix with the purpose of hosting solely Adelaide artists.
Variation in the landscape is just as important as the soundscape for the team. Stages are custom-designed, while large-scale lighting and interactive features are key elements of the event.
“The stages and installations that we build are one-off and reflect the digital representation of Sidebyside in physical form,” Elliott explains. “It’s part of us trying to ensure that the festival is always evolving and flows from the online world to the real one.”
Collaborating with David Musch and the team at Mapped Studio has played a massive role in enhancing the offering from a visual and production standpoint — just one of many examples of how working with local talent brings the festival to new levels.
“It takes an army to throw Sidebyside, and it’s all people that are involved because they’re committed to the development of the scene, and the opportunity to express with a reasonable amount of creative freedom is something which we take pride in being able to give people,” Elliott says.
“It really is a huge team effort. Everyone’s got a say, and everyone’s unique input makes the festival what it is.
“The music is fantastic, the arts are fantastic, the sound and the lights and all that jazz are our pride and joy, but the best thing is the connections that you make with other people who are busting a move on the dance floor and hanging out in the venue.”
Sidebyside: Saturday February 24 // Helen Mayo Park, Adelaide 5000
