Fast-moving band Jet City Sport Club will headline the Woytopia / Rising young stars on Sunday as part of the Woytopia Festival on the grounds of Woy Woy South Public School.
The Sydney-based foursome have recently landed huge support slots for The Grogans, The Vanns
and CLEWS, as well as single premieres on Triple J and airtime on radio stations such as FBI and
2SER.
And they’re racking up streams on Spotify for their classic guitar-driven indie-pop, with its strong
melodies and shimmering guitar riffs behind singer Lilla Obradovic’s dreamy vocals.
Obradovic, who grew up on the Central Coast in Killcare and Ettalong, says it’s all been a bit of a
whirlwind.
“Between the Sydney lockdowns, we’ve been gigging non-stop and recording as often as we can.
We’ve also just come off our first Australian east coast tour. So it’s been pretty hectic,” Obradovic
said.
And what’s behind the name? “Well, I wished we had a cooler backstory to the name but Jack, our guitarist, just thought Sports Club was ironic and cool. And then, we just kind of liked the sound of Jet City.”
Talking of names, their latest single Green Thumb seems appropriate for a sustainable living festival.
“It’s about how if you don’t put time and care into a relationship, it will wilt just like an uncared-for
plant. I got the idea because I was terrible at looking after house plants, so maybe I need to go to the
gardening workshops at Woytopia!” Obradovic laughed.
Another rising young star appearing at Woytopia is children’s illustrator Sami Bayly, who will be
showing budding young artists how to draw animals. Or, to be precise, weird animals.
Bayly, at just 26 years old, is already one of Australia’s leading children’s illustrators with her books
about some of the stranger inhabitants of the animal kingdom, the Illustrated Encyclopedias of Ugly
Animals, Dangerous Animals and Peculiar Pairs.
Bayly says the inspiration for the series came from the white ibis, aka the humble “bin chicken”.
“I was always hearing people saying how dirty and gross these birds were, so I decided to paint one
myself to showcase their true beauty. And luckily a publisher, Hachette, saw it, and my artistic
statement, and approached me to do the Ugly Animals book.”
Bayly studied Natural History Illustration at the University of Newcastle – the only course of its kind
in the country. That formal training, along with her natural talent, can be seen in the exquisite but
precise detail in her illustrations.
She has won a Wilderness Society’s Environmental Award for Children’s Literature, and her books
are building a loyal following, including Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis and Channel 7’s Kylie
Gillies and Larry Emdur.
Bayly will be running her weird animal drawing workshops at Woytopia, with the opportunity to buy
signed copies of her books, including her just-released fourth book, Surprising Sea Creatures
There will be plenty of other kids’ stuff at the festival too, with circus shows, storytelling, crazier
art with the Crud Muffins, Walkabout Wildlife Park, a games zone and a silent kids disco.
“We’ve also got talks and workshops, a 60-stall eco-market and a wide range of food stalls. And
while it’s a green festival, our guiding motto is you don’t have to be a greenie to enjoy Woytopia, so
there’s something for everyone,” co-organiser Mark Mann said.
Woytopia sustainable living festival is organised by the Peninsula Environment Group and takes
place this Sunday, 30 October, 9 am-4 pm, at Woy Woy South Public School, Waterloo Ave, Woy Woy.
Entry is free (entry donation appreciated); sorry no dogs. Program/details: woytopia.org
Primary source: Media release Woytopia committee, October 27, 2022.