Relaxed vibe at Southbound

No "beer cages"? No worries. There was a relaxed vibe over the weekend at the eighth annual Southbound music festival in Busselton.

An over-18s affair for the first time, the two-day multi-stage event did not have to cut off licensed areas with the dreaded fences known to concertgoers as "beer cages".

About 12,500 free-range music lovers at Southbound were chuffed with being able to wander Sir Stewart Bovell Park with a beer in hand and a smile on their face.

However, the Southbound numbers were down. Promoter David Chitty put the dip of about 2500 tickets on last year down to excluding under-18s.

Melbourne superstar Missy Higgins was clearly enjoying being back on stage after a break from touring. Performing with her new band recruited in Nashville, she unveiled new tunes and played some favourites to a big audience.

Also popular were Kiwi veteran Tim Finn, Sydney rising stars the Jezabels and comedian Josh Thomas.