The die-hard supporters were easy to spot, sporting works of art on their heads; from dreadlocks to glitter and plaited masterpieces.
Then there were the parents who thought three-year-old Johnny was, for one, old enough to enjoy the music from the lofty heights of Dad's shoulders; and two, made of glass.
Groups of kids barely of school age pushed their way through the crowd, announcing their presence at your hips with high-pitched instructions to their mates to 'hold on'.
And a boy played with Thomas the Tank Engine on the floor.
It was a mixed few thousand people that jammed around centre stage, Garden City, on Saturday afternoon, to see KILLING HEIDI play.
Waiting for the group to appear, the crowd was told KILLING HEIDI would be doing autographs after their performance. But they were only going to sign their own CDs - on sale at the back of the crowd.
Even for someone who was more curious than fanatical, this seemed a bit harsh, especially since much of the crowd would have been lucky to get $2-a-week pocket money.
But my faith in KILLING HEIDI , already bolstered by their relaxed, friendly and down-to-earth stage presence, was sealed when I spied them scrawling on posters after all.
Novocastrians Jodie Cullen, Erin Fuller and Melissa Cross, all 14, were responsible for a vocal group that alternated between screaming Ella's name and blowing a whistle.
They described the small 'mosh pit' as hot and sweaty, and indignantly stated they weren't allowed to crowd surf.
All three were very definitely thinking of getting dreadlocks like Ella's.
Merewether friends Claire, Olivia, Gemma, Carly and Bryden were waiting for KILLING HEIDI from midday and, with typical 12- and 13-year-old logic, said they loved the group 'because they rock'.
Singleton mum Nerida McNamara was waiting for her daughter who was on the queue for an autograph.
'I was a Sherbet fan myself, and I would have waited for ever for Sherbet,' she confessed.
Some things never change.
The quick set included MASCARA and, with a roar of approval from the crowd, and WEIR .
The group's energy was evident right down to brother Jesse's constant smile visible under his famous red dreds.
Despite the fact that the crowd sometimes resembled a group of Newcastle Show visitors rather than pop fans, or perhaps because of it, KILLING HEIDI are clearly a group that parochial Novocastrians are willing to take to heart.
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