Posts tagged soundwave

I am hopefully not the first person to tell you Faith No More destroyed Soundwave. They grabbed each and every attendee, band and staff member by the balls and didn’t let go until about 10:30. The crowd was immense: practically the only people left at the other stages were diehard fans but even they couldn’t resist. Simply, Mike Patton is the man. He gets sprayed by security guards whilst singing Lionel Ritchie ballads, jokes about chatroulette and makes the entire crowd go apeshit when screaming into a microphone, megaphone or anything else that dare amplify his voice. His band are not just professionals, they are masters, making everyone else looks like the amateur cunts they are. This is a group that somehow equally balances tongue-in-cheek hilarity and stern belligerence into the single most perfect rock formula in existence. One of my favourite acts of all time and I pray I get to see them at least once more before I die.

I am hopefully not the first person to tell you Faith No More destroyed Soundwave. They grabbed each and every attendee, band and staff member by the balls and didn’t let go until about 10:30. The crowd was immense: practically the only people left at the other stages were diehard fans but even they couldn’t resist.

Simply, Mike Patton is the man. He gets sprayed by security guards whilst singing Lionel Ritchie ballads, jokes about chatroulette and makes the entire crowd go apeshit when screaming into a microphone, megaphone or anything else that dare amplify his voice. His band are not just professionals, they are masters, making everyone else looks like the amateur cunts they are.

This is a group that somehow equally balances tongue-in-cheek hilarity and stern belligerence into the single most perfect rock formula in existence. One of my favourite acts of all time and I pray I get to see them at least once more before I die.

Jimmy Eat World were the last minute replacement for My Chemical Romance (who took a sickie to reportedly organise a collaboration with The Chemical Brothers to My Chemical Bromance BA DOM TISH!) and it frankly looked like they put in a last-minute effort towards their act. They stood still, played the songs, called the city they were in “the best” and got off stage. Harmless, tight yet incredibly bland. In all honesty, I was hoping for some comedy at this slot, so the originally booked band would have been great. Fuck the social stigma, I wanted to see My Chemical Romance.

Jimmy Eat World were the last minute replacement for My Chemical Romance (who took a sickie to reportedly organise a collaboration with The Chemical Brothers to My Chemical Bromance BA DOM TISH!) and it frankly looked like they put in a last-minute effort towards their act. They stood still, played the songs, called the city they were in “the best” and got off stage. Harmless, tight yet incredibly bland.

In all honesty, I was hoping for some comedy at this slot, so the originally booked band would have been great. Fuck the social stigma, I wanted to see My Chemical Romance.

When security personnel are angry at a unified cause, they will stop at nothing to defeat their opponents. Such as this geezer being tackled to the ground for invading the stage. Not in photo: Perry looking really worried.

When security personnel are angry at a unified cause, they will stop at nothing to defeat their opponents. Such as this geezer being tackled to the ground for invading the stage. Not in photo: Perry looking really worried.

What can I say about Jane’s Addiction? Easily the coolest band on the lineup, they were probably too cool for most black-clad sixteen year old kids. Eric Avery death stares everyone, Perry Farrel takes too many drugs, Dave Navarro is the personification of the Rich, Sexed-Up Rock Star stereotype and Stephen Perkins wears a kilt and has two kick drums. Yes, they did play “all the Hits” and they also had a couple of dancers come about and be generally good looking behind them. Also, quote of the day supplied by Perry: “I wanna stab someone! But I don’t have a knife! I just have a microphoooooooone!”

What can I say about Jane’s Addiction? Easily the coolest band on the lineup, they were probably too cool for most black-clad sixteen year old kids. Eric Avery death stares everyone, Perry Farrel takes too many drugs, Dave Navarro is the personification of the Rich, Sexed-Up Rock Star stereotype and Stephen Perkins wears a kilt and has two kick drums. Yes, they did play “all the Hits” and they also had a couple of dancers come about and be generally good looking behind them.

Also, quote of the day supplied by Perry: “I wanna stab someone! But I don’t have a knife! I just have a microphoooooooone!”

AFI supposedly have some sort of huge history pre-albums-I-do-not-like and are meant to be Quite A Big Deal in the hardcore movement. Davey Havok is also a pretty cool frontman. The band, performance-wise, looked like heaps of fun from where I was. And that’s about all I can say without being extremely subjective. What the hell: I hate AFI. End of story.

AFI supposedly have some sort of huge history pre-albums-I-do-not-like and are meant to be Quite A Big Deal in the hardcore movement. Davey Havok is also a pretty cool frontman. The band, performance-wise, looked like heaps of fun from where I was.

And that’s about all I can say without being extremely subjective.

What the hell: I hate AFI. End of story.

Placebo was the only time I encountered classic Festival Dickheads during Soundwave. Lots of sweaty pricks pushing, shoving and generally making the experience hell. Taking this shot alone took about a hundred homages to Damon Albarn (i.e. blur). I’d heard a lot of bad things about their live show being boring and detached, but it seemed to go okay. The six-piece create some deep sounds, the songs came off slick and the band and crowd alike seemed to mingle well. He went a bit overboard at a NewsCorp Bitch who doesn’t understand the difference between “shoot” and “film”, which was great to see.

Placebo was the only time I encountered classic Festival Dickheads during Soundwave. Lots of sweaty pricks pushing, shoving and generally making the experience hell. Taking this shot alone took about a hundred homages to Damon Albarn (i.e. blur).

I’d heard a lot of bad things about their live show being boring and detached, but it seemed to go okay. The six-piece create some deep sounds, the songs came off slick and the band and crowd alike seemed to mingle well. He went a bit overboard at a NewsCorp Bitch who doesn’t understand the difference between “shoot” and “film”, which was great to see.

The main stages were on late because of a ten minute delay incurred by Boots Electric’s ego and another 20 minute delay for some unexplained reason (everything from drug busts to faulty equipment to weather was bandied around). This resulted in seeing most, if not all of Paramore. I would say “people who like them liked it” but that would be going around the question at hand as to whether or not they can actually perform. Which they can. Surprisingly quite well as well. And I guess any band that drives thirteen year old girls away from Taylor Swift and towards a festival with Jane’s Addiction and Faith No More while singing about beating up your ex-boyfriend is a good thing. Just one thing: can Hayley Williams shut the fuck up? On-stage banter is okay, but prohibited after every song unless your name is Andy Falkous.

The main stages were on late because of a ten minute delay incurred by Boots Electric’s ego and another 20 minute delay for some unexplained reason (everything from drug busts to faulty equipment to weather was bandied around). This resulted in seeing most, if not all of Paramore.

I would say “people who like them liked it” but that would be going around the question at hand as to whether or not they can actually perform. Which they can. Surprisingly quite well as well. And I guess any band that drives thirteen year old girls away from Taylor Swift and towards a festival with Jane’s Addiction and Faith No More while singing about beating up your ex-boyfriend is a good thing.

Just one thing: can Hayley Williams shut the fuck up? On-stage banter is okay, but prohibited after every song unless your name is Andy Falkous.

So Anvil have a movie, eh? About being “classics” and “rocking”? Frankly this moment where he address the crowd via “licks” was probably the best of it. Oh, and a guy with hair to his hips headbanging. I think I almost passed out about now due to lack of water, so this may be a contributing factor. Also, whatever was playing at the kinda-emo-but-not-really-emo stage (where I ate my overpriced pizza slice) at that time was neither Motion City Soundtrack nor Glassjaw. I have no reason to care about who it actually was.

So Anvil have a movie, eh? About being “classics” and “rocking”? Frankly this moment where he address the crowd via “licks” was probably the best of it. Oh, and a guy with hair to his hips headbanging. I think I almost passed out about now due to lack of water, so this may be a contributing factor.

Also, whatever was playing at the kinda-emo-but-not-really-emo stage (where I ate my overpriced pizza slice) at that time was neither Motion City Soundtrack nor Glassjaw. I have no reason to care about who it actually was.

I’m not entirely sure what I was doing pre-Eagles of Death Metal (probably avoiding Taking Back Sunday) but the important point was is that I got to see Boots Electric talk about getting beaten up by hooligans in Brisbane. Music-wise, the band are pretty much the personification of the Demetri Martin joke, “Everything sounds a bit cooler and sleazier when you add ladies to the end. ‘I’m stuck in a well… ladies!’” Or just cock rock with more cock than you can handle. Whatever it is, half the audience cared, the other half didn’t get the joke (and probably like Taking Back Sunday)

I’m not entirely sure what I was doing pre-Eagles of Death Metal (probably avoiding Taking Back Sunday) but the important point was is that I got to see Boots Electric talk about getting beaten up by hooligans in Brisbane.

Music-wise, the band are pretty much the personification of the Demetri Martin joke, “Everything sounds a bit cooler and sleazier when you add ladies to the end. ‘I’m stuck in a well… ladies!’” Or just cock rock with more cock than you can handle. Whatever it is, half the audience cared, the other half didn’t get the joke (and probably like Taking Back Sunday)

Who the hell put Sunny Day Real Estate on first on this lineup? Honestly, I had to cop an earful from every other band I saw praising these guys for inspiring them to start a band. They also had about one tenth of the crowd they deserved. The guys who were around kept screaming requests (please don’t unless it’s an encore, you twats), and the band just seemed happy for anyone to care they existed. I also used earplugs for this set solely: I’m too weak for noise grunge.

Who the hell put Sunny Day Real Estate on first on this lineup?

Honestly, I had to cop an earful from every other band I saw praising these guys for inspiring them to start a band. They also had about one tenth of the crowd they deserved. The guys who were around kept screaming requests (please don’t unless it’s an encore, you twats), and the band just seemed happy for anyone to care they existed. I also used earplugs for this set solely: I’m too weak for noise grunge.