Big Day Out @ Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney (26/01/2014)
The 2014 Big Day Out was not without its controversy. We saw AJ Maddah join forces with Ken West, Blur pulled out, dates got cancelled and last minute acts added to the bill.
After nine Big Day Outs, I could talk about how much things have changed but that would be boring and maybe you don’t care what a bottle of Coke cost back in 05’. But as much as the festival has grown or been outgrown, its punters remain the loyal. You’ve still got those fans identifiable by whom they’ve come to see. This year you could find the wild Pearl Jam fan milling around in their mid 30’s, sporting a long plait (this applies to both male and female fans).
It’s Australia Day but the sweltering heat common at the Sydney Olympic park is noticeably absent. Whether the punters clothes reflected this or not is another story but the day starts off somewhat cloudy to the tune of Aussie produce. The Orange and Blue stage opened with DZ Deathrays and Bluejuice, both eager to please however the real Aussie act of the day went to Brisbane's Violent Soho. The four piece have had quite the year and little did they know, they were about to rank high on the Triple J Hottest 100. Opening with Dope Calypso, the boys broke out a set that covered tracks from 2013’s Hungry Ghost and some older stuff like Tinderbox. The crowd ate up every second, almost combusting to a high energy version of Covered in Chrome. All I can say is “Hell fuck yeah!”
Next up we jumped from The Naked and Famous to Tame Impala. Both regulars on the festival circuit, fans packed in to hear the hits. There’s something about The Naked and Famous that assimilates fun, festivals and summer. Whether it was the energy from old favourite Punching a Dream or the new material like Hearts Like Ours, the crowd couldn’t stop dancing, spreading an almost contagious vibe of happiness.
Tame Impala hit the Orange stage to huge reception however performed a similar set we’ve grown to expect from the Perth boys. There’s nothing in the way of banter or any real stage presence. They come out, do their psychedelic thing jamming out a lot of Lonerism and some Innerspeaker tracks however as usual it’s Half Full Glass of Wine that sets the crowd on fire. Tame Impala are a great band that make amazing records, I just wish they didn’t take themselves so seriously on stage.
As the day grew on, along with the lines for most facilities, it was time to catch culty rock band Primus. To be honest, apart from the fact they’d composed the South Park song, I’d never actually heard any of their music. It’s always my rule at a festival to see a band you’ve never heard and Primus proved to be an experience I wouldn’t forget. It was right around the time of pig masks and a version of the Oompa Loompa song that I tapped out for some Grouplove. Over on the red stage the younger demographic huddled round in shredded denim to catch the high energy Californians. Grouplove don’t disappoint, opening with the upbeat I’m With You followed by fan favourite Itchin’ On A Photograph. The chemistry between the band is remarkable which only compliments their incredibly tight sound. Christian Zucconi’s vocals travel extravagantly throughout the crowd and the ground feels like it’s moving for mega hit Tongue Tied. Zucconi says upon closing that the BDO shows have been the best of Grouplove’s career and they hope to be back soon and we feel the same way after that set.
It’s that time of day at the BDO where you’re moving quickly from one band to another in an attempt to see the best of everything. Next was Swedish festival favourites The Hives and although they were filling in some part for Blur, they didn’t let it hinder their expected energetic performance. Dressed in their matching suits, The Hives hit it off with Come On! before moving straight into crowd favourite Main Offender. These guys are known for they endless onstage banter and high octane live shows but for some reason this pack wasn’t entirely convinced. Howllin’ Pelle Almqvist at one point directing the audience, “We play music and you clap; when we’re done making noise you guys make noise.” .. The real fans kept on cheering and the band played out the rest of their set. This is the third time I’ve seen this band and the third time I’ve seen this show, if you know what I mean?
No artist was stiffed harder on a main-stage that day than Beady Eye. It was as if a bad smell had set in as punters dispersed rapidly towards other stages. Liam Gallagher oozed the aura of an uninspired KFC cook on his last shift as he carelessly moved from one song to another. Even his half baked renditions of Oasis and Rolling Stones hits couldn’t muster a response from the audience. It was hard to tell who was more disappointed with themselves, the band or the people who chose to watch.
It’s was now headliner time and fans moved in to catch a glimpse of the critically acclaimed Arcade Fire. The Montreal based indie outfit haven’t been to our shores since their last BDO tour in 2008. The wait made us all anxious for the hour and a half set we were overdue for. Reflektor inspired some artistic choices for the band including huge bobbleheads made in the bands image to which they seemingly appeared to be sporting on stage whilst also performing a cover of Blur’s Song 2. After the song fell apart, the real Win Butler appeared from side of stage, along with the band to shun the bobbleheads before launching into Normal Person. This is one of those songs that after hearing live, becomes a whole other beast. The energy on stage is high as Regine and two of the best bongo players I’ve ever seen, dance in unison waving colourful fabric to the beat of the chorus. The first half of the set covers a lot of the bands early work which has fans on their feet singing along to Rebellion (Lies) and Wake Up. The set wanders into some Neon Bible with Keep The Car Running and No Cars Go before taking on the hits from The Suburbs. There’s never a lull in Arcades Fire performance, Win Butler commanding as ever on lead vocals, handing over to band workhorse Regine for vocals on Sprawl II. The set comes to a close with an amazing rendition of Here Comes The Night Time which ended in exploding confetti. As always, Arcade Fire are in a league of their own both visually and audibly and deserve their top billing.
As the night comes to a close, everyone smart enough to stop waiting around for Snoop Lion get in close to watch BDO’s white whale: The one and only Pearl Jam. Now, because my older brother didn’t like them as much as all my friends older brothers did, I only know of their radio hits. I know, I know. I except your tomatoes of disapproval. Anyway, I stay to watch out of curiosity. I’m immediately captivated. It’s hard to tell if it’s just the fact I’m breathing the same air as one of the most authentic rock bands of my lifetime or the complete charisma of Eddie Vedder but I’m hooked.
Eddie swigs from a bottle of red whilst he chats to the crowd like their old friends between songs like Even Flow and Rearview Mirror. The set is ever changing in colour and and you get the idea of entertainment but it’s really like watching a bunch of old friends do what they love. This is endearing and beautiful to watch. The first encore produces one of the best things I’ve ever seen live which is solo Eddie covering Hunters and Collectors Throw Your Arms Around Me before moving into a beautiful version of Better Man. It’s around this point the crowd really loses it, some have tears in their eyes. The second encore gets better when they produce hits like Jeremy, Black and Alive back to back before covering Kick Out The Jams and Rockin’ in The Free World. It was truly a pleasure to experience such a catalogue of hits and be in the presence of a band that truly appreciates their fans.
Samantha Dickson
After nine Big Day Outs, I could talk about how much things have changed but that would be boring and maybe you don’t care what a bottle of Coke cost back in 05’. But as much as the festival has grown or been outgrown, its punters remain the loyal. You’ve still got those fans identifiable by whom they’ve come to see. This year you could find the wild Pearl Jam fan milling around in their mid 30’s, sporting a long plait (this applies to both male and female fans).
It’s Australia Day but the sweltering heat common at the Sydney Olympic park is noticeably absent. Whether the punters clothes reflected this or not is another story but the day starts off somewhat cloudy to the tune of Aussie produce. The Orange and Blue stage opened with DZ Deathrays and Bluejuice, both eager to please however the real Aussie act of the day went to Brisbane's Violent Soho. The four piece have had quite the year and little did they know, they were about to rank high on the Triple J Hottest 100. Opening with Dope Calypso, the boys broke out a set that covered tracks from 2013’s Hungry Ghost and some older stuff like Tinderbox. The crowd ate up every second, almost combusting to a high energy version of Covered in Chrome. All I can say is “Hell fuck yeah!”
Next up we jumped from The Naked and Famous to Tame Impala. Both regulars on the festival circuit, fans packed in to hear the hits. There’s something about The Naked and Famous that assimilates fun, festivals and summer. Whether it was the energy from old favourite Punching a Dream or the new material like Hearts Like Ours, the crowd couldn’t stop dancing, spreading an almost contagious vibe of happiness.
Tame Impala hit the Orange stage to huge reception however performed a similar set we’ve grown to expect from the Perth boys. There’s nothing in the way of banter or any real stage presence. They come out, do their psychedelic thing jamming out a lot of Lonerism and some Innerspeaker tracks however as usual it’s Half Full Glass of Wine that sets the crowd on fire. Tame Impala are a great band that make amazing records, I just wish they didn’t take themselves so seriously on stage.
As the day grew on, along with the lines for most facilities, it was time to catch culty rock band Primus. To be honest, apart from the fact they’d composed the South Park song, I’d never actually heard any of their music. It’s always my rule at a festival to see a band you’ve never heard and Primus proved to be an experience I wouldn’t forget. It was right around the time of pig masks and a version of the Oompa Loompa song that I tapped out for some Grouplove. Over on the red stage the younger demographic huddled round in shredded denim to catch the high energy Californians. Grouplove don’t disappoint, opening with the upbeat I’m With You followed by fan favourite Itchin’ On A Photograph. The chemistry between the band is remarkable which only compliments their incredibly tight sound. Christian Zucconi’s vocals travel extravagantly throughout the crowd and the ground feels like it’s moving for mega hit Tongue Tied. Zucconi says upon closing that the BDO shows have been the best of Grouplove’s career and they hope to be back soon and we feel the same way after that set.
It’s that time of day at the BDO where you’re moving quickly from one band to another in an attempt to see the best of everything. Next was Swedish festival favourites The Hives and although they were filling in some part for Blur, they didn’t let it hinder their expected energetic performance. Dressed in their matching suits, The Hives hit it off with Come On! before moving straight into crowd favourite Main Offender. These guys are known for they endless onstage banter and high octane live shows but for some reason this pack wasn’t entirely convinced. Howllin’ Pelle Almqvist at one point directing the audience, “We play music and you clap; when we’re done making noise you guys make noise.” .. The real fans kept on cheering and the band played out the rest of their set. This is the third time I’ve seen this band and the third time I’ve seen this show, if you know what I mean?
No artist was stiffed harder on a main-stage that day than Beady Eye. It was as if a bad smell had set in as punters dispersed rapidly towards other stages. Liam Gallagher oozed the aura of an uninspired KFC cook on his last shift as he carelessly moved from one song to another. Even his half baked renditions of Oasis and Rolling Stones hits couldn’t muster a response from the audience. It was hard to tell who was more disappointed with themselves, the band or the people who chose to watch.
It’s was now headliner time and fans moved in to catch a glimpse of the critically acclaimed Arcade Fire. The Montreal based indie outfit haven’t been to our shores since their last BDO tour in 2008. The wait made us all anxious for the hour and a half set we were overdue for. Reflektor inspired some artistic choices for the band including huge bobbleheads made in the bands image to which they seemingly appeared to be sporting on stage whilst also performing a cover of Blur’s Song 2. After the song fell apart, the real Win Butler appeared from side of stage, along with the band to shun the bobbleheads before launching into Normal Person. This is one of those songs that after hearing live, becomes a whole other beast. The energy on stage is high as Regine and two of the best bongo players I’ve ever seen, dance in unison waving colourful fabric to the beat of the chorus. The first half of the set covers a lot of the bands early work which has fans on their feet singing along to Rebellion (Lies) and Wake Up. The set wanders into some Neon Bible with Keep The Car Running and No Cars Go before taking on the hits from The Suburbs. There’s never a lull in Arcades Fire performance, Win Butler commanding as ever on lead vocals, handing over to band workhorse Regine for vocals on Sprawl II. The set comes to a close with an amazing rendition of Here Comes The Night Time which ended in exploding confetti. As always, Arcade Fire are in a league of their own both visually and audibly and deserve their top billing.
As the night comes to a close, everyone smart enough to stop waiting around for Snoop Lion get in close to watch BDO’s white whale: The one and only Pearl Jam. Now, because my older brother didn’t like them as much as all my friends older brothers did, I only know of their radio hits. I know, I know. I except your tomatoes of disapproval. Anyway, I stay to watch out of curiosity. I’m immediately captivated. It’s hard to tell if it’s just the fact I’m breathing the same air as one of the most authentic rock bands of my lifetime or the complete charisma of Eddie Vedder but I’m hooked.
Eddie swigs from a bottle of red whilst he chats to the crowd like their old friends between songs like Even Flow and Rearview Mirror. The set is ever changing in colour and and you get the idea of entertainment but it’s really like watching a bunch of old friends do what they love. This is endearing and beautiful to watch. The first encore produces one of the best things I’ve ever seen live which is solo Eddie covering Hunters and Collectors Throw Your Arms Around Me before moving into a beautiful version of Better Man. It’s around this point the crowd really loses it, some have tears in their eyes. The second encore gets better when they produce hits like Jeremy, Black and Alive back to back before covering Kick Out The Jams and Rockin’ in The Free World. It was truly a pleasure to experience such a catalogue of hits and be in the presence of a band that truly appreciates their fans.
Samantha Dickson