_Big Day Out 2012 @ Sydney Showgrounds (26/01/2012)
_
After
a week of mildly miserable weather in Sydney, hopes for the twentieth Big Day
Out were dwindling. The skies pissed down on a few thousand people as they made
their way to the Sydney Showgrounds but this didn’t hinder their spirits. The
weather quickly turned into a typical hot Australia Day – that’s when the fun
started.
First up were Sydney-based Frenzal Rhomb, belting out their tunes for a solid forty-five minutes. Despite it being rather early in the day, the quartet pulls a solid crowd of dedicated and they don’t leave disappointed. Their raw punk rock sound can nearly be classified as white noise but it nevertheless works well in the main area. Jason Whalley hypes the crowd up from the word “go” and doesn’t relent. The band feeds off the crowd and the crowd feeds off the band, which results in a successful performance and leaves the fans pumped up for the day ahead. It must be noted that at the same time this was happening, Haydn Ing [vocals, Calling All Cars] got knocked out cold after just a few songs in to their act! Turns out he was elbowed in the head whilst crowd surfing, true rock n roll style!
Straight after the punk heroes came another Aussie act of an even bigger name – Parkway Drive. Possibly one of Australia’s best musical achievements, the boys from Byron had a reputation to live up to and man, did they ever. Metalheads chanted their name, waiting impatiently to see and hear the hardcore gods in the flesh. The Amity Affliction held a similar story: Both were typical metal shows – intense moshing, crowd surfing, and circle pits meant getting up close and personal was inevitable and not for the faint-hearted. Vocally, Winston McCall was pretty much flawless without neglecting the performance aspect. Joel Birch – despite repeatedly saying he was shit at talking to crowds – also made sure the fans didn’t leave unfulfilled. They’re two bands that definitely belonged higher up on the bill and later on in the day.
Back at the main arena, Hilltop Hoods provided one of the best acts of the day. Filling just about half of the grounds, the show was nothing short of fantastic. You could feel the bass shake the very foundations of the stadium. You could see the throng of hands pulsing in perfect synchronisation like they were believers praising a deity. It was almost hypnotic. Mistaken, I thought it couldn’t get any better, but then ‘The Nosebleed Section’ began. Suddenly the crowd nearly doubled in size – three quarters of the grass was invisible under the dancers and the fans and everyone else chanting along to the group’s most famous song. This was definitively a highlight of the Sydney Big Day Out.
Festivals are never without their flaws, and despite the unmistakable talent of the acts on the Orange and Blue stages, the sound was all kinds of shit. Initially, others and I blamed it on the first few bands that performed but then it became clear it was nothing more than a technical malfunction that impinged on the festival reaching its full potential.
Probably the most disappointing band of the day was My Chemical Romance; there was simply no wow factor. Gerard kept on talking about orange juice for some reason. His voice also struggled to maintain its integrity through out, relying on the audience to fill in quite a few lyrics. The crowd itself was pretty dead, as if the day had left them exhausted at six in the evening. A glimmer of life only broke through the crowd when the band performed the all-round favourites, including ‘Teenagers’ and ‘The Black Parade’, but none of which came from their newest album. Coincidence? I think not.
The Living End and Kasabian were both promising acts that didn’t fail to deliver, belting out their best songs as well as an array of others that left the fans craving more. Unfortunately for Kasabian, they couldn’t grab all the attention they deserved due to Tony Hawk wowing a good portion of the arena. In his defense, Hawk performed some freakishly good tricks that left people in the stands with their eyebrows raised and their jaws dropped. Even if you’re not in to skating, Hawk won’t disappoint.
Over on the opposite side of the Showgrounds, Foster The People performed an act that was nothing but worthy for the main stage. The audience stretched on and on, which was neither a good nor bad thing. I felt sorry for about three-quarters of the crowd that couldn’t see nor hear the band properly. BDO definitely underestimated the pulling power of a band that exploded with such ferocity in 2011.
As the sun sets and most of the stages close up, two of the biggest acts of the day were yet to star: Kanye West and Nero.
First up, Kanye. Love him or hate him, there was no denying that this guy could put on a show. It was obvious where most of the budget went. Starting off singing in a crane in mid air, there were smoke machines and a dizzying light show. He had at least a dozen back up dancers, props, an impressive backdrop, and even a few costume changes. The vast majority of the crowd lapped this all up in an eagerness that didn’t falter, despite a few too many slow songs (that put the show at risk of becoming boring) and the performance running about forty-five minutes overtime. Renowned for his perfectionism, his vocals and his interaction with the crowd topped off the show. It was nothing short of amazing.
Nero brought the show home in the Boiler Room that felt more like a rave than anything else. Some complain that the music wasn’t anything different than the records but that’s not why people flocked there. It was a party to end all parties, full of fun-drunks and teenagers on their last legs but having a ball nonetheless. The ambience was incredible; it was easy to lose yourself in the music.
All in all, the twentieth Big Day Out in Sydney on Australia Day was a success. Despite a tumultuous year, Ken West and Co. pulled it off once again. Sure, you could complain that it was overpriced, the beer was watered down, and the line-up had too many clashes, but that’s what festivals are! There will always be the ones that are never satisfied and the ones that need to put in their two-cents worth, but chances are they’ll be back next year and so will you. See you there.
Olivia Fusca
First up were Sydney-based Frenzal Rhomb, belting out their tunes for a solid forty-five minutes. Despite it being rather early in the day, the quartet pulls a solid crowd of dedicated and they don’t leave disappointed. Their raw punk rock sound can nearly be classified as white noise but it nevertheless works well in the main area. Jason Whalley hypes the crowd up from the word “go” and doesn’t relent. The band feeds off the crowd and the crowd feeds off the band, which results in a successful performance and leaves the fans pumped up for the day ahead. It must be noted that at the same time this was happening, Haydn Ing [vocals, Calling All Cars] got knocked out cold after just a few songs in to their act! Turns out he was elbowed in the head whilst crowd surfing, true rock n roll style!
Straight after the punk heroes came another Aussie act of an even bigger name – Parkway Drive. Possibly one of Australia’s best musical achievements, the boys from Byron had a reputation to live up to and man, did they ever. Metalheads chanted their name, waiting impatiently to see and hear the hardcore gods in the flesh. The Amity Affliction held a similar story: Both were typical metal shows – intense moshing, crowd surfing, and circle pits meant getting up close and personal was inevitable and not for the faint-hearted. Vocally, Winston McCall was pretty much flawless without neglecting the performance aspect. Joel Birch – despite repeatedly saying he was shit at talking to crowds – also made sure the fans didn’t leave unfulfilled. They’re two bands that definitely belonged higher up on the bill and later on in the day.
Back at the main arena, Hilltop Hoods provided one of the best acts of the day. Filling just about half of the grounds, the show was nothing short of fantastic. You could feel the bass shake the very foundations of the stadium. You could see the throng of hands pulsing in perfect synchronisation like they were believers praising a deity. It was almost hypnotic. Mistaken, I thought it couldn’t get any better, but then ‘The Nosebleed Section’ began. Suddenly the crowd nearly doubled in size – three quarters of the grass was invisible under the dancers and the fans and everyone else chanting along to the group’s most famous song. This was definitively a highlight of the Sydney Big Day Out.
Festivals are never without their flaws, and despite the unmistakable talent of the acts on the Orange and Blue stages, the sound was all kinds of shit. Initially, others and I blamed it on the first few bands that performed but then it became clear it was nothing more than a technical malfunction that impinged on the festival reaching its full potential.
Probably the most disappointing band of the day was My Chemical Romance; there was simply no wow factor. Gerard kept on talking about orange juice for some reason. His voice also struggled to maintain its integrity through out, relying on the audience to fill in quite a few lyrics. The crowd itself was pretty dead, as if the day had left them exhausted at six in the evening. A glimmer of life only broke through the crowd when the band performed the all-round favourites, including ‘Teenagers’ and ‘The Black Parade’, but none of which came from their newest album. Coincidence? I think not.
The Living End and Kasabian were both promising acts that didn’t fail to deliver, belting out their best songs as well as an array of others that left the fans craving more. Unfortunately for Kasabian, they couldn’t grab all the attention they deserved due to Tony Hawk wowing a good portion of the arena. In his defense, Hawk performed some freakishly good tricks that left people in the stands with their eyebrows raised and their jaws dropped. Even if you’re not in to skating, Hawk won’t disappoint.
Over on the opposite side of the Showgrounds, Foster The People performed an act that was nothing but worthy for the main stage. The audience stretched on and on, which was neither a good nor bad thing. I felt sorry for about three-quarters of the crowd that couldn’t see nor hear the band properly. BDO definitely underestimated the pulling power of a band that exploded with such ferocity in 2011.
As the sun sets and most of the stages close up, two of the biggest acts of the day were yet to star: Kanye West and Nero.
First up, Kanye. Love him or hate him, there was no denying that this guy could put on a show. It was obvious where most of the budget went. Starting off singing in a crane in mid air, there were smoke machines and a dizzying light show. He had at least a dozen back up dancers, props, an impressive backdrop, and even a few costume changes. The vast majority of the crowd lapped this all up in an eagerness that didn’t falter, despite a few too many slow songs (that put the show at risk of becoming boring) and the performance running about forty-five minutes overtime. Renowned for his perfectionism, his vocals and his interaction with the crowd topped off the show. It was nothing short of amazing.
Nero brought the show home in the Boiler Room that felt more like a rave than anything else. Some complain that the music wasn’t anything different than the records but that’s not why people flocked there. It was a party to end all parties, full of fun-drunks and teenagers on their last legs but having a ball nonetheless. The ambience was incredible; it was easy to lose yourself in the music.
All in all, the twentieth Big Day Out in Sydney on Australia Day was a success. Despite a tumultuous year, Ken West and Co. pulled it off once again. Sure, you could complain that it was overpriced, the beer was watered down, and the line-up had too many clashes, but that’s what festivals are! There will always be the ones that are never satisfied and the ones that need to put in their two-cents worth, but chances are they’ll be back next year and so will you. See you there.
Olivia Fusca