Soundwave Sydney 2014 @ Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney (23/02/2014)
This year’s edition of Soundwave faced many uncertainties with bands pulling out and difficult timetables left tough decisions for fans but with close to a hundred bands pulling in some strong performances. Unless you were a diehard fan of the bands that were missing, Sydney Olympic Park provided enough to fulfill your music needs. With rock acting as our umbrella term for the vast array of genres present at the festival; there was a great blend of heavy metal, hardcore, rock, punk and other sub-genres that are surfacing
Unearthed winner Trophy Eyes kicked off the festival at a staggering pace. The punk rockers from Newcastle proved they were no newcomer to the festival scene edging fans to move about and get the day started the right way. Even though the day had just started punters rushed over to get a glimpse of the quality that they’ll experience throughout the festival.
If a heavy sound isn’t the way you wanted to start the festival, you’ll find some Real Friends to ease you into the day with their rock anthems tied in with some catchy riffs. Even while under the weather, Dan Lambton persevered through the set.
Exploding onto stage, fans immediately erupted at the sight of August Burns Red. Brutal, heavy and enticing serve as compliments for this finely tuned band who demonstrated their experience in the scene through deep growls, punishing thrashes on the drums and killer guitar melodies.
Nestled away in one of the corner stages Dangerkids brought their electronicore sounds with rap elements to the Soundwave crowd. Drawing a likeness to Linkin Park, the band expands upon the idea of this comparison shaping their craft to focus on heavier elements. Possibly being the first time many people will see them on this tour, the impressive set they performed certainly caught the attention of the crowd checking them out.
Coming forth to satisfy the desire for English metal, Asking Alexandria pounced on stage to celebrate the spirit of rock. With a revitalised Danny, past tracks were revamped to incorporate the change in his singing style. The Final Episode and Breathless were notably different, some screams replace with a fuller clean sound laced with some trills to showcase the improved vocals.
As the festival came closer to the halfway point, the area was doused in an assortment of hardcore, metal and punk rock and for some it seemed like a little more variation was needed to push on before the larger acts. Luckily Mutemath provided a smooth funk infused sound to get people over this metaphorical hump. Not your typical band, Paul Meany’s distinct vocals were only matched by the impressive live show given, which included Darren King putting on one of the best drum solos of the day.
Came afternoon, everybody was ready to see the headlining acts. To warm them up A Day to Remember produced an entertaining set both visually and musically. Having solidified their name in the hardcore scene with their live antics and addictive music, the performance involved Jeremy rolling about in a zorb ball, the sky laced with toilet paper rolls and crowd on crowd surfing. The crowd knew the exact timing for every breakdown, the cowbell in Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End and each break that was present in the set. Only a band that calls Australia its second home could have achieved such a response.
These are the performances that stand out in a festival filled with so many bands and luckily the remaining acts brought their best to end this leg of the festival.
With a career that has survived the 90s and kept punk rock alive, the knowledge of a planned hiatus made the set for Green Day a must for anyone who attended Soundwave. Luckily a three hour set made it easier to get the slightest glimpse of this phenomenal band. Billie Joe, Mike Dirnt & Jason White lead the crowd up front with steady support from Tre Cool banging away at the drums.
Know your enemy saw Billie Joe belting out this rock anthem before allowing a fan to come up and join in. Another instance saw a baptism happen right before thousands of people without anyone questioning it. For such a long set props must be given to the band for giving it their all and more importantly for showing their gratitude through their music.
It may come off as a strange observation but throughout the entirety of the set the band gave it their all. American Idiot saw the recognizable guitar and bass riff amplified by Billie Joe & Mike’s sweat and energy pumping the tune out. Boulevard of Broken Dreams opened with the entire stadium singing back to the band, almost stunning them before they too joined in the performance. Finally, though to be expected, Good Riddance ended the performance with new meaning as the future of Green Day will be left unknown but luckily for those who witnessed the show, it isn’t an unfortunate separation.
Only one act was able to compete with the magnitude of Green Day, going against a band renowned for their live shows. Avenged Sevenfold (better known as A7X) respectively brilliant in their metal scene opened the set with fireworks and a flaming throne, allowing those who opted to leave Green Day early to gain council with the king himself Matt Shadows. Welcoming the crowd into their fucked up family, A7X encouraged them to give their all Hail to the King before dedicating Fiction to the recently departed Rev who will always remain a signature member of the band and continues to fuel their passion for music.
With all the stages dying down at the 10:00pm mark, many tired faces left the Showground already sharing war stories of their experiences in the mosh and relishing in their memories.
Scott Singh
Unearthed winner Trophy Eyes kicked off the festival at a staggering pace. The punk rockers from Newcastle proved they were no newcomer to the festival scene edging fans to move about and get the day started the right way. Even though the day had just started punters rushed over to get a glimpse of the quality that they’ll experience throughout the festival.
If a heavy sound isn’t the way you wanted to start the festival, you’ll find some Real Friends to ease you into the day with their rock anthems tied in with some catchy riffs. Even while under the weather, Dan Lambton persevered through the set.
Exploding onto stage, fans immediately erupted at the sight of August Burns Red. Brutal, heavy and enticing serve as compliments for this finely tuned band who demonstrated their experience in the scene through deep growls, punishing thrashes on the drums and killer guitar melodies.
Nestled away in one of the corner stages Dangerkids brought their electronicore sounds with rap elements to the Soundwave crowd. Drawing a likeness to Linkin Park, the band expands upon the idea of this comparison shaping their craft to focus on heavier elements. Possibly being the first time many people will see them on this tour, the impressive set they performed certainly caught the attention of the crowd checking them out.
Coming forth to satisfy the desire for English metal, Asking Alexandria pounced on stage to celebrate the spirit of rock. With a revitalised Danny, past tracks were revamped to incorporate the change in his singing style. The Final Episode and Breathless were notably different, some screams replace with a fuller clean sound laced with some trills to showcase the improved vocals.
As the festival came closer to the halfway point, the area was doused in an assortment of hardcore, metal and punk rock and for some it seemed like a little more variation was needed to push on before the larger acts. Luckily Mutemath provided a smooth funk infused sound to get people over this metaphorical hump. Not your typical band, Paul Meany’s distinct vocals were only matched by the impressive live show given, which included Darren King putting on one of the best drum solos of the day.
Came afternoon, everybody was ready to see the headlining acts. To warm them up A Day to Remember produced an entertaining set both visually and musically. Having solidified their name in the hardcore scene with their live antics and addictive music, the performance involved Jeremy rolling about in a zorb ball, the sky laced with toilet paper rolls and crowd on crowd surfing. The crowd knew the exact timing for every breakdown, the cowbell in Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End and each break that was present in the set. Only a band that calls Australia its second home could have achieved such a response.
These are the performances that stand out in a festival filled with so many bands and luckily the remaining acts brought their best to end this leg of the festival.
With a career that has survived the 90s and kept punk rock alive, the knowledge of a planned hiatus made the set for Green Day a must for anyone who attended Soundwave. Luckily a three hour set made it easier to get the slightest glimpse of this phenomenal band. Billie Joe, Mike Dirnt & Jason White lead the crowd up front with steady support from Tre Cool banging away at the drums.
Know your enemy saw Billie Joe belting out this rock anthem before allowing a fan to come up and join in. Another instance saw a baptism happen right before thousands of people without anyone questioning it. For such a long set props must be given to the band for giving it their all and more importantly for showing their gratitude through their music.
It may come off as a strange observation but throughout the entirety of the set the band gave it their all. American Idiot saw the recognizable guitar and bass riff amplified by Billie Joe & Mike’s sweat and energy pumping the tune out. Boulevard of Broken Dreams opened with the entire stadium singing back to the band, almost stunning them before they too joined in the performance. Finally, though to be expected, Good Riddance ended the performance with new meaning as the future of Green Day will be left unknown but luckily for those who witnessed the show, it isn’t an unfortunate separation.
Only one act was able to compete with the magnitude of Green Day, going against a band renowned for their live shows. Avenged Sevenfold (better known as A7X) respectively brilliant in their metal scene opened the set with fireworks and a flaming throne, allowing those who opted to leave Green Day early to gain council with the king himself Matt Shadows. Welcoming the crowd into their fucked up family, A7X encouraged them to give their all Hail to the King before dedicating Fiction to the recently departed Rev who will always remain a signature member of the band and continues to fuel their passion for music.
With all the stages dying down at the 10:00pm mark, many tired faces left the Showground already sharing war stories of their experiences in the mosh and relishing in their memories.
Scott Singh