Left On Seen @ What About Adelaide. December 16th, UniBar Adelaide SA.
Review and Photography by Skye Sampson
@for_the_love_of_gigs
Left On Seen is Adelaide’s Queer pop punk pioneers redefining the stage. In Adelaide’s pop punk scene, they are a force with their energetic tunes and unapologetic embrace of queerness and neurodivergence. With a penchant for glitter, unconventional storytelling, and theatrical flair, this three-piece defies all norms. Left On Seen brings a boisterous and cheeky yet energetic vibe to their performance. Ashlea and Will’s ADHD-infused energy manifests in a riot of make-up and glitter. With unfiltered authenticity and unpredictability Left On Seen had a few technical difficulties with Ashlea’s In Ear Monitor malfunctioning, Will’s wireless pack not working and Bruce’s (live drummer) taking an unexpected fall, the band were true to their nature and handled each hurdle with grace with a little help from fellow bands playing. The guys from Forever Ends Here tossing a guitar cable onstage to Will.
Beyond all the glitter, Left On Seen set themselves apart from other pop punk bands by being intimate with the audience, the joy seen on Ashlea’s face is proof when she gets amongst the crowd singing and dancing. Breaking down the age barrier is part of what Left On Seen aim for at their gigs. It was evident seeing so many young faces in the front row, from babies to young adults, all invited to join in. For this show, their merch even included a kids pack that the younger ages could enjoy.
In a world where pop punk can seem all the same, Left On Seen boldly stands out as a queer pop punk beacon, pushing the boundaries and injecting a refreshing dose of authenticity into the Adelaide music scene.
With their first song on being ‘Keys’, they energised the crowd as they swept through to another original ‘No Vibes’, with a cover of the hit song by Fall Out Boy, ‘Take Over, The Break’s Over’ to follow the patrons were singing their hearts out. Their final two songs ‘Kill Bill’ and their debut single ‘Life Support’ can be found on Spotify. This being evident with both songs being sung back at the three-piece.
Each song contributes to a seamless blend of genres and keeps the audience engaged.
Left On Seen have only just begun to make waves in the Australian music industry, so have a big year ahead of them in 2024. They’re definitely a group to keep your eye on.
For more Left On Seen, head to https://lnk.bio/leftonseenband/
Alex G's Triumphant Return: A Night of Lush Melodies and Unbridled Enthusiasm at The Metro
Review By: Andrew Smith
Credit Kyra Ganson ALEX G
Following a brutally hot day, the sold-out crowd which packed into The Metro might have been forgiven for being a little low on energy. But, after a nearly six year long absence from Australia, and previous plans for a tour supporting his 2019 release House of Sugar scuppered by the pandemic, the audience was keen to show Alex G just how much fonder their hearts had grown in the interim.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, a word about the support act; Babitha perfectly set the table for the evening with an alluring brand of astral alt-country. Think the languid waves of Mazzy Star crashing against the propulsive rock of Hole. Charmingly confessing midway through their set that the audience was the largest they'd played to, Babitha and her backing band didn't seem over-awed by the occasion in the slightest, delivering a compelling performance full of lush lap steel and soaring harmonies to a deservingly enthusiastic response.
Then came Alex G. Starting out strong with a couple of tracks from his latest album God Save the Animals - the clockwork churn of S.D.O.S. and the wistful drugs-on-the-road ballad Runner - from there he drew a wide variety of songs from his impressive back catalogue, going as deep as Gnaw from his 2010 debut. Set highlights worth citing include the three minute gut punch Mission, the fuzzy lo-fi 90s-ness of Kicker and the geographically apropos Southern Sky.
There's a small grumble to be had about the intermittent muddiness of the sound mix, especially in the early stages of the set - a seemingly consistent issue with international acts at The Metro. While things improved, it was unfortunate that some of the more subtle aspects of Alex G's vocal performance were largely lost below Tom Kelly's hammering drums.
That said, the crowd's passion didn't waver for a moment, more than making up for any minor technical issues by singing heartily along with each and every syllable. A good indication of their obvious gusto came when Alex G announced his intention to play two more songs and "then come back for an encore".
And what an encore it was. With one eye on the clock and no sign of fatiguing, the band pumped out eight more tracks - essentially another half-set's worth of music - blasting through their 11pm curfew to absolutely no complaints from the crowd.
Special acknowledgement has to be made of Alex G's band - the ever solid John Heywood on bass, the octopus-limbed Tom Kelly on drums but, most especially, long-time Alex G collaborator Sam Accione, whose blazing lead guitar, backing vocals and occasional keys nicely filled out the four-piece's sound.
But it was Alex G himself who was the star of the show, moving effortlessly between a dynamic range of genres, vocal styles and instruments. His happy spirits and references to fond memories from previous visits to Australia (not to mention an impromptu cover of Kasey Chambers' Not Pretty Enough) were promising signs that it won't take another five years before he graces our shores once more.
A Night to Remember: Paramore's Transcendent Journey at Sydney's The Domain
Review by: Monika Oberscheven-Smith & Ashlea Crane
Zachary Gray
In the heart of Sydney's vibrant music scene, The Domain transformed into a haven of sonic exploration on a magical Saturday night, the 25th of November. The very air pulsated with palpable excitement as the gates swung open, beckoning "The Emos" and "pop punk Kids" to an evening of euphoria with Paramore. With every step towards the entrance, the colourful array of hair and eclectic fashion choices revealed a kaleidoscope of fandom, a testament to the diversity and passion Paramore's music inspires.
The layout of the venue was a thoughtful dance of convenience and accessibility. A welcome surprise awaited as the Merch tent unfolded its treasures just beside the cloakroom at the gate's entrance. The culinary delights from the food trucks waited in the wings, strategically placed at the back of The Domain, forming a culinary oasis within a short stroll of the restrooms. Even Mother Nature's moody attempt to cast a shadow on the proceedings only succeeded in fostering camaraderie, particularly during the opening set by Remi Wolf.
Blessed with a double pass, graciously provided by Beauty Next in partnership with Good Dye Young, the pre-concert rituals became a delightful immersion. Duties included capturing the essence of the moment with the Beauty Next team at the Good Dye Young pop-up. Here, the celebration of vibrant hair colors and alternative styles felt like a preamble to the vibrant sonic palette Paramore was about to unfurl.
Navigating the growing sea of fans took on a whimsical charm, especially considering the record-breaking scale of the Sydney tour date. Remi Wolf's departure from the stage left an indelible excitement hanging in the air, setting the stage for Paramore's triumphant return.
As the clock neared 9pm, a spoken word piece, voiced by Hayley Williams, titled “Grey Area (Note to Self)” could be heard, preparing the audience for the upcoming 2 hours of live music mastery. Paramore then burst onto the stage with “You First”, ushering in an immersive experience that seamlessly merged love and gratitude for their fans. The opening notes were a thunderous declaration of their return to Sydney, echoing through the vast expanse of The Domain.
The visual spectacle crafted by Paramore's AV team was a breathtaking tapestry of color, seamlessly woven into the fabric of their performance. Large screens illuminated with vivid hues and artistic strokes transporting the audience into a realm where music and visuals danced harmoniously. It was as if the screens were not just an accompaniment but an extension of the band's identity, further solidifying their brand.
Outdoor venue challenges did little to deter the energy of the crowd, whose enthusiastic participation transformed them into an integral element of the performance. Hayley Williams, the magnetic force at the helm, traversed every inch of the stage, creating an intimate connection with both bandmates and fans alike. The lighting team, executing a delicate balance between visual spectacle and safety, deserves applause for their finesse in handling strobe effects.
The crowd's intensity mirrored the profound sense of unity and family that Paramore effortlessly fosters during their live shows. Hayley's heartfelt reflections on the enduring bond with their fans struck a chord, emphasising the symbiotic relationship that has propelled the band through the past two decades.
Paramore's set unfolded like a carefully orchestrated symphony, with each core member granted their own moment centre stage, with Zac coming out from behind the drum kit to front the band for an action-packed 4 minutes with a rendition of “Baby”.
The more timid Taylor’s centre stage moments came in quieter forms with his vocoder vocals in ‘Hard Times’ and the many well-crafted solos in Taylor York fashion.
A good front person knows when to step aside to allow for the other members to have their moments to truly shine, and Hayley highlighted and underscored those moments well.
Amidst the sonic tapestry, specific moments shone brightly. The ARIA-chart-topping "This Is Why" was met with thunderous applause, a testament to the band's continued prowess.
Hayley's dance to the rhythm of the guitar during "Caught in the Middle" and the poignant symbolism behind "Thick Skull," where red hands became a metaphor for unintended consequences, left indelible imprints on the audience's collective memory.
But let's not forget the sonic gems that peppered the night, weaving into the very fabric of the concert experience. "You First" with its haunting melody, echoed through the crowd, setting an introspective tone. The electrifying chords of "That’s What You Get" brought a wave of nostalgia, transporting fans to Paramore's earlier days. "Caught in the Middle" became a vibrant anthem, with Hayley's dance encapsulating the rhythm of the guitar, creating a harmonious connection between music and movement.
As the night progressed, "Thick Skull" unveiled its rich layers, with Hayley's hands painted red, a visual metaphor that resonated with the audience. The sombre strains of "Last Hope" cast a reflective mood, capturing the essence of vulnerability and resilience. The setlist skillfully navigated the emotional spectrum, with "Decode" bringing a touch of melancholy and "Running Out of Time" injecting a sense of urgency (and an anthem for every ADHDer out there).
As the main set concluded, the anticipation hung in the air, and the encore became a momentous climax. "Still Into You" and "This Is Why" cascaded through the venue, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of the enraptured crowd. The night concluded with a collective sense of fulfilment, leaving fans with memories etched in the very fabric of The Domain.
In the grand tapestry of live music experiences, a Paramore concert transcends the conventional notion of a show. It's a vibrant celebration, an exhilarating journey, and a profound connection with kindred spirits. The band's masterful performance, underscored by professionalism and genuine humility, renders them a musical phenomenon worth witnessing.
Hayley Williams has fast cemented herself amongst the great front women of all time, with many non-male and queer vocalists emulating her stage presence, iconic hair moments, and style eras. The last 20 years has seen her effortlessly mould her own creative identity utilising and paying homage to her own creative and musical influences, some of the most notable being Debbie Harry, Michael Jackson, Gwen Stefani, and Bjork.
Hayley Williams is a formidable (definition: awe inspiring, and feeling intimidated by them because of impressive or great skill) example to all aspiring vocalists of how to not only honour the creative self, a band’s own creative entity, but also one’s audience and fans.
The concert at The Domain not only affirmed this sentiment but also etched Paramore's name in Sydney's live music history. The audience, caught in the throes of sonic bliss, departed with a renewed appreciation for the power of music and the enduring magic of Paramore.
Zachary Gray
A Resounding Recap of Froth & Fury Festival in Adelaide - November 18th, 2023
REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
The Butterfly Effect - Photo By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith
In the echoing shadows of the festival grounds at Pirate Life Brewery in Adelaide, the roaring guitars and thunderous beats of the sold out Froth & Fury Fest 2023 ignited a symphony of sonic chaos and camaraderie.
Returning for my second pilgrimage to the heavy metal haven of Froth & Fury Fest, I traversed from the NSW Central Coast to Pirate Life Brewery in Adelaide for an electrifying day of musical mayhem.
Froth & Fury unleashed this power in a symphony of shredding Axes and apocalyptic percussion; once again entering into this heavy metal heaven. From the moment I set foot in the venue, it was evident that this day would transcend the boundaries of mere musical appreciation – it would be a visceral experience, a journey into the heart of heavy metal euphoria.
As the sun cast its golden glow upon the festival grounds, pop-punk locals Late Night Lies took the stage, becoming the morning heralds of punky fun energy. Their vibrant set acted as a siren call, awakening the slumbering spirits of the audience and setting the stage for the sonic odyssey that awaited. With each chord, each beat, the crowd felt the festival vibes coursing through their veins setting a lively tempo for the day.
The transition to the Fury Stage introduced Vapours, a "djenty-deathcore" force that painted the air with vibrant musical hues. Their playful exploration of dynamic death metalcore turned the stage into a canvas of sonic expression. The crowd, now fully immersed, found themselves navigating a musical labyrinth of riffs and breakdowns, surrendering to the infectious energy that permeated the atmosphere.
Enter Suffer The Evenue, clad in nu-metalcore splendor and led by a vocalist whose antics echoed the peculiar charm of Russell Coight. Picture a scene where Limp Bizkit meets a funk-fueled dance party – it was not out of style; it was a rearranged spectacle that drew the festival's biggest crowd of the morning. The beer-dousing anthem 'Loose' transformed the venue into a chaotic dance floor, proving that Suffer The Evenue had mastered the art of 'Dad Vibes' disruption.
As the morning unfolded, Emergency Rule took the stage, changing the festival's tempo with their charming blend of southern BBQ-bash sound.
The swampy thump of Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster instructed by the depths of Black Sabbath became a spiritual crusade, coating the audience with the overwhelming charm of Monster Truck. The festival, now fully awake, embraced the sludgy-spiritual crusade of 'The Garden,' letting the infectious groove of 'Corporation' seep into their souls.
Extreme metal quintet Descend To Acheron then transformed the sunny BBQ vibe into an "extreme metal vile" of exceptional proportions. Their performance, marked by the brutifully bleak 'The Goddess,' left an indelible mark on the Fury Stage, setting the stage for the metallic hardcore onslaught of Warpath. In the echoes of their performance, the audience found solace and connection, proving once again the tremendous power of heavy music to bridge the gaps of existence.
The seamless movement between the three stages became a beereeze, allowing festival-goers to navigate effortlessly between sonic realms. The stages were impeccably set up, strategically positioned to ensure no sound clashes, allowing each performance to shine independently. The mere minute walk between stages provided a sense of continuity, yet the clever separation of areas allowed for an uninterrupted sonic experience. Walking to and from stages, there was ample space, ensuring a smooth flow and allowing attendees to immerse themselves fully in the sonic tapestry woven throughout the festival.
Full credit must be given to the organizers of the event, as the movement between the stages was not just a logistical triumph but also an aesthetic one. The separation of areas created pockets of anticipation, adding to the overall excitement and unpredictability of the festival experience. The happy crowd, a diverse congregation of metal enthusiasts, moved with purpose and unity, creating an atmosphere of shared enthusiasm and collective celebration.
And what a perfect day it was. The sun-kissed sky provided an ideal backdrop, casting a warm glow on the vibrant tapestry of band shirts, denim jackets, and eclectic festival attire. The free water station, a thoughtful addition, ensured that the crowd remained hydrated and energized, contributing to the overall well-being of festival-goers. The festival's meticulous planning extended to every detail, from the comfortable spacing between stages to the welcoming open areas, allowing attendees to find their rhythm, whether they were rocking out in the front row, diving into a mosh pit, or simply soaking in the sonic spectacle.
Back to the music, the stage lighting elevated each performance to a visual crescendo, creating an immersive experience that transcended the auditory. The bands, now part of a larger-than-life spectacle, fed off the energy of the crowd, their performances amplified by the perfect synchronization of sound and stage aesthetics. Each chord struck, every beat hammered, resonated not just in the ears but reverberated through the collective pulse of the festival.
Reliqa, hailing from Sydney's lively streets, surfaced as sonic craftsmen, expertly blending progressive alt-metal and rapcore to craft a captivating soundscape that echoed through the lively crowd. Monique Pym, the vocal enchantress, commanded the spotlight, effortlessly navigating between enchanting melodies and gritty rock edges, embodying a dynamic essence reminiscent of Sarah Anthony from The Letter Black. A pivotal moment unfolded with 'The Bearer Of Bad News,' an auditory masterpiece enriched by inventive breaks skillfully executed by Brandon Lloyd on guitar, Miles Knox on bass, and Shannon Griesberg on drums. An unexpected yet enthralling near Saidi interlude added an extra layer of fascination to the performance, captivating the audience in an unforgettable musical odyssey. 'Safety,' hailed as the BOUNCE anthem, transformed the festival ground into an "inflatable castle floor," marking the zenith of synergy between the band and the exuberant crowd. Beyond contributing to the festival's vibrant atmosphere, Reliqa's infectious energy catapulted them into a realm of warm, electrifying celebration, etching an indelible mark on the hearts of those immersed in the front row, the mosh pit, and the circle pit.
Adelaide's own tech death metal heroes, Freedom Of Fear, took the Fury Stage by storm, their set turning the alley leading to the platform into a heaving sea of enthusiasts. 'Primordius' became an exhilaratingly euphoric anthem, showcasing the band's outstanding orchestral attack. Vocalist Jade Monserrat, with her frightfully fantastic growls and shrieks, bewitched the audience, solidifying Freedom Of Fear as a force to be reckoned with on the global metal stage.
The festival's journey continued with the thrash heroes Hidden Intent, who deservedly captivated the audience. Faultless anecdotes, Occa humor, and a grand welcoming party for the three-piece returning from Europe and the monstrous Wacken festival – 'Breaking Point' and the UnHidden WIntent moment became a highlight of Froth & Fury Fest.
Melbourne's nu-metalcore genre smashers, Windwaker, took the stage with a strategy to wake the attendees from their delighted daze. 'Beautiful' unfolded poetically, a delectably devastating dessert of heavy music that stirred in the deep nu-metal tones of Korn, the electropunk dance of The Prodigy, and a bit of Mudvayne with a metalcore makeover. The wind was truly beneath the festival's wings now.
Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys, winners of the South Australian Music Award for Best Heavy Act 2023, emerged as more than a blackened punk'n'roll group; they were THE group that waved the flag to an elite level in Australia. Their performance, exemplified by the beer-dousing anthem 'Stockyard,' showcased a triumph of raw, unapologetic, and strong energy. Sass Williams, the vocalist, was a WOMENTOR, screaming with vigor and engagement, leaving an indelible mark under the "must-see" category.
As the sun bathed the Froth & Fury Festival in golden hues, Emmy Mack, the magnetic force behind RedHook, took the stage with an infectious enthusiasm that set the crowd ablaze. Alongside her, the talented lineup of Craig Wilkinson on lead guitar, Alex Powys on drums, and Ned Jankovic on bass formed a musical alliance that transcended boundaries. Craig's guitar prowess was nothing short of mesmerizing, and his surprising saxophone interlude during 'I Don't Keep Up' added a layer of musical brilliance that left the audience in awe.
The rhythmic heartbeat of the performance came courtesy of Alex Powys' commanding presence on the drums, driving each beat with precision and passion. Ned Jankovic's bass lines provided a solid foundation, grounding the sonic journey with depth and resonance. Together, they were more than a band; they were a powerhouse of talent that elevated RedHook's music to extraordinary heights.
In a magical collaboration that further enriched the festival experience, Monique from Reliqa joined the stage during RedHook’s ‘Imposter’, creating a fusion of energies that reverberated through the audience. The seamless integration of talents underscored the camaraderie among musicians at its best, a celebration of artistic unity that echoed the spirit of Froth & Fury. As the collective energy of Emmy and her bandmates reached its peak, the festival became a kaleidoscope of sonic colors, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those fortunate enough to be in the front row, immersed in the musical tapestry woven by RedHook and their collaborators.
As the sun dipped behind the buildings, Mélancolia took the stage, their gothic blackened deathcore becoming a grotesque sonic spectacle. 'God Tongue' emerged in a beyond eerie, devastating, and nightmarish fashion, a spectacle in a horrorific magnitude. The quintet, with their twisted behavior and heavy deathcore moments, became a testament to the madness that defines their genre.
If it were a weekday, this would be the hours of closing and "knock-offs," and one of the best bands to entertain lavishly was the Melburnians in Ocean Grove. A bit of weird and a hit of wonderful – could one imagine anything more "frothiness"? 'SEX DOPE GOLD' became an instantaneous party hymn, and Dale Tanner, the party preacher, yelled: “Welcome To The Odd World Baby!” The Brit-pop banger 'California Sun' wreaked havoc, 'Stratosphere Love' created chaos, and a wall of death comprehensibly ensued.
The anticipation hung thick in the air as the moment we've all been waiting for finally arrived—the long-awaited return of Alien Weaponry. Their inclusion in the festival lineup was, for many, the main driving force behind their journey to the event. As the New Zealand trio took the Froth Stage, a collective hush fell over the crowd, soon to be shattered by the thunderous beat of the Haka. Drummer Henry de Jong embodied a spiritual warrior, setting the stage for the energetic entrances of guitarist and vocalist Lewis de Jong and bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds.
The crowd's enthusiasm was palpable, their collective awe at the technical prowess of Alien Weaponry evident from the start. The atmosphere crackled with excitement as the first notes of 'Raupatu' reverberated, and from that moment on, Pirate Life Brewery became a pulsating sea of energy. 'Holding My Breath' brought forth a thrash groove that had the audience in a frenzy, the profound lyrics delving into the history and injustices faced by the Māori people added a soul-stirring layer to the performance. It wasn't just a metal show; it was a passionate embrace of a powerful message, and the crowd responded with devotion.
The intensity reached its zenith during 'Blinded,' transforming the space in front of the stage into a gathering of protest and solidarity. The youth, captivated by the music and moved by the lyrical narrative, climbed the barriers, seeking a closeness to their favorite New Zealand metal trio. A heartfelt nod to the security team is due, as they not only maintained order but actively supported the cause, allowing a breathtaking moment in metal history to unfold safely. Alien Weaponry's presence on stage was not just a performance; it was a magnetic force that held every gaze, leaving an indelible mark on the festival's collective memory.
Adding an unexpected touch of delight to the already charged atmosphere, a few young fans took center stage, right at the front, reveling in the Alien Weaponry experience with the same fervor as the adults around them. In the midst of the moshing and headbanging, these little ones, eyes wide with awe, found themselves unwittingly becoming part of the show.
Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds, Alien Weaponry's charismatic frontman, couldn't resist the adorable sight and, with a grin, acknowledged the young enthusiasts. The band, known for their serious and intense musical presence, effortlessly shifted gears, embracing the light-hearted moment. Tūranga, in a spontaneous act, reached out to fist-bump one of the kids, creating a heartwarming connection between the band and their youngest fans.
This unexpected interaction added a layer of joy to the performance, underscoring the universality of music's impact. Alien Weaponry's ability to seamlessly blend their powerful message with such endearing moments showcases not only their musical prowess but also their genuine connection with fans of all ages. It was a testament to the unifying power of music, where, for a brief moment, generations collided in shared enthusiasm, leaving everyone with smiles that echoed the infectious energy of the festival.
Gold Coast's Sunk Loto awoke from their 15-year hiatus rest in 2022. They sold out an entire tour throughout the east coast, spoke of creating new music, and the world seemed 'Cured' from the sickness of the alternative metal quartet's absence. At the end of August this year, founding member and guitarist Luke McDonald was dismissed from the outfit in a rather unnerving situation; Rohan Stevenson from Melbourne's instrumental group I Built The Sky was announced as the new axeman. The quartet was in Adelaide for the first time in 18 years to perform their iconic LP 'Between Birth And Death' in full. The irony of the album's title seemed to repeat in significance; for this jaunt, Sunk Loto were more guided by the statement: “Between Death And Birth” – a rejuvenation, another reintroduction, and a reignition. '5 Years Of Silence' boomed as the sun descended, and vocalist Jason Brown charged off the stage to scream those sacred words: “You Destroy Me” while SL's adoring enthusiasts yelled the words back at the invigorated frontman with rhythmic fist pumps. The jigsaw had all fit together supremely, and this flow in live performance continued throughout the entire set, with Sean Van Gennip (bass guitar) and Rohan remarkably increasing their energy and presence as the set wore on, 'Erased' being climactic and possibly the epitome Sunk Loto live. There is more new music recorded from these four gentlemen to be released, and this 'Lift' has only just commenced.
The air at Adelaide's festival grounds resonated with an insistent chant: "S.T., S.T., S.T., S.T.!" The call for the presence of skate punk crossover royalty, Suicidal Tendencies, echoed through the crowd, an irresistible demand that could only be quelled by the quintet's appearance. When they finally took the stage, the eruption of energy was palpable as they tapped into power with 'Bring Me Down,' a manic performance that defied the song's title. Guitarist Ben Weinman, seamlessly transitioning from his tenure with The Dillinger Escape Plan, unleashed a performance that defied age, climbing, leaping, stomping, and swinging his axe with the fervor of a musical berserker. Bassist Tye Trujillo matched Weinman's intensity, delivering a jaw-dropping solo with the smooth yet vigorous style reminiscent of his father. Drummer Greyson Nekrutman, at a mere 21 years old, served as more than just the percussionist; he was the pulse beat of the quintet, a rhythmic machine. 'Shot Reagan' reverberated through South Australia, 'Cyco Vision' became the unofficial theme song of the night, and frontman Mike Muir, activated by the lyrics, delved deep into the audience ocean, igniting a whirlwind of a circle pit. It was a blur of whirling bodies, chop-dancing, and skater attitude – a nostalgic return to teenage anarchy courtesy of the ageless Suicidal Tendencies.
The Butterfly Effect, an Australian hard rock gem born from the collaborative spark between Ben Hall and Kurt Goedhart 24 years ago, took the stage in Adelaide, proving that seemingly insignificant events can birth mighty consequences. With three gold-certified LPs under their belt, The Butterfly Effect had soared globally before going into a hiatus announced in 2016. Fast-forward to 2022, a pandemic, a world on fire, and signs in place, the band returned with 'Start Again,' their first full-length album in 14 years. Adelaide became the canvas for witnessing the consequences of their musical journey, a city granted the chance to experience The Butterfly Effect's resurrection.
Froth & Fury Festival 2023 proved not only a triumph in heavy music but also a testament to the brilliance of the unsung heroes behind the scenes. The festival staff, from the meticulous sound engineers who sculpted the sonic landscapes to the skilled lighting technicians who painted the stages in vibrant hues, worked tirelessly to ensure every chord, beat, and moment was experienced with perfection. Security personnel, the silent guardians of the metal realm, seamlessly maintained order while fostering an environment where fans could express their passion freely. Each cog in the festival machinery, be it the stage crew, catering staff, or logistical wizards, played a pivotal role in orchestrating this heavy metal symphony.
The day unfolded under a perfect canvas of weather, as if the metal gods themselves had blessed the occasion. The sun's warm embrace complemented the roaring tunes, creating an atmosphere where festival-goers could revel in the sonic chaos without the hindrance of adverse weather. Smiles were as abundant as the brilliant performances, and the crowd's collective energy mirrored the seamless coordination of the festival staff.
The brilliance extended to the bands that graced the stages, with each act contributing to the festival's vibrant tapestry. From the infectious energy of RedHook and the mesmerizing sounds of Reliqa, to the thunderous return of Alien Weaponry, the lineup was a showcase of musical brilliance. The impeccable sound quality, a result of the dedication of sound engineers, allowed every note and lyric to resonate with crystal clarity, enhancing the overall experience.
As the final echoes of the festival reverberated through Pirate Life Brewery, there was a unanimous sentiment among the attendees—a yearning for Froth & Fury Festival 2024. The anticipation for the fourth installment was already palpable, a testament to the enduring success and brilliance of this heavy metal gathering. Froth & Fury had not just hosted a day of music; it had forged an annual pilgrimage, a tradition that fans eagerly looked forward to as a highlight on their calendars. With the memories of 2023 still fresh, the prospect of what brilliance the next chapter would unfold left everyone eager for more sonic mayhem, community camaraderie, and the unrivaled brilliance that defines Froth & Fury.
Melbourne's 'Perfect Situation' with Weezer Wonders returning Down Under live at John Cain Arena - 'Only In Dreams' becomes a reality for many fans! October 6th 2023.
Photo By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith (Weezer: Pat Wilson)
Weezer's epic return to Australian stages in 2013 was a monumental event, eagerly anticipated by fans like me who were ready to dive into the sea of their music. Armed with youthful enthusiasm and some travel connections, I seized the opportunity to catch them live in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne TWICE, Sydney, and Perth, soaking in their melodies and electrifying performances.
But let's fast forward to the present, eagerly awaiting their return to Australian shores, especially the highly anticipated first show in Melbourne. The suspense is building, the excitement is mounting, and the stage is set for an unforgettable Weezer experience Down Under.
Picture this: the stage adorned with a glimmering array of lights, casting an electrifying aura across the sea of eager faces on a Melbourne crowd who entered the stadium, from the chilly night air bathed in the glow of countless stars, entering the intimate embrace of the John Cain Arena. It was a rendezvous with destiny, a date marked with red ink on the calendar—Friday, October 6th—a day destined to echo through the annals of music history.
The crowd's anticipation buzzes through the air like a tangible entity. Suddenly, the lights dim, and a hushed excitement envelops the venue, hanging in the air like a secret waiting to be revealed.
In the lead-up to the grand spectacle, an electrifying energy surged through the crowd, an unspoken camaraderie shared amongst strangers. A familiar tune, Toto's "Africa," emerged from the speakers, serving as the overture to an impending sonic journey. The entire arena was a buzzing hive, humming with anticipation of what was to come.
Photo By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith (Weezer: Rivers Cuomo)
Then, as if a bolt of lightning had struck, the stage came to life with the grand entrance of Weezer. The clamor of the crowd erupted into a deafening roar, echoing off the closed roof, creating an acoustic cathedral. The initial chords of "My Name Is Jonas" reverberated through the air, setting the adrenaline pumping, and the crowd roared in exhilaration.
From that moment, the night became a symphony of music and lights, an immersive experience that transcended the ordinary. "Beverly Hills" followed suit, igniting a spirited chant that reverberated through the very foundations of the arena. It was a call and response, a conversation between the stage and the sea of ardent fans.
"Return to Ithaka" came next, a showcase of Rivers Cuomo's guitar prowess. The intricate fretwork painted a vivid soundscape, a testament to the mastery of musicianship on display. It was a moment of musical communion, where the barriers between artist and audience melted away.
The unmistakable chords of "Good Life" strike, but this time, there's a twist—it's an abridged version, with the omission of the second verse. The energy is palpable as the song kicks into gear, the essence of the song compacted, and yet, the crowd is swept away on a tidal wave of enthusiasm. The air is electric, and the crowd's fervor builds, setting the stage for the night's vibrant musical journey.
As the last echoes of "Good Life" fade, the opening chords of "Pork and Beans" surge forth, accompanied by a thrilling '1 More Hit' intro. The crowd erupts, caught in the exhilarating wave of music and a frenetic energy that seems to pulsate from the very core of the stage. It's a musical explosion that leaves everyone breathless, each note a detonation of pure sonic delight.
The night explodes into "In the Garage," this time in its abridged form without the second verse. The essence of geeky nostalgia and teenage dreams is distilled into a few minutes, yet it encapsulates the soul of the song so perfectly. The arena becomes a haven for the outcasts and the dreamers—the very essence of Weezer's charm.
Then, a monumental moment unfolds: Weezer presents "Strutter," a KISS cover, live for the first time, a precursor to their opening slot for KISS in Sydney the next day. The crowd is transported into a time machine, the essence of '70s glam rock and the powerhouse charisma of KISS, all channelled through Weezer's unique style. It's a homage, a bridge between generations of rock and roll, and the crowd is in awe.
Photo By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith (Weezer: Scott Shriner)
As the night continued its crescendo, "El Scorcho" burst forth, and the arena turned into a fervent cauldron of nostalgia. Memories of '90s alt-rock resurfaced, and the crowd swayed in unison, lost in the cacophony of guitars and heartfelt lyrics. Each song was a brushstroke in a musical masterpiece, painting a canvas of emotions and memories.
Weezer's recent live performance of "Photograph" marked the long-awaited return of a fan favourite to the live stage. The anticipation in the air was electric as the familiar chords filled the venue, transporting fans back in time. Rivers Cuomo's emotive vocals combined with Brian Bell's impeccable guitar work, Scott Shriner's solid basslines, and Patrick Wilson's precise drumming, creating an unforgettable musical tapestry. The crowd joined in, singing along and sharing in the joyous reunion with this beloved track. Weezer's performance was a testament to their enduring talent and the timeless appeal of their music, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of all in attendance.
Weezer's live rendition of "Undone - The Sweater Song" was a nostalgic journey back to the '90s, with Rivers Cuomo's vocals and the band's energetic performance capturing the essence of the original track. The crowd swayed and sang along, engulfed in the warmth of nostalgia and the enduring charm of this classic hit.
The stage transforms into an intimate setting as "Susanne" takes the spotlight, the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar, Brian wielding an electric one, and Scott lending his smooth backing vocals. It's a moment of quiet serenity amidst the musical storm, the embodiment of raw emotion and acoustic purity.
And then, a singular figure, Rivers Cuomo, stands alone with an acoustic guitar, captivating the arena with the first verse of "Only in Dreams." It's a solitary, poignant moment before the band joins in, a gradual swell of instruments and vocals that builds into a majestic crescendo. The audience is transported through the ethereal journey that the song is, a dreamscape painted with musical notes.
"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" was a revelation—a sonic opus that unfurled in multiple dimensions. The audience was transported to a realm where music was a language of its own, transcending mere notes and lyrics. It was a euphoric communion of artist and admirer, a fusion of energies that left an indelible mark.
With "Island in the Sun," offering a vibrant and sun-soaked experience. The catchy melody and feel-good vibes effortlessly whisked the audience away to an imaginary tropical paradise, and as the crowd danced and sang along, the uplifting energy and the timeless sound of this beloved track created an unforgettable live moment.
"Perfect Situation" was an electrifying journey through raw emotion and rock anthems. Rivers Cuomo's passionate delivery and the band's energetic performance brought the song to life, captivating the crowd and elevating the concert to an unforgettable, anthemic experience.
Photo By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith (Weezer: Brian Bell)
"All My Favorite Songs" takes an unexpected twist as Brian steps forward, singing the AJR verse from the remix. The fusion of voices adds a surprising layer to the song, giving it a fresh and exciting flavor. It's a testament to Weezer's versatility and their willingness to experiment, leaving the crowd with a newfound appreciation for this beloved track.
"Say It Ain't So" was a soul-stirring tribute to '90s alt-rock, showcasing Rivers Cuomo's powerful vocals and the band's tight instrumentation. The crowd was enraptured by the raw intensity and nostalgic echoes of this iconic hit, a highlight that left a lasting impression on the concert.
"Hash Pipe" was a high-octane thrill, bursting with the signature energy and edgy guitar riffs that define the song. The crowd was electrified by the infectious groove and Rivers Cuomo's dynamic vocals, turning the performance into an adrenaline-fueled rock anthem that had everyone on their feet.
The night hurtled towards its zenith, culminating in an encore that ignited a final burst of musical rapture. "The Waste Land" and a tantalizing tease of "Surf Wax America" left the crowd yearning for more. And then, in a triumphant finale, as the concert reached its crescendo, Weezer's electrifying performance of "Buddy Holly" sent waves of elation through the crowd, a grand finale that left us both thrilled and a little sad that it had all come to an end. The nostalgic '90s rock and roll vibe was infectious, and the entire venue was alive with a blend of singing and pure enjoyment, an unforgettable moment that lingered in the hearts of all lucky enough to be there.
For those lucky souls who bore witness to this historic event, it was an odyssey—a musical pilgrimage that will be etched in their hearts and souls forever. The rest, fear not, for when Weezer graces Australian shores again, an invitation to this enchanted realm awaits, a chance to be a part of musical history in the making. FOMO will not prevail; we shall be there, standing amidst the roaring crowd, immersed in the magical world of Weezer.
In each carefully crafted note, in every chord struck, and with every lyric sung, Weezer weaves an unforgettable tapestry of musical wonder. It's a night where the boundaries of time and space blur, leaving the audience in a state of musical euphoria, eager for the next verse, the next chord, and the next magical performance from these musical maestros.
Photo By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith (Weezer: Brian Bell & Rivers Cuomo)
To reminice.
The excitement was palpable back in 2013, knowing that it had been a staggering 17 years since they last graced our shores, and at the time I was only 13 years old at the time oblivious to gigs going on in Sydney. So In 2013 I said to myself “Who knows when they'd make their next appearance Down Under?” So, I embraced the adventure, immersing myself in the music and forging newfound friendships with fellow Weezer aficionados during the 2013 tour.
The magic didn't stop there. I had the incredible privilege of stepping into the backstage realm, meeting the band in Sydney, and even attending the exclusive floating ‘The Island’ show on Sydney Harbour which is a floating pontoon with a bar, tiny stage and booming speakers where part of the Weezer members ran a DJ set. The thrill continued in Perth, where I had another chance to connect with them again behind the scenes.
Though I had a hunch about their impending return to Australia, over a decade later, Weezer graced us once more, and this time, their arrival was a beacon of hope and musical jubilation, echoing through the hearts, minds, and voices of devoted fans.
One of my most epic memories of travelling and a lifetime highlight was when I set sail on the Weezer Cruise 2.0 in 2014, an unforgettable journey to the Bahamas even having our own "Island In The Sun” beach concert. Amongst the sea breeze and vibrant tunes, I bonded with fellow Weezer enthusiasts, forming lasting friendships that still hold strong today. And to top it off, I had the pleasure of hanging out with the incredibly kind-hearted Pat Wilson who is hands down one of the sweetest, and most incredibly wonderful humanoids I have met on the planet.
In conclusion.
Weezer. I have one request:
Come back sooner rather than later, please and thank you!
Ooh-wee-hoo, I look just like Buddy Holly Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore I don't care what they say about us anyway I don't care about that
〰️
Ooh-wee-hoo, I look just like Buddy Holly Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore I don't care what they say about us anyway I don't care about that 〰️
BLACKPINK Dominates Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena with Unforgettable K-Pop Spectacle
credit - supplied by BLACKPINK, presented by YG ENTERTAINMENT
The atmosphere was electric as the highly anticipated night arrived, and Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena transformed into a K-pop paradise. The crowd had been buzzing with excitement for weeks, and tonight, their patience was rewarded with an extraordinary spectacle as BLACKPINK took the stage, leaving no doubt that they are the reigning queens of K-pop.
As the lights dimmed, the crowd erupted into deafening screams, their anticipation reaching a fever pitch. Suddenly, a massive LED screen at the back of the stage came to life, displaying vibrant visuals and pulsating beats. The screen split open, revealing the four fierce members of BLACKPINK—Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa—standing tall and ready to dominate the stage.
The concert kicked off with a bang as the opening notes of "DDU-DU DDU-DU" echoed through the arena. The crowd's energy surged to a new level, and it felt like the entire venue was pulsating with the force of a thousand heartbeats. BLACKPINK's impeccable choreography and powerful vocals mesmerized the audience from the very first moment, and it was clear that this would be a night to remember.
credit - supplied by BLACKPINK, presented by YG ENTERTAINMENT
Every song was a meticulously crafted performance that showcased the group's incredible talent and versatility. From the explosive energy of "Kill This Love" to the infectious hooks of "How You Like That," BLACKPINK commanded the stage with an air of confidence and professionalism that belied their young age. Their synchronized dance moves were executed flawlessly, and their harmonies were a testament to their vocal prowess.
One of the highlights of the night was Rosé's soulful rendition of "Gone." Her haunting vocals filled the arena, captivating everyone in attendance. The atmosphere shifted from electrifying to introspective as the crowd swayed in unison, mesmerized by the raw emotion pouring from Rosé's voice. It was a moment of pure artistry and vulnerability that left a lasting impression.
The concert also featured memorable solo stages from each member, showcasing their individual talents and distinct personalities. Jennie delivered a charismatic performance of "Solo," commanding the stage with her fierce presence. Lisa's dance solo was a jaw-dropping display of her incredible agility and precision, leaving the audience in awe. Jisoo's powerful vocals took center stage as she performed a beautiful ballad, capturing hearts with her emotive delivery.
credit - supplied by BLACKPINK, presented by YG ENTERTAINMENT
The production value of the concert was nothing short of spectacular. The stage design featured intricate sets, pyrotechnics, and captivating visuals that complemented the group's dynamic performances. The lighting effects created a vibrant and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience and making it impossible to look away.
But what truly set this concert apart was the palpable connection between BLACKPINK and their fans. The group's gratitude and love for their supporters were evident throughout the night. They took time to express their appreciation, thanking the audience in both English and Korean, making everyone feel included. The fans reciprocated this love with fervent screams, passionate chants, and beautifully coordinated fan projects that lit up the arena.
As the concert drew to a close, BLACKPINK left the stage with a promise to return soon. The audience, exhilarated yet reluctant to see the night end, chanted their names, begging for an encore. And like true professionals, BLACKPINK returned to the stage, delivering an explosive encore performance of "As If It's Your Last." The arena erupted in a frenzy of confetti and screams, sealing the night as an unforgettable experience.
In the end, BLACKPINK's
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credit - supplied by BLACKPINK, presented by YG ENTERTAINMENT
Spacey Jane Takes Drifters Wharf by Storm: A Phenomenal and Electrifying Live Music Experience
Review & Photos By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith
As the anticipation reached its peak, a palpable excitement filled the air at Drifters Wharf in Gosford. The sold-out crowd was buzzing with an electric energy, eager to witness a musical spectacle that would soon unfold. On this remarkable night, Australian indie-rock band Spacey Jane graced the stage, delivering a performance that left no doubt as to why they are currently one of the hottest acts in the industry.
From the moment the lights dimmed and the first chords reverberated through the venue, Spacey Jane had the audience in the palm of their hands. The atmosphere was charged with a mix of frenetic energy and a sense of unity, as fans of all ages and backgrounds came together to celebrate the power of music. It was a true testament to the band's ability to connect with their audience on a profound level.
The setlist was a carefully curated blend of their beloved hits and newer material, ensuring that both longtime fans and newcomers were equally captivated. Opening with their infectious anthems, Spacey Jane immediately set the tone for the evening. The crowd erupted into a sea of movement, losing themselves in the irresistible melodies and the euphoric rush of the music.
Lead vocalist Caleb Harper proved to be an absolute force on stage, his raw talent and magnetic presence holding everyone in a trance. His vocals effortlessly transitioned from tender, introspective moments to explosive, anthemic choruses, filling the venue with a powerful emotional intensity. Each lyric resonated deeply with the crowd, as they sang along with unwavering enthusiasm.
The chemistry among the band members was palpable, creating an electrifying synergy that radiated throughout the performance. Guitarist Ashton Hardman and bass guitarist Peppa Lane provided a solid foundation for the band's sound, their rhythms pulsating through the venue and commanding the crowd to dance and sway in unison. Drummer Kieran Lama showcased incredible precision and energy, driving the music forward with relentless power.
The band's dynamic stage presence was accentuated by a mesmerizing light show, a visual spectacle that complemented the music perfectly. From vibrant hues to atmospheric silhouettes, the lighting enhanced the emotional depth of each song, intensifying the experience for everyone present.
Highlights of the night included the soaring ballad "Weightless," which transformed the venue into a collective sea of swaying lighters and illuminated smartphones, creating a truly magical atmosphere. The infectious energy of "Head Cold" had the crowd bouncing as one, while the anthemic "Booster Seat" brought an eruption of unadulterated joy, with fans singing at the top of their lungs.
The pinnacle of the evening came during the band's finale, when they unleashed their hit single "Good for You." The crowd, now fully immersed in the music, exploded into a frenzy of euphoria. The energy was palpable, as bodies surged forward, united by a shared love for Spacey Jane's music. It was a moment of pure transcendence, and the band seized it, leaving an indelible mark on the memories of all fortunate enough to witness it.
As the final notes echoed through the venue and the applause reached a crescendo, Spacey Jane bid farewell, leaving the audience awestruck and craving more. The air was filled with a sense of euphoria and gratitude for having been a part of such an extraordinary experience.
Spacey Jane's performance at Drifters Wharf in Gosford was nothing short of phenomenal. With their raw talent, infectious energy, and unwavering connection with their fans, the band delivered a live music experience
KING PARROT @ Bad Luck Bar - Brisbane, 8th April 2023
King Parrot fans are bold, dedicated, and rowdy, and my eyes were darting from stage to mosh, unsure of what was more entertaining.
Review + Images by Day West
The atmosphere walking into Brisbane’s ‘Bad Luck’ Bar (on its 2nd weekend open, following Lagerstein) was contagious. Buzzing. Bad Luck immediately asserts itself as a major player amongst the heavy music scene and hit the ground running with King Parrot serenading their new space this Easter weekend and nailing something to the cross (– not Jesus –) but their charged energetic set.
Back in Brisbane gracing us once again, King Parrot charged into tracks ‘Silly ol mate’, ‘Disgrace yourself’ & ‘Bozo’ with their signature style: raw + pure unbridled energy. It was pure chaos from stage to crowd…my shoes were struggling to find stable ground amongst the passionate, slightly *pushy patrons who craved that adrenaline fuelled mosh. King Parrot fans are bold, dedicated, and rowdy, and my eyes were darting from stage to mosh, unsure of what was more entertaining. The passionate fans screaming every which way or vocalist Matt’s charismatic stage presence?…you’ll have to attend a show to decide for yourself.
Image by Day West
After taking a breather from the camera ‘danger zone’ mid-set, I moseyed down to the back of the venue to observe a few songs from safety. Even from 20m back, I was just as entertained, nestling my cranberry juice close and enthusiastically bobbing my head to ‘Dead End’ & ‘Lawnmower Dog’ before throwing myself back into that unbridled chaos.
During ‘Entrapment’ I found myself pinned between an amp and a pregnant woman and I had front-row tickets to the ‘I Love King Parrot’ tits show. Not realising prior to this song, fans were revealing themselves all around... ‘Am I at Black Sabbath again?’ I thought. Slightly taken back, Matt joked ‘Well I think this is a first!’ If the tits are out – I guess it confirms King Parrot are seen as true rockstars to Brisbane natives. One enthusiastic fan got on stage baring all, before diving blissfully into the arms of the boisterous audience. Bris was not holding back tonight. Talk about christening a new bar.
Image by Day West
Towards the end of the show, a massive space opened and the crowd surfing and pit pushing elevated just that bit more. A packed-out space, a sea of arms, legs, and sweaty hair. It was a jumble of limbs contorting around the words of ‘Bite your head off’ and ‘Shit on the liver’. The tenacious crowd somehow growing in energy rather than tiring despite their worthy physical commitment as patrons, was a solid effort, one probably fuelled by rum and parrot love.
KP didn’t disappoint the bris collective, punching through a tremendously rigorous set, full of electricity, married with their underlying sincere candor – King Parrot are a charismatic kind bunch who continue to love what they do.
Knotfest Sydney - Centennial Park 25th March 2023
Photos By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith
Now I’m not saying music is a religious experience, but I met Jesus in the mosh pit
We crested the hill to be met with thousands of beautiful, sparkling creatures all in various states of ecstasy and anticipation for the real fun to begin. The lines for the merch tents and the museum were already hundreds and hundreds of people long and stayed that way for the duration. Luckily the lines for the bars were not.
As I immersed myself fully into the crowd it was like a coming home, to that place teeming with unconditional love, acceptance and unity. There is nothing quite like the experience of a metal festival of this calibre.
Malevolence was the first band to hit the stage. They've been around for a while but have really found their sound. Josh Baines and Konan Hall's dual guitar attack roared throughout the crowd while Alex Taylor's vocal style was brutal and powerful. Great melodies and massive riffs made for a great start to the festival.
Then the notorious Bad Omen hit the stage, their current touring schedule has been extremely difficult, especially for a singer who has the vocal range and dynamics that defy anything else. It sounded phenomenal despite his voice loss earlier in the week. Bad Omens were perfect, a solid heavy machine with driving riffs and killer bass. The band seemingly immediately caught on with an enthusiastic audience and many of their fans showed up early to watch their set and were delighted considering their performance could have been missed due to illness. As the electro infused heavy riffs blasted; layered with clean vocals even your mum would love shimmering out of frontman Noah Sebastian’s throat as the smash hit “just pretend” began, the crowd was gearing up for a day of the best music, food, and sideshows that Sydney had ever seen. Knotfest was finally upon us!
Invigorated from the first few acts the crowd started swelling with later arrivals caused by shitty rail and public transport nightmares
The inflatable subway sandwich hitting people in the face and being subjected to perverted acts as the punters hip thrusted it back into the air to claim it’s next victim
Void Of Vision were the first Australian band to hit the stage and what an incredible representive. It was great to see a mix of international musicians and local legends such as Void Of Vision. Can we just say that Jack Bergin’s entire outfit, and THAT SKIRT was to die for! They were greeted by a huge mosh pit and the first death wall of the day was erected. A superb set.
The inflatable subway sandwich hitting people in the face and being subjected to perverted acts as the punters hip thrusted it back into the air to claim it’s next victim
Alpha Wolf, a Tasmanian metalcore band. I love watching bands having fun on stage. Singer Lochie Keogh's smiles and the actions of the guitarists, they were having a good time. Given the number of people in front of them, this is not surprising. With another huge mosh pit and constant surfers in the crowd I have no idea how the crowd is going to keep their energy up throughout the day. Another killer set.
The crowd grew even larger as American hardcore band Knocked Loose began their set. Even a minor mic error couldn't stop it as Bryan Garris' clean vocals sliced through their insane heavy riffs and monstrous folds, unleashing even more round pits and a wall of death.
Famous guest stars started arriving. Tinky winky and his friends moshing with all the girls and boys and some cool cats from Naruto judging our best running flare, I also saw Jesus. The crowd parted slightly and there he stood in all of his costume store glory. He smiled, waved and blessed us with the sickest of all days.
Bands like Spiritbox need to be seen live and it is definitely one of those bands that stays with you forever. Spiritbox could quiet easily be a headliner at any of the next big festivals on the cards. I think the hype surrounding this band is real. Courtney LaPlante's, you cannot help but fall in love with his powerful front woman with her commanding and amazing melodic voice and her demonic growls absolutely tickle every inch of your body while she effortlessly controls the stage with her mesmerizing one-liners and her big stomps all over the stage whilst looking angelic but oh so formidable.
Next up is legendary melodic death metal band In Flames and they sounded absolutely phenomenal. Swedish melodic death metal icons In Flames played a set that made the wild crowd grow even wilder. More recent songs like “The Great Deceiver” and “State of Slow Decay” have visibly agitated some audiences. That restlessness was replaced by head-smashing joy in 1999's 'Behind Space' and 'Only For The Weak'. After three decades in a career, In Flames remains world class. There are only so many fans who will never forget their roots.
HERE COME THE VIKINGS!!!! Amon Amarth is still a fan favorite.Audiences love him with his powerful riffs, endless double kick and Johan Hegg's unique roar. Featuring all the spoils of war, a setting with Viking ships, Thor's hammer and Viking props where much of the crowd has come ashore and rowed! Amon amarth was a sermon in Viking history and mythology and as always, felt more like a holy ritual, especially as the sky opened up and the rain soothed the enflamed and battle ready crowd like a gift from freyr! The clouds started to look very menacing throughout the set and as they ended the set with the incredible twilight and that is when the sky opened up.
The torrential downpour did not stop (Monika’s camera was unfortunately damaged in the downpour) and everyone in the crowd and surrounds waiting for Northlane were drenched. This is the first time I've had a chance to see them live since having a couple of their songs rolling around my playlist. After Monika shot the show we all ran for cover, got some food and a beverage to keep us going through the day.
Fortunately, the rain has slowed for the legendary Trivium. It was interesting to see Trivium tear it apart. Crowds of spectators danced and sang with fists raised in the air. Matt Heafy took the opposite stance at In Flames and pitting Sydney against the Melbourne and Brisbane crowds demanded more energy and who was the best. They responded with a giant circular hole.Trivium has had a veritable comeback since joining the service of drummer Alex Bent, the last two albums of becoming a phenomenon. Amidst the shadows and bones and Your Hateful Heart looks absolutely overwhelming next to In Waves favorites and the Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr finale getting the biggest round pit of the day. Trivium is absolutely amazing.
It's finally time for the Megadeth some of the Gods of metal. With a catalog any band would love to have, Megadeth throws in Hanger 18 as the opening song to just warm the crowd up! What can be said about Megadeth that has never been talked about before, the legendary Dave Mustaine also opened up to the crowd telling them his story of beating cancer as inspiration for the song new We'll be Back, it was such a great moment that the crowd gave him a well-deserved standing ovation.
Parkway Drive were up next and they did not disappoint. A bunch of people in cloaks stepped out with flaming torches in hand as they slowly walked forwards with the band in tow to a loud roar from the crow to greet them to stage. Parkway celebrates its 20th anniversary and has worked hard to become the international leader it is today. Kicking it off with Glitch and Prey and then Carrion completely dominating. The audience is dancing to the heartbeat of yearning and loving every second, cheering after each verse. In Karma, Winston jumped into the crowd of and stood on the shoulders of his followers to perform, an incredible sight, dear reader, believe it or not, he ordered "Get me back to the stage. !" and continued gliding through the crowd before the welcoming embrace of security despite being taken away on a journey in the wrong direction. Parkway is famous for making stages explode and they didn't disappoint bringing sparks onto the stage with huge flames which almost dried us all out as some of us were still damp, on the top of the stage and even from the tent the sound could be felt from hundreds of meters away they even set off fireworks on stage to end it all. Parkway then slowed down to bring an incredible-sounding string quartet onto the stage, while the introduction of shadow boxing and the sad Darker Still sounded incredible with Winston prompting the audience to light the entire area. The main set ended with the explosive bottom feeder, the crowd belting out a chorus of guitars while Winston relentlessly stamped his feet from either side of the stage. It pays tribute to the historic moment the Knotfest comes to Australia and how a group of Byron Bay children can come this far, a beautiful and genuine feeling. Closing with crushed and wild eyes Winston gave us a message to take care of each other and it was a very healthy time to pick up friends who are emotionally and physically depressed. Parkway Drive impressed me.They really put their all into every song during their set and what a performance it was, huge well deserved standing ovation as they left the stage in a puff of smoke, another fantastic set.
It's finally time for Slipknot. After throwing Disasterpiece to start the set, the tired and sodden crowd came alive. I couldn't believe they were following the legendary Wait and Bleed, people went nuts including me. Corey and the Slipknot boys sounded powerful and intense, and Corey's screams and melodic vocals sounded louder than ever. The set design included landings for Clown and Michael Pfaff lit up like Christmas trees, Craig and Jay in the background on a platform built with lights and screens underneath, everything looked so cool especially with the fire beams going up.Corey took time off after All Out Life to help a fan by shutting down the entire show and asking for security and paramedics to be there and for help if they could. He said security is there to ensure our safety and well-being and working against them is very good news for the Slipknot pit which can be a dangerous place. Then he reminded us how long it was before they came back and when Corey said seven years I couldn't believe it was that long. Before I Forget is a true Slipknot classic that sings and plays great. Armed with material from two albums released off our shores in their absence, The Dying Song seamlessly entered the set. Corey then admitted to being mortal and growing old and needing help singing Dead Memories when, when the crowd disagreed, we took the opportunity to blow our voices to the floor.Corey seemed even more appealing as a leader if you could ask who had and hadn't seen Slipknot before. For both me and him, there was a surprising number of people seeing Slipknot for the first time, which boded well for their legacy. The next track brought us all together as a family, the devastating Heretic Anthem, Jay Weinberg's wild kicks that drove the pit crazy. Psychosocial with this riff is my favorite and seeing live is always life changing, especially at this volume. Corey then says there's only one song left as he tells us we'll know when we hear it.
Duality brings the biggest chant of the day when Clown swings a flaming baseball bat over a barrel overhead to call out the jingle and crowd everyone loves every second of it. It wasn't her last song, however, as Corey tricked us with a crushing Custer and another to end the main set with another classic Spit it Out. Now those who know Slipknot know the tradition of Spit it Out, and Knotfest Sydney was no different. When it came time to "take off now," they did. The crowd in front of the band was huge, the venue was invisible, the whole festival came together to see their heroes and it's no exaggeration to say that everyone from the railings in front of the stage to the food trucks behind them lied on the floor.When everyone jumped at the same time it was crazy, you just have to see it to believe it. Slipknot then played with the iconic people=shit and traditional surfacing again, and the audience used what energy they had left to move the pit once more. Just when I thought Slipknot was going to have a hard time standing out because there were so many great sets throughout the day, they not only stood out, they totally crushed it.
Slipknot have obviously been headlining for a long time, but the breadth of what they've achieved in their career and at this festival is mind-blowing. Layout, facilities, food, bar, security, doctors, sound and audio quality, seating and shading, additional entertainment (even if you didn't have much time to see it), staging and line-up, the change was always active time and nobody came too late, just every detail of this festival was polished and perfect.One last thing I want to mention before closing this review, I want to thank the audience for not only being jaded and different but having a great time. The dresses and costumes, the makeup and hair, the general atmosphere, everything was outstanding.
Casualties of moshing - RIP to the guy’s leg that was broken and the handful of people that overdid it. As always the metal kids did a perfect job of caring and looking after people in the pit
All photos taken by Monika Oberscheven-Smith. All images remain the property of Monika Oberscheven-Smith.
Not to be used without permission.
LANEWAY FESTIVAL, BRISBANE, Saturday 4th, 2023.
Welcome, to Laneway Festival, 2023.
Review + Images by Dayna West
The iconic Laneway Festival has returned to Brisbane showgrounds once again. Attending this festival is a long - time past - time of mine, with each year bringing in a varied mix of international and homegrown gems. Laneway 2023 is one of Australia’s biggest returns since Covid-19 & we’re so glad it’s back and stronger than ever. Be sure to wear your sunscreen - Brisbane was NO JOKE! However, as most know - we’re not faint of heart - and took the heat in our stride as we soaked in every sunray and soundwave in sight.
SYCCO
In one of the day's first sets, Sycco got the BNE Laneway crowd singing in the summer rain. Sycco played the role of ‘peacemaker’ as the grounds were suddenly swimming, in a sun-rain affair, but the vibes were high and so were the festival grounds. Having gone from strength to strength over the past few years, it was great to see Sycco on such a large stage, having last seen them perform at BigSound many moons ago. A confident, concise performance - Sycco has a confidence beyond their years & will only go forward from here.
Image By Dayna West
FINNEAS
A truly genuine and uplifting performance by Finneas on Saturday the 4th. A tangible connection could be felt in the air as Finneas performed - a stirringly gifted all rounded musician and producer who performs with a new, fresh sense of power… and a slight edge of grounded introversion. It is a true pleasure to witness someone passionate and elevated by their craft. Starting their set with ‘Naked’ and truly baring their soul to us, their audience, Finneas held the attention of everyone on the field and delivered a moving set in Brisbane yesterday.
Image by Dayna West
JULIA JACKLIN
What’s not to love about Australia’s resident sad happy girl, Julia. Jacklin has an extraordinary reach, entertaining one of the most diverse crowds of the festival, delicately handling us in the palm of her hand, and drinking from her fountain of soul and solace. A truly ethereal presence, her voice conducting the orchestra-like band that backed her, piercing the tear ducks of everyone in sight. Such delicate yet strong songs casting an introspective narrative over the lives of the festival attendees, got me thinking just how connected we all are when listening to tracks such as ‘Pressure to Party’ and “Don’t know how to keep loving you’. A gifted songwriter, storyteller, and musician - Julia Jacklin’s set is the place to be for a moment of you time during your Laneway experience.
Image by Dayna West
100 GECS
One of the more explosive sets of this Saturday, 100 Gecs took things up to level 100 - (or maybe that’s just me coming off the delicate high of Julia Jacklin’s set moments before). 100 Gecs know what they’re about - they know what they’re doing and they know what we want! Time to let it all go, despite the 40-degree humidity - 100 Gecs crowd was dancing, jumping, and not f*cking around. One of the more dedicated and animated stage environments, 100 Gecs had passer-by’s, engaging in their electric pop hits from outside of the festival gates. Booming their eccentric pop beats from the ‘Everything Ecstatic’ stage - an act well paired with the word ‘ecstatic’ - the Gecs audience threw heat concerns out the window and raved their hardest. Lots of red-faced ‘n’ sweaty Doritos and Fritos fans out there, and god bless them.
Image by Dayna West
PHOEBE BRIDGERS
It was no surprise that Phoebes devoted fans waited patiently for her sparkling skull arrangement to gracefully take the stage at 7:30pm, fresh from Fred Again’s set. It was as if I could hear the thousands of broken-hearted, sad girl (and boys, sad anybody’s) rib cages beating in anticipation for our soft goth rock mother to take effect, but in all seriousness - the cardiac muscles were working overtime in the Phoebe pit! I, from behind the camera, shed a sweet tear of sweet admiration and slight unworthiness (something I’ll be looking into) while trying to correct my settings for her moody performance landscape. Keeping focused on the job was hard when the job was photographing Phoebe Bridgers. Phoebe mentioned the recent passing of her father and dedicated her performance of Kyoto in his honor. Those who weren’t already suffering emotional warfare were now - and as a collective, we cherished this delicate and personal exchange. We love you Phoebe!
Phoebe possesses a distinctive yet demanding quality that makes her gift for music so transcendent. It is a pleasure to witness her almost otherworldly performing presence, amongst the charming ‘garden’ landscape that immersed us all, in a place far from where we actually were…But we were there, together.
Image by Dayna West
FONTAINES D.C
Chasing down the HYPE I had been hearing all over the scene of BNE, Fontaines D.C is one of the acts you’re grateful to see before they BOOM. Not because you want to gatekeep - but because you want to experience history in the making. That’s what it feels when you watch Fontaines D.C. That feeling of being on the edge of a cliff, a ‘melancholy adrenaline’ if you will, but it’s that unexplainable feeling… which is why you should experience it for yourself on the upcoming Laneway dates.
Totally lathered in ‘The Clash’, & traditional UK rock vibes, the members of Fontaines D.C, know how to morph that post-rock essence into the present, especially via frontman Grian Chatten, who performs with an eye-catching attitude - a gripping illusiveness that is rare to capture, and hard to capture if you haven’t pumped the shutter speed. The members of Fontaines D.C represent the authentic… casting aside the fake accent-ness of it all - these English/Irish musicians (?) have a bright future in the realm of rock. Next time they play Laneway, it will be on an open stage, with double the crowd, and I hope I’m there to catch it again.
Image by Dayna West
HAIM
The true sisterhood of the traveling leather pants. Music aside, Danielle, Este & Alana - are captivating, charismatic, choreographed talents who lead with purpose and a refreshing sense of fun + freedom. When I say they put on a performance, I mean it. From the minutes BEFORE they stepped on stage they were serving elevated campy, pop. Seeing their growth from laneway 2014, H-AIM has stepped up its G-AIM and we’re all here for our San Fernando sisters.
The energy that this trio exudes is immeasurably tantalizing and you’ve got to be an absolute bore to resist the draw of HAIM. Hearing the crowd recite the band’s TikTok, screaming ‘QUEENS’ and living out their ‘we’re watching mother F- Haim right now’ dreams…it was an all-encompassing environment led by fun.
Delivering a killer set list, with tracks including “Summer girl”, “Forever” and “3 AM” - where Este reminded us that the 3 sisters were single and planned to step about the town post set - which I’m sure excited more than a few festival goers, before ending things on a high with their iconic classic: “The Wire” + ‘The Steps’. Their playful sensibility paired with their rockstar abilities form a deadly trio, a bomb that you BEG to go off. Thankfully Brisbane is tough and can appreciate a deadly trio when they see one, which is why HAIM brought Brisbane Laneway, 2023, to a perfect, bittersweet close. Until next year…x
Enjoying festivals and International acts in our corner of the world again has been better than ever, but the strong presence of female energy in the Laneway festival lineup of 2023, was even better. Female-fronted acts both major and emerging were so present on Brisbane stages this year, making headway with major female acts topping the bill. This opens up so much space for audience members and shapes the festival experience for so many, in hugely positive ways. Although there are big steps to make, the comfort of relishing in these strong, talented women was the highlight of my Laneway Festival.
Image by Dayna West
The Offspring, Sum 41 @Riverstage Brisbane- Wednesday December 14 2022
A stunning 30 degree day and blue sky met the crowd that had assembled at Brisbane’s River Stage to enjoy a night with Sum 41 and The Offspring. There are two back-to-back shows happening in Brisbane this week, with this show being added to the tour scheduled due to the large demand from the Queensland fans (and they were out in force!). After arriving to the gates (on an electric scooter no less) the box-office had my ticket ready to go, and the entrance to River Stage was so hassle-free I was second guessing myself and wondering if I had wound up in the wrong area. It turns out that I was in the right place and it was just super organised. Offspring and Sum 41 faithful flocked around the stage and as showtime drew closer, the volume of fans increased. From a position on the hill I could see full guitar racks, the drum riser to the right of stage and a mammoth, yet orderly, stack of road cases. Easy access to toilets, food stalls and drinks helped everyone settle in for a fun night as a massive line at the merchandise tent stretched well into the crowd. The full range of Brisbane’s punk rock faithful were on display, with Mohawks, faux-hawks, no hawks and… picnic blankets, all intertwined, just waiting for the spark to light their punk rock flame (whether obvious or otherwise). The sun was setting behind the stage, beers were flowing and all that was missing was the music. Anticipation built to fever pitch as the stage lights flicked on and off. The reclining punters on the hill surrounding the heaving pit stood up in unison as the lights dropped out and it was showtime.
Sum 41’s logo flashed up on the screen, shattering the darkness on stage and, in a little nod to Australia, ACDC’s TNT blasted into the crowd. Large cheers rose from the entire crowd as the band took their place. Front man Deryck Whibley ran onto the stage and the crowd was met with epic pyrotechnics and lighting (the photographer in me was loving it). Opening with their 2001 hit Motivation, Sum 41 let everybody know that tonight’s show was going to be about power and passion! Movement from all members of the band from all parts of the stage suggested that the enthusiasm the crowd had for the show was both received and reciprocated. The Hell Song was the next shot fired in the already action packed set. While this song comes from their 2002 album, Does This Look Infected, lyrics such as “ I feel I’ve come to realise, how fast life can be compromised” could easily have been written recently in response to any number of situations that have happened/are currently happening in the world. Over My Head followed and the crowd were now in fine form, singing and shouting lyrics, dancing and basically going berserk. We’re All To Blame hit the crowd with full force and Whibley demanded a circle pit start. He stooped over the crowd from centre stage and moved his hand in a circular motion like a wizard conjuring a spell with his (and the band’s) magic achieving the desired result. Underclass Hero (the title track from their 2007 album) gave the crowd a chance to help the band with their performance. Whibley got the stage lights turned off and asked everybody turn on the torch on their phones to help illuminate the stage. This was beautiful sitght from where I was and I can only image how amazing the view must have been from the stage. At the end of the song, a very grateful frontman took the time to express from him and the band how surreal it was for them to hear everybody singing “These songs we wrote when were were fucking teenagers”. Walking disaster came next and the the musicality of the band was on display for all to hear. Once agin, timeless lyrics like “I pledge allegiance to a world of disbelief where I belong” could be any of us that turn on the television or look at social media and think WTF.
Whibley asked guitarist Dave Baksh to give us “all killer and no filler” and he broke into In Too Deep with a roar of approval from the crowd. “You like that old school pop punk shit? asked Whibley at the end of the song (to cheers from the Brisbane crowd ) “Well we better play some more pop punk shit” and they launched into Makes No Difference from their first album, Half Hour of Power (released in the year 2000). A guitar was bought from the side of stage and given to Whibley and he played some of Smoke On The Water to show the crowd how much he “sux on guitar”. He also played the intro riff to Seven Nation Army as further evidence of his lack of guitar skill. The reason for the guitar was Pieces from 2004’s Chuck album. The song starts with a semi-clean chord progression before the rest of the band join in. For the record, Whibley does not “suck” at guitar, and his six string contribution to this song was vital. I am all for a punked up cover! In another life as a guitarist in a band, we used to do a punk version of Folsom Prison Blues that went over a treat. I was stoked to hear Sum 41 crank out We Will Rock You like I have never heard before. Mid song the band bought the sound down and Whibley got the whole pit to get down on their haunches. As the band got louder and louder, he ordered the pit to jump, and that was exactly what they did. It was epic! The opening riff for Fat Lip sent the already manic crowd over the edge and into raptures. Still Waiting was the final song of the set with the angst driven lyrics still striking a chord some 20 years on from its release. At the end of the song Whibley said “bye bye” and suddenly they were gone. This was an absolutely blistering set from start to finish!
The band were flawless, dual guitar solos, rock steady drums and bass. Vocals on point as on any album and a performance not to be forgotten. Fans left the pit shirtless, soaked, disheveled and happy. The look on their faces told a story of pure joy and I can only assume it was a look shared by the band who were met with an energetic and enthusiastic group of fans. To call the songs nostalgic gives an impression that they come from a time of surpassed ideas or commentary. One only need look at any of the crises the “modern” world faces and realise that Sum 41 were on the ball all those years ago. It’s a shame the powers that be didn’t listen then, but will they listen now? No, Sum 41’s music is not nostalgia! It is as relevant now as it was when it burnt in the soul of the band all those years ago!
The Offspring were up next and as the stage crew got to work a count down timer appeared on the screen and the house party ensued. Members of the crew had cameras that they used to film the crowd and their footage was displayed on the big screen. The “cams” on display were pit cam (filming the crowd), beer cam (you had to scull your beer if you appeared on screen), moustache cam (if you had one they found you), kiss cam (pucker up, peeps), headbang cam (ACDC’s You Shook Me All Night Long was the sound track), Mullet cam (and there was no shortage of locks to shoot), booty cam (kinda self explanatory, huh?) and finally, fuck you cam (you gave the camera the finger). Three members of the crew also shot merchandise into the crowd from a makeshift giant slingshot. There was so much going on that the time flew by! As the timer got closer to zero the band appeared on screen from backstage which sent the crowd wild! The final minute arrived and passed with the final ten seconds counted down in unison by the crowd. The stage went dark, and it was on!
The only way to describe The Offspring’s entrance was cinematic. There was just enough light to make out the silhouette of the members of the band as etherial music played. Come Out And Play burst from the stage as the entire venue came alive with light and sound. I was 18 years old when this song hit my skate rat ears. I couldn’t say how many skate sessions had the 1994 album Smash as a soundtrack and while the ramps we built nor the skateboarding career endured, thankfully, these songs do! “Ya ya ya ya ya” sung Dexter and the crowd went wild! All I Want was sung too and from the crowd as Dexter decided to go for a walk down in the pit to say hi to the faithful (he would later go on to say they nearly killed him). Want You Bad started very differently to the Conspiracy Of One album version with Dexter’s vocals and an organ only! It was such an epic start to the song before it turned back in to the version everybody knows and loves. “Fuck yeah Brisbane, fuck yeah” yelled Noodles into the microphone. He claimed that everybody in attendance was afflicted with a condition called “Queensland crazy” that was an actual thing that you could Google (from the peeps around me I didn’t need to Google it for proof… it was real!). The title track from The Offspring’s latest album (and this tour) Let The Bad Times Roll was played next but not before Noodles thanked everybody “in the multiverse” for helping make it number one. Staring At The Sun from 1998’s Americana cranked the crowd right up agin as the pit surged in every direction in time with the song. Behind Your Walls is another song from the band’s latest album and it went over well with the fans who were singing and dancing as far as they eye could see.
The shaker and the riff let the crowd know “you can do it”, Original Prankster was met with as much love as it did when we all heard it on Conspiracy Of One. If you couldn’t hear the crowd sing “you know it smells like shit, god damn” over the Brisbane River at Kangaroo Point, you must be deaf because it was loud! The haunting riff of Hammerhead rang out from the stage. For me this was a standout song from 2008’s Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace so it was awesome to hear it live. As the song was underway my attention was drawn to a glowing light on the stage which turned out to be a theremin type instrument. Prior to the solo Dexter created some wild ambient sounds just by moving close to the device and then moving away without touching it. A dark stage, a bass riff and some guitar squeals and feedback hinted at Bad Habit only to have all suspicions confirmed by dexter singing “Hey man you know I’m really okay”. Voices from all around the venue joined in with the well know song as it kicked into overdrive. The choral antics of the crowd were not lost on the band with Noodles stating that they had “angelic voices” and were “crazy as a shit house rat”… hard to argue with the facts.
Dexter claims that Noodles has played the riff from Sweet Child O Mine for six hours straight and while he took a break we entered the “Noodles plays with himself” section of the show. This section allowed Noodles to flex his considerable guitar chops for the crowd. Along with the Guns N Roses classic riff, he also played sections from Back In Black (ACDC), The Trooper (Iron Maiden) and In The Hall Of The Mountain King (Edvard Grieg). During the latter, an animated Noodles played on the screen and he and his digital doppelgänger traded guitar parts which was super cool! In keeping with the cover theme, the band launched into the Ramones classic Blitzkrieg Bop as one of the stage crew paraded up and down the stage with a sign that said “hey ho lets go” painted on it just incase you forgot the words. Gotta Get Away is my favourite Offspring song, hands down! The drum and bass intro and then THAT riff (but not before some string mutes) ahhhhh, it’s just a masterpiece! So how could I love it even more? By hearing it sung by every single person around me and, I assume, all over the venue! The lights went out and for a moment nothing seemed to be happening but in that dark a piano was being wheeled on to the stage. When the stage illuminated again there was Dexter sitting at the piano all alone on the stage. Gone Away could be, in my opinion, one of the saddest songs ever written. With lyrics like “maybe in another life, I could find you there” ugh, it just hits you, right? Well take those lyrics and hear it sung solo with only a piano as backing (and all the crowd holding their phone’s torches up) and you are dealing with a different kind of animal. I came wanting to hear this song in its original format (because that’s what I had expected) but now I’m glad I didn’t because this was something else!
How do you pick up the energy after such a somber moment? Beachballs obviously, and as Get A Job kicked-off, stage crew started kicking beachballs into the crowd. I swear it seemed like there were around 20 or 30 beachballs getting kicked or punched in every direction throughout the song. In a similar vein, Spare Me The Details had the crowd jumping and singing like they were at a beach party and you can imagine Noodles sitting around strumming a guitar with sand between his toes and a beachball or 20 nearby. It was time to ramp up the Queensland Crazy and (Can’t Get My) Head Around You was just the song. The crazy must have been contagious because following the song, Noodles lead the frothing crowd in a choral “Fuck Yeah!”. It started off with short bursts and finished with a “Fuck” so long that the crowd had no air left to add the “yeah”. Gunter, Glieben, Glauchen, Globen… German for go crazy? It must be because that’s exactly what happened as the 1998 Americana Hit Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) met the ears of the crowd with inflatables of the character from the film clip standing on either side of the stage. The Kids Aren’t Alright closed out the set it seemed as the band left the stage but the fans were having none of that! The band returned to the stage to play You’re Gonna Go Far Kid before one final song that starts with one word…“la”. As in “la la la la la la la la la la” Self Esteem was the perfect song to end a perfect night!
Both Sum 41 and The Offspring were absolutely at their best for this tour! I am sure everybody that attended a show was in awe at the incredible display of musicianship they were privy to by these two legendary bands. All involved should hold their heads high for brining such an amazing show to the eyes, ears and hearts of Australian music fans. It’s was a privilege to get to go along, and it is a show I can honestly say I will never forget. As a final side note, it warmed my heart to see all the fans dressed in black (mostly) singing Sweet Caroline as they made their way to the gate.
Good Things Festival Melbourne @Flemington Racecourse- Friday December 2nd 2022
Photos & review by: Brittany Long
As more than 30,000 eager festival-goers flocked to Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne delivered a picture-perfect, warm sunny day to mark the long awaited return of Melbourne’s favourite Good Things Festival.
Fronted by lead vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk Ukrainian metalcore four-piece Jinjer kicked off the day’s proceedings for me on stage two. After a mad dash to get there in time, I was immediately impressed by Shmailyuk’s powerful vocal ability, with her deep growls alongside her stage presence. She worked the stage like a pro, jumping and thrashing her hair around, an act which the crowd returned. The band treated fans to “Perennial” and several other tracks from their impressive back catalogue, with Shmailyuk also taking the time to acknowledge and thank Australians for their ongoing support of Ukraine. A barrage of crowd surfers flying over the barrier truly marked the momentous occasion that was Good Thing’s return.
Next up for me, and thankfully right next door over on stage one was Swedish punk rockers Millencolin. The band who celebrated their 30 year anniversary this year delivered a carefully selected set-list of hits which spanned their impressive discography. Opening with track “Kemp” from their 2002 album Home From Home, there was a defined focus on treating fans to several classics from their esteemed 2000 “Pennybridge Pioneers” album including “Fox”, “Duckpond”, “Penguins & Polarbears”, and closing with iconic “No Cigar”. Of course “SOS” from their most recent 2019 album “SOS” was a worthy inclusion to the setlist. Despite being a punk band the set also featured defined elements of rock and roll, and the crowd loved them.
A last minute decision to stay around stages one and two saw me rewarded. Although a band I personally was unfamiliar with, the crowd certainly knew exactly who they were, with a last-minute hoard of people flooding to the stage and a thunderous chanting for Sabaton even before the band took to the stage. Dressed in Swedish War Machine emblazoned jackets they established themself as exactly that, a machine! Notable for their powerful music written about historical events, they delivered a real warrior vibe, with attire to match the events they were singing about, right down to their uniform camo-clad instruments, pants and the details of their barbed-wire wrapped machine-gun mic-stands with battle helmets and hanging army dog tag necklaces. Lead singer Joakim Broden even had little pieces of artificial barbed-wire tied to his in-ear monitors chain. The Swedish heavy metal band were fierce, easily proving their place on the lineup and are one band I definitely look forward to seeing more from. Their set also featured pyro which took the show to new temperatures, literally.
On a friend’s recommendation and choosing to make the trek over to the other side of the festival grounds to stage four for Electric Callboy, I was not disappointed. Opening with “Pump It” and the notion of ‘feeling it day and night’ was exactly what we wanted. Before jumping straight into “Arrow of Love” they delighted festival-goers with their at times poppy, always catchy, energetic and fun metalcore set. Adorning wigs and coloured retro tracksuits they also brought the dance vibe and I noticed plenty of fans sporting a similar inspired festival attire. Several band members also sported their own ‘pump it’ band merch sweatbands. The band’s live show was truly electric and they definitely lived up to their name. For some reason the band’s live show reminded me of a zumba class, but of course with much heavier music. I can confirm they definitely gained a new fan and I only wish I could have stayed longer to enjoy more of their set.
But I had heard great things about One Ok Rock so it was a mad dash back to stage one. Opening with “Save Yourself”, a track I since have had on repeat, the Japanese rockers were a crowd favourite and they definitely exceeded expectations with their high energy set. Featuring an array of tracks from their 2017 album “Ambitions” and newer work from 2022 album “Luxury Disease” including newest single release “Wonder” which even featured a cute choreographed dance routine. They also treated fans to “Taking Off” which saw frontman Takahiro Moriuchi literally ‘taking off’ and leaping into the air. Unfortunately the timing of their set meant I regretfully had to cut my time short after three songs, however they were a more than worthy addition to the stellar lineup and someone I will definitely endeavour to go and see in the future.
Venturing all the way out to the other side of the festival across to stage 5 in anticipation for my favourites, Aussie nu metal band Ocean Grove, truly a trek and a half, I did not think after 2019 that stage 5 could possibly get any further, however I was very, very wrong. After arriving in a sweaty mess I was disappointed when unfortunately the band were running behind and I regretfully made the call to leave and dash back off to stage two in order to catch The Amity Affliction, a decision I unfortunately immediately regretted. Due to never having seen them before The Amity Affliction was one of my must-sees of the day, the size of the crowd definitely proved them as a crowd favourite. Their set featured an array of tracks including “All My Friends Are Dead”, “Chasing Ghosts”, “Drag the Lake” and “Soak Me in Bleach”. delivering clean vocals however I found their set was honestly disappointing and lacked energy.
On special request I waited nearby for Gojira on stage one. The French band delivered a tight performance with intense energy, accompanied with CO2 blasts. I would have loved to have gotten over to see the Nova twins however it was logistically not possible, such is the endless battle of making the decision and ultimately choosing who not to see at a festival.
I Ventured back over to stage three for Sleeping With Sirens, and for what I decided would be my last time over that side of the festival. The American band that had soundtracked the youth for many ‘emos’ in the crowd was a hit, treating fans to tracks including “Crosses” from their newest album ‘Complete Collapse’ as well as several classic older tracks spanning their discography. They delivered a high energy set with several band members unable to keep still and constantly jumping all over the stage, in the air and interacting with the crowd.
Shrouded in mystery and clothed in anonymity “This is Serious Mum" (TISM) returned to the stage after a nearly two-decade long hiatus, clad head to toe in shiny silver costumes also incorporating their signature balaclava look. Right from the start, there was nothing serious about TISM. By far a highlight of the entire festival, I didn’t know what to expect, nor where to look, and when they revealed themselves onstage each attached to giant inflatable silver balloons they truly delivered a unique live show like no other I’ve ever seen before. There were catchy songs about tradies, face defecation “Defecate On My Face”, stop signs “Greg! The Stop Sign!!”, sex “Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me” and all array of things, with notable inclusions of crowd favourite (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River about the ‘drug that killed River Phoenix’. TISM also boasted an impressive stage setup, complete with cement mixer and construction crew, and at one point even used tennis rackets to hit tennis balls into the crowd. These created tradie made TISN letters were later thrown into the crowd where they became the perfect platforms for crowd surfers. Props to the band members for enduring those costumes too, with the radiating sun and heat they must have been melting! Definitely a set that will go down as the most bizarre I’ve ever seen.
From the moment NOFX entered the stage they delivered sass, cheeky comedy and non-stop banter, at times with what can only be described as crass humour. From the outset the American punk rockers declared themselves as ‘the best band at the festival’, quickly drawing attention to their receding hairlines and the fact they were ‘also the oldest’. Their set was fun and featured a large variety of hits spanning their illustrious nearly four-decade long history. Including “Don’t Call Me White”, “Reeko”, “Murder the Government” and “Six Years on Dope”. The band still features an all original lineup, an impressive fact of its own. They also treated fans to several live tracks which hadn’t been played live in several years including “Fleas”, “The Cause”, “Happy Guy” and “Punk Guy”. Frontman Mike Burkett dubbed Fat Mike wore a greenish/blue striped dress that was colour coordinated to his hair and it didn’t take long for him to get his nipples out too. Although Burkett prepared the crowd for ‘more songs nobody cares about’ and ‘disappointment’ the crowd was definitely far from disappointed and there were many in attendance who did in fact care and loved the band. Notably, earlier this year the band revealed plans to disband in the very near future so I’m glad I took the opportunity to experience them in all their glory.
Alt metal veterans Deftones were a major drawcard on the jam-packed festival bill and rightly so. Opening with “Genesis”, they provided the perfect soundtrack as the sun began to set. Treating festival goers and fans to a setlist packed with crowd favourites, including “Diamond Eyes”,“My Own Summer”, “Be Quiet and Drive”, “Sextape” and “Rocket Skates”.
Finally, it was time for the long awaited and much anticipated headliners, British rockers Bring Me the Horizon to take the stage and the crowd was more than ready. Before the band entered the now transformed stage, complete with risers of varying levels, a striking white electronic drum kit and keyboard, a visual display appeared to scan the crowd, first for mosh pits and then drugs.
Opening with a bang to “Can You Feel My Heart” off 2013 album “Sempiternal” and accompanied by an explosion of pink heart-shaped confetti, renowned frontman Oliver Sykes emerged to thunderous applause and the band instantly had the crowd in the palm of their hands.
The whole set was accompanied by a spectacular and dynamic visual on-screen spectacle which also incorporated the risers themselves, with varying colourful neon-graphics providing the backdrop for the already impressive act. Lyrics also flashed across the screen, but the crowd didn’t need the prompt, they knew, and sang at the top of their lungs, and moshed, hanging off every single word. The twelve song setlist delighted with hits scratching the surface of BMTH’s nearly two decade long career; “Happy Song”, “Mantra”, “Shadow Moses” and 2021 single “Die4u”. Ultimately there was a special focus on more recent releases including tracks from their 2020 album ‘Post Human: Survival Horror”; “Teardrops”, “Dear Diary”, “Parasite Eve” and “KingSlayer”. “Drown” which has to be one of the band’s most popular tracks was an all out mosh-fest with circle pits and punters galore screaming at the top of their lungs ‘don’t let me drown’. “Follow You” was a crowd favourite and also provided the perfect opportunity for an iconic phone torch moment. Taking the energy down a notch which had until now been unrelenting, and with lighters and phone torches alight and swaying in the air the crowd sang barely missing a beat, clinging onto every word and soaking in the moment ‘I will follow you’ and follow they did.
Newest 2022 single release “sTraNgeRs” was another crowd favourite and the line in the song ‘we’re just a room full of strangers’ formed a perfect sentiment for the tens of thousands of festival-goers gathered together and packed into the Flemington grounds.
Chants of ‘one more song’ and ‘encore’ demanded the band’s return to the stage, which they did with a vengeance, delivering a smashing encore performance of “Obey” and closing out their phenomenal set with an explosion of red streamers with “Throne”. BMTH delivered not just a live show but an experience and it’s fair to say their first Australian festival headline slot will definitely not be their last. They truly gave it their all and left nothing on the stage. Unfortunately however, they were let down by the poor sound, with many fans unable to hear the band’s set properly.
The final message left on-screen after the band departed was “Bring Me the Horizon just rocked my fucking world” and rock our f**king world they did! Good Things returned in style, delivering a stellar jam-packed lineup of both international and homegrown Aussie talent, there was something for everyone.
Now as a wheelchair user it would be remiss of me if I didn’t address the blatant lack of accessibility Good Things posed. There were no accessible toilets, not one, which was beyond appalling. I even had one patron approach me at one point to ask if I had been able to find any, and they then proceeded to inform me they had had to carry and assist their friend in a wheelchair into a non-accessible toilet portaloo which was just disgusting and completely inhumane. The 'accessible viewing platform’ was another matter of its own. While I give the festival props for trying here and at the very least having one, it was so clearly a ‘ticking the box’ exercise and the actual execution and understanding of logistics needs plenty of work. The design reminded me of being in a cattle yard, and the positioning of the platform itself being so far off to the left side, as well as the lack of height essentially rendered it obsolete, you couldn’t actually see the band on stage two and also could not see the MainStage at all which was horrendous. Accessing the platform also required those using it to fight their way through the crowd which only became harder as the festival wore on and more and more punters packed in even tighter. There was nothing ‘accessible’ about it and it was one of the worst viewing platforms I’ve experienced thus far. If I was a paying punter and someone who required accessibility measures like such a viewing platform I’d be asking for a refund and honestly would have likely left the festival before headliners BMTH even graced the stage! Punters do not pay to stare at screens, and at the very least should be afforded a clear view of all stages, especially the MainStage.
Personally with any hope to actually be able to watch and enjoy the rest of BMTH’s set after photographing the first three songs from the photo-pit, I gave the so-called ‘accessible viewing platform’ a miss, choosing instead to brave the gigantic crowd and fight my way through the the tens of thousands of bodies and move towards the sound desk in my wheelchair.
Pictured: The view from the ‘accessible viewing platform’. Note the lack of height, poor placement and the clear lack of visibility of the red MainStage to the far right.
Thelma Plum + Graace + Jem Cassar Daley @ The Tivoli, September 2022
Photos + Review by Dayna Gilmore
The early morning hours of September 9 brought on a short yet dramatic rainfall in the city of Meanjin, and brought with it, Thelma and her crew of magical musicians. As the hours passed, the sun grew warmer and brought out our first-day real day of spring. Some would brush this off as a noncoincidence, however, I took it as a sign that Meanjin was blooming with joy to have Thelma sing that night.
Jem Cassar Daley by Dayna Gilmore
Jem Cassar Daley was the first to serenade the Meanjin crowd on September 9th, charming the audience with songs about not-so-charming breakups - with her quick heartache and break-up quips, delicate words, and the gentle backup of her soft keys. Jem had us all swooning and thinking, who could ever break her heart?! Showcasing her talents and tracks from her debut ep, Jem was the perfect start to this Friday pop-fest.
You can listen to her charming EP ‘I don’t know who to call’ on streaming services now.
GRAACE by Dayna Gilmore
GRAACE took to the stage with her punchy pop bops and ignited the Tivoli with pure joy. While touring this year after the release of her second EP: Self Preservation, GRAACE shared her happiness with us. Giggles and pesky guitar straps were lost and so was composure but hey - how much more relatable can you be, and how delightful is seeing a big stage full of talent, giggling through a set? (Hint: It’s very delightful!). Fun radiated off of every member of GRAACE’s band and left us totally enamored by the graacefulness of their stage presence.
GRAACE’s beautiful dainty voice and infectious attitude left for a unique set, and her stunning rendition of Avril Lavigne’s complicated has been stuck in my head since!
Thelma Plum by Dayna Gilmore
Thelma Plum blessed us with an emotional and moving performance for her hometown show in Meanjin, September 9th. Touring her newly released EP titled: “Meanjin”, this show was a special night and it felt right to be sharing the night surrounded by her family, and fans, together as one. The energy in the air was bright as Thelma started the set with “The Brown Snake’ a new track and ode to the Meanjin river. She announced ‘Don’t look me in the eyes, or I will cry’ before jumping into not angry anymore, dollar and backseat of my mind. While emotions were running on an all - time high - so was the bass - still within dB requirements, I overheard a soundie say ‘this is heavier bass than a metal show’ - Thelma and her band came to rock.
Slotting in her iconic Powderfinger cover ‘These Days’ midway through the set was a beautiful collective moment and the crowd lit up, taking a moment to appreciate the rawness and vulnerability Thelma knows how to give us, so carefully.
Powering on with her crispy pop melodies, and ending the night with an encore for ‘clumsy love’, it was clear that Thelma’s EP ‘Meanjin’ a.k.a her ‘love letter to Meanjin’, is held very dear to her heart and being able to witness her sharing her vulnerable, stunning artistry, especially in her hometown leg, was a moment to remember.
You can catch Thelma Plum on the rest of her Meanjin tour through September or catch her at one of the several interstate events she is playing through to December. These dates can be found at: https://thelmaplum.com/
The Kooks + The Vanns @ Fortitude Music Hall, October 2022
The Kook’s spoil their AUS fans this spring with a reminiscent tour of their debut album ‘INSIDE IN/INSIDE OUT’.
Review + Images by Dayna W Gilmore
Making their AU return a large one - The Kooks disrupted an otherwise quiet Tuesday night in the heart of Fortitude Valley on October 4th, 22. With a line curling around the street - it was clear to see that 15 years on from their debut album ‘INSIDE IN/OUTSIDE OUT’ their Aus fans have remained committed to the English rockers.
The Vanns opened the night with ‘Feels good now’ - setting the perfect tone for the night. The crowd were loving the energetic bops and the track ‘fake friends’ was a clear favourite on the floor. The Vanns held their own, proving that Aus talent has been going from strength to strength over the last decade. Sneaking in a cheeky Bon Iver cover before they ended on "‘fake friends’ was the move to make, leaving everyone psyched up for The Kooks.
The Kooks - By Dayna w Gilmore
An acoustic opening of a classic was the right amount of tease to get the crowd going…when the lyrics for ‘seaside’ began to pour from Luke Prichards mouth, the fortitude music hall erupted. The Kooks are out! In this (Brisbane) street! After the acoustic serenade pulled our reminiscent youthful memories out in front of us, the guitar strums for ‘see the world’ were happening before we knew how to handle it and it was 2006 again and everything was easier.
Celebrating the 15-year anniversary of their debut album, ‘Inside In / Inside Out’ The Kooks treated us to the album almost entirety, causing an absolute magical meltdown for some of the older crowd - the OG indie sleaze crowd - if you know what I mean.
Gentle words of support and thankfulness were woven between each song, which was a special moment for the long - time fans in the room. Acknowledging the 15 years of support, and celebrating with a nostalgic tour such as this one, was the perfect way to celebrate the iconic album that it is - but also as a way to play the hits for the new indie kids in town. New or old, screaming ‘Jackie big tits’ never ages.
‘Do you wanna’ was a definite shift change as The Kooks really put their whole Kookussy into it. The energy from the band during this song in particular was untouchable - it felt like 500bpm - and that constant kick was doing something to everybody on both floors of the venue. Luke’s vocals were shining as always, delivered with confidence, happiness - maybe a touch of jetlag?
Gems from 2014’s ‘Listen’ & ‘Konk’ and their latest release ‘10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark’ were sprinkled amongst the ‘Inside In/ Inside Out’ tracklisting, providing fans with a chacuterie board of their very best songs.
Teasing us like they did in their opener, The kook’s encore consisted of: Old, New and N A I V E. A sea of phones rose up in front of my eyes at an unfathomed speed to catch a couple of seconds of the iconic track. Witnessing this occurence from the back wall was mesmerising and a painful reminder that this gig was to end, and it would be another few years until The Kooks would grace us with their brit-pop legacy. Looking forward to welcoming them back like an old friend the next time they pass through town.
You can catch The Kooks round up the tour in Melbourne and Sydney on the 6th & 12th of this month.
Images by Dayna w Gilmore
Green Is The New Black Tour- 31st August 2022. The Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone.
Review and Photos by Brad Fry
If you had to pick a regional town to bring the Green Is The New Black tour to, Gladstone is a great choice. A town centred around its industries, Gladstone is home to an aluminium smelter, a coal terminal, a power station, two alumina refineries (not an extensive list by any means) and a slew of related business/ services whose main income stream comes from these industrial behemoths. Millions of tonnes of product are produced and/ or exported out of Gladstone’s industries every year with a large percentage of the 33,418-population working in or around these industries.
With any type of industry there is obviously the production of pollution. Gone are the days (thankfully) of “big industry” having it all their own way. With climate change and the environmental impacts being felt across the world, all industries have to find a better way of doing what they do… enter In Hearts Wake. The Byron Bay band have taken the lead in producing the first carbon offset album and are currently spreading their environmental message around the country (got solar powered storage batteries to run your lights? These guys do!) Redhook, Pridelands and Banks Arcade have joined In Hearts Wake on this tour which stands to be an epic night of live music no matter where you see it (and see it you must). Rawing in the Pit sent me along for the Gladstone show and here is what went down!
The night kicked off with Banks Arcade. The four piece heavy hitters, originally from New Zealand, came to tear it up and that’s exactly what they did! Front man Joshua O’Donnell came out of the blocks fast and set the tone for the rest of the set and indeed, the whole evening (demanding the Gladstone crowd come closer the stage). Jason Meadows’ guitar work was effortlessly heavy and in conjunction with O’Donnell’s guitar work (on a number of songs) the heads began to bang! Swaying from side to side and moving in syncopation with the beat, bass player Harlan Jones was a joy to watch. His bass tone was something else and when combined with the fantastic drumming of James Feekes, the low end vibe was phenomenal. The Banks Arcade boys seemed at home on the stage and their music and stagecraft speaks volumes for the many hours of gigging and practicing the guys have put into their band. As a side note, after sound check, bass player Harlan told me I look like NRL coach Ivan Cleary……I told him I’d happily take that because I’ve definitely been called worse.
Pridelands are a band like no other I have ever shot before. The six piece band feature dual vocalists Joshua Cory and Mason Bunt. Cory handles the cleaner lyrics while Bunt is charged with the more throaty metal growl type sections. Both singers would also sing together and I loved the combination (as did the crowd). Bookended on the stage by guitarists Liam Fowler and Jamie Marions, the dual guitar attack shredded through the set from first song to last. James Feekes of Banks Arcade leant his considerable drum skills to the boys from Mt Gambier. The Gladstone show saw Pridelands bass player Daniel Lohrey have a real homecoming. Lohrey grew up in Tannum Sands which is only a twenty minute drive from Gladstone. Many locals were there to support him and that fact was not lost on the bassman. Lohrey was fist bumping and hi fiving familiar faces throughout the whole set. While thanking the locals for coming to the show he reminisced about his early years performing at the Gladstone tennis club which used to host live metal shows that spurred on many local musicians. Pridelands are a band stacked with energetic, talented musicians who put everything into their performances. It was a pleasure to see them knock it out of the park.
I feel so lucky to have heard and photographed so many amazing bands this year and witnessed groups performing at the very top of their game. A clear standout for me personally (and I am sure anybody in attendance would say the same) are Redhook. I have been lucky enough to shoot and review them twice for Rawing In The Pit and they are absolute stars. What can you say? Redhook delivered an amazing performance at Gladstone’s Harvey Road Tavern and the crowd loved them! Powerhouse front woman Emmy Mack is a superstar. She owns the stage and delivers dynamic vocals with mesmerising stagecraft and crowd interaction. I watched bass player Ned Jankovic during sound check and he seemed calm and measured with his long hair tied back and glasses on, but once the performance started however, he was transformed into a wild man with long hair whipping around as he interacted with, and barked orders at, the crowd. Alex Powys on drums was equally as lively. Yelling at the crowd, standing up behind the kit as if his enthusiasm wouldn’t keep him grounded. I spoke briefly to Alex after their set and his excitement for this tour was obvious. He said that it was great to get out and perform in places they had never played( or even seen) before. This came across in Redhook’s set from all members of the band. Muti-instrumentalist Craig Wilkinson handled guitar and saxophone duties. While no saxophone circle pit happened at this show sadly, Wikinson’s musical prowess was clear for all to see. The tone coming from his Telecaster made this tele fan smile from the soul out and the ease of his playing was more then evident. Emmy was joined by Pridelands vocalist Mason Bunt for a duet before their set was concluded which was thoroughly enjoyed by Gladdy’s metal faithful. Redhook came, saw and conquered our little town and won many many hearts along the way.
Anticipation built as it neared time for headline artists In Hearts Wake to take the stage. Once the music started the Gladstone crowd went crazy and you knew this set would be something else! The band’s lights that illuminated the stage are run from batteries that they charge with solar power before each show. The stored energy flooded the room with light as did the collective, frenetic energy of the band. For the uninitiated, a show from In Hearts Wake is more of an experience. It ebbs and flows like the ocean and the audience are akin to a surfer. At one stage there are brutal riffs crashing into you like you are being dumped by a huge wave and then the stage is dimly lit with ambient sounds allowing you to catch your breath in the bubbling whitewash. Frontman Jake Taylor stood front and centre on stage and delivered his lyrics with pure power and commitment. Bass (and ukulele) player Kyle Erich also dished out powerful and emotive lyrics throughout the set which were lapped up by the enthusiastic crowd. Guitarists Evan Dall and Ben Nairne traded riffs and stage positions all night long. The riffs were heavy and angelic in exactly the right combination adding to the experience of the performance. Drummer Connor Ward drove the beat like a metronome with deft touch and brutality when required. The band had such great interaction with the crowd and vice versa. With “no music on a dead planet” emblazoned across Taylor’s shirt, the message behind the bands lyrics and show was not lost on the crowd. The crowd wanted more after the guys had finished and they returned to the stage and replied with classic In Hearts Wake force! A band is only as good as the sum of it’s parts and In Hearts Wake are filled to the brim with talented musicians delivering every show with passion. The boys will take you on a journey and leave you feeling exhilarated.
The saying goes that music is the great communicator and the Green is the new black tour was filled with bands who delivered their point to the enth degree. From start to finish the show displayed some of the heavy music worlds best performers, performing at their best. Gladstone loved the fact that bands like this stopped in on their tour and they would be welcomed back in a second. If you haven’t caught the documentary Green is the new black make sure you do. It will give you a greater appreciation for what In Hearts Wake are trying to do and the drive and passion behind their music/ musical life. If we are going to save our environment we need to colour outside the lines…and that colour is green.
Passion, performance and environmental ethics all combined at the Harvey Raod Tavern in Gladstone to produce an amazing night. From the heart of Gladstone music fans, thank you Banks Arcade, Pridelands, Redhook and In Hearts Wake. Big love too must go out to Rawing In The Pit for sending me to such an epic night of music!
MONOLITH Festival - Saturday 2nd April 2022 – Reunion Park, Melbourne
Review By: Ollie Midso
Melbourne’s iteration of the inaugural Monolith Festival promised an unforgettable celebration of Australian progressive music. PICA’s junkyard aesthetic was a magnificent setting for the festivities with the show taking place in a former aircraft hangar that shook and rattled with every low end punch. Striking large scale sculptures dotted the art centre’s grounds that made for a lovely spectacle to behold between bands. And the bands were in fine form.
Perth Math Rock group YOMI SHIP had a respectable turnout for their set to kick off the day and the technicality shared between the three members was astonishing. Guitarist Jarred Osbourne leaned heavily on the reverb for this set and conjured some eerily gorgeous noodle-y soundscapes from his guitar, while bassist Jade Champion and drummer Nick Osbourne held it down as a solid rhythm section with chops to match. There was grace and flow from the low end and the drum fills on display were nothing short of jaw dropping. Wonderful way to start the day.
RELIQA are a captivating band to watch play. Despite the fact they had a disappointing mix where certain crucial elements of their sound were lost, they put on an entertaining performance with wild energy and you could tell they were on cloud nine. Vocalist Monique Pym has an incredible range and presence, seamlessly shifting between breakneck rapping and vocally demanding riffs. Her interplay with surprise guest vocalist Mikey Arthur (The Gloom In The Corner) was fantastic as the two smashed out the band’s latest single Safety, with Arthur subbing in for Make Them Suffer vocalist Sean Harmanis. Playing half a set of old material and half a set of new material from their forthcoming record, RELIQA certainly brought it.
Returning to the realm of instrumental, Sydney prog titans SLEEPMAKESWAVES graced Melbourne with their presence after three years away. The band’s iconography commonly depicts a geometric snowflake, and the visual certainly matched the aural, with the band offering up an expansive set of uplifting post-metal that make you feel like you were standing on a frozen “Tundra” watching the “Great Northern” sun rise. Wordplay aside, the entire band were tight as a drum and were so eager to perform for the hungry crowd.
PLINI has become a household name in the Australian and international prog community, and his popularity drew a massive response from the audience. Joined by mates Simon Grove, Chris Allison and Jake Howsham-Lowe, the band smashed through all of Plini’s hits with ridiculous synergy and camaraderie. Pan, Glass Bead Game and fan favourite Electric Sunrise especially had the crowd bobbing their heads in odd times and throwing hands when the djent got turned up to 11.
OCEAN GROVE’s addition to this largely progressive rock/metal drew some confusion from the heavy community overall upon the festival’s initial announcement back in November of 2021, but that didn’t stop them from putting on a spectacular performance and winning over the 70% of the crowd who had never seen them before. The band’s new mantra of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) really brought the happy vibes to Monolith as they smashed out hit after hit off their latest two albums “Flip Phone Fantasy” & “Up In The Air Forever”. Frontman Dale Tanner was born for the stage and his interaction between fellow bandmates Twiggy Hunter, Sam Bassal and live guitarist Andy Szetho (ex-Storm The Sky) turned the old hangar into party central.
Penultimate band COG drew a massive crowd that packed out every square inch of the space as the Sydney three-piece launched into an hour of progressive rock that spanned their near 25 year career. The musicianship shared between Cog was truly impressive, as great care was given to their dynamics, letting each other share the spotlight and show off their respective instruments. Drummer Lucius Borich’s massive kit offered a broad scope of percussive elements that elevated the music to unique heights on tracks like “What If”, and the crowd fed off of guitarist/vocalist Flynn Gower, throwing the words right back at him in a loud game of call and response.
A black scrim shrouded the stage in large shadows as the anticipation for headline act KARNIVOOL started to build. When the curtain dropped after the syncopated impact of “Fear of the Sky”, the crowd of Vooligans exploded into cheers as Ian Kenny and co. graced the stage for a mammoth set of tracks from their beloved back catalogue. “Goliath”, “The Refusal” and “Set Fire To The Hive” set the crowd off into a frenzy of excitement as the fan favourites showcased the heavy, frenetic side of the band, while songs like “New Day” and “We Are” offered moments of contemplation and enthusiastic singalongs.
Closing out the night with the one-two punch of newest track “All It Takes,” and one of their oldest tracks, “Fade”, Karnivool proved why they are the undisputed kings of Australian progressive rock, and left their fanbase eager for the future, as their upcoming fourth LP inches closer and closer to realisation.
Monolith’s maiden voyage across the country has proven to be a success with excellent musicianship, positive vibes, and optimism for future instalments. Here’s hoping for another lap of Australia!
Amy Shark with Cult Romance at Gladstone Entertainment Centre 21st August 2022
Photos & Review By Brad Fry ( frycandyphoto )
Gladstone Central Queensland is an industrial town located between Rockhampton and Bundaberg (for those of you that don’t know). The population is (at last count) 35,067 and a quick Google search will tell you it is the 11th most populous place in Queensland and ranks as the 40th largest urban centre by population in Australia (top 50…..go Gladdy). We are at the doorstep to the Great Barrier Reef and enjoy relatively steady temperatures all year round, although this winter has been abnormally cold, here ends my geography assignment.
Amy Shark is nearing the end of her See You Somewhere Australian tour and graced Gladstone with a stop on this epic loop around the country. Music fans in Gladstone can sometimes miss out on performances by artists of Amy Sharks caliber and find themselves travelling to Rockhampton or Bundaberg (or further) to see shows. The fact that Amy chose to stop in was not lost on the punters that turned up in droves to experience the magic that she brings to every stage she performs on. Amy was joined by Cult Romance for this leg of her massive tour and a fantastic night of live music was locked and loaded for the port city. As a side note, because this is a home ground gig, my 19 year old daughter Taylor is going to the show. I’ll be putting in various comments and opinions from her throughout the review. I’m going to call her additions Tay’s Say. Let’s go!
Cult Romance took to the stage a little later than expected due to some technical issues but that didn’t burst the crowds bubble. The Gold Coast musician was met with cheers as he bounded on to the stage and said “sorry I’m late” with a wry smile. The five points of his Mohawk cut like knives through the foggy stage as he kicked into his set. He used the whole stage as his smile got wider and wider with every step his boots took. You could tell Cult Romance was in his happy place. Every time he pointed at the crowd he was met with cheers and screams signalling that the eager Gladstone crowd was also in theirs. His set was seemingly cut a little short due to the late start but, with what he delivered, would have definitely won some new fans and any existing fans would have only reaffirmed their allegiance.
Tay’s Say- Cult Romance’s looks are somewhat deceiving. The outfit he had on gave off the idea that he would be playing lot of rock/rap music with the jet black mohawk and black and white clothing. When he started to sing though, it was more of a pop sound. The crowd loved the energy that he put into his performance, using the full stage. Bouncing around to the beat and giving the crowd what they love. I don’t believe many people in Gladstone had heard of him prior to the show but they were still vibing with the music. Both he and his DJ seemed like such genuine people who were there to perform and have a good time. Gladstone really made them feel welcome and showed that they had enjoyed their performance.
Amy, Amy, Amy, was the chant coming from the crowd easily 15 mins before her set was to start. The hulking silhouettes on stage were revealed as Amy’s huge namesake signage. Amy, Amy, Amy, again and again the chant went up. As the lights dropped the cheers and screams climbed. Amy Shark emerged onto the smoke covered stage looking pleased with the crowd that had come to see her. Everybody Rise was the first song and that is exactly what they did! In unison the crowd started singing, cheering and screaming. The enormity of having Amy Shark in our little town was lost on nobody in attendance and from their reaction to the fist song you could tell this was going to be a great night. Amy double checked with the crowd that Gladstone’s nickname was indeed “Gladdy” (so as not to offend anybody) and she was met with a loud and resounding “yes!”. While attending to to the social etiquette of Gladstone, Amy threw out a disclaimer to the younger members of the crowd. She eluded to the fact that there was going to be some bad language used during the show. She connected with a young fan named Willow and warned her about the slightly more adult language she would hear. Willow certainly didn’t seem fazed by the warning and Amy said “but you’re going to learn it any way so why not learn it from Aunty Amy”. The crowd roared and the music started agin.
“What’s my name Gladstone” Amy asked the crowd as the night progressed. A very loud “Amy Shark” came an immediate reply. It was evident to all in attendance that Amy was running hot from her epic tour. A faultless performance all night from her and her ridiculously tight band. Brad Joey and Omar just blew me (and everybody I spoke to) away with their incredible musicality. True masters of their craft and one could be forgiven for mistaking the three piece as easily double that. Amy spoke to the crowd about the tour and that it was suggested to her (prior to it being planned) to “just do the major city’s the head back to the states” (a scenario Gladstone music fans are used to) but Amy’s reply was “fuck that”. This was met with a roar from the crowd and it was at this point I felt like if she wanted to run for Mayor, she would win in a landslide!
The lights dropped midway through the show and Amy Shark stood alone onstage with her guitar to perform a solo performance of “You’ll never meet anyone like me again”. The crowd was hushed by the beauty of the song and the moment. As I watched the crowd I noticed a group of young girls in the crowd pretending to play guitar along with her. Amy was connecting with the crowd in a way that was magical and ensuring that future generations of musicians would recall with joy the moment they realised that THAT was what they wanted to do. From writing songs with Mark Hoppus and Ed Sheeran, collaborating with Travis Barker and Keith Urban yet connecting and talking to the Gladdy crowd like a local really highlighted the magic that is Amy Shark and, without a doubt, I am sure that the eclectic crowd that was in attendance felt this magic from the start to the end of the show.
A powerful cover of Tina Turner’s ”Simply the best” got choral sining happening throughout the crowd while the bass line rattled the Gladstone entertainment centre to its foundations I swear. This was followed up immediately by the killers “Mr Brightside” (again though…..how tight are the band! My God!!!) You know it’s a good show when the bar staff are singing and dancing and this is exactly what was happening in between serving hordes of thirsty punters (I could definitively predict some “sick days” happening on Monday). With brutal honesty Amy stated that “encores are cheesy and predictable” and reassured the crowd that she would be back after she disappeared briefly. The crowd was asked (before she left the stage )to chant her name loudly while they waited and as the light faded, that is exactly what happened. She came back on and closed out the night with some of her biggest hits, finishing with “I said hi” dedicated to those people that didn’t like her music (none of these lowbrow individuals were in attendance at this show thankfully).
Tay’s Say- Amy Shark is a well known artist around the world and works with lots of big names. She is a fun and energetic performer and you could feel the buzz from the crowd in every song she performed. The way she used the stage was done so well; she wasn’t just standing in the one spot the whole time, she was engaging with her audience and her band members. During each song she would connect to the crowd and talk with them. Amy Shark had opened up about some things in her life like a break up and a bad headspace but the way she cleared all that up was through her music and having a close knit band which feels like a family, conveying the message that you are never alone when things get tough. Not only was Amy a great performer but all the members of her band were as well. You could see they were really feeling the music and grooving to each and every song they played. When Amy would converse with the crowd it almost felt like she was a local. Amy is a passionate artist inspiring the younger up-and-coming generation of musicians. She would mention that “there will always be haters out there but you just have to ignore them because they won’t go away and you need to be the bigger person”. She is such an exceptional performer and an Amy Shark concert is one that everyone should experience at least once in their life ( but definitely more than once).
Although it was Amy Shark’s first time in Gladstone ever, it was like she was a local. You could see her performing like this at stadiums all over the world but she spoke and connected like it was a show at RG’s (one of Gladstone’s live music venues). The response she got from the crowd clearly showed that she had made herself a home in their hearts and that she is a welcome addition. Gladdy loved you Aunty Amy, please, please, please do it again sometime.
Blacken Open Air Live In The Dead Centre Of Australia at Ross River Resort Arrernte 29th July 2022 - 1st August 2022
PHOTOS BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
REVIEW BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
For the first time in a while, I am finding it somewhat difficult to put together words (yeah I know right, me, having difficulty when I generally never shut up) to describe a live music event I have attended, despite the many years of reviews under my belt Blacken Open Air is almost indescribable. This review is more of a blog like perspective as I wanted to convey just how phenomenal this festival is.
I feel like gathering the right words is near impossible to accurately convey to you dear reader the magnificence of the Blacken Open Air Live In The Dead Centre Of Australia at Ross River Resort on Arrernte Country event that myself and many others attended. All the complimentary words on the planet cannot tell you and will never live up to the brilliance of this music festival in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rolling staggered hills that were pushed up from the earth so long ago showing you the layers that once sat below the surface, the red earth, the cooling protective gums, the warming sun, the subzero temperatures at night, the brilliant bands, and what made the festival beyond description were the likeminded people who came from all over Australia to mosh, party and hang.
I am going to attempt to take you on my journey and try to give you an overall insight to this epic festival and full transparency, I did not take notes the entire time which is my usual schtick, so my focus is more based on my experience rather than individual band performances. Be it the lack of signal (no Telstra, and sporadic Optus signal), my phone mostly stayed tucked away in my sexy bum bag and casting my eyes over the crowds of people; it was refreshing to see everyone living in the moment, meeting new people, being present and not looking down at the phone in their hands but just looking outwards soaking up the atmosphere around them.
I like others was ready to jump into 2021 Blacken Open Air, but as we all know due to Covid for safety reasons it had to be postponed. Looking at the 2022 bill I noticed a lot of my friends' bands were on the bill, and I kept silent about my attendance to Blacken to surprise my friends upon arrival to the dead center.
Arriving at Sydney airport I spotted a few battle vests, some black outfits and metal shirts dotted around. Sitting at the gate, taking off my headphones to say hey to a couple of metalheads sitting across from me asking them the obvious question “Hey you’re going to Blacken aren’t you?” to which Leah and Dom replied “Yeah we are!” with massive smiles on their face. Scanning around the room and spotting my Black Rheno buds Nano and Milla, saying hey to them and then shortly after boarding the plane.
Probably one of the most interesting flights I have been on as it was packed with bands such as Lo!, Mountain Wizard Death Cult, punters headed to the festival and a whole bunch of confused grey nomads. The beautiful part of it all was hearing and seeing the grey nomads chatting with band members and punters trying to figure out where the sea of black clothed people were going, and showing an actual interest in the journey we were all on. As I waited for the loo the stewardess leant in and whispered in my ear “What is going on... where are all these people... going?”, I explained to her about Blacken Open Air and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief followed by “Oh my gosh, that explains so much!”.
Upon arrival to Alice Springs airport, I took on the temporary role of Tour Manager for my buds Black Rheno (self-appointed or appointed by the band is debatable), making friends with Brett from Revocation by taking on an overprotective Mum role as I overheard them chatting about festival stuff and stepping in to ensure of their safety getting to/from the festival. Helping others that were confused on where to go next and how to get into town to The Black Wreath. Luckily for me as the newly appointed Tour Manager for Black Rheno I managed to jump on the bands shuttle into town which was manned by the unique and highly entertaining and informative Wildman aka Damian Duffy; if you ever want to head to that part of the world, he does do tours, I would recommend you hitting him up and if he is free to be your tour guide, please please please hire him. His 13-year-old daughter Harley was in tow, it was her first ever festival (what a good place to start!), and she ended up doing a stage dive during the festivities; which was wonderful to witness as a whole bunch of metal heads ran forward and packed at the front of the stage to ensure she landed safely.
It was my first visit to this part of the world and despite only being a few hours from Sydney, the Arrernte Country is something else. For those who are in the cabins it these are located at the start of the Ross River Resort, and it is a small 5–10-minute walk (depending how fast you are, and how many times you stop to soak in the scenery). As you roll into the event site the area is dotted with campervans, cars, tents and a bunch of black clothed legends. The camping area + festival site is scattered with towering gum trees, and towering hills again exposing the layers of the earth from millions of years ago. I knew a few bands on the bill but had arrived solo and as I walked to my cabin I was greeted by two girls, Jen and Kris, who after a few moments of vulgar jokes and conversations adopted me as a friend, and this experience would be a continued trend throughout the festival.
There is something kind of wonderfully different about metal, thrash, punk etc crowds that I have noticed attending as a punter and photographing/reviewing at shows. There is this welcoming, caring and loving nature to these people that I do not always see at other shows/festivals. Whilst the Blacken Open Air Festival is an indescribable experience in itself what made this whole thing as good as it was were the human beings who had travelled all over the country, and outside of the country to be here.
PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHThe festival kicked off with the Welcome To Country followed by the Smoking Ceremony, which I stood back and watched in awe capturing the moment. As each and every person attending the festival walked through the smoke; as we were in the middle of nowhere the silence of the land wafted over the festival site, but to see the level of respect as people quietly followed each other in the most moving moment and all you could hear was the shuffling of feet as they kicked up the red dust. It was a moment that will stay with me.
The band merch stand was well attended by punters grabbing gear, for drinks you needed to go grab some drink tokens from a different stand before you could go grab a delicious beverage from the Pirate Bar. The toilets were clean, stocked and comfortable to go to with barely any lines to contend with. There were enough selections for food to cover most dietary requirements and desires. The only thing I would want more of is coffee; although the Ethiopian $2 shot of coffee was a hit with a lot of people!
One of the first bands to kick off the festival was Xanadoom, and I just cannot even convey to you the confusion, fascination and the draw they had on the crowd. There were people dressed up in Handmaids Tale outfits, bondage suits, bread being thrown around (and used phallically), guts being ripped out as the entire band just made it impossible for you to look away or even move away from the stage. So bizarre and such a unique experience.
XANADOOM PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHI have seen Black Rheno so many times now, and I just never get bored of their energy. I always wait for that moment when crazy as heck front man Ryan Miller jumps into the crowd and goes just as nuts as they are. Again, what is even more amazing about this festival is that it was basically like a glorified house party where you are surrounded by your mates, just having a brilliant time. The day just kept improving with legends that are COFFIN bringing the high energy which got eaten up by the punters as the sun had already dipped which meant the temperature started to also drop but everyone was keeping warm with a few cheeky beverages, and thrashing about in the mosh.
It was really brilliant to see Southeast Desert Metal who drew a massive supportive crowd as they went over some stellar tracks and also a really moving raw track called ‘Suicide’; with a brilliant cover of Midnight Oil’s ‘Beds Are Burning’. One of Australia’s biggest bands Amyl And The Sniffers who have been going from strength to strength fronted by the lovely and powerful Amy Taylor (who again I embarrassingly fangirled at; again, Amy sorry about that but you’re a fucking legend). It is so good to see in a heavily dominated male industry the success of any band that has any female identifying person getting the recognition they deserve. As Amy warmed up taking off layers to keep up with the pint-sized Punk goddess from her energetic rampaging all over the stage, the band amped up the crowd to 100% as the dust flew up all over the area matching the bands crazy whirlwind stage performance.
Photo By Nikita BoyleWith day two I had a little bit of a sleep in and as I meandered down the road from the cabin towards the ground a lovely Ross River employee was driving past and gave me a lift the rest of the way to the festival grounds which was great especially dragging my 13kg around. I managed to catch a little bit of Rex’s Reptile show, but as a former Reptile Keeper myself, I stepped back and let everyone else enjoy the beautiful reptiles. Mulga Bore were the first band to kick off the day on the Main Stage, and as they came out with their Kiss face paint, I knew we were in for a good time. The set was flawless with everyone in the front headbanging, moshing and getting into the whole show. Even the people hanging in the bar at the back were talking positively about the band and throwing up horns. A change in the lineup saw the band DisKust swapping with Astro Death for the day; to be transparent I have never really listened much to Slipknot but even as a non-Slipknot listener I could see and hear the influence from the band, but also DisKust taking on their own thing. After this set I did a brief on stage interview with my buddy Ryan Miller from Black Rheno to my fans in the crowd (note: a handful of my mates) which was far more comfortable and easier than I thought it would be. Something new, throwing myself in the deep end; helped me realise that I could probably do more of these in the future. Hammers performed a flawless set and after shooting for a while I got to kick back with all my new mates, under the welcomed shade of the Pirate Bar getting to soak up the set.
PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHOne of my favourite Sydney bands to shoot and see live is Potion. The delicious doomy gloomy doom during the day was kinda exciting as I am used to shooting them with little to no lighting. So a photographers dream to have them under some daylight. I feel like this band is highly rated in the metal community but I also think at the same time they are the most underrated doom band in Australia. To repeat myself as I might do a few times as there are not a lot of words to describe festivals, but FLAWLESS. We were treated to an Arrernte Ceremony headed by Chris Wallace between bands. Suldusk hit the stage as the sun was slowly setting as Emily Highfield's voice danced over the slowly crisping dusk skies. People had been waiting for Snakes, to quote them “SNAKES are from the Dead Centre of Australia. Outrageous and outspoken. Their isolation has spawned a venomous concoction of metal that defies comparison.” it was brilliant to see The Black Wreath creators of this festival take to the stage and captivate/draw in everyone who was dotted around the festival to the front of the stage. There was a point during the set where a couch was carried to the front and Pirate climbed upon the couch surfing around in the pit. Shortly after Sydney based band Lo! took to the stage (minus Sam). What made this performance even more incredible was that their drummer Adrian had a really scary, and crazy accident at about 2am that morning. While navigating through the dark, he tripped, fell over and saw there was a rip in his jeans. Thinking it was fine, until they pulled up his pant leg to reveal a really deep, gnarly and pretty large open wound. The ambulance had already left, so a Blacken Open Air staff member had to rush him to hospital as this was something that needed to be treated immediately. He went to hospital but there was no medical professional available until a few hours later, so he hung at the hospital, eventually got stitched up, and headed back to Blacken. Despite the restricted leg movement due to his gnarled wound he pushed through and absolutely killed it, when Sam told the crowd about the injury they roared and threw up horns acknowledging Adrian as the metal god he is. Award for the biggest badass at the festival goes to him. As always Lo! destroyed their set much to the delight of the punters.
FREEDOM OF FEAR PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHFreedom Of Fear was where it was at for me. I had seen this band years ago when they supported Fleshgod Apocalypse at Crowbar in Sydney. My mind was blown as to how this band got even better than they already were. The whole band individually are absolutely mind-blowing but Jade Monserrat is on an entirely different level. The vocals are insane, and the way she creeps around on the stage like a fictional creature had the crowd gasping that they were viewing a live version of The Ring. As I walked away from the stage, I heard multiple people talking about how Freedom Of Fear was their favourite set from the festival thus far. A close runner up for my favourite band of the set no matter what happens would always go the long reigning champions that are Psycroptic. If you are a metalhead, and if you have not heard of or have not seen Psycroptic live I absolutely recommend heading to a show. The veterans have been doing this for a long time and you can tell that from the tight sets that they always produce. As they have been doing it for a while, you would think to this point that they could possibly be a little bored, but no, each time I see them the passion, drive and energy they throw into their sets is always top notch. I stuck around for a few The Furor songs but as the day was so long, and the fact that I am working makes it a little harder for me to have big days at festivals such as these but as me and the girls walked back to our rooms; because of the openness of the land, we were able to listen to most of the set on the walk as it is so incredibly quiet out there; you could be just about anywhere in the vicinity and easily listen to the sets being played.
PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHThe last day of the festival saw me taking bit of a more casual role in the morning as I wanted to take a moment to soak in the atmosphere, hang out with my new friends and enjoy the festival without being switched on. Again, it is so difficult to convey how amazing this entire festival is. From the land we were privilege enough to stand on, to the set-up of the festival, the drinks available, the food on offer and the company of deadset legends. To reiterate the splendour (don’t get me started on that festival experience... haha) of Blacken Open Air and how GOOD the people are there; I had a friend's friend lose their wallet. It was returned with every single cent, every card and nothing missing. That is what it was like there. I could leave my photography gear down, and know it would be there when I got back. Just a whole bunch of absolute legends all in one spot, looking out for one another and open to meeting new people rather than just sitting in groups.
MOUNTAIN WIZARD DEATH CULT PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHThe first band to properly kick off my working day was Mountain Wizard Death Cult (aka Mountain Wizard Death Cuties as I have dubbed them). Again, a band I have shot many moons ago, also in the deep darkness of Crowbar, it was a nice change of events to shoot them in some sunshine. Capturing some of the best stank faces to have been put on display during the whole Blacken Open Air festival with their drummer Lachlan receiving the unofficial award of Stankface Open Air Festival winner. I had heard a lot about Neptune Power Federation but as someone who’s inbox is filled with a minimum of 100 new release and new band emails daily, it takes up a lot of my time to get through, let alone experience bands I have been introduced to. In a somewhat cinematic almost theatrical like show of events Neptune Power Federation were yet another band to blow my ear holes (in the nice way) and wiggle their way into my heart due to the stellar hypnotic performance which seemed more surreal with the backdrop of Arrernte casting warming shadows and glow over the band on stage. By this time everyone seemed to have cottoned on to the fact that once the sun disappeared beyond the trees and hills that the temperature would drop just as quickly; everyone rugged up in brand new band hoodies, beanies and chunky warm jackets as the night air kissed our faces with its icy cold appeal. I again took the opportunity to kick back absorbing everything that was going on around me, catching up with mates and soaking in the sets being played on the Main Stage.
NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHOf course, I had to snap back into action for Hadal Maw, a bunch of legends I have known for many years and always thoroughly enjoy the twisted body shapes that front man Sam Dillion takes on. Noticeably missing was Ben Boyle main man of the Hadal Maw members due to a work commitment being replaced by a different Sam (Wright) to flawlessly fill the insane technical frenzied fingers of Boyle. A feat that would be unheard of usually as Boyle is known for his insane runs on the guitar but I have to applaud Wright’s insane talents to pull this one off. Whilst Boyle was missed from the line up the band did a rather spectacular job of drawing the bystanders from the Pirate Bar to come forth and witness the face melty warmth of the Hadal Maw legends once again turning a nice little mosh into a whirlwind of dust and flailing bodies. I had a lovely interaction with the Shepherds Reign boys in relation to some missing batteries from checked in luggage (I have told them to carry them on board with them from now on!) for a very crucial keytar for their set and somehow, I “Battery Girl” tried to salvage the missing battery issue by providing some of my own (Note: only 4 out of the 8 I provided work) but a Blacken Open Air legend (sorry not sure who you were!) dashed the 1hr+ trip into town and then dashed back to provide the goods (batteries). The NZ metal band stormed on the stage with such fury and near knocked the crowd over with the force that they unleashed without a breath the whole set. It was an absolutely killer set that brought a heat to the crowd that was much needed. The night was coming to a close with the black metal Tasmania legends of Ruins, as the crowd was mixed between chilling back watching from afar with the same intensity as those crammed up the front.
REVOCATION PHOTO BY: MONIKA ANNA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITHThe final band to take the stage was the band that travelled the longest and furthest for their ONLY Australian show for their entire trip the American technical death metal band Revocation all the way from Boston, Massachusetts, consisting of guitarist and vocalist David Davidson, bassist Brett Bamberger (Who is NOT from Boston, and who still owes me a beer + an interview, dude....) and drummer Ash Pearson with the added coverage of Noah Young filling in on guitar. Despite the early morning slot time, this accomplished and insanely talented band completely heated up the below 0 freezing grounds of Blacken Open Air. People thrashing around in the mosh, having everyone headbanging and I stood back watching the red earth’s dust spinning up in the air as it tangled within the lights up into the blanket of stars stretched out in the sky. Flawless. Delicious. Oozing with perfection and an awesome way for this headliner to close out the “official” Blacken Open Air Festival. The night continued on as I snuck out of the grounds with my friend Kita, who I offered the spare bed in my cabin to get her away from sleeping in her ice-cold tent. As we walked back in the dark listening to the festival sounds washing over the darkness before us, and taking time to look up into the sky; ensuring we really appreciated the moment we were in and the location we were standing in.
After chatting to Brett (Revocation) yesterday morning he let me know of a little incident of his own where his buddy Todd Stern (unintentionally....?) knocked him flying into the fire that was intended to warm everyone on a freezing cold night, so Brett was temporarily sacrificed and branded by a nice brandishing brutal burn to take home with him. A nice memento of his time down under. For those concerned old Bretty is doing fine and I took the opportunity to lay blame on him whilst taking the piss out of him. It was the least I could do.
I feel like no matter how I worded this that I could never do this festival justice. If you are a metalhead, punk, thrash enthusiast or otherwise, you HAVE to go to this festival. It is not only about the music, it is about the people you will meet, the entire experience of standing on the sacred grounds of the first nations people, it is entirely a brand-new experience and it is hands down the best festival I have been to. For so many reasons that cannot be properly explained and I feel like I am insulting it by the review I have written because it is just beyond incredible and beyond my capabilities of gushing positively about. I urge you to go to Blacken Open Air. It is happening next year around Easter. Buy a ticket, fly there, get in your campers, cars, take the journey, and live in the magical experience that is Blacken Open Air Festival on Arrernte Country.
All photos by Monika Oberscheven-Smith - In alphabetical order not order of appearance
FACES IN THE CROWD AND BLACKEN OPEN AIR
ABRAMELIN
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
BLACK RHENO
COFFIN
DisKust
FREEDOM OF FEAR
HADAL MAW
HAMMERS
LO!
MIAZMA
MOUNTAIN WIZARD DEATH CULT
MULGA BORE
NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION
NGLAH
POTION
PSYCROPTIC
REVOCATION
SHEPHERDS REIGN
SNAKES
SOUTHEAST DESERT METAL
XANADOOM
Splendour In The MUD (Grass) - 22nd July to 24th at North Byron Parklands in Yelgun
PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
REVIEW BY: TAYLOR KEMPNICH
Splendour in the sludge
Let’s take it back to Thursday 21 July, 2022. Monika kicked off her journey north to Byron in her parents Campervan, arriving at my place around 1pm. We ducked out to guest services to pick up our media passes, grabbed some last minute supplies and set off for North Byron Parklands. We were brimming with excitement knowing this was Rawing in the Pit’s & Monika’s first ever Splendour In The Grass and one of the first festival experiences in a “post” Covid era. Nothing was going to stop us from having the time of our lives…. or so we thought…
We were on the road by 3pm and although there was a great deal of festival traffic, it seemed as though we would be setting up in the campgrounds in no time.
Gosh, were we wrong.
After a few hours, we were finally on-site, waiting in a crawling queue to be allocated a space to camp with the pot holes making my car bounce around, and Monika’s campervan rattle. The volunteers and staff were kind and patient (special mention to Hamish for trying to help us find out where we were supposed to go, which ended up being way way way back, and far from where we currently were) despite clearly being in a very trying situation. Heavy rain, crazy winds and thousands of festival goers to usher in the volunteers who braved the mud, torrential rain were high in spirts and extremely helpful.
Eventually we were allocated a space to park my car and Monika’s camper, on the side of the road albeit on a bit of a lean but we were able to stop and we bunkered down for the night. A 7.5 hour drive to travel from Byron had seemingly flashed by in a daze, with Monika and I on the phone with one another for most of the time during the journey trying to keep each other sane.
Anticipation is one hell of a drug.
We woke to howling winds and pouring rain, and saw the sea of tents with water lapping at their doors. Making the decision to put a mattress in the back of my car just days before was beginning to feel like a saving grace.
It was now mid Friday morning and despite the rain, we were buzzing. After grabbing one of our wrist bands, we had to head to the other side of the festival to grab our camping passes as the location we were at did not have any of our passes. As we walked through the quiet festival we noted that the ground was a bit squishy and sopping wet.
After grabbing the correct wrist bands we had to trudge back to our vehicles, and move them back to the media area. Helped by the incredible team (Thanks Rose and other legends!) to set up our sleeping quarters the we prepared the camera gear, our cosiest gumboots, our best singing voices and wandered on into the festival grounds.
First on the must-see list was George Alice. The ‘Stuck in a Bubble’ pop queen was due to kick off the GW Mclennan stage at 12:15pm. We waited patiently, listening to the warm up music and watched Alice peer out from the side of the stage, waiting for the call. The crowd begged loudly, yelling and yahooing for her to come out. Thirty minutes went by - the time allocated for her set - so it was assumed that she was not coming to play and confused as to what was happening.
Hoping for better luck, we braved the sticky mud that entirely surrounded the nearby Parklands Stage to hopefully catch part of The Buoys set. When we got there, there was no music, no gear on-stage, no official staff. It wasn’t looking good for the one thing we came for…. Live music!
A call from my brother who was off-site waiting to catch a bus into the festival resulted in the discovery of the Friday cancellation. A lot of confused faces, a lot of punters asking Monika what was going on and all she could do was politely shrug her shoulders and tell them she did not know. Bummer! Soon after, Splendour released a statement online to say all main stages had been cancelled for the Friday, yet no official announcement was made at the festival itself, but the remaining bars will stay open for the punters who were already on-site. This was due to a huge storm front predicted to hit later that afternoon, adding to an already water-riddled site. The police and SES apparently had told the festival to cancel due to this reason. The sludge was up to the top of my gumboots in some parts as we made our way back to our cars to dump Monika’s 13kg+ gear to save her back, and we headed to Gold Bar to have some drinks, have a boogie and enjoy the company of other punters.
Friday was disappointing, although there was one silver lining due to Monika’s previous purchase at the pizza joint, a bit of a chat with the boys and we got a free pizza to chew on in Monika’s dry camper. An early night’s sleep which was quite welcomed as we were a bit exhausted from lack of sleep from the night before, as we drifted off we held on to hope the festival would kick off the following day…
THE LAZY EYES PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
On Saturday we woke to the very welcome notification of “DAY TWO IS A GO!” from our Splendour app. It was time to get this show on the road.
We braved the sludge and waded out to the GW McLennan tent to catch the first set of the day. The Lazy Eyes members graced the stage right at 12:30pm and the crowd screamed as the lead singer lifted his arms to the ceiling in celebration. It was clear they knew they were kicking off the festival. The set started with a bang; a loud drum, followed by harmonious guitar riffs.
All three frontmen flicked their shoulder-length hair in a synchronised manner, bopping in time with the melody, hip thrusting to the beat. Impressive! This was my first time hearing of the four-piece band and they felt somewhat influenced by The Kooks vocals, Tame Impala hypnotic bass lines and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard guitar riffs. Like paint swirls, the purple, red, green and blue graphics on the backdrop put the crowd in a trance, clapping along to the beat. “Everybody, keep it going” the lead chimed in.
Their second song “The Island” came in with dreamy vocals and light guitar chords, slowly building to heavier guitar riffs and the lights dimmed to build intensity. The boys played their guitars vertically and the crowd squealed with excitement. “They’re great performers”, I overheard one punter say. They brought a lot of energy to the tent and had great stage presence. Crowds of people flocked to the tent to check out the tight psych-rock seasoned performers and were not disappointed.
PUP PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
By the time we left GW McLennan, the sun was out and beaming. We were ready to hit the Amphitheatre to catch Toronto four-piece punk rock band, PUP. At 1:15pm, in the heat of the afternoon sun, the boys rushed out on stage clapping with their hands in the air. The blue backdrop contrasted against their white T-shirts and black skinny jeans. Very punk.
As any good punk rock band has, among the four of them there was plenty of hair to flick around when thrashing their heads to the songs. This fashion was also mimicked by the crowd with lots of long hair, black clothing, fishnets and lace, proving punk very much alive and well.
“Let’s fucking rock” the lead singer exclaimed, following on to say they weren’t going to do much talking and instead just play loads of songs. The band was tight. The drummer did not miss a beat. By the fourth song, beers were flying everywhere in the mosh, punters were head banging and a long-haired yahoo was lifted up high and began to crowd surf. Even the festival goers sitting at the back of the amphitheatre were getting into it. PUP clearly knows how to get a crowd going.
At the end of one of the heavier songs, the lead singer asked “You guys sure about the circle pit for the next song?” implying it might get a little heated. The crowd responded with “100%” and PUP went on to say “It’s a pretty mellow one”. Mellow? The song came in with heavy guitar riffs but it was maybe slightly more mellow than the previous tunes. I got a good head bang and a giggle out of it at least
BUDJERAH PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
Wow! What a well-rounded, diverse group of performers; was the first thought I had when the band members came out from behind the velvet red curtains of the GW McLennan tent. Dressed in all white, the band carried an angelic presence which drifted out to the crowd.
Local Bundjalung musician Budjerah, took the stage with a glimmer in his eyes.
“HIGHER”, Budjerah sang this lyric directly into my soul. Within seconds, goosebumps covered my body and tears fell from my eyes. I don’t often have full body reactions to vocals but this was a moment in time I wished I could capture and play on repeat. The tent echoed as he began a call and response with the crowd. His soul-eque tones and runs seemingly darted in and around the heads of every person in the crowd. His energy, along with beautiful harmonies sung by the two back-up vocalists captivated the audience.
A funky bass player, keyboard player with long beautiful brown hair, suave guitarist with slicked back hair and sunglasses, drummer with groove. This tight-knit band was well worth the trudge through the sludge. It was quite endearing to see a crowd of people moving only from the waist up, swaying and grooving while their feet were stuck in the mud.
THE CHATS PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
The sun was shining bright and The Chats were on fire, belting out their direct, earnest lyrics to a packed inner amphitheatre. I’ve seen The Chats play a handful of times before, mainly pre covid at small pub gigs in Byron, but it was pretty special to see the boys playing one of Australia’s biggest festivals. This was also echoed by the boys when they said “thank you to Splendour for having us, our drummer was back here 5 years washing dishes in one of the food trucks and now he’s playing the amphitheatre.”
I decided that the top of the hill was the best spot to view the set, looking over an amped up crowd dancing and thrashing about. They always know how to get a crowd riled up. Of course the song that sent them to stardom, “Smoko” popped off with the crowd and garnered a huge response. Beers flew in the air and punters threw themselves against each other.
The boys were very clear about their political stance “fuck the NSW police force” and repeated it “fuck em”. The crowd roared. On the screen behind them, cartoon versions of the band members acted out the movements to the songs. As always, their high energy, deep bass riffs, heavy guitar strums and spoken word vocals were well suited to the late afternoon punk rock crowd of Splendour. With rosy cheeks and sweat dripping from them, they ended their set with absolute banger “Pub Feed”.
THE JUNGLE GIANTS ft SYCCO PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
After the crazy cancellation of Friday, The Jungle Giants were the perfect potion to cure the dampened spirits. They allowed for a change of moods of the punters, looking around at their amphitheatre show, everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. The long time festival favourites seemingly levelled up during this set. The sun shone down, drying out our muddy souls and a rainbow appeared out of nowhere. The Brisbane band really turned it on and brought out Sycco to duet “Treat You Right”, a crowd favourite. They were on fire and made the most of space on stage, running around and having fun which was heavily contagious.
Another notable moment was when they handed out 5 disposable cameras to the crowd, hoping they would capture the feeling. It was very sentimental. And we can’t wait to see how those photos turned out!
One of my favourite parts about seeing Cosmo’s Midnight play, is the ever-changing array of talented vocalists that join them for their sets. Originally not having been on the ‘22 Splendour lineup, they received a last minute call as the replacement for Tom Misch. The boys were on an emergency flight from Portugal and showed up with fires in their bellies ready to bring the disco to the Mix-Up tent.
The boys noted that this was the first time playing a live set for us as a band instead of a dj set, and boy did it exceed all expectations. One by one, the bangers played and more stunning vocalists appeared. After having been one of the cancelled acts the night before, Ruel came on-stage and sang his tune “Down To You”. The crowd bellowed with excitement and sang along to the dance track. With a nostalgic, yet funky feel, the set brought the tent alive and the energy was magnetic.
8:30pm at the Mix-Up tent was fairly momentus for this Sydney duo. I recall Cosmo’s playing in the Red Bull tent way back in 2014 on the Thursday night before the festival had even kicked off. They’ve since played much bigger shows and toured far and wide, but seeing them play Splendour this year really felt like a full circle moment.
OLIVER TREE PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
JACK HARLOW PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
THE STROKES PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
As soon as The Strokes came on, everyone was injected with a hit of energy. The band came in hot, opening with their head bopping track, “Bad Decisions” and got the crowd singing from the get go. The packed amphitheatre now torn up from punters dancing all day long, saw flocks of people moving in time with the music, under the lights spilling off the stage. A wave of movement that looked almost choreographed.
With hit after hit, the songs kept the energy high and punters warm as they danced and sang along to some of the New York City band’s tracks. Lead singer Julian Casablancas stumbled around the stage, mumbling his grungy alt indie lyrics as he does best. Although, his behaviour left some punters with questions on their lips. “Is he drunk?” I overheard one punter say. I suppose that’s the life of a rockstar, eh?
Despite this, they still put on a great show and the crowd seemed elated to have seen The Strokes headline the Saturday. “Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron, whatever… Thanks for having us” Casablancas chimed in before playing “Last Nite” and the crowd roared.
ANDY GOLLEDGE PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
Since Splendour finished, I’ve often been asked who my highlight of the festival was. I’d never heard of Andy Golledge before but Monika dragged me to Parklands at 1:10pm to catch a glimpse (her friend Josh Piltz was the drummer). I was boot-scootin, kicking up mud and twisting my hips within seconds of the first chords playing. This 6-piece band of cowboy/girl rockstars were a sight to be seen (and heard). As a bit of an Americana, alt country fan myself, these guys really tickled my fancy. I’d been living in the US and getting into the likes of Rayland Baxter and Shakey Graves, in which Andy gave off similar macho alt country vibes. It was captivating.
Releasing his debut studio album just a few months earlier, it was great to see him getting the stage time he deserves. With his handlebar “pornstar” moustache, tight blue denim jeans and a red biker cap with “red neck” written in white writing on the front, he certainly stood out. Andy had big rockstar energy as he leant in towards the second guitarist, back facing the audience and the two played their instruments and laughed together, clearly enjoying the performance.
They cracked open a bottle of 1400 tequila and shared it amongst the band members. Caitlin Harnett on banjo (Aka Caitlin Harnett And The Pony Boys), in a full denim one piece sang along with stunning harmonies. Andy finished off his set by jumping down off the stage, walking into the crowd and singing in the middle of punters filming the excitement. This was the set I danced the most, smiled the most, laughed the most. Andy Golledge was the highlight artist of the festival.
An early afternoon amphitheatre set introduced me to Irish band, The Snuts. Originally I went to see them for the quirky band name, but ended up staying for the good times. The indie rock band had a modest audience show for the set but there was no shortage of boogying. “These guys are really cool”, I overheard one punter say. And they were. With the lead singer in all black, he was looking very rock ‘n’ roll, but maybe not equipped for the Australia afternoon sun.
A couple of times throughout the set, the singer flipped the audience the bird in a joking manner and everyone joined along. It was quite the sight. Contrasting that, someone in the crowd blew bubbles into the air paired nicely with their indie rock tunes. The audience sang along to “Glasgow”
G FLIP PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
G Flip always puts on a hell of a show. This time was no different, apart from playing with only one working hand. Georgia had broken their hand just weeks prior to the biggest show of their career. So what did they do? Learned the entire set one handed. And…..they didn’t miss a beat!
From Melbourne, now living in the US to further their career, the multifaceted musician took the stage of the amphitheatre at 4:30pm, glistening in the afternoon sun and showing off their hot red plaster cast. Opening the set with “Get Me Outta Here” set the mood on fire.
The set was very energetic and got the audience moving and grooving. Speaking with punters, many said that G Flip was the highlight of the festival for them (including Monika). A particularly moving moment was when they played their newest release “Waste of Space” after asking the audience if they’ve ever been told they’re a waste of space. There was distinct chatting, arms reaching around the people next to them to hug them. The song was a moment that brought people together.
Another sweet moment was when Georgia’s Dad came out on stage and did a shoey. Then their Uncle did a Akubray (for those that were not there he drank from his Akubra) Did I say sweet? Maybe more rock n roll than sweet. G also succumbed to the audience begging, took their shoe off and drank a crisp beer straight from her sneaker. Very talented all-rounder artist.
POND PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
Hailing from the UK, Holly Humberstone was in awe to be playing at a festival in Australia. Her angelic presence was welcomed by a loving audience in the GW McLennan tent. Everyone who was there to watch her, was there to watch her. And sing along to all the lyrics. And swoon… It was hard not to swoon over such a kind hearted, dreamy singer-songwriter.
“You guys are so nice I wish UK crowds were like this” she repeated throughout her set. Holly, the love is mutual. She was a classy act, with the chandeliers and red velvet curtains adding an extra layer of softness to the set. It was almost like her vocals were feathers, drifting around the tent waiting to fall gently on someone’s shoulder to comfort them after having had their heart broken by the lyrics. It was beautiful to have lots of feelings about heartbreak, loss and love in a tent with strangers. It felt somewhat nostalgic and collectively brought us all together.
The first song Duke Durmont played, to the crowd’s delight was “Red Light, Green Light” and the audience played along like it was a game. When the beat dropped, everyone went crazy and squashed in closer together towards the fence. Glancing around, we saw plenty of smiling faces and excitable characters. The light show was incredible. The English DJ was hidden towards the back of the stage and digital art lit up all around him. Characters spoke outwards to the audience instructing them on their next movements. It was an extremely unique visual and audio experience that sent vibrations throughout the amphitheatre.
Mura Masa got nuggets. When I tell you I ran to the Mix-Up tent from the Amphitheatre to catch this Guernsey born producer, I may be lying, because running through that mud was near impossible without slipping and sliding and ending up covered. But let’s call it a fast wade and glide movement, like walking across ice. So I waded intently to catch one of my all time favourite artists.
Back in 2017 when Love$sick hit spotify and soared to the top of the viral charts, I was living in Melbourne and my friends and I would play this song on repeat any time we needed amping up. Pre soccer matches, ahead of nights out or during peak hour traffic, blaring and dancing trying to get onlookers involved. This song sent me down the Mura Masa rabbit hole. With an array of vocalists joining him for the set, the crowd spent every last ounce of energy cramming the mosh and dancing their achy feet off after the 2-day music mud marathon.
Rounding out the Mix-Up tent for the festival, Mura Masa gave punters an experience worth raving about. We really never wanted it to end. The spicy, lively set was the perfect way to keep the energy flowing before catching the end of Tyler, The Creator’s set back at The Amphitheatre. The night cap of the festival.
Running (swiftly wading) back to the Ampitheatre with a good friend Stu, saw us catch the remaining 45 minutes of Tyler, The Creator, the highly anticipated final headliner of the festival. In festival terms, the time artists play their most well known hits. By the time we got there, the crowd was roaring. Many people were sitting on other punter’s shoulders. When the camera would pan across to them, many would lift their shirts for all to see - a common feat for Splendour goers throughout the years. Once the camera operator caught on, the scene on the big screens would change abruptly. Oops!
The American Rapper has a cult following of over 13 million Instagram followers, by far the highest followed performer of Splendour ‘22. He engaged with his devoted audience regularly throughout the set, checking in to see how we were all doing. Talented AND compassionate, what a combo. With his big, cheesy grin and flamboyant character, Tyler majestically made his way across the stage singing and rapping all of his popular tracks. His hit “EARFQUAKE” went off with a bang and the crowd rapped along. The digital sign heading the main stage, which had previously read SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS, was now reading SPLENDOUR IN THE MUD. Fitting. Golden pyrotechnics littered the stage in light and the audience were deafening once more.
A huge props to the set designer who transported us to a faraway land, with grass, mounds and mountain ranges in the background. It was stunning and really emphasised his creative flare. We were all a little envious below, wallowing in the mud while he had lush grass underfoot on stage. Maybe it could’ve been re(re)named Splendour in the Grass after all.
Tyler, The Creator, the perfect festival nightcap.
Photo above and photos below provided by Scrabble PR - not taken by Monika Oberscheven-Smith
