Today heralded the end of a great Australian festival that has lasted over two decades. I’m not referring to the Big Day Out, whose cultural capital was irrevocably eroded by the influx of teenage, Australian-flag-wearing bogans a decade ago and has limped its way to extinction ever since. No, I’m talking about the Brisbane International…
This isn’t going to be a review of the Big Day Out. Unless you have a press pass with VIP access and the like, I don’t think it’s really possible to review a music festival. Even that hypothetical journalist isn’t really covering the whole festival, with four or five groups playing simultaneously across the venue…
My thought process upon hearing the BDO lineup announcement: 1) Blur! Blur! Ever since their reunion in 2008, I’ve been desperately hoping for these guys to come to our shores. Their name alone has me buying a ticket. 2) The Herald Sun “leak” that wasn’t …actually was! Arcade Fire, Pearl Jam and Snoop Dogg/Lion all…
At my first Big Day Out in five years, there was plenty of good music but also plenty of opportunities for people-watching and general sightseeing. Some of the sights…
Some thoughts on bands where I either missed a great deal of their set or, frankly, didn’t have that much to say. Includes Grinspoon, Foals, The Killers and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Against Me! played on the same main stage that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would eventually close at the end of the night. But where the Chili Peppers’ sound was sketchy and inconsistent, Against Me! sounded bold and perfectly mixed, with heavy percussion, boisterous guitars and precisely mixed vocal levels.
I got into Childish Gambino thanks to Donald Glover’s acting and stand-up, and was impressed at the quality of his major label debut Camp. It was unexpectedly good, catchy stuff from someone primarily known for being funny. His live show was equally unexpected, with Glover possessing a furious energy and command of the stage. He…
This was supposed to be the highlight of my Big Day Out. I’m not exactly across the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ entire discography, but with a back catalogue featuring modern classics like “Zero,” “Date with the Night” and the achingly melancholic “Maps” (one of the best songs of the past decade), I had high expectations.
Sleigh Bells’ stage was sparsely attended, due to coinciding with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bloody Beetroots and Animal Collective. Their stage, with darkness swathed in atmospheric smoke pierced with spot- and strobe lights, created an enclosed atmosphere that intensified the proximity; it was like being a nightclub (with enough space to dance!). It didn’t…
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