Soundwave - Twenty Ten

I had a long list of expectations for Soundwave 2010; but with a line-up including Taking Back Sunday, Faith No More and Jane’s Addiction I would be stupid not to. As I stood in line with my Pump bottle filled with Vodka in one hand and my I.D and ticket in the other, I could never have foreseen the madness which lay behind those rusted gates at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.

Taking Back Sunday, an American foursome from New York released their latest album New Again last year; they were first on my list of bands to see. I’m short and fast so I was able to make my way to the front of the stage quickly. As I was maneuvering via a crouched sprint through the sweaty bodies, Cute Without The E was knocking at my ear drums. The singer, Adam Lazzara was bent down over the ledge on the stage and knowing full well that we knew all the lyrics he pointed the microphone toward us and let us sing all the best parts. Lazzara is renowned for performing drunk so I was surprised to see him in control of his movements; he didn’t slur a word when he said:
“Man I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten anything today, maybe I should have had a sandwich or something, jelly and peanut butter maybe…”
Oh how I wished I had a sandwich in my pocket at that moment.
Taking back Sunday was definitely one of the stand-outs for me. Mainly because my obsession with them has been going on for over eight years; but also because Lazzara sang the last half of MakeDamnSure hanging upside down like a bat from the stage’s scaffolding.

Throughout the earlier shows at Soundwave I came to a few observational conclusions:
1) It is beyond easy to sneak alcohol into Soundwave.
2) If you are on your friend’s shoulders for more than five songs there is a large chance they may resent you for the rest of the set.
3) Aside from the technical difficulties at the beginning of Motion City Soundtracks set, they sounded just like they do on their album My Dinosaur Life.
4) When on a ride, acting like a toddler having a temper tantrum screaming “Again! Again! Again!” will get you another turn.
5) Paramores Hayley Williams looks even more like a child in real life than the girl in their Brick By Boring Brick video.
6) The vibe at Placebo was ‘everyone for themselves.’
7) If you play UFC in the drinking area you will get kicked out of it.
8) Crowd surfing to get out of the mosh is a valid and legitimate reason.
9) Screaming at AFI to play a song from their Answer That album will not make them play a song from their Answer That album.
10) Jumping around like a crazy woman will result in a broken foot.

Jane’s Addiction stood out as the most theatrical and entertaining performance. Sky-high cut outs of two naked women loomed over the band, changing in colour with each brutally loud riff and chord change. PVC clad dancers groggily mounted podiums and gave us a bitter tasting feast for our eyes. But, as expected, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Dave Navarro. His thin, white, half naked body struck androgynous poses that made me quiver. Although he wasn’t singing the lyrics, he performed them in a way I can only describe as introvert and rehearsed. They played Up The Beach and Whores from the album Kettle Whistle and ended with Jane Says from their self-titled debut album. I was fixated on Navarro throughout the whole set and figured out why when vocalist Perry Farrell complained of not being able to find any good heroin in Brisbane, saying they had been ripped off by a local dealer.

I watched the beginning of Faith No More, they were very cute in their suits with pocketed flowers. My broken foot was slowing me down (thank goodness for the numbing powers of alcohol) and I had just ten minutes until A Day To Remember were due to start! I made my friend carry me to their stage, leaving a trail of the weak or bad-balanced in our wake. Waiting for them to come onstage was like waiting for a bad hair cut to grow out, it seemed to take forever. They played the first song off the album Homesick, Downfall Of Us All. I was so ecstatic I actually cried. This band had so much energy and we were the first to hear songs from Homesick live in Australia. It was obvious how thrilled they were to be there and judging by all the shirts with their name on them around me, this show had been a long time coming. The aching of my foot was dulled away as adrenaline pumped through my ready veins and convinced my brain I could fly. Plot Bomb To The Panhandle started, so I signaled to the guy next to me that I wanted up; he grabbed me and threw me forward. I took a photo as I lay flat and waited for the security guard to catch me. I gave him a big sweaty kiss and thanked him. Right after that A Day To Remember were thanking us and it was over. Only a year until the next Soundwave!