06 October 2010
Every October Sydney siders dream of a beautiful spring long weekend, fit for a slew of international acts and good times in the sun to welcome the start of festival season with Parklife. Fortunately this year, despite the grey skies, the damp grass and those annoyingly timed showers, we were saved the predicted thunderstorms and were even spoilt with warming sunshine at times.
Making the most of their moment in the sun were New York surf-rockers Darwin Deez, who’s synchronised choreography and off-kilter indie folk were the perfect start to the sometimes-springtime festival. Just a little bit camp, the five-piece’s single Radar Detector, ignited sing-a-longs and hand clapping throughout the packed crowd, and proved their popularity as a live band.
By the time UK post-punkers The Wombats took the stage, the $3 plastic ponchos were out in full force, the teasing rain harking back to the lads native Liverpool, England. Opening with Kill The Director, the band ignited puddle jumping and raised hands, rocking the crowd into a frenzy with radio hits Tokyo and Backfire At The Disco, leading to the climatic finish with career defining tracks- Moving to New York andLet’s Dance to Joy Division.
Philadelphia hip pop duo Chiddy Bang, occasionally heralded as the new saviours of hip hop, struggled at times to translate the genius of their unique tunes to the soaked (yet adoring) fans. Nevertheless the masses bounced along to Truth (sampling Passion Pit) and obediently rhymed-along for Opposite of Adults (sampling MGMT) whilst a slew of industry peeps danced onstage at the duo’s beckon.
With the skies now clearing and the sun setting, 2 Many DJ’s stepped things up a notch and took Parklife clubbing. Remixes of AC/DC, MGMT and Guns N’ Roses were more than a welcome warm up for punters vying for an up close encounter with the one and only Missy“Misdemeanor” Elliot. With no less than 27 dancers in tow, Missy put her hands down flipped it and reversed it- a shining beacon of hip-hop excess atop a swarming crowd of loyal subjects.
“Somebody said Sydney was the hottest place on the motherfucking planet,” Missy yelled.
Oftentimes it doesn’t take much, but it has to be said that no one knows how to work up a crowd quite like the supa dupa fly Elliot- although, once whet, for some reason she left us hanging- time and again building us up with the chorus or interlude of favourite tracks, and just when the crowd had lost themselves in Get Your Freak On orWork It, she would change course and leave us stuck awkwardly in the middle of our 1,2 Step.
If you were one of the many to finish Parklife with Groove Armada’s Black Light show, count yourself among the lucky, as you would have witnessed one of the last ever live performances from the storied UK dance duo. Newer tracks Paper Romance and History worked brilliantly around the light show, whilst singer SaintSaviour’s fur jacket and suspender shorts combo ushered the festival to a staggering,Superstylin’ close.
Naesayers and meterologist's take note, a week of bad weather and storm warnings isn’t going to stop an Aussie festival crowd. As Gene Kelly once put it- “What a glorious feeling.... Just singing... and dancin’ in the rain.”
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