Live review: Soundwave (for The Music Network)

01 March 2011

by Poppy Reid

Sydney Showgrounds, NSW
Sunday February 27

The weather-gods couldn’t have been kinder at Sydney’s Soundwave festival on Sunday, the predicted thunderstorms stood us up and the dark clouds kept the heat out for what was an epic day of short lines, considerate moshers and a line up so good you wish you had a time machine just so you could catch every act.

Canadian brat-punks, Sum 41 reminded us of the good ol’ days when Vans ruled and hocking gollys were cool, with their tracks Walking Disaster, Motivation and In Too Deep. Singer Deryck Whibley proved he hadn’t changed an inch with new single Screaming Bloody Murder.

On the same stage, Sweden’s Millencolin played to a now packed tent. Opening with No Cigar and the trademark track Fox, and closing with the half acoustic song The Ballad, the band sacrificed between-track banter to get through a 13-track set.

Anberlin was cheered onstage by those who hadn’t already left for horror-punks, Murderdolls. Straight after We Owe This To Ourselves, singer Steven Christian surfed the moshpit, his energy staying at a high until the end of closing tracks Younglife and Impossible.

Over on Stage 1, the stadium was crammed with Slash fans who were met with a pretty safe and slightly dull set. Touring singer Myles Kennedy dressed and sounded uncannily like Axl Rose on tracks likeNightrain, By The Sword and Slither but seemed to play it up moreso for Sweet Child O’ Mine and Paradise City; personally I would have liked his version.

Back on Stage 3, Social Distortion rocked mostly new tracks from their Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes album, in between giving Home and Away an undeserved plug; “what? You don’t like that show?” said lead singer Mike McColgan. But it was Florida’s New Found Glorywho took out the accolade for most energy onstage.

“We only get 40-minutes like every fucking band so we're gonna shut up and play a bunch of fuck’n songs for you,” screamed frontman Jordan Pundik.

Wearing matching NFG-tailored basketball outfits, the pop-punk band seared through an intense set of old favourites like Failures Not Flattering (where Scott Vogel from Terror joined them onstage) andDressed To Kill, new tracks like Don’t Let Her Pull You Down and even their cover of Sixpence None The Richer’s Kiss Me.

“So this is where all the black shirts are,” I thought to myself at Stage 4 for Rob Zombie. It was around the time of second track, Scum Of The Earth that I felt I had officially crossed over as a Zombie fan.

“Sorry we were a little late, we were tryna get this 100 million dollars worth of electronic effects to work for you; but I decided fuck it, you'll be the special effects.” Standing in leather flared pants with a massive claw extension on his left arm, Zombie opitomised the kind of foul, dirty sex you only dream of in your nightmares

Shoes, bottles, balls and even CD’s were thrown in sacrifice to the metal man before White Zombie track, Devil Man. “We can do whatever the fuck we want!” he bellowed before his encore, Dragula. “I hate that fuck’n guitar, John,” he roared; the guitarist smashed his weapon, ending the anarchy of high-pitched distortion and unanimous whiplash.

While metal icons Slayer were forced to cancel their set due to vocalist/bassist Tom Araya being hospitalised just one hour before their scheduled show, most of Soundwave chose Iron Maiden to take them out on Stage 1. Sticking to the same setlist and stage show from their sidewave gig, the masters of metal took us through their vast back catalogue of new and classic tracks. Closing with the energetic Running Free, these over-50-year-olds had more energy than the lot of us.

A massive day of rock and overpriced beer had drained us into blissful sweaty zombies; we left drenched with satisfaction.