 | ||
| Yellowcard. Photo credit: Ken Leanfore |
27 September 2011
Sunday September 25
Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney
Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney
It was never going to be the festival that pioneered a new era in hard rock commemorations; it was painted more as a booby-prize obligation for all the punters who cried into their pillows when Soundwave Revolution was cancelled earlier this year. But despite the fact Sydney's Counter Revolution was hosted under a half-full Big Top at an extremely wet Luna Park, and despite the release of a timetable the night previous with a disappointing revelation (The Pretty Reckless were nowhere to be seen); we weren’t there to eyeball each other in the dark or count the side fringes under black hoods; we were offered a storied lineup of pop, punk and hardcore bands who each delivered short bursts of crowd favourites packing more punch than the star of Funeral For A Friend’s circle pit.
As Alesana complained about the sound through tracks like Congratulations, I Hate You and The Murderer on the split stage, Go Radio was setting up to their right, no matter how captivating the band was, this would prove a half-hourly distraction throughout the day. When Florida alt-rockers Go Radio covered Adele’s Rolling In The Deep, even the toughest punk stalwart looked on in awe.
Hellogoodbye, always the biggest surprise band to be placed on a Soundwave lineup, attracted a heavily female audience, with panda-eyed fanatics pressed up against the barrier for electro-rock gems like Baby It’s Fact, Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn and Touchdown Turnaround. With a Summer Heights High instrumental prelude, a fake kiss between the guitarists and a mention of Angry Boys, these collared-shirted Californian kids will always be a welcome addition to any Australian festival bill.
Make Do And Mend win a mention for most hilarious comment made on the day when frontman James Carroll said, “whether it’s a fucking amusement park, whether it’s a basement, we’re still stoked to be here.”
Funeral For A Friend offered the most professional set on the day, inciting the only circle pit; they were also the only band to ask for one. “Let’s make a little circle of love,” said singer, Matthew Davies-Kreye. The decade-old quintet may have changed lineups a fair few times over the past ten years but with just five albums released, it’s clear the UK band have taken their time for a reason.
Story Of The Year drew the largest crowd of the day with tracks The Antidote, Falling Down and The Ghost Of You And I validating their large fanbase. The band knew exactly what we expected from them: crowd favourites only, punk jumps galore and a mammoth back flip from guitarist Ryan Phillips during final track Until The Day I Die.
Yellowcard followed with probably the most to prove; after a six-year hiatus and an additional band member, the band did play mostly Ocean Avenue tracks but did chuck in a sneaky new track with Sean O’Donnellon violin for With You Around.
D.R.U.G.S are brutal beings at the best of times, but they just didn’t bring forth the insanity in Sydney. Those who expected a murderous blood bath of searing guitars and intoxicating (pun intended) vocals from former Chiodos frontman Craig Owens, looked a little dispirited. The sound may have been a little off, and the band may have been slightly out of time, but when a shirtless Owens stepped into the crowd and walked the quagmire of raised fists, all seemed to be forgiven.
Panic! At The Disco wrapped things up in just the style we expected. Playing a set pregnant with pop-punk radio hits, the band had the crowd dancing uninhibitedly from second track But It’s Better If You Do. Fortunately, they kept things as nostalgic as any seven-year-old band could. Rounding out the day with tracks Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off and I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Panic! created a poles apart - yet completely welcome - ending to a day that will be forever cemented in Soundwave’s history.
No comments:
Post a Comment