Big Day Out 2012: Sydney

                                                                        Photo credit: Ken Leanfore

27 January 2012

by Poppy Reid

For a day that was picked to be shadowed by dark clouds and intermittent rain, Big Day Out Sydney hosted a fair few sunburnt schnozzes and Southern Cross tattoos. Although this reviewer didn’t personally catch Byron hardcore band Parkway Drive, they deserve a mention for the buzz that followed their fans from the Blue Stage where they performed to The Amity Affliction’s set at Essential Stage.

“You should have seen it!” said one zealot. “This one guy came out of the pit with his bone sticking out of his leg.” Clearly their absence spent touring the UK and Europe did nothing to dilute their strong, raucous, native fanbase.

Onlookers over at the Essential Stage couldn’t have regretted their wares more as their sweat soaked through the wardrobe choices from the darker end of the colour spectrum. Opening with popular single I Hate Hartley the crowd was hesitant to meet the energy lead by frontmen Joel Birch and Ahren Stringer, however by third track Dr. Thunder a circle pit was emanating violent responses and a few interesting scissor kicks from one Where’s Wally? advocate. The Sydney sun matched Birch’s aggression and while he admitted he wasn’t the best at between-track banter, the short seven-track set didn’t allow for much more than the precise melodic hardcore they proffered. The breakdown in final track Youngbloods saw the circle deepen as far back as the sound desk. One kid walked out holding his bloodied face as ribbons of red dripped thick through his fingers.

Odd Future’s performance in the Boiler Room stage was marred by sound issues; leader Tyler, The Creator’s microphone was clearly off for most of the set, and the volume settings were all askew, with murky beats and muffled vocals. Still, this didn’t hamper the band’s performance, nor their audience’s spirits. After all, Odd Future are seen by many to be a spectacle first and a musical act second. This early afternoon slot was ill-suited, but ultimately triumphant.

Over in the Hot Produce amphitheatre, King Cannons were expertly on track in their endeavour for a rockabilly-style revival. Their classic, slicked back quiffs and neck-high tattoos matched the mix of rock ‘n’ roll and indie punching out from their beaten guitars. The Auckland six-piece are one of EMI’s most recent golden children but with tracks like Take The Rock, Shoot To Kill and Teenage Dreams all executed with the fervour heard from the band on radio, the hype certainly matches the product. Although the band is still in its embryonic stages, they’ve already undertaken a slight lineup change; it looks as if previous drummer (and lone femme of the group) Lanae Eruera has been demoted to bongo and tambourine enthusiast. The new stickman, Dan McKay was pinched from Tasmanian rock band The Nation Blue and has more than earned his stripes with the kind of percussion you notice well before the obvious anchor tattoo on the bassist and resident tattooist Rob Ting’s forehead.

My Chemical Romance incited questionable dance moves and lyrical faux pas early as crowd members at the Orange Stage were over-zealous in broad daylight with their physical appreciation and Na Na’s for first track Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na). It would only disappoint if frontman Gerard Way didn’t show up with a new hairstyle; this time his theme was orange, his hair was orange, his sunburnt face was blushing with a reddish-yellow hue and he sipped on orange juice the entire set.

After breakout single I’m Not Okay (I Promise), Way proclaimed: “This is going to be the best crowd of the day, it may not be the biggest crowd but it’s going to be the best.”

Later in the New Jersey band’s set, Teenagers saw nostalgic long-time stalwarts dance as if the track was still directed at them; perhaps noticing how many of us had grown up with the band, or more likely just wanting to remind us of their longevity, Way thanked the crowd for sticking around to celebrate the anniversary of their decade together.

Behind us Tony Hawk flew between the sides of the half pipe while closing tracks Famous Last Words and Welcome to The Black Parade sawthe crowd lose all inhibition. A band once associated with the terms ‘emo’ and ‘sell out’ should now be seen as the perspicacious glue that managed to team together the gym junkie with nautical stars brazened down his back, the punkish tween with a Dora the Explorer backpack and the daisy duke-donning stunner in the cut-off wolf tank.

Soundgarden warmed the audience up for Kanye West; that is, if there was any crossover audience for the two acts at all. The juxtaposition between frontman Chris Cornell’s high-pitched, no-nonsense wailing and Kanye West’s overblown-yet-ornate stageshow demonstrates how far along the Big Day Out has come in terms of the breadth and depth of its lineup. The days of this festival being a strictly alternative fare are long gone, and while some may bemoan this change, the majority of punters have welcomed this evolution with open arms. As Kanye started his set from a cherry-picker, flew through two and a half hours of hit singles and treated the entire thing as a Broadway musical, it was apparent why the Big Day Out is a global highlight on the festival calendar. West’s set going overtime meant that a lot of punters missed Noel Gallagher, but there was something entirely appropriate about exiting to the worldbeating sounds of Don’t Look Back In Anger bouncing across Olympic Park Stadium.