Soundwave Festival

Adelaide, Feb 27 2010

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After the BDO failed (again) to bring out a decent lineup, if it wasn’t for Fear Factory it would have been complete shit (even Mastodon were pretty disappointing). It was left up to Soundwave, to do it again, and for the second year running they have smashed all comers and delivered the best festival line up of the Summer. With a line-up boasting re-formed legends, punk rock stalwarts, plenty of up and comers and above all some ball-tearing metal acts. For those into the heaver genres the anticipation for SW 2010 was huge. Although not a sellout, apparently festivals in Adelaide only sellout if there is a mediocre lineup, and despite the extreme heat the punters had turned out in force to witness a day that promised a lot and delivered even more.

Just when you thought the lineup couldn’t get any better emo sellouts My Chemical Romance pulled out and were been replaced by the punk legends Jimmy Eat World. Even though this punter saw Trivium instead, I’m sure a few people got along and saw them.

As I wondered down to Bonython Park I was surprised to see the layout from previous year was completely different, which proved to be a great move and made getting around a lot easier and almost completely eliminated sound cross over between stages. I arrived just after 12 and encountered a small and quickly moving line, after reading about the lines encountered in our bigger cities, I guess this is one of the few perks of living in little old Adelaide. As soon as I’d walked through the gate it became apparent that not only had the stages changed, but the whole area was about twice as big and crowd was massive.

The first band on my ‘to see’ list was A Wilhelm Scream. Having seen these guys before and knowing how good they are I was a little surprised to see them billed so early. The boys from Massachusetts didn’t disappoint putting on a high energy show for the growing crowd. A short sharp 40 minute set meant it was all over before you could blink, but songs like The King is Dead and I Wipe My Arse With Showbiz still had the crowd kicking up a shit load of dust, a practice that would become one of themes for the day.

Next up on the same stage was You Me At Six. I hadn’t heard much of these guys, but I was in the minority with quite a large crowd gathering round to catch their set. The UK boys followed on from where AWS finished off with another high energy set with plenty of crowd action. Their latest single Underdog was a crowd favourite as was The Consequence.

The extreme heat mixed with dusty mouths ensured beers sales were up and it wasn’t long before I too was waiting in the bar line. The new setup for this years SW worked much better than previous years and made getting around much easier and all but eliminated sound cross over. Everything about this year’s Soundwave was bigger and better, even the toilets weren’t a complete disgrace.

Next on the hit list was metal stalwarts Anvil. Lets face it, if it wasn’t for Sasha Gervasi’s documentary this band would still be forgotten and there is no way they would have played today, but the documentary was made and despite many of the kids not being born when Anvil originated the buzz and anticipation for their set was equal to that of some of the bigger bands on the bill. Lips and Robb entered the stage and looked every bit the 80’s genre that they represent. Opening with 666, the crowd was interested, but I think there were more onlookers than fans in the crowd. I didn’t know a lot of their set but these guys were the surprise of the day for me, they were brilliant. The love for what they do is so apparent and their humbleness is refreshing amongst the diva antics of many rock stars. Lips at one point claiming to be a metal fan just like all of us and couldn’t wait to get out amongst the crowd and meet fellow fans. I cant imagine many front men admitting that. The highlight of the set was when Lips produced a dildo and played his guitar by turning it on and off, classic.

I then wondered across to catch the end of ska legends Reel Big Fish. RBF have a massive following in Australia and the big crowd to see them was testament to that. The highlight of the set, for me, was the piss take routine they performed about being Master’s (Metallica style) of every genre bouncing from ska to metal to punk to disco to country before launching into their classic Take On Me which left the crowd sweaty, exhausted and with dust in their lungs. Out of all the bands on SW I would never had picked RBF to be the one that would deliver the Metallica fix.

After RBF it was time for the big names to do their thing on the main stage. So I made my way to the metal stage for the 2 bands I’d been hanging out for all day Anthrax and Trivium. The master and the apprentice.

After Slayer and Megadeth touring late last year it was an absolute treat to see another of the Big 4, Anthrax. All we need is Metallica to come out later this year and it could be all 4 in a 12 month period (fingers crossed). Anthrax tore the absolute shit out it, some of those young bands could really take some lessons from Scott Ian’s boys. They were in blistering form and metalheads were out in force in support. From go to woe they were fast, fast and fast. Highlights of the set were Indians, Only and their cover of Public Enemy’s Bring the Noise which they finished the set with. The masters had set the bar. Hopefully the Big 4 tour that is being billed in Europe later this year makes its way down under.

Following one of the legends of thrash were the torch bearers for a new generation of thrash bands, Trivium. Despite regular drummer Travis not making the trip, Trivium were at their brutal best. Their set, most of Ascendency (no complaints here), was incredible and had the strong crowd going nuts. From the opening of The End Of Everything to the end of Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr it was blistering on stage and complete carnage in the pit. Matt and the boys barely stopped for the whole set and gave little chance for the crowd to catch its breath. With a set that included Rain, Drowned & Torn Asunder, Down From The Sky and A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation there was no let up in the pit, not that the pit-dwellers would have wanted it any other way. For me, they were the highlight of the day, bloody awesome!

Then it was time for Faith No More to hit the stage. It quickly came apparent that a lot of people have waited a long time to see these guys with a huge crowd flooding to see them. The fitting opener Reunited set the tone and showcased the impressive light show that was in store. Mike Patton, cane in hand, showed why he is regarded so highly as a front man and proved to all that he still has it. Referring to the crowd as skips and complaining about his finger and his dick smelling of wombat, Mike lead us through an impressive list of FNM hits as well as an interesting cover of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. The highlights of the set were, no surprises here, Easy, Ashes to Ashes and Epic (which truly lived up to its name). Unfortunately the show could not go on for ever and it wasn’t long before the Mikes men were finishing up with This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us, taking a bow and exiting. As FNM left the stage, I couldn’t help but think this could be the last time we get to see them is Aus, well Adelaide anyway.

As the masses filed out, the buzz was still high. At least one of the major festivals hasn’t forgot about the metal fan. Bring on Soundwave 2011 (Metallica, Motley and Guns, fingers crossed!!).

Review by Tim Nicholas