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Live Reviews : Big Day Out @ Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne 24/01/2014

By on January 27, 2014

Images: Len Panecki
Words: Matthew Dworak

Click here to view the full gallery of Big Day Out in Melbourne

Big Day Out 2014 landed in Melbourne with a splash. A splash, because after years of 35 degree cloudless days, this year’s Big Day Out was being held in traditional Melbourne weather of clouds and rain, mixed in with an occasionally burning sun. DZ Deathrays opened the main stages. In front of a few tired fans, this rock duo from Brisbane did their best to wake people from their slumber. Despite being made up of a guitarist and drummer, they manage to make a full sound which didn’t feel as out of place on the main stage of a festival as you’d expect.

Violent Soho

Someone who might have been more suited to the main stage were up next at the Red Stage. Violent Soho’s reinvented grunge brought out a large and active crowd of kids for a set of radio hits such a Jesus Stole my Girlfriend, Neighbour Neighbour and Tinderbox. The crowd moshed and circle pitted their way through the set, leaving security guards to rush in and monitor the situation (is this new BDO policy?) before guitarist James Tidswell asked anyone carrying weed to bring it to the Cosmic Psychos to share. It was a hugely enjoyable set which ended with Covered in Chrome and got the blood pumping on this wet afternoon.

Over at the JBL Stage, Kingswood were rocking out with their southern style of rock to a more mature crowd. More mature, but not too old to be excited by the large inflated balls they threw out into the crowd during their hit Ohio. Tame Impala have been in the psyche of Australian music lovers for a while now, but their appearance on the main stage at the Big Day Out shows that they’re moving into the mainstream. Their minimalist stage setup and crowd interaction set the stage for a we-play-our-songs-well-so please-enjoy kinda show, through which the crowd gladly danced their way.

The Algorithm

Meanwhile at the small (and somewhat unnecessary) Headspace Stage was The Algorithm. This French band (using that word lightly) consists of a drummer and dj playing a type of heavy metal electro. Their performance can best be described as “the electronic parts of modern numetal/hardcore music, without the rest of the song, while a man on stage plays speed chess while the pieces are on fire”. Having said that, the set was entertaining, which I think the other 53 people in the tent would agree with.

Approximately 500 metres in distance and a world away musically were the Cosmic Psychos. This old school Australian pub rock band have risen in prominence of late, thanks in part to the release of a documentary outlining their history and impact on alternative music. Rough as guts and probably just as smelly, the three guys on stage from regional Victoria played hits such as Nice Day to go to the Pub (lyrics: “Nice day to go to the pub, go to the pub, go to the pub, Nice day to have a beer, have a beer, have a beer, Nice day to have a schnitzel, have a schnitzel, have a schnitzel”) and Dead in a ditch. Their music sounds surprisingly fresh, with driving guitars running through most tracks giving the music a sense of urgency. About going to the pub.

On the main stage were Primus. I’ve never quite understood this band, and I doubt I ever will, but ‘Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver’ always bring a smile. They had the most interesting stage set up of the festival, with giant spacemen and umbrellas, and the small crowd that showed up seemed to lap it up.

The Hives

The Hives were up next on the main stage. Coming in as one of the bands to replace Blur, their philosophy for the show was “If you can’t beat them, why not take the piss out of them instead”. Singer “Howlin” Pelle Almqvist is regularly discussed as one of the greatest frontmen of his generation and he never fails to live up to that. He got the whole crowd to sit so that he could crowdsurf over them and talked about high-fiving god, in between playing a set of party rock which kept the crowd clapping and dancing along.

Back at the JBL Stage, Northlane were putting on a show for the Gen Y’s. Their modern hardcore metal has seen them explode in popularity in just a short period of time, and the crowd that turned out to see them were more passionate and active than for anything else on the day. Vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes’ constant switching between clean and hardcore vocals is an achievement live and sounded true to the recorded material.

Arcade Fire were up next, keeping the hipsters entertained on the main stage. Their 2008 appearances at the Big Day Out was generally talked down in the press, so it was pleasing to see that they seem to have grown into the role of festival headliner since then. Their best-off set was energetic and entertaining, with band members switching between instruments throughout the show, and vocalist Win Butler ceremoniously tearing down the “No Crowdsurfing, No Moshing” signs, even though Arcade Fire were probably pretty low on the list of bands for which that sign was meant. Finishing off with the sing-along Wake Up finished off the set nicely, and had everyone warmed up for Pearl Jam.

The years have been kind on Mr Eddie Vedder, whose voice sounded strong opening the show with ‘Why Go’ and ‘Do the Evolution’. Unfortunately that was my queue to leave for the JBL  Stage, but for those who stayed behind it was a hit filled set, with ‘Even Flow’, ‘Better Man’, ‘Jeremy’ and even a cover of MC5’s ‘Kick Out the Jams’, before ending the set with the classic ‘Alive’.

Ghost

Meanwhile, Ghost had the unenviable task of competing with Pearl Jam, Snoop Dogg and Flume. But if there’s anything that’s going to attract people away from those bands, it will be a bunch of Swede’s dressed as a Satanic priest and his evil minions singing about Lucifer. Ghost’s music is often described as Doom metal, presumably by people who have never heard Doom metal. Their mainstream rock is a throwback to the sixties and seventies and the birth of heavy metal music. The singer, Papa Emeritus II has a soft melodic voice that suits the music well, but his stage persona between songs in his character is awkward, and not anywhere as cool as the uniforms would suggest. The set was entertaining, but the crowd seemed to be running out of steam and the show seemed to fade away into the night.

Of course, I was glad to be proven wrong by the Deftones who were finishing the night off on the same stage. They drew a large and excited crowd who were all too eager to mosh their way through a set which included classic tracks Be Quiet and Drive, My Own Summer (Shove it) and Change (in the house of flies). Chino Moreno seems to be in the best shape of his life, and was bouncing around the stage for the whole set, adding impromptu vocal effects throughout the show. A worthy end to another Big Day Out.