big day out (2005)
Once again the big day out hit town (Perth) and I was there to experience everything that a big day has to offer along with 36,000 other punters.
My first priority of the day was to catch The Donnas at 12:15. To my surprise unlike last years BDO when the early bands played to relatively small crowds, the punters had turned out in force, a fact that was not lost on the appreciative Donnas. Their set included most of the current album as well as some old stuff dedicated to some front row groupies. As early as it was the girls delivered a good solid start to a long musical day. Next up on the adjacent stage was Perth band Eskimo Joe who delivered a solid set which even an unplanned out of tune guitar pause could not detract from. How these guys have not become bigger I don’t know but they sound as good if not better live. A short shift back to the Orange Stage saw me as I was about to discover a little too close the mosh action to see Spiderbait. Even though these guys have been around for just over ten years the bulk of younger punters would be most familiar with their cover of ram jam’s ‘Black Betty’. However for the more mature fans, their own song (of the current album) ‘Fuckin Awesome’ best describes these guys. They had the crowd bouncing from start to finish and had one particular older fan reliving his youth.
Due to lack of ‘match fitness’, now was the time for a short food and drinks intermission and a chance to catch some of the other BDO activities including the ‘Crusty Demons’ (best described as lunatics on dirt bikes) doing outrageous aerial manoeuvres. Normally I am not attracted to petrol head antics but these guys have to be admired.
Recharged and ready, it was time to sample the smaller stage action which kicked off with (another Perth band) Little Birdy. Having admired the talents of Katy Steele from afar for some time I was not disappointed with the performance despite the long haul of BDO’s taking its toll on Katy’s voice, which at one point in the set prompted Katy to call for a butter menthol. Sore throat aside Little Birdy did not disappoint with a truly professional gig.
Next up on the adjacent stage was the New York all girl three piece Le Tigre. I had made a point of seeing these ‘guys’ out of pure curiosity after seeing (on Rage) and hearing a few of their tracks on Triple J. I think while I may not fit the stereotypical Le Tigra fan mould, after seeing them live I guess that’s really what they are about, there is nothing stereotypical about the band and looking around me neither are the punters, a very mixed bunch indeed. Technology problems and lack of video accompaniment (seen on the east coast gigs!) aside I was suitably impressed by Le Tigre’s feminist punk electronic sound (sort of Julie Brown meets DEVO) to check out more of their stuff off their latest album. As an aside it was funny when JD Samson (self proclaimed butch lesbian) explained to one punter that she was in fact a woman.
Unfortunately I was unable to stick around to the end of their set as I had to leg it through the crowd back to the main stage in a vain attempt to catch Grinspoon. After a quick peek at Nude Rodeo (with KK Juggy of MGF fame) at the Lillypad I was unfortunately unable to get into the main stage area so I had (unfortunately) to settle for a side view from the drinks area. Not that this diminished the set as the ‘grinners’ had many if not all the punters singing along to their extensive string of catching rock tunes. While I may not have been able to see and hear Phil Jamieson (looking larger than ever) clearly rest assured there were many stand in Phil’s close at hand that could take his place should the need arise.
Following on from Grinspoon was those crazy masked larrikins more widely known as Slipknot. While thousands of dedicated and (in)appropriately dressed fans had turned up for a dose of crazy masked action, Slipknot are NOT exactly my kettle of fish so it was time for another chill out. Fortunately for me, DJ Carl Cox made a surprise visit to the Lillypad, so my time was not as unproductive as first I had thought. Funnily enough Slipknot are not too bad visually when you have Carl Cox drowning out their vocals (if that what you call them?). Unmoved by the prospect of catching System of a Down (again I fail to see the attraction) I stuck around for more Carl Cox. Soon enough though it was time to mix it with the System of a Down fans as I endeavoured to get in close to the main stage for a peek at Powderfinger. These guys like many of the aussie bands before them have been doing it well for many years. However lead singer Bernard Fanning signalled that given this would be their last gig for a year it would be a big one and he was right. Aided by the onset of night and an impressive video backdrop Powderfinger delivered a spectacular set of all their hits. Well done boys, see you in a year hopefully with a new album!.
Next up were the Beastie Boys. Clearly a crowd favourite these guys initially delivered a visual audio treat but (sadly for many) faded into a ‘bizzaro world’ barber shop quartet mid set. No need to despair with a significant section of the punters distracted I took the opportunity to skate over to see Regurgitator bang out a few tunes. Free of the Channel V ‘bubble’ these guys still have the ability to deliver a tight set based around new and old tunes which could still evoke movement out of the tiring crowd, myself included. Next on the plan was to catch the Chemical Brothers in the boiler room. Unfortunately the larger than expected crowd had filled the boiler room to capacity leaving me with little option but to go home. The up side of this was a less than anticipated Monday fatigue. All things equal the biggest winners of the day were the aussie bands who generally speaking were far and away better (with a few exceptions) than their international counterparts and despite missing a few acts due to conflicting set times my only beef was that Sarah Blasko didn’t make it to Perth! Long live the Big Day Out!
My first priority of the day was to catch The Donnas at 12:15. To my surprise unlike last years BDO when the early bands played to relatively small crowds, the punters had turned out in force, a fact that was not lost on the appreciative Donnas. Their set included most of the current album as well as some old stuff dedicated to some front row groupies. As early as it was the girls delivered a good solid start to a long musical day. Next up on the adjacent stage was Perth band Eskimo Joe who delivered a solid set which even an unplanned out of tune guitar pause could not detract from. How these guys have not become bigger I don’t know but they sound as good if not better live. A short shift back to the Orange Stage saw me as I was about to discover a little too close the mosh action to see Spiderbait. Even though these guys have been around for just over ten years the bulk of younger punters would be most familiar with their cover of ram jam’s ‘Black Betty’. However for the more mature fans, their own song (of the current album) ‘Fuckin Awesome’ best describes these guys. They had the crowd bouncing from start to finish and had one particular older fan reliving his youth.
Due to lack of ‘match fitness’, now was the time for a short food and drinks intermission and a chance to catch some of the other BDO activities including the ‘Crusty Demons’ (best described as lunatics on dirt bikes) doing outrageous aerial manoeuvres. Normally I am not attracted to petrol head antics but these guys have to be admired.
Recharged and ready, it was time to sample the smaller stage action which kicked off with (another Perth band) Little Birdy. Having admired the talents of Katy Steele from afar for some time I was not disappointed with the performance despite the long haul of BDO’s taking its toll on Katy’s voice, which at one point in the set prompted Katy to call for a butter menthol. Sore throat aside Little Birdy did not disappoint with a truly professional gig.
Next up on the adjacent stage was the New York all girl three piece Le Tigre. I had made a point of seeing these ‘guys’ out of pure curiosity after seeing (on Rage) and hearing a few of their tracks on Triple J. I think while I may not fit the stereotypical Le Tigra fan mould, after seeing them live I guess that’s really what they are about, there is nothing stereotypical about the band and looking around me neither are the punters, a very mixed bunch indeed. Technology problems and lack of video accompaniment (seen on the east coast gigs!) aside I was suitably impressed by Le Tigre’s feminist punk electronic sound (sort of Julie Brown meets DEVO) to check out more of their stuff off their latest album. As an aside it was funny when JD Samson (self proclaimed butch lesbian) explained to one punter that she was in fact a woman.
Unfortunately I was unable to stick around to the end of their set as I had to leg it through the crowd back to the main stage in a vain attempt to catch Grinspoon. After a quick peek at Nude Rodeo (with KK Juggy of MGF fame) at the Lillypad I was unfortunately unable to get into the main stage area so I had (unfortunately) to settle for a side view from the drinks area. Not that this diminished the set as the ‘grinners’ had many if not all the punters singing along to their extensive string of catching rock tunes. While I may not have been able to see and hear Phil Jamieson (looking larger than ever) clearly rest assured there were many stand in Phil’s close at hand that could take his place should the need arise.
Following on from Grinspoon was those crazy masked larrikins more widely known as Slipknot. While thousands of dedicated and (in)appropriately dressed fans had turned up for a dose of crazy masked action, Slipknot are NOT exactly my kettle of fish so it was time for another chill out. Fortunately for me, DJ Carl Cox made a surprise visit to the Lillypad, so my time was not as unproductive as first I had thought. Funnily enough Slipknot are not too bad visually when you have Carl Cox drowning out their vocals (if that what you call them?). Unmoved by the prospect of catching System of a Down (again I fail to see the attraction) I stuck around for more Carl Cox. Soon enough though it was time to mix it with the System of a Down fans as I endeavoured to get in close to the main stage for a peek at Powderfinger. These guys like many of the aussie bands before them have been doing it well for many years. However lead singer Bernard Fanning signalled that given this would be their last gig for a year it would be a big one and he was right. Aided by the onset of night and an impressive video backdrop Powderfinger delivered a spectacular set of all their hits. Well done boys, see you in a year hopefully with a new album!.
Next up were the Beastie Boys. Clearly a crowd favourite these guys initially delivered a visual audio treat but (sadly for many) faded into a ‘bizzaro world’ barber shop quartet mid set. No need to despair with a significant section of the punters distracted I took the opportunity to skate over to see Regurgitator bang out a few tunes. Free of the Channel V ‘bubble’ these guys still have the ability to deliver a tight set based around new and old tunes which could still evoke movement out of the tiring crowd, myself included. Next on the plan was to catch the Chemical Brothers in the boiler room. Unfortunately the larger than expected crowd had filled the boiler room to capacity leaving me with little option but to go home. The up side of this was a less than anticipated Monday fatigue. All things equal the biggest winners of the day were the aussie bands who generally speaking were far and away better (with a few exceptions) than their international counterparts and despite missing a few acts due to conflicting set times my only beef was that Sarah Blasko didn’t make it to Perth! Long live the Big Day Out!
posted by lenton at 1:00 pm
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