Perth Music

Wednesday 27th August 2008
Challenge Stadium, Perth
Panic At The Disco
The Academy Is…
Cobra Starship

Due to a bit of an underwhelming response from fans this gig was moved from The Burswood Dome to Challenge Stadium and plenty of people were arriving early to see the great lineup of international bands. Panic At The Disco have only just released their second album, Pretty Odd, but they have been extremely successful and sold in excess of 2 million albums. They brought with them two other American bands that are good touring friends of PATD. The Academy Is… have released three albums of pop/punk tunes while Cobra Starship have developed a huge following on myspace as well as successful touring.

With Challenge Stadium split into multiple sections of sitting and standing areas, the crowd was building nicely as Cobra Starship started playing. It was obvious early on that 80% of the crowd were aged between 15 and 18 but that did not lower the anticipation and excitement of those there. Surprisingly a lot of the crowd knew the words to most of the songs Cobra Starship were singing (probably due to myspace) and even knew the special Cobra Starship gang sign. The band played a tight set but did lack a little in interacting with the crowd successfully. A highlight was William Bennett of The Academy Is… joining the band onstage to co-sing a song.

In between bands, a line of girls formed just near where I was standing as Ben from Big Brother was spotted and everyone wanted to get a photo with him. It definitely reiterated the age group of the crowd there as girls were almost hyperventilating at the sight of a ‘Big Brother celebrity’. The Academy Is… played a great set of songs the crowd could sing and dance along to. To repay the favour Gabe Saporta from Cobra Starship joined the band onstage to sing a couple songs. Plenty of songs from their latest album Fast Times At Barrington High were played but the biggest sing along was to We’ve Got a Big Mess On Our Hands from their second album Santi.

After a long break and a whole redesign of the stage, including a video monitor, Panic At The Disco walked onstage to a thunderous cheer. Looking less vaudeville than they have been famous for in previous tours, PATD had a Beatlesesque look and sound to them. They didn’t completely ignore their past, playing plenty of songs from their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, including a surprisingly almost acoustic version of their smash hit I Write Sins, Not Tragedies. There were lots of singalong moments and lots of finger clicks, hand clapping to songs and even bubbles with crowd favourites Nine In The Afternoon and The Green Gentleman being highlights. A great show by three fantastic young bands.

Saturday 16th August 2008
Amplifier Bar, Perth
Trial Kennedy
Mere Theory
Grim Fandango

It was a cold night in Perth that saw a healthy crowd descend upon The Amplifier Bar to see three exciting bands put on a show that felt more like a local gig than a touring show. Parking next door, the music was pounding and I regretted running late but luckily the line outside was short so it took no time at all to get inside. Local rockers Grim Fandango were on stage as I entered but there was no sound. Everyone was running around looking a little stressed out and a little angry. Just then the band announced that even though it was half way through their set, the guitarist had blown the amp and could not go on. Quite ironic that an amp was blown at The Amplifier.

The crowd gathered closer to the stage as Adelaide’s Mere Theory started playing their no nonsense rock that exploded onto the audience. The bass player had everybody watching him as he violently started swinging his bass around him knocking over speakers, almost hitting lead singer, Chris Mellow, and just looking like he was out of control. Apart from that craziness the band did a great job entertaining all that were there with solid rock music. And it turned out later, after I saw him walking around with a walking stick, that the bass player was blind. Not blind drunk, but actually blind.

The whole place was buzzing as Trial Kennedy jumped on stage and got straight into showing everyone how good their debut album, New Manic Art, is. The band did a good job in trying to get on the local crowd’s good side dedicating three separate songs to three separate local bands, in Calerway (calling them great mates), Gyroscope (calling them the best band in Australia) and Karnivool (calling them cunts, as a joke). The big crowd pleasers were Neighbours, Colour Day Tours, Sunday Warning and The Great Escape. It was a fantastic gig and Trial Kennedy impressed everybody that was there, hopefully there will be many tours by these fellas very, very soon.

Sunday 3rd August 2008
Fly By Nightclub, Fremantle
Birds Of Tokyo
Abbe May & the Rockin Pneumonia
Harlequin League

It was that time of the year when Triple J made the journey over to the West for a special Live @ the Wireless performance by a fantastic group of WA bands. Birds Of Tokyo have just released their sophomore album Universes to a fantastic reception and to get ready for a national tour they played a special afternoon gig to lucky fans. Abbe May is loved by almost all WA music lovers as well as Triple J and she has had a fantastic year playing festivals and her own gigs all over town. Harlequin League are building their reputation as strong up and comers and have their debut EP coming out at the end of this month. All in all it was a great selection of WA bands to represent WA on the national stage.

After a bit of a delay in letting people in to the Fly By Nightclub (due to apparently getting sound check just right for the radio) and a introduction from Triple J’s Rosie Beaton, Harlequin League jumped on stage to a growing audience. Visibly excited about playing a high profile gig the boys were intent on proving their worth. Great guitar work, fantastic energy and even double drumming was a perfect start to the afternoon as more and more audience members crept closer to the stage and started bopping along to the rockin tunes. Itchy Heart and Bones were electric highlights of the set as the band garnered plenty of new fans who must be eager to see how big this new band will get.

A short break was followed by Abbe May and The Rockin Pneumonia arriving on stage to an appreciative applause. As the first song started Abbe started to sing but no sound was coming from the microphone. This continued for about 3 minutes, followed by frantic sound guys trying to figure out what was going on. A few loud screeches of distortion finally ended the song with a disappointed look and a laugh from Abbe. The sound was then finally fixed and the band rocked into their set. Abbe May has one of the best female voices in Australia and she had it on perfect display this afternoon. Some great blues songs filled the newly renovated Fly By Nightclub but a lot of the crowd were young music lovers that might not have had the patience to enjoy it. As Abbe May and The Rockin Pneumonia walked off stage the electricity in the room lifted as the band all were there to see were up next.

Rosie Beaton was on stage again to introduce the band of the moment and get the radio guys ready to press record. Ian Kenny and band walked on stage with confidence but mentioned that they “had never done anything like this before where a show was recorded live and they were shitting themselves”. Starting off with crowd favourite Broken Bones, the Birds Of Tokyo were intent on making this a show to remember. Plenty of songs were played from the new album Universes as well as a good sample of songs from Day One with the crowd singing along to most songs. Getting ready for a huge national tour it was obvious the Birds Of Tokyo were in perfect form, from the thunderous drumming, the magic guitar and bass combos and Ian Kenny’s powerful vocals. When this recording does come out on Triple J make sure you catch it.

Tuesday 10th June 2008
Amplifier Bar, Perth
The Thrills
Sparkadia

Irish rockers The Thrills returned to Australia once more and proved that WA is their favourite state in Oz. Three out of their six Australian dates were in WA, one in Perth, one in Fremantle and one in Margaret River. A great crowd turned out for a school night and with tickets going for 2 for the price of 1 it was little wonder. Triple J favourites, Sparkadia were lucky enough to be chosen for the support act and there were plenty of fans arriving early eagerly anticipating the Sydney alt-rockers.

Sparkadia got on stage very early and without any fuss got straight into playing. The band seamed somewhat nervous at the start of their set and lead vocalist Alex Burnett explained that a four hour delayed flight was the reason behind his messy, Robert Smith-esque hairstyle. After a few songs the band’s nerves had calmed and the crowd were getting a feel for the music. Sparkadia’s debut album Postcards had just been released two weeks previously and their were as many fans in the crowd singing along to the songs as their were fans curious as to how the Sydneysiders would sound live. Too Much To Do was the crowd favourite and as they finished Burnett advised “We won’t bite so if you see us at the bar come and say hello”.

After a short intermission The Thrills blasted into their fun and happy indie-Irish songs. A large Irish contingent of fans filled the back of The Amplifier and were as loud as the diehard fans at the front. It was obvious the band has toured extensively as lead vocalist Conor Deasy was able to interact with the crowd with ease, getting them involved while singing and talking in between songs. A great sight during the seen was guitarists Daniel Ryan and Padraic McMahon swapping bass and guitar song after song playing both instruments seamlessly. A few songs were played from their newest album Teenager but the band played plenty from previous albums to keep older fans as happy as new ones.

The band then invited touring buddies and Perth greats The Sleepy Jackson on stage to a huge applause from the audience. Luke Steele inducted The Thrills into the Amplifier Hall Of Fame by getting the crowd to sing in key with help from some nifty guitar work. The two bands then sang and played together the Sleepy’s hit Morning Rain followed by The Thrills song One Horse Town. It was truly a special moment and the respect each band had for each other was as obvious as the amount of fun they were having on stage.  After going off stage, The Thrills returned to play crowd favourite What Ever Happened To Corey Haim leaving the crowd buzzing at the end of the night.

The beautiful surroundings of the Somerville Auditorium in UWA was again host to the best local band music festival around, In The Pines. Although the weather was kind of gloomy and their had been rain the few days before today, the Somerville grounds were only slightly muddy and plenty of fans had brought their picnic rugs, blankets and pillows. 20 bands were playing today so it was a long, fun-filled day for those that arrived early but there were many people trickling through the gates all afternoon.

The first band I got to see were dirty rockers The Homicides and there were plenty of hardcore punks up the front giving as much shit to the band as the band was giving to the crowd. The music was loud, it was fast and it seemed that it was more of an attitude that fans appreciated than the lyrics or melody. Sure there were bottles of water and sticks thrown on stage and at the band but it all seemed that it made the show more interesting than just an average band playing average songs.

Up next on the second stage were indie rockers Kill Teen Angst and the mood of the grounds did a complete 360. It was like a polar opposite punk show to The Homicides. Instead of the angry, Sex Pistols style punk it was an almost emo, modern style punk show that concentrated on the music. The songs were played with talented precision - guitar, bass, drums and vocals were all outstandingly played to perfection and the crowd would not have even thought about throwing anything on stage during the set.

Another change in musical style saw The Tigers up next playing their avant/rock grooves that the band have been playing around Perth for many, many years. Their songs are more atmospheric than anything else and keyboard mixes beautifully with haunting guitars and great drums. With some tunes lasting 6-7 minutes and their set only allowed to be 30 minutes, there were only a few songs played but it probably worked out well that way as it was easy to lose interest after a little while. But The Tigers are an institution of the local scene and it was great to see them live again.

Felicity Groom and The Black, Black Smoke looked like they were still ecstatic from their four WAMi nominations earlier this year and the crowd felt that happiness ooze from the stage. Alternative country music has been a popular style with bands in Perth of late and this band was on top of it’s game today. It was a set that not only the people up front could enjoy but those that had gone to the trouble of bringing their picnic blankets could lay back and enjoy the music. Vanessa from Jebediah also got a bit of a warm up for later playing bass for The Black, Black Smoke.

Another member of Jebediah was up next with frontman Kevin Mitchell completing his set as Bob Evans. Looking very relaxed, Bob played songs from his two albums albums on his acoustic guitar, harmonica with a friend on accordion. It was great to hear the ARIA Award winner playing his contemporary style music and the crowd definitely got a lot bigger while he was playing. Don’t You Think It’s Time and Nowhere Without You were huge favourites with the crowd singing along and waving their arms in the air.

After the Noongar ‘Welcome To Country’ and Djiva as well as some food, New Rules For Boats were up next on the first stage. Brother and sister duo Sean and Miranda Pollard shared vocal duties for the rock/pop set as the sun was setting and the atmosphere was getting exciting. There were a few in the crowd that looked like they had been drinking all afternoon and it was starting to take it’s toll but the music was infectious enough to get everybody grooving.

Adam Said Galore are another local band that have been around for years and years and as proof of the years of hard work their live show is perfection. Skillfully playing a wide range of music from their past albums, Adam Said Galore were a crowd favourite for the day and even with a bit of sound trouble, they made it look and sound great. The set was very interesting in that it started off with soft, gentle type songs but by the end it was rocking out with the speakers almost exploding with sound. For a band that have been around since 1994 it was great to see them live once more.

Capital City have built a reputation as one of Perth’s best live bands going around and after this evening’s set they had proven that reputation true. The songs were great, the attitude was fantastic and the band must have made plenty of the crowd proud that they were from Perth. Another band that are one of the best live, local bands going around is The Bank Holidays and they were up next on the second stage. With a small string section helping them out for a few songs, they sounded great and with a cover of The Beatles Helter Skelter as a finisher they had earned a huge applause from the crowd.

Headliners Jebediah were up last and even with a short set they proved they still had it after the extended break over the last year or two. Starting with oldie Monument, the crowd sung along and I am pretty sure I saw at least one girl crying in happiness. New song Comet was played next and sounded fantastic, followed by Fall Down and No Sleep. Another new song, To Your Door, was played and then Kevin Mitchell announced that “this song was written when they were very young and smoked too much pot” before Jerks Of Attention exploded onto the crowd. Final song Star Machine is always a great set finisher and as the band walked off and the crowd screamed for an encore, it was announced that the local council did not allow for music after 10pm which it was now. Jebediah showed they are worthy of the top notch on any local gig and gave just a sneak peak at their new album which should rock just as much as their previous albums.

Saturday 19th April, 2008
The Paddington Ale House, Mt Hawthorn
Gyroscope
Calerway
Escapes Me

A special private party presented by EatingWA saw three fantastic Perth bands playing at the Paddington Ale House and a great crowd were present and eager for some rocking tunes. For a gig that was private and not advertised very much, there was a tremendous turn out and fans took advantage of a rare opportunity to see the local rockers in a low key environment. Cheap beer, wine and spirits also helped create a joyous mood and, even though it was an early start at 3pm, everybody looked to have a great afternoon.

Most people in the crowd would not have heard of Escapes Me before this afternoon and the boys in the bands took the gig in their stride. After a song or two warming up Escapes Me got into a rhythm and cranked out some old school punk that got the crowd pumped up. Sounding like early Blink 182, the young band did very well in stepping up to the challenge of opening for a couple of seasoned local bands. Escapes Me definitely have a bright future ahead of them and I hope they get the opportunity to perfect their live show with more opportunities like today.

Next up on the bill were a band that has a very full couple of months coming up. Calerway took the rock baton from Escapes Me and showed a confidence that not every young band has early in their careers. With a bunch of launch shows coming up with the release of their debut album, Calerway look set to explode on the live scene. The drumming was fierce and the vocals demanded attention as all eyes in the room focussed on the stage. If you haven’t seen Calerway live before, make sure you catch one of their album launches next month.

The crowd was only allowed a short break before the explosion of Weapon Enemy Friend blasted from the stage as Gyroscope ripped into their set. The local lads were obviously still extremely happy about their third album, Breed Obsession, debuting at number 1 on the ARIA charts and played plenty of songs from it. Hits from previous albums were also played and the crowd loved every minute of it even when singer Dan Sanders jumped into the mosh pit mid song and kept singing and playing guitar. The AFL song of the moment, Snakeskin, was a huge favourite for the crowd along with Doctor, Doctor, 1981 and Safe Forever. Gyroscope have gone from strength to strength over the past few years and watching them live just proves that they are one of the best Perth bands around.

For more info on EatingWA visit www.eatingwa.com.au
For more info on Gyroscope visit www.gyroscope.com.au
For more info on Calerway visit www.myspace.com/calerway

It was the final major music festival of the summer but plenty of music fans young and old made it down to The Esplanade to attend the first V Festival to be held in Perth. With the fairly clear sky, you could hardly tell that there had been a deluge of rain that had fallen in the previous two days in Perth but there was still some mud pools around. The crowd wasn’t as packed as the previous festivals this year but that just made it more enjoyable for the faithful. There was also a noticeable age spectrum in attendance with the younger fans eager to see the newer bands and the older fans eager to see some of the 80’s and early 90’s bands playing.

On arrival it was great to see a large, happy crowd getting ready to see indie/electro act Cut Copy on one of the two main stages. As soon as they started playing, girls started dancing and the band seemed just as happy, smiling and waving to the first few rows. Given that Cut Copy’s second album, In Ghost Colours, debuted at number one on the ARIA charts just the week before V, they had every reason to be on top of the world. Radio friendly hits Hearts On Fire, Lights And Music and So Haunted were definite crowd favourites.

The next band up was The Jesus & Mary Chain which saw a shift in crowd demographic and considering they formed 24 years ago it was no surprise. There was a buzz of excitement for the band that just reunited last year after a 9 year break but the excitement didn’t last too long. It was great to see the band that made distorted indie music popular but unlike the late 80’s it isn’t as unique as it once was. After a couple songs the indie tunes all started to sound the same which was great for diehard fans but for newer ones the intrigue was quickly lost.

Alternative darlings Modest Mouse were up next and a blistering set exploded onto the Perth foreshore. The crowd looked like it almost doubled in size as the Washington based band played a great set of older songs as well as a bunch from their 2007 release We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. As soon as the band played Float On the crowd were in total reckless abandon and it was great to see. Frontman Isaac Brock gets almost as crazy as the crowd and it started to look like there was a competition for who was more wild. For me, Modest Mouse were the first band of the day to be in rock festival mood and pull it off perfectly.

Just like Spinal Tap were the first band to turn their speakers up to 11, Queens Of The Stone Age definitely turned it up a notch in Perth. It was dirty rock at its best and Josh Homme owned the crowd as the band played hits such as 3’s and 7’s, Little Sister, Go With The Flow, a fantastic and rocking version of No One Knows as well as the drug filled Feel Good Hit Of The Summer that had a cameo of Amy Winehouse’s Rehab in the middle.

It was then time to go back to the 80’s when Duran Duran came on stage to play to the very enthusiastic crowd. Formed 30 years ago, Duran Duran didn’t look tired or rundown or even stressed out as many older bands usually do and singer Simon Le Bon seemed a happy man. Even if some of the younger members of the crowd didn’t know the band, they definitely knew the songs. Girls On Film, Ordinary World, Planet Earth, Rio, Notorious were all played and loved by the crowd and when Le Bon asked “Are you hungry Perth?” and played Hungry Like The Wolf there was a frenzy of dancing.

Brazilian electo/pop girl band CSS had a packed crowd on one of the smaller stages half way through Duran Duran’s set and there was a lot of joy int he room. With a bunch of helium balloons placed around the stage, the set looked more like a party than a festival act. There was dancing, there was hand claps, there was synchronized arm movements and there was sexy and fantastic songs played.

The Smashing Pumpkins were the main headlining act of the day and as soon as Billy Corgan walked on stage, the crowd erupted. It was great to see Corgan smiling at the crowd and the whole band looked like they were enjoying themselves (even without founding members James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky). Opening with 90’s hit Tonight, Tonight, the entire front 20 rows turned into a mosh pit of movement. Next up was the first single from the Pumpkins Zeitgeist album Tarantula, followed by Mayonnaise, Porcelina, Cash Car Star, Crush, Today (dedicated to all the DJ’s of dance music who Corgan “Fucking hates”), a solo, acoustic version of 1979, a few more newies in That’s The Way, Set The Controls and United States. There was also a rocking cover of Britney Spears’ Piece Of Me that most of the crowd didn’t recognize until half way through and the sky also lit up with fireworks thanks to a wedding in King’s Park. An encore of The Everlasting Gaze and a blistering version of Bullet With Butterfly Wings finished a set that left fans very satisfied and proved why The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the greatest rock bands in the last 20 years.

Click on photos for bigger versions.

It was day 2 of The West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots Festival and just like day 1 the weather was perfect for a day of outdoor fun. A bit of cloud cover threatened rain for most of the day but it also kept temperatures down to allow fans to enjoy another great day of music. The Esplanade Reserve was so clean that you could not tell a musical festival had occurred there just hours earlier, but given the environmental theme of Blues ‘N’ Roots you would expect nothing less.

An early start was good and bad for Abbe May & The Rockin’ Pneumonia as they started to play on The Big Top Stage. The bad was that there were only a handful of people watching the local band when they played their first song, the good was that the crowd grew and grew and grew and the Big Top area was not the sauna that it would turn into later in the day. A group of 4 or 5 girls decided to get into the mood of the day early and danced around the front of the stage as if they were at Woodstock and it was quite a sight. Abbe May is Perth’s best front woman and the band played a set full of rock and folk music that will see them much higher on the bill in the very near future.

The Audreys have had a pretty meteoric rise in the past 2 years and as they started playing on The Crossroads Stage crowds still entering the reserve stopped to watch as much as die hard fans were pushing to the front barrier. A band that all wear formal dress and consist of a various band members playing the violin, melodica, banjo, double-bass and ukelele would usually come across as gimmicky but The Audreys pull it off with professionalism and a lot of musical talent. Guitarist, Tristan Goodall even managed to change guitars mid-song to a huge cheer from the audience as he only just got the second guitar tuned in time for the chorus.

Next up on The Harbour Stage were The Beautiful Girls and they had a very healthy crowd eager for them to play their radio friendly tunes. Not having ever seen them live before, I’ve always thought of The Beautiful Girls as a rocking/roots based live band but what I saw at the start of their set was quite different. Acoustically sounding almost exactly like Jack Johnson, the band played the perfect chill out start to their set before turning up the volume and rocking out to the excited crowd. Triple J favourites Under A Southern Sky and In Love were clear highlights of their set as the clouds cleared and the Fremantle sun shone down on the dancing crowd.

Kasey Chambers walked on to The Harbour Stage as happy as could be and that joy was also obvious in the songs that she played. It was certainly a family affair for Chambers as she explained that her father was on her right playing guitar, her husband Shane Nicholson was playing guitar on her left and her brother was doing the sound mix. With a new album due out next month Chambers played a few new songs but also delighted the crowd with a whole bunch of hits from her previous three albums.

Playing at the same time on The Big Top Stage was Cat Power who had the same sound issues on that stage that many others had the day before. After a small delay she was ready to get the crowd pumping as she played a set full of hits. Wearing one glove and constantly grabbing her crotch, Cat Power could have been mistaken for a white, female Michael Jackson and with a strut in her step as she sang, she could have also been mistaken for a female Mick Jagger. Not many artists could have pulled this off without looking ridiculous but with her husky voice and sexy looks Cat Power pleased everybody present.

Back in their home town, it was time for Eskimo Joe to take The Harbour Stage by storm. Just as John Butler had done the year before, the Eskimo boys announced how good it was to be playing in their home of Fremantle and that this would be their last show before they start writing and recording their next album. The set started out like a normal Eskimo Joe gig with guitars, bass and drums turned up loud but then had a 6 piece string section join them half way through for some acoustic tunes and then rocking again along with the string section. A range of songs were played including From The Sea, London Bombs, Life Is Better With You (which turned into Crowded House’s Weather With You), New York, Forever Young, Sarah and Black Fingernails, Red Wine.

The highlight for almost everybody in attendance and the real headliner of the festival was former Creedance Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty. Legal disputes had prevented Fogerty from playing CCR songs for a long time but luckily this was resolved a couple of years ago and the Blues ‘N’ Roots crowd were allowed to witness a true legend of music at his best. Even at 62 Fogerty is a fantastic musician as well as a fantastic showman. Tales were told about playing at Woodstock, jokes were made with the crowd and of course great music was played. Legendary hits such as Bad Moon Rising, Rollin On The River, Lookin’ Out My Backdoor, Down On The Corner (with great appreciation by the 5 girls behind me who started singing it in between every single song), and Proud Mary were all played and the cheers from the crowd was deafening. With that the ultimate two day music festival was over for another year and as the crowd walked out most would have been thinking already about attending again in 2009.

More photos can be found here thanks to Noodlez

The gods were smiling upon The Esplanade Reserve in Fremantle for day 1 of The West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots Festival as the weather was perfect and the atmosphere was as friendly as ever. The crowds may have been a little down compared to last year but this just meant it was easier for the 20,000 fans that did attend to wander from stage to stage and catch more of the world class artists that were playing. With 26 bands and artists playing on day 1 and 24 playing on day 2, there was something to see for everyone and then there were the market stalls, food stalls, music stores, micro brewery, silent auction and chill out areas all in an eco-friendly environment. This festival has set the standard for perfectly organised music events for a long time and this year was no different.

Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set were the first band I got to see in the Big Top Stage and even with a smaller crowd Clare was excited to be playing and fun to watch. With her husband/producer on hand to help out with songs from her last two albums and previous EP’s, the music was full of joy and happiness. This came across to the crowd and it wasn’t long before the crowd was dancing and bopping along to You Look So Good, Peccadilloes, Your Other Hand, Orange (which Clare explained is a song about finding clarity…..in a Corona factory in Mexico) and When The Lights Went Down.

Next up on the Big Top Stage was Sydney singer/songwriter Lior who has just released his second album Corner Of An Endless Road and surprisingly rocked out compared to the softer sounds of his debut album. There were some initial sound issues and this was a precursor to a lot of sound issues that occurred over the whole weekend in the Big Top Stage but Lior soldiered on like a true professional. Crowd favourites were Autumn Flow, Daniel and This Old Love but the highlight was definitely the power that could be heard in Lior’s voice throughout his set.

The crowds for Angus & Julia Stone have been getting bigger and bigger over the past year, mainly from word-of-mouth and even as they started to play on The Harbour Stage I could hear people in the crowd talking about their friend that told them that they HAD to see Angus & Julia Stone today. And they didn’t disappoint. With a slight breeze cooling the crowd, Julia Stone danced around on stage looking beautiful and Angus Stone sang with his highly distinctive voice. The Beast, Wasted, Just A Boy, Paper Aeroplane and A Book Like This were all played to the appreciative crowd as plenty of new fans were gained on this day.

Even though this was a blues and roots festival it was definitely time for some good ol’ Aussie rock ‘n’ roll as The Cruel Sea started to play next up on The Harbour Stage. Tex Perkins was looking like all of the touring he has done recently with Tim Rogers has turned the two Aussie rockers into the same person and the crowd was loving it. There were some sound issues early but as soon as Better Get A Lawyer started to get played they were ignored.

One of the real draw cards and legends of folk rock was on next on The Big Top Stage and that man was Don McLean. It was pretty obvious that most of the large crowd only wanted to hear one song and the heat inside the Big Top Stage was not helping. Looking older and not in the best shape, McLean struggled through most of his set but the crowd would forgive him as long as he played American Pie. Even though American Pie was released 37 years ago and even after the terrible cover that Madonna released, the song is still an all time favourite song for millions around the world and the crowd here today were a mixture of the old, the young, the professional and the hippy. With the crowd encouraged to sing the chorus a few times alone, the song went for 10 to 15 minutes and everybody loved it.

Out on The Crossroads Stage, 21 year old, Canadian based Hayley Sales played to a fairly small crowd that grew larger and larger as her set went on. Looking a bit like Norah Jones but playing the acoustic guitar instead of a piano, Sales impressed the crowd in attendance with her soulful, folk based tunes. A huge fan of Sales is Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and considering the beautiful and poetic nature of her lyrics it is easy to see why. It was a shame that her set was squeezed between Don McLean’s and KT Tunstall’s as she deserved a much bigger audience as she played tunes from her two albums.

Wearing a sparkling, silver dress, Scottish singer KT Tunstall was up on The Harbour Stage to a crowd that were mostly still buzzing from hearing American Pie live. KT is probably more famous overseas than in Australia and the only song of hers (Suddenly I See) that has charted in Australia was the clear crowd favourite. I didn’t really get to see much of KT’s set as it was that time of the day to get some (quite expensive) food.

The Harbour Stage was then host to multi-instrumentalist and a true blues and roots artist: Xavier Rudd. Playing guitar and the didgeridoo together perfectly, Rudd played hits such as Shelter, Messages and Let Me Be and arranged close to ten tribal aboriginal dancers come on stage to dance and physically show what he was playing. Earlier in the day Rudd had told me an ancient native American story about the hummingbird and the edge of the Earth and watching him on stage it was obvious that he is passionate about his beliefs and everything he sings about. Rudd is a true musical talent and artist and was the perfect example of the blues and roots festivities on today.

Former lead singer of Manchester’s The Stone Roses, Ian Brown was up next on The Big Top Stage. Never known as one of the world’s best singers, Brown still entertained the sweltering crowd with his rock and roll demeanor on stage and true rockstar attitude. Brown has released five solo albums since The Stone Roses called it quits but knowing the popularity of the band he still played quite a few of their hits. There were huge sound problems at the start of the set and Brown ended up starting about 15 minutes late. After a technician apologized to crowd for the delay Brown grabbed the mic and announced that he wasn’t sorry and that it wasn’t good enough. Looking and acting very Liam Gallagher-like, Brown was everything the crowd expected in an English rocker and more.

Sinead O’Connor was another artist that had her fair share of sound problems on the day but The Harbour Stage still had a huge crowd gathered in front of it. And even though she looked a bit like a pregnant nun that had just gone through chemotherapy, O’Connor put on a fairly decent set full of her hits with Nothing Compares To You one of the biggest crowd pleasers of the day. The sound problems were pretty constant throughout O’Conner’s set but wasn’t too noticeable after the first few songs.

Setup strangely on the smallest stage in the reserve, ex-Tea Party front man, Jeff Martin played, I believe, the best set of the day. Martin was layed back playing an acoustic set with only himself and a drummer and covered songs from his solo album as well as a bunch of Tea Party hits. Even though it was acoustic there were many moments that Martin put so much energy into the song that the rock/soul level was pushed up a notch. Interesting to note was that Martin mentioned that his wife is from Perth and that their son was also born in Perth so he feels almost at home here. Martin also mentioned that the 60 minutes he had to perform at Blues N Root was not nearly enough for people to really enjoy his music and that he would be performing a near 3 hour set at the Fly By Night Club this coming Sunday. Even with only the 60 minutes Martin put on a truely awesome set and the fans that caught it were completely satisfied.

Another ex-front man of a legendary band was on next on The Harbour Stage. Former Kinks man Ray Davies was ready to play a set full off hits that covered 40 years of rock and roll. Just like Don McLean, Davies looked much older than most fans would remember or even expect but the sound he created was just as good as ever. The biggest hit was of course Lola but he also played a slew of Kinks songs that had the young and the old singing and dancing in front of the stage. All in all, day 1 was a complete success and fans were either going home happy from what they had seen or going home to get some sleep before heading back for day 2.

More photos can be found here thanks to Noodlez

Saturday 8th March, 2008
The Paddington Ale House, Mt Hawthorn
Thirsty Merc
Angelas Dish

A small venue was the setting for two touring bands tonight and both Thirsty Merc and Angelas Dish have done plenty of touring in their distinguished careers. It was a sold out show and inside The Paddo the crowd were pushing themselves forward all night. Angelas Dish were up first and the boys from Gosford, NSW looked surprisingly fresh considering this was their last stop supporting Thirst Merc (although they are still on tour promoting their album War On Time until mid May). Their new album was officially released tonight which was another reason the boys were so happy and considering the line at the merch stand, they had every reason to be. Their punk/rock influences showed in their set and tours with the likes of Gyroscope, After The Fall and Behind Crimson Eyes have been very beneficial on their live show.

Next up on stage were Thirsty Merc and the mainly female crowd were set for the catchy pop tunes that have made the band very popular over the last 4 years. Emancipate Myself, In The Summertime, My Completeness, Someday, Someday were all played and all sung along to at full volume by the room full of fans. The biggest crowd pleaser of the night was recent single 20 Good Reasons which, by the amount of airing it had on TV ads and shows, isn’t that surprising. The sing alongs by the crowd got louder and louder but it couldn’t drown out the P.A system that wasn’t up to the sounds of the night and became slightly distorted.

Both bands put on a great show and were only too happy to sign merchandise and CD’s afterwards. The crowd were very appreciative and were extremely pleased what they had witnessed tonight. For those that missed it, Angelas Dish will back playing at The Prince Of Wales, Bunbury on April 10th, Mojo’s, Fremantle on April 11th and The Rosemount Hotel on April 12th. Thirsty Merc will be back supporting Matchbox 20 at The Burswood Dome on April 15th.

Thanks to Noodlez for the photos.