Perth Music

Monday 2nd March 2009
Steel blue Oval, Bassendean
Review by Luke Butcher

The third instalment of Soundwave was threatening to be overcast and windy by the time the gates were first opened and punters flooded in to catch the early bands. First up on Stage 2 was local boys Elora Danan, who played a strong set of new material from their forthcoming album due out this weekend, definitely worth checking out. The six piece got the crowd warmed up with their (three) layered guitars and powerful dual vocals. Despite playing only Parallel Universe from the breakout EP of last year, the crowd were obviously digging it, a perfect representation on the talent coming out of Perth’s heavier scene at the moment.

Over on Stage 3 a huge crowd had swelled to see Floridian kings of pop-punk New Found Glory. Despite their early time slot the crowd, made up mainly of long time fans of the Drive Thru Records days, witnessed an awesome set that showed why NFG are still producing quality records some 15 years into their career. Opening with the first tracks from their two biggest records Catalyst and Sticks and Stones, NFG brought the energy and the hooks; the crowd was clearly loving it. Playing a set full of classics and tracks from their two newest EP’s and just released album, the five piece engaged the crowd and were completely humble whilst delivering a killer set that reminded us all why we fell in love with them in the first place. After front man Jordan Pundik claimed their drummer was born in Perth, which they later admitted was a lie, NFG showed their experience playing Dawson’s Creek hit Kiss Me, from their 2007 covers EP From the Screen to Your Stereo 2, and fan favourite Hit or Miss. After sincerely thanking the crowd and announcing they will be back later in the year (shit yeh) the lads sent the crowd into climax with closer My Friends Over You. Awesome.

After a brief look at the disappointingly metal All That Remains, up next on Stage 3 was cult power pop band Saves The Day. Bringing a strong indi vibe to the smallish crowd, fans were delivered a well rounded set which showcased the emotion and heart these guys put into their music. With a bit of bounce and plenty of sing a longs, the growing crowd were not left disappointed. With at times a strong Jebediah feel, the band definitely pleased a lot of fans and showed why to certain people this band are almost a way of life.

After what was definitely the most entertaining soundcheck of the day, Jaguar Love busted into their dancey indi punk. The day was finally starting to heat up and so where these guys, JL introduced a great dance vibe to newly introduced Stage 6, enabling a few punters to throw some limbs around, however the use of backing tracks to replace the absent rhythm section was a little strange. Nonetheless the two piece with their flamboyant frontman, who’s been described as Robert Plant on crack (or my favourite, Perry Farrel after a sex change), did win over the crowd with their driving guitar rhythms and equally crazy keyboard lines and vocals. A breath of fresh air.

Speaking of air, the wind had been threatening to play havoc with the mixes all day and just may have achieved that on at Main Stage 2. When the lone figure of drummer (and clean vocalist) Aaron Gillespie appeared, you new it was the moment many fans (and teenage girls) had been waiting for. After a brief drum solo, Underoath exploded onto the stage for only their second time in Perth, and injected a huge shot of energy into what was so far the biggest crowd of the day. The bands bag was full of metalcore tricks, with breakdowns galore and punishing guitars and vocals. With the obligatory, but not preachy Christian speech, the band lost some punters, however at one stage a 20 metre circle pit broke out, an obvious tick of approval from the diehards. The band have something Intangible, something more than the majority of metalcore or even post- hardcore bands out today. The use of programming and keyboards as well as non-generic drumming create a strong sense of melody that most bands in their scene lack. Despite a poor mix, Underoath killed it.

Directly (like 5 seconds) after the guitars on Stage 2 had rung out Soundwave got shaken up, leaving punters running. Running to Main Stage 1 where Florida alt-rockers Anberlin exploded with the biggest sound of the day. The anticipation surrounding this band after anyone who witnessed their Perth show last year was obvious with a huge crowd of young and old making their way over. Giving this reviewer the first set of shivers for the day, the loud as hell Anblerlin went through tracks mainly from their 2007 masterpiece Cities and 2008 release New Surrender. The band could do no wrong. Sounding huge, tight and unexplainably beautiful the five piece won over the uninitiated and reinforced to existing fans why they have such a diehard following. Claiming they love Australia (Anberlin regularly tour oz) so much they wrote a song about it, Adelaide kicked the energy up to another level. Despite including elements from many genres, the band kept fans completely engaged. The ironically named Stephen Christian was on fire, taking vocals further than their studio placing and interacting perfectly with the crowd. The intoxicating rhythm and perfect progression of Dismantle. Repair. set off another set of shivers and the band ended with a bang leaving the biggest crowd of the day gobsmacked, also announcing they will be back later in the year. Alliteration aside, Anberlin are absolutely Amazing!!

Over on the intimate, shade covered Stage 5, a moderate crowd got to get their dance on to disco-punk rockers Innerpartysystem. The band sound fresh, managing to capture their studio sound live and introduce a strong element of fun into their rock soundings. Using Synthesisers, Samples, Vocal Effects and Programming, the band keep audiences guessing at what was going to happen next, but maintain attention with some heavy dance beats and guitar lines. Imagine a not shit version of Metro Station.

On Main Stage 1 a different looking crowd was starting to form. Made up of metal heads, scene kids and a “whos who” of local bands of the more technical variety. Waiting for the band to arrive, the air felt different, while those who new what was about to happen, patiently waited. Math Metal gods the Dillinger Escape Plan burst out and immediately got their crazy on. To describe this band is impossible, the level of technicality at which they play as well as the speed at which they play it is ridiculous, all whilst jumping on, around and off the stage more than all of the bands combined had done thus far. It was a set of Guitar Spins and Broken Strings, completely Spasmodic and Virtuoso, literally unbelievable. The introduction of new touring drummer Bill Rymer, did not slow things down a bit. How anyone can write this drumming with its ridiculous time signatures, completely atypical structuring and percussion, blast beats, non stop at (what seemed like) a million beats per minute, amazes me. To have to come in and learn this and tour the world whilst still making it look easy and fit in as many stick spins as he does defies me. The talent clearly doesn’t stop with him, with insane guitar lines delivered by guitar god’s Ben Weinman and Jeff Tuttle effortlessly on stage, on the drum kit, on the amp stacks, on the foldback monitors, mid air, mid spin and on the walls. (somehow justifies Weinman wearing knee pads under his jeans) The intricate bass delivered almost upright by Liam Wilson possess clear jazz influences, placing the guitarist levels above modern day metal bassists. The insane energy is capped of by the intimidatingly biceped frontman Greg Puciato. The man is massive; with an obvious appetite for steroids he controls the stage and leads the music with aggression and passion, somehow staying connected with the carnage going on in the music, without coming of arrogant or disinterested. The introduction of falsetto vocals with single black bubblegum showed the band have a keen ear for a hook, whilst the 5 piece seemed humbled to play to the completely blown away audience and came across as professionals at the top of their game. Absolutely Insane. Clearly leagues above some of the more generic metal bands on the bill, and possibly the best band in the world. No word of a lie, this reviewers mind hurt after watching and listening to their set.

Pity was felt for whoever followed Dillinger. Unlucky Bloodhound Gang. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but appeared to please those interested in them. Even overheard one punter describing how the guitarist vomited in the singer’s hat and then put it on his head. Pretty much sums them up.

With a short break and checking out a surprisingly awesome set from Chiodis, it was time for Los Angeles indi pop punkers Say Anything. Fronted by musical genius and struggling bi-polar Max Beamis. The band faced a long and arduous soundcheck. Playing a six piece live, the equipment on Stage 5 was failing and as a result Say Anything lost twenty minutes from their set. To properly receive the deeply personally music, one must understand where Beamis’ is coming from. His songs detail struggles with addictions, depression, intense happiness, insanity, religion, hopefulness and anger and are littered with unconventional metaphors. Lyrically Beamis is a genius and playing live he guides the ship with the microphone. (Say Anything write as a 3 piece with Beamis heading lyrics, guitars, vocals and keyboards, playing live as a 6 piece) However the poor mix for the first half of the set hindered Beamis ability to properly deliver his stories. However the band took care of keeping the intimate crowd engaged with many fans sing along to every word. The majority of the set was filled with songs off their first two albums; only lead single Shiksa being played off the bands latest release, the challenging but incredible 27 track double album In Defence Of The Genre. Say Anything delivered a strong set that fans new and old loved, also announcing they will be coming back later in the year.

As the sun set on Soundwave, the night had only just begun. On Stage 4, Virginian metallers Lamb Of God bought the brutality. Anticipation was huge for the band, with the strongest contingent of band shirts at the whole festival; they definitely had some fans about. A couple of punters even battled security guards and climbed the marquee over the sound desk just to get a picture as the band entered the stage. LOG were everything expected, heavy, dark, brutal and technically impressive, especially for a band with a combined age that must be over 200. Appearing mainly as long haired silhouettes in the smoke and lights, the band delivered redneck metal that a huge number of fans (even spilling over the hill of the ground) clearly lapped up.

On Main Stage 2 the headliners of the night industrial rock monsters Nine Inch Nails took the stage for what is rumoured to be their final string of shows as the band dissect after 20 years of making quality music. As a follower of the band but by no means a fan, I was completely blown away. The scope of the show, as well as the at times beauty, heaviness and groove was remarkable. The amount of gadgets musical mastermind Trent Reznor and band used was startling, but it never became over absorbent. With a truly electronic approach the band managed to capture multiple moods and keep the hugest crowd of the day waiting on every move. With hundreds of thousands of dollars of gear on display the band travelled through multiple sound scapes and delivered a truly superb set that showed why they are one of the biggest and hardest working bands on the planet. The band had a level of prestige and mystery that only the best have and managed to keep an audience of thousands eating out of their hands.

Leaving towards the end of NIN’s mammoth set to check out reggae rock soul band Bedouin Soundclash was an action not regreted. The 3 piece from Canada fit with a trumpeter and trombonist, bought the god vibes and the dance groove. Playing on Stage 5 with the lights twinkling amongst the trees to an intimate crowd was an experience only a handful were lucky to experience. The chilled out tunes and magic in the air made for some awesome moments that allowed punters to dance out their last remaining stocks of energy. Finishing with anthem Nothing To Say and inviting all those watching side of stage to join them, BS bought the party and allowed all those present to reflect on what was a magical day.

An amazing festival that was extremely well run with huge international bands that each delivered; the only way to sum up Soundwave 09. Strolling past NIN finishing up with 10 musicians on stage playing and then proceeding to destroy all their instruments was simply icing on the cake. Sorry for those who missed.

Photos from the day can be found here (thanks to Noodlez)

Over the Australian Day long weekend, Western Australia’s biggest and brightest upcoming indigenous bands performed at the Ngalang Koolark Festival at Supreme Court Gardens, battling it out to be selected as the opening act on the Roots Stage at the 2009 Good Vibrations Festival.

After facing some tough competition, two local groups ‘Bryte MC’ and ‘Obstruckt’ are now on the Good Vibrations bill alongside music heavyweights like Fatboy Slim, The Presets, Q‐Tip, The Pharcyde, Sam Sparro, Roni Size Reprazent, and many more!

Bryte MC aka Brian Lloyd, is an indigenous hip‐hop artist hailing from Brisbane who now calls WA home. Wanting to stay away from the commercial Hip Hop sound, Bryte MC performs to keep true hip hop culture alive.

Obstruckt have been entertaining and amazing local crowds with their unique sound and energetic performances. With the Good Vibrations Festival being one of the biggest gigs of the year, punters are sure to be impressed by this local group.

Good Vibrations Festival has already sold out in Sydney and tickets are selling fast in Perth so make sure you don’t miss out on THE festival of ‘09.

Tickets on sale NOW (Ticket price: $129.00 + BF): www.gvf.com.au or www.moshtix.com.au

The West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival will again deliver the finest collection of blues, roots, soul, rock, R&B, country and world acts from across the globe on Saturday, April 18.

And joining the festivities down amongst the pines on the beautiful Fremantle Esplanade Reserve is the axe-wielding wizard that is Jason Mraz. Mraz is no stranger to the Blues ’n’ Roots, making his WA debut at 2008’s festival. Since then he has exploded into the public consciousness with his album (We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.) selling more than 100,000 copies in Australia alone – the tenth highest selling album of 2008. Three 2009 Grammy Award nominations later and Mraz is truly en route to international stardom.

Also making the journey west for the sixth annual Blues ’n’ Roots is the now world-acclaimed Augie March. It’s been a long and crazy ride for these Melbourne visionaries – from poetic obscurity to the top of the charts. We warmly welcome Augie March to their debut West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival.

Joining our most eclectic line-up yet, crammed into one value-for-money day, is WA’s most acclaimed suburban tunesmith Bob Evans. This is a rare appearance for the loveable lad, who is currently bunkered down in Nashville working on the follow-up to his 2006 ARIA Award winning album Suburban Songbook. Hear his next anthems before anyone else!

Minnesota native Charlie Parr plays the blues like he lives it. So it’s no surprise he’s the next international to join the festival. With a fine pedigree of influences – from Charlie Patton to Dave Van Ronk – Parr works his resonator guitar and fretless banjo like a man possessed. Be privy to the magic, right in the heart of Fremantle.

New Zealand has an outstanding legacy of punching above its weight in bands – and Little Bushman is no exception. Inspired by the blues rock greats – Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Who – and including a handful of the Fat Freddys Drop gang, this is a band not to be missed.

And adding the spice to this final announcement for the sixth annual West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival is Melbourne’s acclaimed Labjacd. This dynamic nine-piece outfit have been making a big splash lately with their exhilarating mix of old school hip hop, Cuban salsa, jazz and Andean folk music. And with a new album in the works be the first to hear the new material, only at the Blues ’n’ Roots.

This mighty fine list of talent joins The John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, Zappa Plays Zappa, Paul Kelly, Easy Star All-Stars, Ben Kweller, Tony Joe White, Blue King Brown, Seasick Steve, Eric Bibb, The Special Beat, Luka Bloom, Blues Traveler, C.W. Stoneking & The Primitive Horn Orchestra, Little Red, Ruthie Foster, Kev Carmody, Rodney Crowell, Whitley, Kora and Mama Kin.

Lykke Li can’t stay still. Her life and her career are relentlessly pulled forward by an impatient desire to see what’s just around the corner, her music full of ideas about moving on and breaking free. Just 18 months ago she was complaining to her mentor, Bjorn ‘of Peter and John fame’ Yttling, that everything had gone wrong because she was 20 and still hadn’t released an album. Now 22, she’s finding that things are on track. With the release of Youth Novels in Sweden through her own label LL Recordings in January 2008, she’s been surprised and maybe a little embarrassed to find that the world is falling at her feet. She’s just the kind of person people can’t help falling in love with. The album Youth Novels, in all its minimalist brilliance, has just been released in Australia and Li has just completed touring Oz playing the Falls Festival and Southbound.  Lykke Li spoke to Justin Middleton for this exclusive interview.

Click here to download the podcast of the entire interview. (6:31 - 0.7Mb)

I asked Lykke Li to give us a rundown of how the album came together and formed. “I wrote songs and then meeting Bjorn (Yttling) at one of my shows allowed me to have somebody to bounce ideas to. Meeting him was definitely the most important part of the album. I kind of wrote songs on piano and then took them into the studio and wrote re-wrote them. Then we recorded it bit by bit for two months.”

“We didn’t have a lot of time for recording in the first year so it only about once a month so all together it was about two months recorded but over a longer period. It was very frustrating and seemed like life was passing by.”

Playing two festivals in Australia, I asked Lykke Li if she enjoys music festivals and if she had played many in Europe. “I did festivals all of last summer in Europe. I like festivals as long as they are good festivals but I do my best for every show that I put on. I really enjoy playing live.”

I also asked Lykke Li if she thought there were any artists or bands that influence her and her music. “I don’t think any artists actually influence me. I don’t know that many contemporary artists and when I made the album I was listening to a lot of old music. And I still listen to old music. I listened to a lot of music growing up but I’d need to be a psychologist to know if any of that influenced my music now. I mean that could be as influential as running into a tree or fainting.”

“I’ve been on tour constantly for the past year so I haven’t really had any spare time to even think about new songs or even my next album.”

Youth Novels is out now. For more info visit www.lykkeli.com

Lykke Li can also be heard collaborating with Kanye West and Santogold on an upcoming album by NASA (North America South America) which is a collective of like minded artists who got together to make great music with heavy Brazilian / favela funk influences. She has also released a remix/cover of King’s Of Leon’s Knocked Up.

Knocked Up (Lykke Li Remix)

N.A.S.A ft.Kanye West, Santogold & Lykke Li - Gifted

Saturday 3rd January 2009
Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton

After a warm, dusty, uncomfortable camping night it was time to start Day 2 of Southbound and with the first bands on stage around 11am there wasn’t much time to wake up properly or shower for most. Violent Soho were the first band on the main stage that had not been used on Day 1 and they made the most of the early time slot. There was a small crowd watching the Queensland youngsters but they got a slap in the face to start the day in the grunge variety. Their diehard fans were moshing at the front but most fans sat back admiring the band and nursed their hangovers from the day before.

Also on early, French cutie Soko drew a huge crowd to the undercover Other stage. Soko is currently a Triple J darling with her acoustic I Will Never Love You More so many fans arrived filled more with curiosity then a strong knowledge of Soko’s songs. Soko played the ukulele, cried while singing and swore like a sailor and still seemed sincere and cute. For those that were curious, the French singer impressed and undoubtedly sold a few albums with this performance.

Up next on the undercover stage were Aussie youngster duo Dash and Will. These cute 18 year olds only drew a quarter of the crowd that Soko had on the same stage but those that were there had a lot of fun. There was some sound issues at the start of the set but the girls showed professionalism and talent taking turns playing guitar, singing and even some interpretive dancing. Dash and Will’s single Pick You Up got the crowd moving and the strength in the live show and musical talent definitely points to keeping an eye on these girls in the future.

A definite highlight for many on Day 2 was on next on the main stage, Santogold. A large crowd waited in anticipation for Santi White to come on stage but had to wait while her DJ mixed and scratched a great set for at least 20 minutes. Santi then walked on stage accompanied by two backup singer/dancers dressed head to toe in gold sparkles and black hoods. The very popular L.E.S.Artistes was played early on and got the thousands in the crowd dancing and moving around. Santi smiled throughout her set and genuinely seemed to be having fun and enjoying herself which also created a great vibe for the audience.

Swedish singer Lykke Li was up next and even though there was a big crowd watching her, it took a little while for the crowd to really get into her music. Much like the audience for Soko, it seemed many were there out of curiosity and didn’t know quite what to expect from the Swede. Lykke Li performed very well, banging drums, dancing around crazily and singing with passion but the initial quirkiness took the crowd a while to respond. Once Li’s single I’m Good, I’m Gone was played the crowd seemed to click and started to appreciate the singer and her music and got completely into it for the rest of her set. Although quirky at times Lykke Li is another artist to watch in the near future.

Canadian sisters Tegan and Sara had many fans in attendance and they didn’t disappoint. Their mid afternoon set put some indie rock back into Southbound and the high touring schedule they have had showed with the tightness of their singing and music. Without much banter, the sisters got on with the show and let their music do all the talking for them. At the same time on the smaller stage UK indie band Mystery Jets arrived dressed in colourful clothing and even more colourful personalities. The crowd watching Mystery Jets wasn’t huge but as soon as the band started playing Young Love everyone there started dancing.

The Kooks have had a lot of great press in the UK and all the hype may have caused a lot of people to see if they deserved it. Again there wasn’t a lot of interaction between the band and the crowd but The Kooks were tight on stage today and proved they are a good band. Naive was the big crowd pleaser but most people probably don’t remember many other songs that they played.

It was now time for the business end of the festival and a lot of great live bands were scheduled to be on either at the same time of straight after each other. Faker have a great live reputation and they proved themselves today to be one of the best Aussie live bands at the moment. Frontman Nathan Hudson did his usual running around frantically on stage looking for anything to climb on and creating an electrifying show. Hurricane, Sleepwalking and This Heart Attack created the biggest response from the crowd and pumped up everyone enough to get excited for the rest of the night.

Another great Aussie live band were also on in the undercover stage with Brisbane’s The Grates. It didn’t take long for The Grates to get the large crowd excited and frontwoman Patience Hodgson started her almost trademark jumping up and down from the get-go. Two songs into the set and Hodgson even climbed down from the stage and into the crowd creating a real buzz in the undercover tent. Aw Yeah, Burn Bridges and 19 20 20 were crowd pleases but an unfortunate jumping accident left Hodgson with a badly sprained ankle and had to leave the festival in an ambulance.

Karnivool had not played in Perth for a while and with a new album out very soon, fans were packed to see the hard rockers on the smaller stage. Cote opened up their set and got the moshpit moving, followed by a new song and then Shutterspeed. There were a couple new songs in the set but unfortunately they did not mix well with the older heavy songs. It will be interesting to hear how they sound when recorded and also how they sound after being played live a few more times. Themata and Roquefort ended the set and with Franz Ferdinand playing on the bigger stage almost the end of the weekend.

Headliners Franz Ferdinand took to the main stage with a huge crowd screaming their name. Do You Want To was a great way to start the set and a fantastic way to get the crowd even more excited. Frontman Alex Kapranos controlled the crowd with ease and had them eating out of the palm of his hand from the start. With a new album only a month or two away Franz Ferdinand played a few new songs with great reception. Their live show was good but not great and wasn’t quite the same level that The Hives had set the night before but Take Me Out was definitely the song of the festival.

For more photos of Day 2 click here (Thanks to Noodlez)

Friday 2nd January 2009
Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton

The start of the year is when people have finished visiting family for Christmas, finished partying for New Years and ready to just enjoy themselves and listen to great music. Luckily Southbound is here and for the first time this year the festival has extended to two full days starting at midday on the Friday and ending late on Saturday night. It had been a very hot start to the year in Perth so it was never going to be a comfortable weekend but it is always a bit cooler down south so the it was going to be bearable.

After arriving a little late due to traffic, heat and the usual road trip shenanigans I set up camp and ventured over to start seeing some live music. Sydney’s Bluejuice were up and having as much fun as they always do on stage, jumping around, dancing and just getting everyone in the mood for a great music festival. Vitriol still gets the crowd going a year after it was released and even the hot sun could not lessen the enthusiasm by band and crowd.

End Of Fashion were up next on the same stage and the local boys arrived happy and relaxed with frontman Justin Burford waving and greeting the growing crowd. The sea breeze had started to blow across Sir Stewart Bovell Park and allowed for more people to start dancing in front of the stage especially to past hits Oh Yeah, Rough Diamonds, She’s Love and newie Fussy. WA fans love local bands and even at festivals with international superbands, local bands still make us all proud.

The chilled out sounds of Donavon Frankenreiter was next up and his acoustic guitar tunes fit in perfectly with the surfie culture of south west WA. Frankenreiter looked and sounded like a mix between John Butler and his label mate Jack Johnson and the crowd sand along to many of his popular songs. To appeal even more to the local crowd Pro-Surfer Taj Burrow could be seen side of stage grooving to the acoustic tunes and Frankenreiter then invited Burrow’s father Vance on stage to play some songs.

Another big local band, Birds Of Tokyo drew a huge crowd to the stage next and Ian Kenny seemed ready to rock out for the first of his two sets during the weekend (the other with Karnivool). Even with two albums now under their belt Kenny explained that festivals are not what Birds Of Tokyo are used to and he thanked the crowd for all their support. Black Sheets, Wayside, Silhouettic and Broken Bones were all played to a great reception from the crowd and a great ‘dance’ routine by Kenny.

It was then time for the highlight of the festival: Sweden’s The Hives. It had been a long day of music but the explosive nature of The Hives picked up the whole energy of the crowd. It was as if frontman Pelle Almqvist was going to eat up the entire crowd and spit them out with each and every song.  In their trademark black and white suits, The Hives made every other band that played that day seem like amateurs and their confidence on stage didn’t seem cocky but more justifiable.   Hate To Say I Told You So and Tick Tick Boom were definitely highlights but songs from all four of their albums were part of the electrifying set.

For more photos of Day 1 click here (Thanks to Noodlez)

Saturday 27th December 2008
Mandurah Western Foreshore

Another warm summer day greeted the thousands of kids that turned up in Mandurah for the fourth instalment of the Rollercoaster Festival. Being the only rock festival situated in Mandurah, it has become something that a lot of locals really look forward to and something to do during the Christmas break that isn’t necessarily family based. Unfortunately today there were many issues with crowd control and many complaints about the ever rising drink prices.

Perth’s own Tame Impala were on stage early to the growing stage and their reputation has continued to spread around WA thanks to playing as many gigs and festivals as they can. Their psychedelic sound was not what everybody expected but it was definitely well received with flashbacks for many to the 70’s. There was bongo solos, crazy dancing and ten minute songs that had people in the crowd swaying and dancing along. A great cover of Blue Boy’s Remember Me was the highlight of their set.

After a short break French electro pop outfit The Teenagers walked on stage excited and ready to try and withstand the Australian heat. Vocalist Michael Szpiner announced with his French accent that this was the first time the band had been to Perth and that they loved it here despite the heat and that he could only stand on one side of the stage due to being barefoot and half of the stage covered in sunlight. The band sounded great but half of the crowd were not expecting the flamboyant frontman and did not appreciate his dancing. Three girls from the front were invited on stage to sing along to the hit ‘Homecoming‘ and did really well despite giggling throughout.

Operator Please were on next and they are not strangers to music festivals in WA having appeared in many of them over the last couple of years. The band have changed a bit with new keyboardist Chris Holland replacing the departed Sarah Gardiner and violinist Taylor Henderson getting a lot more involved with singing. The band also no longer do their cover of Devo’s Whip It and has been replaced by a cover of Salt n Pepa’s Push It. It was about this part of the day where the crowd started throwing plastic bottles onto the stage getting very close to hitting band members. Vocalist Amandah Wilkinson caught one person throwing a bottle and proceeded to call them a cunt and that if they didn’t want to hear the band then they could fuck off. The band then continued on with their set and as expected ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong‘ generated a huge cheer from the crowd as well as some crazy dancing.

It was then time for a bit of a change in style as electro rockers Cut Copy started to play. As the festival was starting to run a bit behind schedule Cut Copy were forced to only play 8 songs but they did a great job in playing them despite the tough circumstances. There was also sound sound issues early in their set but Cut Copy pleased the crowd with songs mainly from their newest album In Ghost Colours including Nobody Lost, Nobody Found, Far Away, So Haunted, Unforgettable Season, Out There On The Ice, Lights And Music, Future and closed with their huge hit Hearts On Fire.

Perth boys Gyroscope generated a huge cheer from the crowd as they walked on stage and after the best year of their careers, they were ready to rock. Starting with All In One and Doctor Doctor the crowd were moshing and jumping around like they were possessed which is what Gyroscope hope for at all of their shows. This was followed by Beware Wolf, 1981 and Dream Vs Scream with frontman Daniel Sanders and bassist Brad Campbell almost knocking each other over with their out of control playing. Driving For The Storm and These Days allowed for a bit of a breather for the crowd as well as the band but everyone got straight back into it with Safe Forever. Sanders jumped down into the crowd and sang most of the song in the mosh pit or crowd surfing and then jumped on top of a speaker to finish the song. Gyroscope finished their set with Australia, Weapon.Enemy.Friend, a cover of Midnight Oil’s Beds Are Burning, Fast Girl and Snakeskin all with some idiot on top of the sound tent evading security and a huge brawl happening just near the first aid tent.

The sun was finally setting in Mandurah and Sneaky Sound System came on stage confronted with a agitated crowd. The band were in great form having just returned from a very successful string of shows in the UK. Crowd pleaser Pictures opened their set with vocalists Connie Mitchell and Black Angus syncing perfectly. This was followed by When We Were Young, 16 and Hip Hip Hooray with Connie announcing to the crowd that their new drummer was none other than Perth’s own Sibbsy, formerly with Eskimo Joe. During Crazy the crowd continued to throw bottles on stage and during UFO a bottle actually hit Connie in the face which forced her to fall down. After a minute Angus announced that Connie’s eye was now bleeding and the band walked off stage, forced to finish their set early.

After a bit of a break an announcement was made that if anything else was thrown on stage the festival would be over but The Living End were prepared to play. There was still shock in the faces of many of the crowd but The Living End pushed on playing a great set including Raise The Alarm, How Do We Know, What’s On Your Radio, Loaded Gun and Who’s Gonna Save Us. During Second Solution there was another incident when someone from the side of stage ran right up to Chris Cheney and attempted to sing along into the microphone. The intruder was quickly wrestled off stage and the band continued to finish the song. Moment In The Sun, Make The Call, Wake Up, West End Riot and All Torn Down were playing with rocking enthusiasm and a lot of sing alongs. The set and the event-filled festival finished with Roll On and White Noise and The Living End proved they are still on of the best live bands in the country.

Love music? Love bands? Love Big Day Out? Good news! HP in partnership with Intel, are giving you the chance to become the official HP Big Day Out 2009 Live Reporter*. This amazing opportunity could see you attend every single Australian Big Day Out; interview the bands backstage, take home some great HP gear - including the HP HDX Premium Notebook PC and HP iPAQ 912 Messenger, PLUS, take a friend!

All you have to do is submit a video (no longer than 2mins) reviewing the latest album of any band appearing on the Big Day Out 2009 tour. Visit http://www.hp.com.au/golive to secure your entry for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Entries close 29th December 2008. Go Live!

*Terms & Conditions apply.

The good people at Jam Music are again offering a local indigenous band the amazing opportunity to join the Good Vibrations lineup by being the opening act on the Roots Stage. This is along side headliners Fatboy Slim, The Presets, Deadmau5, Roni Size Reprazent, Sam Sparro, and many more.

Now in its 6th year, The Good Vibrations Festival will be returning to Heirisson Island on 22 February 2009. The festival continues to bring together the finest beat‐based party music from around the World to deliver an unforgettable party atmosphere and GVF 09 is guaranteed to be bigger and better than ever before.

The organisers of the Good Vibrations Festival are now seeking a fantastic local band, to open the festival with bang! The competition is open to Indigenous Bands/Artists who are 18+, and play music in the style of Hip Hop / Funk & Groove. Bands that enter must be able to play a half hour set at Good Vibrations and have up to 3 songs ready for the competition.

The Good Vibrations band competition will be held at the Ngalang Koolark Festival which is part of the Lotteries West Australia Day Community Celebrations on 26th January 2009, at the Supreme Court Gardens from 3.30 – 5.30 PM.

Register your Entry by email: mail@mills.com.au Or phone 9335 1945.

Good Vibrations Festival has already sold out in Sydney and tickets are selling fast in Perth so make sure you don’t miss out on THE festival of ‘09. Tickets on sale NOW (Ticket price: $129.00 + BF

Here is the full roll call for the tenth edition of WA’s very own Rock It event.

Kings Of Leon
The Fratellis (UK)
The Music (UK)
Birds Of Tokyo
Faker
The Stills (USA)
Sparkadia
Sugar Army

and in our special feature Sideshow Bob Alley on the lawns of love we have a blues freakshow featuring
Bob Log III
and
The Devil and Abbe May

On Sale Now
Rock it No.10
Sunday March 8th 2009 12-10pm at Arena Joondalup
All ages with 18+ areas
Ticket Price: $99 but that includes ALL fees & charges and free public transport to and from the event from any metropolitan location. Nothing more to pay!.

Outlets: www.heatseeker.com.au, Arena Joondalup, Live Clothing Stores, Planet, Mills, Star Perth, Star Mandurah, Blue 62, Prince of Wales, Beach Life, Southern Sound