Soundwave Festival

Soundwave Festival 2010 – the alternative rocker’s wonderland! Far from the world of blips and beeps, Soundwave creates a festival that’s all about true rock, and what better way to do so than gathering the troops from one of the most successful rock bands Generation X remember to headline.

On top of that, why not gather the best lineup in the festival’s history (albeit a short one). This was to be one hell of a rockin’ day.

Melbourne Showgrounds was buzzing early on Friday – folks had skipped work and the kiddies had wagged school for this, it was clear.

And why wouldn’t they, given the lineup was almost entirely international, it was big names from the get go for many. And the heat had joined in the party, too – mid thirties and rising, with not a cloud to be seen.

On the main stage, Canadian’s The Creepshow were doing a decent job of riling up early comers. Closure In Moscow were meant to have the spot, but their dismissal meant one band’s loss was another’s gain and The Creepshow moved up a notch.

Punk, ska and even a little doo-wop made up their energetic sound. Sarah Blackwood was the first of many great front men and women of the day and commanded participation from many who were still waking up.

It was then to stages 5 and 6, situated in a relatively small, barn-like structure at the site’s rear. Judging from the numbers bursting out of the doors, this was going be a tight fit for the likes of Gallows and You Me At Six appearing in the coming hour.

Gallows went hard, fast and pulled way more people than seemed feasible into the tiny space, causing them to contain themselves on the stage rather than play inside the moshpit as they have been known to do.

You Me At Six were a similar draw card, and for those lucky enough to actually see what was happening on stage, this was a band seriously pleased with the big reception. “You’re crowd surfing when there’s no music, how hardcore is that?” said Josh Franceschi – but such is the behaviour of the Soundwave mob.

Having a hefty sing-a-long in the crowd within moments of appearing on stage is a good sign, but good things seemed to be expected of Taking Back Sunday. There were some issues bugging the sound, but nothing was deterring either the band or their fans from having a good time, with, you guessed it, a healthy mosh.

Motion City Soundtrack had a similar, albeit smaller, bunch of devotees packed in over at stage 3, and with their big hair and big hooks they too were throwing to the crowd for each strident chorus.

Back to catch the very end of Taking Back Sunday, which included ‘Liar’ and ‘Make Damn Sure’, there was a little warning delivered about the next band on the main stage: “Ladies, pretty sure you’ll all be pregnant by the time they’ve finished.”

"They" were, of course, Eagles of Death Metal, led by the ladies man and rock star extraordinaire, Jesse Hughes. A seriously joyous set ensued that had people shaking all round. ‘I Only Want You’, ‘Cherry Cola’, ‘Wanna Be In LA’, ‘Boy’s Bad News’ and even a ‘Happy Birthday’ (for a girl side of stage) all made up the EoDM’s lively show.

Inside the shed of stage 4, there was some much appreciated relief from the sun, though the heat inside was just as serious.

Clutch weren’t exactly sure how they’d come to be playing inside, but delivered just as good a set as ever. Stalking the stage and building lengthy blues jams were enough to convince passers by to stick around, the lyric “I just want another drink” seemed agreed upon by all, and with the gut roaring ‘Electric Worry’ rounding things out it definitely made Clutch worth checking out.

The girls were out in force and there were panda eyes everywhere as the Paramore party began back at the main stage. Hayley Williams was excitement personified as she ran around the stage, performing ‘Ignorance’ and that Twilight song, ‘Decode’. Her vocal output was impressive, too, especially given how much she bounded about.

There seemed to be a cooler party calling over at stage 3 though.

Reel Big Fish certainly stood out amongst a lineup of solid rock bands, but then, they are the self proclaimed “Masters of all musical styles.” Their performance was certainly tongue in cheek, with a cover of ‘Enter Sandman’ (a song they claimed to have written that very morning), one song that was played five times in the styles of reggae, punk, disco, country and death metal, and a thanking of the crowd for facing in their direction.

It was then time for the big guns to come out, with alt rock survivors Placebo gracing the main stage. Opening with new track, ‘For What It’s Worth’, and following up with another, it was quickly clear that Placebo intended on plugging Battle For the Sun, which just didn’t seem right given the amount of festival staples they’ve gathered over the years.

Thankfully, ‘Every You Every Me’, ‘The Bitter End’ and ‘Special K’ appeared, but this was as far as any 'Greatest Hits' was willing to go for the band. To their credit, the fleshing out of the band with three extra members enhanced the sound.

And even if the new drummer, Steve Forrest, isn’t up with all the old stuff, for what it’s worth (ahem), he’s a bloody great skinsman. By set’s end (which was ‘Taste In Men’), Placebo left everyone happy enough, though a hit laden set may have been the better choice.

From one main stage to the next, it was then AFI's turn to show the crowd why their live show has such a strong reputation. Appearing one member at a time to begin the opening bars of ‘Medicate’, Davey Havok soon appeared in all his flamboyant punk glory to belt out the tune.

Either side of him, bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget were unstoppable as the raced about the stage, jumping from platforms and showing many less energetic rock bands how it’s done.

Unlike Placebo before them, AFI weren’t about to make their set just about new stuff, and whilst Crash Love tracks were mixed in here and there, there was plenty of awesome favourites as well; ‘Silver and Cold’, ‘Kill Caustic’ and the set closing ‘Miss Murder’ all providing the highlights. The circle pit flared, Havok’s voice soared and AFI cemented themselves as one of that day’s best.

With ‘Mountain Song’ blaring from stage 1, it was pretty clear Jane’s Addiction had arrived, and judging by the strong contingent gathered there, they were more than welcome. Theirs was a set that showed that some rock music has real longevity, just like the day’s headliner would in a couple of hours.

Bare chested Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro were in good form, often shadowing each other around the stage, or enjoying their own (practically naked) dancers.

The comedic highlight of their set came with the king of whining, Farrell, failing in his attempt to getting a gutsy ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie’ to take off. Their fans may have had to wait almost a year longer than expected, but Jane’s delivered, with an acoustic rendition of ‘Jane Says’ finishing things off in memorable style.

It was a hard job to take the spot that Jimmy Eat World did, but from the moment the crowd burst forth with lengthy “whoas” in the opening track ‘Sweetness’, it was clear that these Americans had a warm reception.

Theirs was another set of hits that healthily spanned over each of their albums. New track (if you can still call Chase This Light tracks new), ‘Always Be’ received some early attention with the addition of Paramore’s Hayley Williams on guest vocals, as did sing-a-longs on the slower ‘23’ and air punching ‘Get It Faster’.

With the sun setting, it was also the first chance for the light show to take off, and Jimmy Eat World made sure their stage was a bevy of manic blues and whites the whole time. The set’s final tracks were certainly the greatest, with ‘Bleed American’ and ‘Pain’ appearing first, before the crowd erupted in unison to ‘The Middle’ – the top sing-a-long moment of the day.

As the main event was about to arrive, the crowd began to grow. And grow. And grow. Long before the end of Jimmy Eat World’s set, it was clear the masses were here for something in particular - Faith No More.

Appearing on time thanks to the wonderful organisation of Soundwave, Faith No More did something a little different to kick things off, and sang Crowded House.

The statement that Jimmy Eat World’s ‘The Middle’ was the best sing-a-long of the day could now be scrapped, because Faith No More’s 30 second take of ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ simply demolished any previous champion chorus. They were off to a good start.

Looking rather suave in his red suit, Mike Patton had little trouble winning over the crowd. They even introduced Chat Roulette to the crowd, which saw the band streaming the show to random video chat users around the world, some of whom were serenaded by Patton on tracks like ‘Easy’.

“Last time we saw you, we were really young, we looked like what you look like now,” announced Patton, but the crowd received him and the band like old friends, lapping up everything they threw.

And what did they throw? A ferocious ‘Out of Nowhere’, the chant friendly ‘Be Aggressive’, a megaphoned ‘Last Cup of Sorrow’, the always remarkable ‘Epic’, and some hilarious covers of Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ and The Bee Gees’ ‘I Started A Joke’.

‘We Care A Lot’ closed off the 80 minute set, and if the crowd’s reaction to each and every track was anything to go by – they cared a hell of a lot, too!

So, in closing, a big pat on the back to Soundwave for this year’s event. The day went off with hardly a hitch, the grounds were delightful, the lineup was incredible (better than ever), and the festival proved yet again that it can easily contend with the best of them, hell, now it is one of the best of them.

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