Soundwave- Perth

On the Labour Day holiday in Perth, more than a few hard rock fans baked in the sun at Blue Steel Oval (formerly Bassendean Oval). Those dressed in their bogan uniform of black tees and jeans undoubtedly suffered more so than those of us that had dressed for the characteristically warm Perth day that hit its predicted high of 34 degree’s. They had come to see the 2008 Soundwave Festival, a one day concert on five stages showcasing more than forty up and coming American metal/hard rock acts many of which are relative newcomers to the scene. That said headliners The Offspring and Incubus have been on the music scene for many years and the latter has been one of my favourite bands for as long as I can remember – long may they continue to play - Incubus rock!

Some other music festivals aim to please a wide range of music tastes, but Soundwave’s five stages were full of loud, guitar-driven hard rock acts, with few exceptions. Those acts however reflected the diversity of the so-called hard rock music genre today, pop-punk, emo, metal, funk, alternative & indie rock. By the end of the day close too, twelve sun drenched hours later, most of the glassy-eyed fans had survived until the end, fortified which is to say, stupefied by a potentially toxic mixture of sun, beer, fried food and whatever goodies/poison (depending on your personal views) they chose to partake of throughout the day.

Obviously being so many bands and personally having a preference to take in a whole set rather than stage hop I am unable to do justice in this review to all the bands that played though from those that I did see and from the feedback I garnered throughout the day all the bands gave there all on their final stop on the Soundwave tour. First up for me I chose to see Haste the Day and a fitting start it was with great rifts and breakdowns, both vocally and musically melodic and delivered with a ferocity to get the crowd surfing starting.

Next up Sugarcult, this Los Angles quartet I knew little about but quite simply they were fantastic and quite frankly deserve the tag of one of the best kept secrets they delivered a rocking show that drew the crowds and left them braying for more – I will definitely be getting my hands on a copy of their latest record ‘Lights Out’.

Moving over to Stage 5 quietly tucked away behind one of the stands City & Colour which is the acoustic side project of Dallas Green, known as the rhythm guitarist and singer for the band Alexisonfire. His performance was one of my highlights of the day. This man is a fantastic song writer and with his hauntingly beautiful voice and colourful tattooed arms impressed with some truly wonderful acoustic songs. For the record I’ve already bought his album ‘Bring Me Your Love’ simply sublime!

Over on Stage 2 the Plain White T’s were playing at the same time so unfortunately didn’t get to see what they had to offer though I did hear strains of the radio thrashed ‘Hey there Delilah’ being sung by a hyped up large crowd. Scary Kids Scaring Kids were on Stage 1 and I don’t mind saying they scared the shit out of me enough said.

Thursday hailing from New Jersey was next on the agenda and they delivered a powerful and energetic set that left me in no doubt they have a big following. Rollicking right along Motion City Soundtrack was surprisingly melodic and again I really enjoyed their set. Alexisonfire powered through a set of their post hardcore hits and again I was impressed with this charismatic, energetic group. A quick dash over to catch about twenty minutes of Infectious Grooves who had their groove on and showed they still had it after a hiatus. Their blend of punk funk coupled with awesome musicianship is still insane.

Incubus god I love these guys! A large crowd had gathered and we were not disappointed with a set laden with old favourites including ‘Drive’, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Megalomaniac’ to name a few. The majority of the crowd were transfixed by what was a fantastic set that left me in no doubt that we haven’t seen the last of Incubus and in particular and thankfully for the ladies Brandon Boyd who looked and sung as deliciously as ever!

Last but not least and big on reminiscence well for me anyway was The Offspring. Offspring, like Incubus, played a set of crowd pleasing greatest hits. Their set drew mostly from their ‘Americana’ album sadly all but ignoring their first two albums. Offspring’s performance for me was lacking in both spirit and believability and I was left feeling somewhat disappointed. As I made my way towards the gates the crowd exiting amassed to watch Killswitch Engage but wanting to beat the crowds I didn’t hang around. Also worthy of a mention was large array of skin-art on display throughout the day. If like me you are a fan there was some truly beautiful, colourful and original artworks on view.

In closing compared to feedback from Soundwave’s in other parts of the country the day was well organised and St John Ambulance did a fabulous job picking up all the mosh-pit crushed and dehydrated teens. The only downside for me was a minority of young idiots who thought fighting was more fun than having an awesome musical experience and ultimately their foolhardiness cost them that and the cost of their tickets when they were thrown out! I am sure that those that made the most of the Soundwave 2008 experience left feeling like I, having unearthed some new music to broaden my tastes and for my late night gatherings and grateful that such an exciting group of musical talent had made the pilgrimage to our sun scorched shores. They in turn I hope leave our shores with stories to thrill and entice their music counterparts to come and pay us a visit in the not too distant future!

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