Falls Festival Playoffs

Wednesday October 3. Enola Fall, Dean Stevenson, The No No's, Adam Cousens and Red Rival battle it out for the big stage at the Falls Festival.
First up, Enola Fall set the bar for style and polish. Having only heard a taste of their recorded tracks, their live performance delivered a surprisingly eclectic mix of alternative folk rock music. 'We Become Wolves' is their signature song from their debut EP I Made a New Friend, which they served up first. Joe Nuttall, looking vaguely Clockwork Orange, wailed at the spotlight moon – an impressive vocal style to mix with keys. Linc Lefevre on guitar vamped up a circus beat tempo for 'Sorry, I was Miles Away', Sam Parsons added driving drums and bassline to Stan Barnes stickwork. Don't stop, we're still in love with that melancholy sound – they made a new friend.
A celebrated local pop/rock artist, Dean Stevenson delivered some home-grown sounds with meticulous attention to harmony and rhythm, backed by Dave Wilson on guitar with some subtle slides and powerful riffs. 'Rescue Me' is Dean's anthem from his third album In Time, sensitive pop with a Paul Kelly honesty in his songwriting. The show tripped into some 70's psychedelic sounds that he is known for, I loved the folk mixed with that Pink Floyd feel.
The No No's surf the line between Blues, Punk and Rock with a large and dedicated following to mash out the hefty bass line. If you like The Black Keys, you can really appreciate this music – their live performance is energising. There is a creepy greasy dark zombie feel about this band – if you're not moving to this music, your dead. Their debut EP is Get off ya heads with... The No No's – says it all really.
Adam Cousens stomped out a set that was a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. I can just close my eyes and feel the beating sun and fire hoses in the paddocks above Marion Bay. A Dylan & Cash intensity to the first song 'Dead Man Sleeps' – followed by the familiar, 'Beautiful People' from the so-titled EP, and the reflective, 'Listen'. Raise your glasses and a smile for the globe-trotting Folk fiend with local roots. Adam finished the set with 'Travelling Long', only one more thing we could take – more dancing. Adam heads for the big stage at Falls.
Flat-chat rock with less scream and more style, Red Rival burned out a tight epic performance with some impressive precision drumming. 'Sabrina' and 'Big City Lies' were the crowd favourites, for the bang and the buzz. My impression was that these guys have turned up a notch – from a stone age Queen. Red Rival's performance was pure rock with a sharp edge, they do justice to the great tradition of three-piece rock outfits.

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