Falls Festival Days One and Two @ Erskine Falls, Lorne (28-29/12/2012)
Days One and Two
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Days Three and Four
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Day One
After months of anxiously counting down the days, it was finally December 28th, which meant only one thing; it was time to pack up and hit the Great Ocean Road. We were Falls bound.
Getting an early 8am start leaving from Northern Victoria, I had a 6 hour trip ahead of me. But let’s be honest, it’s not like it’s a daunting one. A beautiful drive along the picturesque Great Ocean Road saw us stopping in Anglesea to top up on groceries and chugging up the steep hills of Lorne before hitting the famous Erskine Falls.
Pleasantly surprised by the lack of bumper-to-bumper traffic as we drove through the rainforest, we were checked and in within a short 15 minutes. Treated like royalty we were shown to the VIP campsite, just a few hundred metres from the main stage. After the most ridiculous display of outdoor education, the tent was eventually upright and facing the right way, and we decided to head over to the madness.
My first glance at the hilly outdoor ampitheatre was one I’ll never forget - just a few hundred wandering souls and a beautiful wooden bound stage being finalized, I could only imagine what it would look like in the final 10 seconds of 2012.
After months of anxiously counting down the days, it was finally December 28th, which meant only one thing; it was time to pack up and hit the Great Ocean Road. We were Falls bound.
Getting an early 8am start leaving from Northern Victoria, I had a 6 hour trip ahead of me. But let’s be honest, it’s not like it’s a daunting one. A beautiful drive along the picturesque Great Ocean Road saw us stopping in Anglesea to top up on groceries and chugging up the steep hills of Lorne before hitting the famous Erskine Falls.
Pleasantly surprised by the lack of bumper-to-bumper traffic as we drove through the rainforest, we were checked and in within a short 15 minutes. Treated like royalty we were shown to the VIP campsite, just a few hundred metres from the main stage. After the most ridiculous display of outdoor education, the tent was eventually upright and facing the right way, and we decided to head over to the madness.
My first glance at the hilly outdoor ampitheatre was one I’ll never forget - just a few hundred wandering souls and a beautiful wooden bound stage being finalized, I could only imagine what it would look like in the final 10 seconds of 2012.
Of course I had to check out the stalls - both fashion and food, and to visit friends laboring behind the counter.
While flicking through a huge selection of coloured headbands I heard a huge roar from the Grand Theatre, which from the outside resembled an enormous circus tent. Ironically as we entered there was a trapeze and hula-hoop show. By 10pm most 4-day Festival ticket holders had erected their tents and had gathered in the Grand Theatre. We arrived just in time for The Bamboos, and I felt a joy in that they were my first live act of the event. Their big band sound appealed to the entire tent, with feet stomping and people dancing like nutcases, The Bamboos were quick to establish themselves as one of the strongest acts of the line up. |
By the end of the set exhaustion had settled in and it was time to get some much needed sleep to prepare myself for the madness of the next 3 days ahead.
Day Two
Day Two
We kicked off Day 2 with an early trip into Lorne to grab extra camera film, batteries and wads of cash to pay for those $9 ciders. Upon arrival back to the falls, we caught Melbourne rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard as they psyched up the seedy morning crowd. By lunch-time the campers had stumbled in to the Valley Stage to witness Fremantle four-piece San Cisco.
Familiarity of most of the set was common among the crowd thanks to constant airplay on Triple J over 2012, who confidently sang back to the indie pop group as they played tracks such as Fred Astaire, Golden Revolver, and Rocket Ship.
The crowd was pleasingly patient through their new single Wild Things and came together in unison during old favourite Awkward. Sharon Van Etten's Australian debut at Falls was met with one of the smallest crowds of the festival, but those who witnessed her set could no doubt call it one of the highlights of day two. The Brooklyn based singer-songwriter performed a heartfelt set teeming with elegance, further fueled by her passionate lyrics and strong voice. |
Husky, on the other hand, were lacklustre in their efforts to ignite the crowd. While I am not unfamiliar with Husky, they failed to draw in anybody else who may have been watching, sans for when they played Triple J rotation favourite, History's Door.
The clouds gathered and the smell of rain was in the air, so with ponchos at the ready we ran down for Lisa Mitchell. It’s always a nice treat when a definite crowd favourite reminds us why we love her so. Nothing stopped the crowd as the rain poured down during new song Bless This Mess and the tambourines were pulled out for Neapolitan Dreams.
The rain settled just in time for English indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club, and those hiding in the shelter of the bar tents came out to get a closer look. Drawing one of the biggest crowds of the day, Bombay Bicycle Club lived up to their hype, delivering so much more than expected. Drawing parallels between Death Cab For Cutie and Arcade Fire, the indie rockers were more than deserving of the praise from the crowd, setting the bar high for the acts that had to follow them. For those playing at home, this means Django Django and The Hives. Django Django were one of 2012's break out bands. Scottish, but hailing from London, the group first visited our shores for Splendour in the Grass and a couple of sold out sideshows. Their self-titled debut album was incredibly well received in Australia, as was their performance. So how does one describe Django Django? Well, imagine that Hot Chip and Yeasayer got together over the course of one Summer and had a lovechild. Mix in some electronic samples featuring Egyptian and African beats, a tambourine and other various percussion instruments. Dress them all in shirts no doubt sourced from Asos, and you've got yourself a Django Django. |
The band charges through a set which features extended versions of tracks from their debut album, the highlights of which are Hail Bop, Default and Wor. Django Django's performance was excellent, and were it not for the mistake of calling us "Queensland!" four times over the course of the set, one would call them a sure fire highlight of day two. But the best was yet to come.
Almost the entire grassed ampitheatre filled as the countown for Falls veterans The Hives began.
What was predicted to be some sort of magic show delivered as drummer Chris Dangerous entered the stage in a tuxedo and top hat. Followed by the rest of his band members dressed identically, the Swedish garage rockers opened with Come On and lead vocalist Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist was quick to mark his territory not only on stage but in the corners of the audience. Instantly, you could tell this band had a tight knit history. In the 1¼ hour set they pulled the classics like No Pun Intended, Main Offender and long awaited favourite Hate To Say I Told You So. I had never seen one person control the audience as much as Pelle managed to – telling them when to clap, when to sing, when to cheer and when to shut up. No matter where you were standing, whether it be in the depths of the mosh pit, on the top of the hill, or wearing a Mountain Dew shirt and refusing to sit down, you were involved. I was never the biggest follower of The Hives but somehow managed to recognize every song and be able to sing along to every chorus (without Pelle telling me the words pre-chorus). Closing the incredible performance with Tick Tick Boom, I left the ampitheatre feeling worn out and overwhelmed by the fact that I had just witnessed one of the best sets ever and they weren’t even my favourite band. I felt somewhat privileged to have been part of it. |