Soundwave Festival 2012 @ The RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane (25/02/2012)
Soundwave Festival is one that has managed to buck the trend in the market this year, with a massive sell-out crowd making its way to Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds on Saturday. With a lineup boosting some of the world’s biggest punk and metal bands, one could say the reason for such large crowd numbers came down to one thing, the organisers attaining a range of big bands which hadn’t toured in a long time and which a lot of people wanted to see. With the sun finally out after intense rain for the past week, it was all smiles at 11am when the doors opened.
First on the main stage were Hyro De Hero from Texas. Mixing an interesting blend of rap and face-melting rock riffs, they put on an energetic set which really got the small crowd going. With a vibe similar to Rage Against the Machine, although they don’t have the experience or cult following they still managed to win the crowd over. Recent single Sleeping Giants was the biggest highlight, giving us the first mosh of the day.
There was a 20 minute delay over on stage 7 for battle metal heroes Turisas. But when they took the stage all was forgotten, as they rolled out epic anthems one after the other. Dressed in full warrior outfits, complete with red face paint, they were an obvious crowd highlight even when the heavens opened up and the crowd received a drenching. The traditional guitar solos were played instead on electric violin, giving a more brooding, epic feel to the massive sound.
Arriving at stage 5B, Royal Republic were halfway through what was a very polished and impressive set. With a loud but impressive sound, the punk rockers played through songs from their debut album, We Are the Royal. Adam Grahn was an engaging front man which kept the crowd amused with his quick wits. Set closer Tommy Gun was the highlight of a fantastic set which showed these guys will be a force to be reckoned with vey soon.
Attack! Attack! came onto the adjacent stage 5A immediately and launched into hit single Not Afraid. Despite battling a few technical issues, a few songs in the sound was perfect and lead singer Neil Starr even taught the crowd some Welsh. Ballad Blood on my Hands was a surprise mid set highlight, with a sincere delivery and emotional performance.
Walking to the main stages there was definitely a big swell in numbers for the UK band with a cult following, Lostprophets. The energetic crowd was up for it, and despite having a terrible sound for the first half of the set, the Welsh punk rockers quickly won over their adoring fans. The big highlight came from the massive hit song Rooftops with the entire crowd singing along as one. Lead singer Ian Watkins lead the crowd in clapping along to the final songs in what was a decent, but unspectacular mid-afternoon set.
Over at stage 3, there was a massive crowd under the tent which broke into raptures when pop punk stars You Me At Six took to the stage with their recent crossover hit Loverboy. With a fan base comprising of mostly teenage girls, the vibe felt like that of a Justin Bieber concert, with everyone screaming at the top of their lungs the lyrics to every song. The band were obviously enjoying themselves immensely, even though their sound meant that the guitars were lost in the mix. Bite My Tongue was another massive sing-along in the 40 minute set which failed to win this reviewer over.
Returning to the main arena, Bush hit the stage to a surprisingly large crowd. Playing through the hits from a hefty back catalogue the band had a true vintage punk sound in which Gavin Rossdale’s vocals shone. Glycerine was a big highlight of what turned out to be a polished and well appreciated set from the UK rockers.
Over at stage 5 a small but excited crowd had gathered for pop rock stars A Rocket to the Moon. In their first every Australian show they put on a polished but uninspiring performance which seemed to win over their admiring teenage fans.
Back at the main arena Limp Bizkit had drawn the biggest crowd over the day and the line to get into the D Barrier was long. Opening with new track Why Try, it was clear that the 11 year absence from our shores had only made the crowd even keener to go absolutely crazy. The hits came thick and fast, My Generation and Hot Dog sending the crowd into even more of a frenzy. Fred Durst was the ultimate frontman, revving the crowd up by handing out beers while his voice still sounds as great as it did in the 90’s. The mid-set tribute to Jessica Michalik of a banner with her name being revealed behind the band and Durst revealing the true story of what happened that night in 2001 when she passed away at their Big Day Out show in Sydney, was a touching gesture by the group. Nookie and the crowd pick of Break Stuff ended an impressive set which silenced their critics and satisfied long-time fans.
Marilyn Manson took to stage 1 in front of an adoring crowd. Opening with massive hit Antichrist Superstar it was clear from the outset that Manson was off form. While his band was tight and had a huge sound, the front man himself was struggling, taking sips of water multiple times throughout songs and straining his voice. From offering the crowd cocaine to claiming that he’d broken a rib, the performance was moody and simply bizarre. Although that it what to expect from a Manson gig, it was a disappointment to see the aging rocker’s fall from grace.
Thankfully the headliners of stage 2, Slipknot, came out all guns blazing opening with (sic) in a flash of pyro and flames. The band really knows how to put on a show, dressing up in their traditional prison outfits and facemasks and whipping up the crowd into a heightened fever. The stage props included a drum kit on hydraulics which rose up and down, spun 360 degrees and at one stage, turned drummer Joey Jordison upside down. The mid-set double punch of Before I Forget and Pulse of the Maggots proved crazy enough for Sid Wilson to run through the crowd to the sound tower, climb five metres up it and jump onto the crowd. The whole madness of the set ended appropriately with Surfacing and a mass of pyro. A classic set from one of the world’s best metal bands and entertainers.
Across the field on stage one the anticipation grew as a massive white sheet covered stage one. Then the opening notes of Prison Song rang out with the band members’ shadows projected before the white sheet dropped to reveal the image of System of a Down on Australian shores for the first time in seven years. Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian were in fine voice, their harmonies showering out on top of the growl of guitar bass and drums. Rolling through hit after hit such as BYOB, Needles and Question! This was a band in the form of their life. Malakians’ interaction with the crowd had some great moments such as getting the masses to sing back to him burn, baby burn during the breakdown between Suggestions and Psycho. The highlight for the majority of the crowd came with the huge one-two punch of Chop Suey and Lonely Day, with the whole arena singing along to every word.
The band rolled through a massive 28 song setlist, playing almost every hit song that has made them one of the biggest bands of the last 20 years. Older fans were treated to rarities such as Innervision and Vicinity of Obscenity while the hits kept coming including Aerials and Cigaro. Sugar ended the show in a fever, a near perfect headline performance which showed why System have retained such a cult following and proved they still have a few years left in their hiatus.
Overall, Soundwave has proved the festival market is not dead with a fantastic day of brilliant performances and surprisingly smoothly run organisation. This reviewer takes his hat off to all the team that made this years’ festival such a success and hoped next year is bigger and better.
Sebastian Betten
First on the main stage were Hyro De Hero from Texas. Mixing an interesting blend of rap and face-melting rock riffs, they put on an energetic set which really got the small crowd going. With a vibe similar to Rage Against the Machine, although they don’t have the experience or cult following they still managed to win the crowd over. Recent single Sleeping Giants was the biggest highlight, giving us the first mosh of the day.
There was a 20 minute delay over on stage 7 for battle metal heroes Turisas. But when they took the stage all was forgotten, as they rolled out epic anthems one after the other. Dressed in full warrior outfits, complete with red face paint, they were an obvious crowd highlight even when the heavens opened up and the crowd received a drenching. The traditional guitar solos were played instead on electric violin, giving a more brooding, epic feel to the massive sound.
Arriving at stage 5B, Royal Republic were halfway through what was a very polished and impressive set. With a loud but impressive sound, the punk rockers played through songs from their debut album, We Are the Royal. Adam Grahn was an engaging front man which kept the crowd amused with his quick wits. Set closer Tommy Gun was the highlight of a fantastic set which showed these guys will be a force to be reckoned with vey soon.
Attack! Attack! came onto the adjacent stage 5A immediately and launched into hit single Not Afraid. Despite battling a few technical issues, a few songs in the sound was perfect and lead singer Neil Starr even taught the crowd some Welsh. Ballad Blood on my Hands was a surprise mid set highlight, with a sincere delivery and emotional performance.
Walking to the main stages there was definitely a big swell in numbers for the UK band with a cult following, Lostprophets. The energetic crowd was up for it, and despite having a terrible sound for the first half of the set, the Welsh punk rockers quickly won over their adoring fans. The big highlight came from the massive hit song Rooftops with the entire crowd singing along as one. Lead singer Ian Watkins lead the crowd in clapping along to the final songs in what was a decent, but unspectacular mid-afternoon set.
Over at stage 3, there was a massive crowd under the tent which broke into raptures when pop punk stars You Me At Six took to the stage with their recent crossover hit Loverboy. With a fan base comprising of mostly teenage girls, the vibe felt like that of a Justin Bieber concert, with everyone screaming at the top of their lungs the lyrics to every song. The band were obviously enjoying themselves immensely, even though their sound meant that the guitars were lost in the mix. Bite My Tongue was another massive sing-along in the 40 minute set which failed to win this reviewer over.
Returning to the main arena, Bush hit the stage to a surprisingly large crowd. Playing through the hits from a hefty back catalogue the band had a true vintage punk sound in which Gavin Rossdale’s vocals shone. Glycerine was a big highlight of what turned out to be a polished and well appreciated set from the UK rockers.
Over at stage 5 a small but excited crowd had gathered for pop rock stars A Rocket to the Moon. In their first every Australian show they put on a polished but uninspiring performance which seemed to win over their admiring teenage fans.
Back at the main arena Limp Bizkit had drawn the biggest crowd over the day and the line to get into the D Barrier was long. Opening with new track Why Try, it was clear that the 11 year absence from our shores had only made the crowd even keener to go absolutely crazy. The hits came thick and fast, My Generation and Hot Dog sending the crowd into even more of a frenzy. Fred Durst was the ultimate frontman, revving the crowd up by handing out beers while his voice still sounds as great as it did in the 90’s. The mid-set tribute to Jessica Michalik of a banner with her name being revealed behind the band and Durst revealing the true story of what happened that night in 2001 when she passed away at their Big Day Out show in Sydney, was a touching gesture by the group. Nookie and the crowd pick of Break Stuff ended an impressive set which silenced their critics and satisfied long-time fans.
Marilyn Manson took to stage 1 in front of an adoring crowd. Opening with massive hit Antichrist Superstar it was clear from the outset that Manson was off form. While his band was tight and had a huge sound, the front man himself was struggling, taking sips of water multiple times throughout songs and straining his voice. From offering the crowd cocaine to claiming that he’d broken a rib, the performance was moody and simply bizarre. Although that it what to expect from a Manson gig, it was a disappointment to see the aging rocker’s fall from grace.
Thankfully the headliners of stage 2, Slipknot, came out all guns blazing opening with (sic) in a flash of pyro and flames. The band really knows how to put on a show, dressing up in their traditional prison outfits and facemasks and whipping up the crowd into a heightened fever. The stage props included a drum kit on hydraulics which rose up and down, spun 360 degrees and at one stage, turned drummer Joey Jordison upside down. The mid-set double punch of Before I Forget and Pulse of the Maggots proved crazy enough for Sid Wilson to run through the crowd to the sound tower, climb five metres up it and jump onto the crowd. The whole madness of the set ended appropriately with Surfacing and a mass of pyro. A classic set from one of the world’s best metal bands and entertainers.
Across the field on stage one the anticipation grew as a massive white sheet covered stage one. Then the opening notes of Prison Song rang out with the band members’ shadows projected before the white sheet dropped to reveal the image of System of a Down on Australian shores for the first time in seven years. Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian were in fine voice, their harmonies showering out on top of the growl of guitar bass and drums. Rolling through hit after hit such as BYOB, Needles and Question! This was a band in the form of their life. Malakians’ interaction with the crowd had some great moments such as getting the masses to sing back to him burn, baby burn during the breakdown between Suggestions and Psycho. The highlight for the majority of the crowd came with the huge one-two punch of Chop Suey and Lonely Day, with the whole arena singing along to every word.
The band rolled through a massive 28 song setlist, playing almost every hit song that has made them one of the biggest bands of the last 20 years. Older fans were treated to rarities such as Innervision and Vicinity of Obscenity while the hits kept coming including Aerials and Cigaro. Sugar ended the show in a fever, a near perfect headline performance which showed why System have retained such a cult following and proved they still have a few years left in their hiatus.
Overall, Soundwave has proved the festival market is not dead with a fantastic day of brilliant performances and surprisingly smoothly run organisation. This reviewer takes his hat off to all the team that made this years’ festival such a success and hoped next year is bigger and better.
Sebastian Betten