Soundwave Festival 2014 @ RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane (22/02/2014)
Saturday dawned cool and overcast, a welcome change from the mid-30 degree days of the past week, and perfect weather for the first Soundwave Festival of 2014. This year’s lineup once again boasted over 90 bands worth of international and local talent that was sure to provide a massive day of punk, rock, metal and everything in between.
First up at 11am were Australian veteran punks The Porkers, who turned out to be a pretty great choice to open the day. They were super energised and immediately injected a big dose of fun which was reflected in the crowd swelling to a few thousand by the end of their set. I went into the day unfamiliar with their material, and although some of the lyrics left a lot to be desired (such as singing about being a bush turkey), overall they were enjoyable and reminded me of a rawer and rockier version of The Cat Empire.
Next up were my most anticipated act of the band, the brash alternative rock of Scotland’s Biffy Clyro. Walking on to the stage in their traditional state, shirtless, they ripped into Stingin’ Belle and proceeded to put on an inspired and entertaining show for the next 45 minutes, showcasing all of their different sides. From the blistering pace of That Golden Rule, the mariachi-band-likeness of Spanish Radio, and to the slow-building, but massive, Many of Horror, it was a master-class from one of the most exciting British bands going around.
From there I had a look around the venue and noticed a few noticeable improvements from last year, including the location of Stage 6 being up an escalator and in a fantastic air conditioned room and the sound bleed between stages being non-existent. However the variety of food options was disappointing and the promise of cheaper drink prices had not be fulfilled.
But I headed to Stage 5 B full of anticipation for Mutemath. They were a bit of an outlier on the bill, having been added to Soundwave after the cancellation of last year’s Harvest Festival. Their indie rock jams however, were well received by a strong crowd. The band had to overcome vocal issues on the first track, Spotlight, but they immediately rectified that with great extended performances of well-known tracks like Prytania and Blood Pressure, singer Paul Meany combining his strong vocals with the playing of numerous different instruments which I didn’t know the name of but marvelled at.
Straight afterwards on the adjacent Stage 5 A were UK punk band Pulled Apart by Horses. In just one word they were awesome. There was so much energy, passion, and fantastically technical playing skills on show. And for that reason it was super disappointing they only drew a crowd of no more than 100, and even more disappointing I had to leave their set two-thirds in, but unfortunately the main stage called me.
And the reason I was drawn back to Stage 1 was Placebo. The band that has eluded me for six years, I was finally getting my chance to see them live and I was going to make the most of it. They had, as expected, drawn a massive crowd most of whom were hoping to catch some of the numerous back catalogue hits. Conversely, the UK trio (with 3 backing musicians), played lots of new material including new singles Too Many Friends and Loud Like Love, which sounded tight, full and like it should live. The back half of the set saw the crowd, and the band, really get into things though. Black-Eyed and Song to Say Goodbye sounded as fresh as ever and proved Placebo definitely have still got it.
There’s always one band at Soundwave that I’ve never heard of before the lineup announcement, but I grow to love before the festival. This year that band was Crosses. They had a great crowd at Stage 5A, and although they were 10 minutes late, they finally arrived on stage to a hero’s welcome. Chino Moreno, of Deftones fame, brings a fantastic energy to this more downbeat, electronic side-project of his. The fantastic choruses of Bitches Brew and The Epilogue gave me serious goose bumps, sounding and feeling just as good as on record. This is a band I believe will continue to grow and grow into something truly special.
I went to watch Jimmy Eat World on Stage 2 from the stands. It proved to be a good choice, the sound travelled well and it gave a great view of the massive crowds that the main arena at RNA can hold. I wasn’t sure if the band would be suited to such a late slot, but they really stepped it up and played a set which didn’t have the lighting and visual wow-factor that previous headliners have had, but definitely had sense of professionalism and sincereness that put them in the crowd’s good books. The one-two punch of The Middle and Sweetness at the end of the set had everyone singing along as the sun set.
There was a simply massive crowd waiting at Stage 1, and spilling all around the main arena, waiting for one band. Green Day hadn’t been on Australian shores in over four years, and in that time had released three albums, although this Soundwave set was full of vintage hits. I managed to catch timeless hits such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends, in the 90 minutes I saw from the trio. However whilst Billie Joe Armstrong was a jumping ball of energy and was great at getting the crowd psyched up, the set turned to karaoke midway through when a number of pretty average covers crept into the set, and I was kind of sick of being told to “get pumped Brisbane” for the hundredth time.
So I took the escalator up to the refreshingly cool Stage 6B for Letlive. To say they put on an eventful show would be a vast understatement. In the first three songs there were three broken microphones, one of which was electro-shocking singer Jason Butler, said singer shoved an open water bottle down his pants to “cool himself down”, and said singer had crowd surfed half a dozen times and managed to make a speech about his mother raising him to be a man, pretty inspiring. Plus, the music was pretty great and the crowd were up for it. Younger was awesome to hear live, and although I’m not more of a fan of actual singing, the screaming vocals Letlive performed were kind of great.
After Letlive finished, I decided I was pretty damn wrecked, and walking past Green Day doing a terrible cover of Who Can It Be Now? cemented my decision that it was time to head home. This was my third Soundwave, and it was right up there with the others I have attended. Fantastic organisation, a great layout, more bands than you could poke a stick at, and the friendliest crowd you’ll find at any gig. Yes, Soundwave remains as my favourite Australian summer festival.
Sebastian Betten
First up at 11am were Australian veteran punks The Porkers, who turned out to be a pretty great choice to open the day. They were super energised and immediately injected a big dose of fun which was reflected in the crowd swelling to a few thousand by the end of their set. I went into the day unfamiliar with their material, and although some of the lyrics left a lot to be desired (such as singing about being a bush turkey), overall they were enjoyable and reminded me of a rawer and rockier version of The Cat Empire.
Next up were my most anticipated act of the band, the brash alternative rock of Scotland’s Biffy Clyro. Walking on to the stage in their traditional state, shirtless, they ripped into Stingin’ Belle and proceeded to put on an inspired and entertaining show for the next 45 minutes, showcasing all of their different sides. From the blistering pace of That Golden Rule, the mariachi-band-likeness of Spanish Radio, and to the slow-building, but massive, Many of Horror, it was a master-class from one of the most exciting British bands going around.
From there I had a look around the venue and noticed a few noticeable improvements from last year, including the location of Stage 6 being up an escalator and in a fantastic air conditioned room and the sound bleed between stages being non-existent. However the variety of food options was disappointing and the promise of cheaper drink prices had not be fulfilled.
But I headed to Stage 5 B full of anticipation for Mutemath. They were a bit of an outlier on the bill, having been added to Soundwave after the cancellation of last year’s Harvest Festival. Their indie rock jams however, were well received by a strong crowd. The band had to overcome vocal issues on the first track, Spotlight, but they immediately rectified that with great extended performances of well-known tracks like Prytania and Blood Pressure, singer Paul Meany combining his strong vocals with the playing of numerous different instruments which I didn’t know the name of but marvelled at.
Straight afterwards on the adjacent Stage 5 A were UK punk band Pulled Apart by Horses. In just one word they were awesome. There was so much energy, passion, and fantastically technical playing skills on show. And for that reason it was super disappointing they only drew a crowd of no more than 100, and even more disappointing I had to leave their set two-thirds in, but unfortunately the main stage called me.
And the reason I was drawn back to Stage 1 was Placebo. The band that has eluded me for six years, I was finally getting my chance to see them live and I was going to make the most of it. They had, as expected, drawn a massive crowd most of whom were hoping to catch some of the numerous back catalogue hits. Conversely, the UK trio (with 3 backing musicians), played lots of new material including new singles Too Many Friends and Loud Like Love, which sounded tight, full and like it should live. The back half of the set saw the crowd, and the band, really get into things though. Black-Eyed and Song to Say Goodbye sounded as fresh as ever and proved Placebo definitely have still got it.
There’s always one band at Soundwave that I’ve never heard of before the lineup announcement, but I grow to love before the festival. This year that band was Crosses. They had a great crowd at Stage 5A, and although they were 10 minutes late, they finally arrived on stage to a hero’s welcome. Chino Moreno, of Deftones fame, brings a fantastic energy to this more downbeat, electronic side-project of his. The fantastic choruses of Bitches Brew and The Epilogue gave me serious goose bumps, sounding and feeling just as good as on record. This is a band I believe will continue to grow and grow into something truly special.
I went to watch Jimmy Eat World on Stage 2 from the stands. It proved to be a good choice, the sound travelled well and it gave a great view of the massive crowds that the main arena at RNA can hold. I wasn’t sure if the band would be suited to such a late slot, but they really stepped it up and played a set which didn’t have the lighting and visual wow-factor that previous headliners have had, but definitely had sense of professionalism and sincereness that put them in the crowd’s good books. The one-two punch of The Middle and Sweetness at the end of the set had everyone singing along as the sun set.
There was a simply massive crowd waiting at Stage 1, and spilling all around the main arena, waiting for one band. Green Day hadn’t been on Australian shores in over four years, and in that time had released three albums, although this Soundwave set was full of vintage hits. I managed to catch timeless hits such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends, in the 90 minutes I saw from the trio. However whilst Billie Joe Armstrong was a jumping ball of energy and was great at getting the crowd psyched up, the set turned to karaoke midway through when a number of pretty average covers crept into the set, and I was kind of sick of being told to “get pumped Brisbane” for the hundredth time.
So I took the escalator up to the refreshingly cool Stage 6B for Letlive. To say they put on an eventful show would be a vast understatement. In the first three songs there were three broken microphones, one of which was electro-shocking singer Jason Butler, said singer shoved an open water bottle down his pants to “cool himself down”, and said singer had crowd surfed half a dozen times and managed to make a speech about his mother raising him to be a man, pretty inspiring. Plus, the music was pretty great and the crowd were up for it. Younger was awesome to hear live, and although I’m not more of a fan of actual singing, the screaming vocals Letlive performed were kind of great.
After Letlive finished, I decided I was pretty damn wrecked, and walking past Green Day doing a terrible cover of Who Can It Be Now? cemented my decision that it was time to head home. This was my third Soundwave, and it was right up there with the others I have attended. Fantastic organisation, a great layout, more bands than you could poke a stick at, and the friendliest crowd you’ll find at any gig. Yes, Soundwave remains as my favourite Australian summer festival.
Sebastian Betten