Vans Warped Tour @ Exhibition Park, Canberra (06/12/2013)
While most tours and festivals skip over Canberra on their way down the east coast, Warped Tour Australia not only made a stop over but also turned it into one of the best lineups of the tour. With local bands starting the day off, some home grown heroes and international performances can’t be missed, as well as some of the best weather on the tour so far, it is clear that festivals should be heading to Canberra more often
The first performance of the day, Canberra locals Atlantis Awakes, started off their set on the Off The Wall stage just as the gates opened. Unfortunately this left many fans missing half of the set before they made it to the stage. However, from what we could hear in the line outside the gates, and from the songs we did manage to see, it wasn’t hard to work out why this band made it on the tour. Their passionate performance and easy-going stage presence quickly won over the local crowd and was the best start a day of great music.
Pop-rockers, The Summer Set, opened up the Kevin Says stage with a set full of songs that sounded like the soundtrack to an Australian summer and would have been a well picked soundtrack to start drinking to. Their crowd of fans consisted of mostly young teenage girls, who may have missed the continual influence of alcohol throughout the lyrics, but certainly didn’t lose any of their enthusiasm for seeing the band perform throughout the set.
Over on the Contiki #NoRegrets Days stage, the last of the Canberra only bands, Drawing North, took to the stage to cheers of a growing crowd of passionate fans. Their powerful pop-rock melodies and rock anthems were a perfect mix for the festival atmosphere and kept their impressive fanbase enthusiastically singing along throughout their performance.
The most recent addition to the Warped Tour lineup, Call The Shots, was among the most disappointing performances of the day. While their enthusiasm and energy was undeniable, their performance seemed suited more to a high school house party rather than an international tour. Their set was full of clichéd songs, awkward stage banter and rather unpractised and uncoordinated movements that left the crowd feeling about as awkward as the performance looked. And while there is some definite potential in this band, I hope they find some time for a bit more practice and growing up in the next year.
Hands Like Houses, also hailing from Canberra, brought out quite a homegrown crowd to the Contiki #NoRegrets Days stage in the early afternoon. After an impromptu acoustic set in Sydney due to electrical issues, the boys were finally back at full volume and blasted their way through the set. The definite crowd pleasers of the day were The House You Built and No Parallels from their latest album Unimagine, but even the oldest songs on the set saw their fans dancing and singing along.
Across on the Kevin Says stage, Reel Big Fish blasted into their set in front of a crowd of screaming fans and Hawaiian shirts. Their mix of Ska rhythms, amusing lyrics and a high-energy stage presence fit in perfectly with the warm summers day. Their performance captivated their fans, and also those just stopping by to check them out. In fact, their set swung from crowd pleaser to crowd pleaser and saw everyone from the security guards down the front to the nearby bar staff singing along on more than one occasion.
Up next was the always-fantastic, punk rock outfit, The Used. Bert McCracken’s enthusiastically childish performance and facial expressions along with the band’s strong performance won the large crowd over and kept them wrapped up in the set. Their rock/post-hardcore sound was a perfect fit with the easy-going, afternoon atmosphere. They created a wonderful space for fans and other festivalgoers to either relax and enjoy the music or get up and jump around. They played through some of their greatest hits from across their discography with Bert calling for fans to sing along even if they have to make up their own words to older songs like The Taste of Ink. The Bird and the Worm, All That I’ve Got and Pretty Handsome Awkward were among the set list, which didn’t have just one specific crowd pleaser so much as an entire set of pleaser after pleaser.
Following on from The Used and with the start of the exhibition performance of the skaters and bmx riders at the Vans Half Pipe, New Found Glory played through the entirety of their 2002 Sticks and Stones album along with several of their greatest hits. Their punk-rock rhythms and energetic performance kept the now rather sunburnt crowd caught up singing and jumping along to some of the greatest songs of the early 2000s. My Friends Over You, Forget My Name and All Downhill From Here were the biggest crowd pleasers of the set with fans surging towards the stage to get just a little closer to vocalist, Jordan Pundik, who was reaching out towards them. However, it was their performance of Kiss Me that was the most memorable and saw everyone from fans in the crowd to people milling around near the stage turning to their friends and signing along to every word in exaggerated accents.
Back on the Off The Wall stage, Hatebreed made it the point of their set to get the crowd as revved up as they could for the following sets of The Amity Affliction and Parkway Drive. And the consistent elements of thrash-core and hardcore punk throughout their songs were exactly what the crowd was looking for. Their set was full of classic crowd pleasers with In Ashes They Shall Reap and Proven seeing the crowd in multiple circle pits and moshes. The highlight was the circle pit they got the crowd to start around the sound tent, which gave onlookers around the outside and the sound guys on the inside an impressive view of a running, moshing and occasionally falling down blur of circling metalheads.
Following straight on from Hatebreed, The Amity Affliction took to the stage amid loud chants of “A-MI-TY! A-MI-TY!” Despite their recent national Band of Brothers tour, it was clear that neither the band nor their fans were anything less than absolutely ecstatic to see them back up on stage. Their set was an explosion of intense breakdowns, spiralling melodies and the cheering, chanting, raving mass of the crowd. They performed some of their greatest songs from across their discography with Youngbloods and R.I.P. Bon seeing the biggest reactions from fans. While at times it was hard to hear the vocals over the powerful drums and chugging guitars, the crowd kept chanting along to every word of the entire set.
Simple Plan blasted into their set with the sun setting behind them and their fans screaming in front. Their pop-punk sound and fun and flirty stage banter made for a quality performance that was exactly what their fans expected. Opening up with a high-energy performance of I’d Do Anything, with the drive of the band and crowd only grew from there. Unfortunately Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive wasn’t there to join the boys on stage for Jet Lag so vocalist Pierre Bouvier called for all the ladies of the crowd to sing her part. During the perfectly fitting Summer Paradise, Simple Plan branded beach balls were thrown out to the sea of waving hands and spent the rest of the song bouncing over the heads of the crowd. Their set drew to a close just as the sun finally set with Pierre’s acoustic rendition of Perfect. The rest of the band joined him after the chorus, building the end of the song into the high-energy, pop-punk sound that the band is so well known for.
Australia locals, Parkway Drive took to the Off The Wall Stage with the waiting crowd still revved up from the chaotic energy of The Amity Affliction’s set. Even competing with some of the largest acts of the day, they drew in the biggest crowd of any of the bands, with their fans ready for a loud and heavy hardcore set to end the night. Despite the late time of the day, the energy of the crowd didn’t falter once throughout the set, with fans writhing and swarming in moshes, circle pits and crowds in front of the stage. Among the crowd favourites were Sleepwalker and Boneyards, but it was clear from the reactions that there wasn’t a song on the set list that didn’t hit the favourites list. With the set full of explosive breakdowns, flawless guitar riffs and Wintson Mcall’s vocals, it was an unmissable ending to the Off The Wall stage and one of the best performances of the day.
Finishing off the Kevin Says stage and what was meant to be the biggest band of the day, The Offspring walked out on stage to a rather modest crowd of fans. Their performance rivalled that of Soundwave shows earlier in the year with a set list full of the very best of their greatest hits. The Offspring is one of those bands that regardless of whether their song comes up on the radio, an old CD or at a show, it is impossible not to get up and dance and sing along. Their set certainly highlighted this. From the over 18s who had spent the day in the bar area to the rather over-it security down the front, everyone was dancing along to the songs in their own way. The classics of any The Offspring set, Come Out and Play, You’re Gonna Go Far Kid, Spare Me The Details and Self Esteem were among the highlights of the set with the fans not even missing a word as they jumped and danced around to them.
With a lineup to rival that of any other festival touring over the summer, and the atmosphere that beats them all, Warped Tour Australia is the perfect mix of local bands, Australian classics and international stars that really does make it the ‘best day ever’.
Bethany Williams
The first performance of the day, Canberra locals Atlantis Awakes, started off their set on the Off The Wall stage just as the gates opened. Unfortunately this left many fans missing half of the set before they made it to the stage. However, from what we could hear in the line outside the gates, and from the songs we did manage to see, it wasn’t hard to work out why this band made it on the tour. Their passionate performance and easy-going stage presence quickly won over the local crowd and was the best start a day of great music.
Pop-rockers, The Summer Set, opened up the Kevin Says stage with a set full of songs that sounded like the soundtrack to an Australian summer and would have been a well picked soundtrack to start drinking to. Their crowd of fans consisted of mostly young teenage girls, who may have missed the continual influence of alcohol throughout the lyrics, but certainly didn’t lose any of their enthusiasm for seeing the band perform throughout the set.
Over on the Contiki #NoRegrets Days stage, the last of the Canberra only bands, Drawing North, took to the stage to cheers of a growing crowd of passionate fans. Their powerful pop-rock melodies and rock anthems were a perfect mix for the festival atmosphere and kept their impressive fanbase enthusiastically singing along throughout their performance.
The most recent addition to the Warped Tour lineup, Call The Shots, was among the most disappointing performances of the day. While their enthusiasm and energy was undeniable, their performance seemed suited more to a high school house party rather than an international tour. Their set was full of clichéd songs, awkward stage banter and rather unpractised and uncoordinated movements that left the crowd feeling about as awkward as the performance looked. And while there is some definite potential in this band, I hope they find some time for a bit more practice and growing up in the next year.
Hands Like Houses, also hailing from Canberra, brought out quite a homegrown crowd to the Contiki #NoRegrets Days stage in the early afternoon. After an impromptu acoustic set in Sydney due to electrical issues, the boys were finally back at full volume and blasted their way through the set. The definite crowd pleasers of the day were The House You Built and No Parallels from their latest album Unimagine, but even the oldest songs on the set saw their fans dancing and singing along.
Across on the Kevin Says stage, Reel Big Fish blasted into their set in front of a crowd of screaming fans and Hawaiian shirts. Their mix of Ska rhythms, amusing lyrics and a high-energy stage presence fit in perfectly with the warm summers day. Their performance captivated their fans, and also those just stopping by to check them out. In fact, their set swung from crowd pleaser to crowd pleaser and saw everyone from the security guards down the front to the nearby bar staff singing along on more than one occasion.
Up next was the always-fantastic, punk rock outfit, The Used. Bert McCracken’s enthusiastically childish performance and facial expressions along with the band’s strong performance won the large crowd over and kept them wrapped up in the set. Their rock/post-hardcore sound was a perfect fit with the easy-going, afternoon atmosphere. They created a wonderful space for fans and other festivalgoers to either relax and enjoy the music or get up and jump around. They played through some of their greatest hits from across their discography with Bert calling for fans to sing along even if they have to make up their own words to older songs like The Taste of Ink. The Bird and the Worm, All That I’ve Got and Pretty Handsome Awkward were among the set list, which didn’t have just one specific crowd pleaser so much as an entire set of pleaser after pleaser.
Following on from The Used and with the start of the exhibition performance of the skaters and bmx riders at the Vans Half Pipe, New Found Glory played through the entirety of their 2002 Sticks and Stones album along with several of their greatest hits. Their punk-rock rhythms and energetic performance kept the now rather sunburnt crowd caught up singing and jumping along to some of the greatest songs of the early 2000s. My Friends Over You, Forget My Name and All Downhill From Here were the biggest crowd pleasers of the set with fans surging towards the stage to get just a little closer to vocalist, Jordan Pundik, who was reaching out towards them. However, it was their performance of Kiss Me that was the most memorable and saw everyone from fans in the crowd to people milling around near the stage turning to their friends and signing along to every word in exaggerated accents.
Back on the Off The Wall stage, Hatebreed made it the point of their set to get the crowd as revved up as they could for the following sets of The Amity Affliction and Parkway Drive. And the consistent elements of thrash-core and hardcore punk throughout their songs were exactly what the crowd was looking for. Their set was full of classic crowd pleasers with In Ashes They Shall Reap and Proven seeing the crowd in multiple circle pits and moshes. The highlight was the circle pit they got the crowd to start around the sound tent, which gave onlookers around the outside and the sound guys on the inside an impressive view of a running, moshing and occasionally falling down blur of circling metalheads.
Following straight on from Hatebreed, The Amity Affliction took to the stage amid loud chants of “A-MI-TY! A-MI-TY!” Despite their recent national Band of Brothers tour, it was clear that neither the band nor their fans were anything less than absolutely ecstatic to see them back up on stage. Their set was an explosion of intense breakdowns, spiralling melodies and the cheering, chanting, raving mass of the crowd. They performed some of their greatest songs from across their discography with Youngbloods and R.I.P. Bon seeing the biggest reactions from fans. While at times it was hard to hear the vocals over the powerful drums and chugging guitars, the crowd kept chanting along to every word of the entire set.
Simple Plan blasted into their set with the sun setting behind them and their fans screaming in front. Their pop-punk sound and fun and flirty stage banter made for a quality performance that was exactly what their fans expected. Opening up with a high-energy performance of I’d Do Anything, with the drive of the band and crowd only grew from there. Unfortunately Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive wasn’t there to join the boys on stage for Jet Lag so vocalist Pierre Bouvier called for all the ladies of the crowd to sing her part. During the perfectly fitting Summer Paradise, Simple Plan branded beach balls were thrown out to the sea of waving hands and spent the rest of the song bouncing over the heads of the crowd. Their set drew to a close just as the sun finally set with Pierre’s acoustic rendition of Perfect. The rest of the band joined him after the chorus, building the end of the song into the high-energy, pop-punk sound that the band is so well known for.
Australia locals, Parkway Drive took to the Off The Wall Stage with the waiting crowd still revved up from the chaotic energy of The Amity Affliction’s set. Even competing with some of the largest acts of the day, they drew in the biggest crowd of any of the bands, with their fans ready for a loud and heavy hardcore set to end the night. Despite the late time of the day, the energy of the crowd didn’t falter once throughout the set, with fans writhing and swarming in moshes, circle pits and crowds in front of the stage. Among the crowd favourites were Sleepwalker and Boneyards, but it was clear from the reactions that there wasn’t a song on the set list that didn’t hit the favourites list. With the set full of explosive breakdowns, flawless guitar riffs and Wintson Mcall’s vocals, it was an unmissable ending to the Off The Wall stage and one of the best performances of the day.
Finishing off the Kevin Says stage and what was meant to be the biggest band of the day, The Offspring walked out on stage to a rather modest crowd of fans. Their performance rivalled that of Soundwave shows earlier in the year with a set list full of the very best of their greatest hits. The Offspring is one of those bands that regardless of whether their song comes up on the radio, an old CD or at a show, it is impossible not to get up and dance and sing along. Their set certainly highlighted this. From the over 18s who had spent the day in the bar area to the rather over-it security down the front, everyone was dancing along to the songs in their own way. The classics of any The Offspring set, Come Out and Play, You’re Gonna Go Far Kid, Spare Me The Details and Self Esteem were among the highlights of the set with the fans not even missing a word as they jumped and danced around to them.
With a lineup to rival that of any other festival touring over the summer, and the atmosphere that beats them all, Warped Tour Australia is the perfect mix of local bands, Australian classics and international stars that really does make it the ‘best day ever’.
Bethany Williams