FESTIVAL REVIEW: Big Day Out, Homebush, Sydney (23/1/10)

How Many Bands Can You Fit In One Day?
Saturday 23rd January 2010
Sydney Showgrounds, Homebush
　

It was a milestone for the Big Day Out today as they celebrated their 100th show, and what a ride it’s been! I’ve been attending Big Day Out’s from the tender age of 12 and they have never disappointed, offering up a plentiful and diverse range of acts that make it very hard to choose from. Sticking to the Main Stage this year my first act of the day was Sydney’s very own Bluejuice.

This is one hard working band who’ve been treading the musical boards for years so it was good to see them make it to Main Stage status. They drew a large and very young crowd ready to shake their thang to Stav and Jake’s catchy vocals. They’re a fun band with a good sense of humour – donning yellow jump suits with black racing stripes, not so wise a choice for the almost 40 degree heat – and the music is just as entertaining. Bouncing beats, rocking rhythms and a huge inflatable lizard side of stage made the perfect opening act for my day.

Karnivool and Mastodon followed, both with slightly smaller crowds than Bluejuice, and both hammering out the harder rock style. Unfortunately both failed to impress. Karnivool replicated the same epic dramatic sound they have always had which is kinda cool, but I don’t see any great advances on their behalf as far as their new stuff goes. And Mastodon looked and sounded the part with their heavy metal musings but nothing stand out – metal music by numbers comes to mind.

Kasabian were next to the plate and the huge crowd gathered showed how far this band has come. I’ve recently returned from London and they have definitely trumped Oasis in the Brit-rock stakes, producing a mighty fine piece of work in their latest slab West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. The world has gone literally crazy for their ever-growing sound and the set they delivered was nothing short of perfect. Fire, Shoot The Runner, The Underdog and various others were played with talent and fervour and were met with ecstatic sing-a-long’s and dancing. I have no doubt if Kasabian ever return to the Big Day Out circus they will be placed much higher on the line-up ladder.

Biggest Main Stage crowd of the day is a tall title to hold, but the next 2 acts won it hands down. Hilltop Hoods drew an amazing surge of people all ready to throw their hands in the air and witness the MC stylings of the boys from Adelaide. I am not a huge fan of Australian hip-hop but these guys sure know how to get down and work a crowd. Old favourites Hard Road, Nosebleed Section and Clown Prince rang like Australia Day anthems throughout the stadium with the crowd knowing every word. Newer releases Chase That Feeling and Still Standing were greeted with the same enthusiasm, and the MC talents of the boys were highlighted by one of the longest freestyle runs I have ever seen.

Dizzee Rascal represented the hip-hop/grime genre from across the pond and drew even more people into the bowl. Everyone loves a rascal and Dizzee certainly lives up to his name, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand with old and new material including Fix Up Look Sharp, Sound Of The Police, the horribly main stream Holiday, and of course Bonkers. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen a stadium full of people going bonkers but I can tell you it’s a sight to behold. A great set from the boy from London and an awesome afternoon crowd pleaser.

Sticking to the London theme Lily Allen shuffled on next and provided some light and girlie relief to the afternoon. I like Lily – she’s so cute and fun and entertaining in her personality, however her music leaves a little to be desired. Her lyrics are sweet and personal to the point of prying, but she lacks substance and ability. Her voice is great and the set was fun, but I can’t help feeling she’s a bit of a show pony, wooing the crowd with her beauty and girl power without producing anything that credible. Fun to watch regardless.

Award for best band to clear a stadium goes to The Mars Volta as almost two thirds of the crowd evacuated once their screaming chords kicked in. The dedicated few that stayed to watch were oblivious and went bezerk as the band ploughed through their long and winding list of hits. A friend of mine once described them as being guilty of ‘musical masturbation’ and I tend to agree to a point, but there’s no denying these guys have a wealth of talent that should be admired and their set today showcased those talents well. Their dramatic lyrics, crescendos and time changes make for a rock’n’roll ride like no other and their sound boomed about the stadium nicely.

Australian headliner for the day was Powderfinger and I think we all agree that you can’t get much more Aussie than The Finger (except for maybe The Spoon). Of course everyone came to see them and of course everyone knew all the words and of course we all waited for stalwart favourites My Happiness, (Baby I’ve Got You) On My Mind, These Days and Love Your Way. However I can’t help feeling The Finger have become a little run-of-the-mill as far as festival acts go. They were good, and it was nice to see them, but their sets don’t seem to be as exciting as they used to be. Their new material was so-so and the rest were just the same as usual.

Then it was time for the big guns, the boys from Devon, Muse. I am ashamed to say that up until a few years ago I didn’t give this band the time of day, finding Matt Belamy’s shrill vocals grating. However a close friend has since converted me and I am appalled that it took me so long to catch on. They exploded on stage in an aura of lights, LED screens and audiovisuals perfectly complementing their huge sound and driving rock beats. Muse are a force to be reckoned with and deserve all the accolades they receive. Matt Belamy’s guitar prowess is beyond compare, Chris Wolstenholmes deep basslines keep it all grounded and you could set your watch by Dominic Howard’s heavy beats. Plug In Baby, Knights Of Sydonia and Starlight were among an array of hits that packed the arena, and an encore cover of Back In Black with Jet’s Nick Cester on vocals left us all gagging for more. Far and away the best band of the day and one of the best festival performances I’ve ever seen.

So once again Ken West and Vivien Lees provided us with a stellar day out and showed just how much musical talent is flying around these days. I can only imagine the amazing performances witnessed on the other various stages and wish I could have seen them all. Too much music, too little time.

VENUE REVIEW: The Gaelic Club, Sydney, Australia

THE GAELIC CLUB

64 DEVONSHIRE STREET, SURRY HILLS, AUSTRALIA

PH: (00 612) 9211 1687

www.thegaelic.com

Despite the name and well-hidden members bar upstairs the only thing Irish about the Gaelic Club is the Celtic script on the toilet doors. There is that weird sculpture of the face above the stage, but I'm not sure that he has any irish ties...

LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

The club is situated just behind Central Station and about 5 minutes down the hill from Crown Street so access is easy from all angles. There is a members area atop the club but this is more remeniscent of a workers club or RSL and is seperate to the venue itself, but does serve as a great hiring space for parties as it is big and has a balcony - very nice!

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

As one of the newer venues in Sydney the Gaelic doesn't do too badly. It's a good size and has an excellent viewing balcony on the upper level that I have seen many an idiot launch themselves off. The sound and sight lines are always good (if you're not short), but try to get a spot close to the stage as it can reach scorching temperatures in there when full, so if you're stood further back underneath the upper level the sound can get lost and the heat... well, lets just say you're going to need fluids. But do look out for the various centrally placed pillars, and also try to avoid standing on the left side of the room as you'll inevitably get caught in the cross flow of people heading toward the toilets.

There is only one main bar runnning along the right hand side of the room so getting a drink is always a challenge. However if you can reach the front there is a little space between the end of the bar and front of the stage that tends to remain hidden and relatively roomy, so drinking and dancing can be had.

TICKETS & SHOWS

When I left home (over a year ago) The Gaelic seemed to be nabbing a lot of the great gig's that would normally have been at the Metro or Annandale so there's always a reason to head to the club. The staff are always friendly and fun, the drinks are reasonably priced and the bands are always on form. A host of Australian acts have played there including Regurgitator and Beasts of Bourbon, as well as internationals such as The Datsuns, NOFX, My Morning Jacket, Ben Kweller, Jamie T and many more. It also has a late license so keep an eye out for the odd dance party mash up. All tickets for the club are sold through www.moshtix.com.au which can be a very convenient way of booking, but for goodness sake don't forget your ticket print-out and/or your Moshtix card or you're screwed.

All in all the venue is worth a squiz due to great line up's and atmosphere. And if you can come out the other end of the gig feeling riled up and ready to go (which you hopefully should), beware the mad Madison and Strawberry Hills Hotel on either side, as I have seen them make mice out of many, many men.

VENUE REVIEW: The Annandale Hotel, Sydney, Australia

THE ANNANDALE HOTEL

17-19 PARRAMATTA ROAD, ANNANDALE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

PH: (00 612) 9550 1078

www.annandalehotel.com

And here we have yet another biased review from Meredith! As with most of the venues I review, I also worked at The Annandale Hotel for many years, both as a Venue Entertainment Booker and moonlighting as a door and bar girl. If you really want to get down to the rock'n'roll nitty gritty in the city of Sydney, this be the place. It's dark, it's dirty, your shoes stick to the floor and you'll sweat like a pig - but that's the way it should be. Like most venues in Sydney, The Dale has been to hell and back with neighbourhood complaints, noise restrictions, 'unsavoury' clientele and pokie wars, but it's still standing. The pub has been there since the 1930's but did not always feature live music. In fact, the music was silenced as recently as 1998, but current owners Matt and Dan Rule ensured that was short lived and returned it to its former glory in 2000.

LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

It's location isn't exactly central but the venue is easy to get to nonetheless as it lies on the factory outlet super highway that is Parramatta Road - directly opposite car hoon central, otherwise known as Stanmore McDonalds. This road runs all the way from Parramatta (funnily enough) right into the heart of the city so as far as public transport goes the bus is it, as lots of them run along that road. Stanmore train station is about 20 minutes walk away but the bus is much easier. And don't ever drive as the neighbours always complain about lack of parking when there's a show on, and who are we kidding, you're going to want a drink anyway.

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

I'm not going to lie - the pub is small. There is a small bar in the main entrance called Raymond J's (named after the owners' Uncle), which hosts various nights showcasing Sydney's unsigned talen, and sometimes serves as a second stage at larger shows. There's also a room off the side of Raymond J's that holds pokies (yuk) and a fabulous feature wall of photo's by local photographer Colin J Lucas (yay).

Then there's the main room bar which has played host to numerous international and Australian bands, and photo's of gig's gone by adorn the walls reminding you just how much rock'n'roll sweat has gone into this place. As far as sight lines go, if you're short, you're screwed. The room is small and there is NO (and I mean NIL) space between stage and crowd. There is a raised mezzanine at the very back of the room and a small row of bench seats in front of the sound desk on the left hand side, so unless you acquire one of these aforementioned spots it's every man for himself. The main room bar is big but runs down one side of the room so getting there and back with a drink can be interesting. But the air conditioning is non-existant, so to some extent getting a complete stranger's drink spilled down your back can come as somewhat of a sweet relief.

There is also a fantastic beer garden and Thai restaurant called Wok'n'Roll (What a great name! I wonder what wonderful creative person thought that one up??...) which is extremely useful should you arrive to the gig feeling hungry, or are partial to reclining comfortably in the sunshine watching sport, schooner in one hand, chicken satay skewer in the other.

TICKETS & SHOWS

The Dale sells all it's own tickets via the website and phone number listed above. It has very much a community feel to it, hosting wild, weird, whacky and wonderful Cult Sinema movie screenings every Monday night (www.mumeson.org), as well as weekend 'Pub Cha' hangover sessions, and annual Birthday Week (June), Christmas Eve and Boxing Day celebrations which are nothing short of a Sydney music scene institution.

It's stage has been graced by everyone from the The Dandy Warhols to Jet, The Dwarves to The Bronx, Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Clutch, International Noise Conspiracy to 5,6,7,8's, and countless amazing Australian bands that are to numerous to mention here. Let's just say The Dale is the place you sell out spectacularly before moving on to national big venue sell-out tours and superstardom. Because of this most shows are literally an explosion of riffs, lights, screams and air-born plastic schooner cups. I'm not sure what happens but artists seem to become possessed at The Dale - climbing stacks, crowd surfing, swinging from the roof - not to mention the fact that the surface of the main room bar is level with and leads straight onto the stage, meaning band members can strut their stuff catwalk-styles to the back of the room, serenade them up close, do a turn, grab a beer and shimmy their way back onto stage.

So if you're in Sydney and want to witness some true blue, no holds barred Australian rock'n'roll look no further than The Dale. The crowd are cool, the staff are fun, and the owners... well, lest you desire an afterlife in the fiery depths of hell, stay far, far away from them...

VENUE REVIEW: The Metro Theatre, Sydney, Australia

THE METRO THEATRE

624 GEORGE ST. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
PH: (00 612) 9550 3666
http://www.metrotheatre.com.au/

I spent the best part of my life working for this venue, so admittedly this review will be bias! I worked as Assistant Venue Booker here from 20-24 years of age so I know the place inside out, and remember almost every amazing show I saw there...?

LOCATION & ACCESSIBILITY

Being smack bang in the centre of George Street in the city (opp. the cinemas) makes this venue very easy to get to. Town Hall train station is just up the road, and every bus you can imagine runs to George Street and Town Hall so you're set. I believe it's curfew is now Midnight, so alas, gone are the heady days of Fuzzy dance parties and Frisky extravaganza's, but it's being owned by the Century Venues group (who also run The Enmore Theatre and The Factory venues in Sydney) means it still pulls good shows.

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

As for the venue itself, it is my favourite to see gig's at by far. The massive flight of stairs upon entry gives you some much needed exercise before you fill yourself with intoxicants (try climbing those buggers with a hangover!), and the chandelier in the lush, red, theatre-themed foyer (as created by designer Brian Thompson) gives it an air of cabaret; burlesque even (FYI: the chandelier is plastic).

The ill-fated 'Lair' (aka Roma Room) has had more facelift's than Michael Jackson, rendering it hard to get a feel for. But it is now a permanent film set for the MTV Live show of the same name, which is probably for the best, as it's addition to the Metro's main room was akin to sticking a one story fibro house onto the side of Buckingham Palace.

The main room (see photo at top), however, is another story altogether. This room is by far the best place to see live music in Sydney - and I'm not saying that because I always got to stand on the backstage stairs above the dance floor. The stage isn't too big and neither is the dance floor, so if you are standing on the flat you're close and can always see. The remainder of the room is large tiered steps meaning you can always see from wherever you are, providing some vertically-blessed being doesn't stand in front of you. There's even a seated balcony to the left of the room should any of you injured, golden oldies or once-gig-a-year novices need to sit down. There's air conditioning, (usually) clean toilets, space to sit, drink, dance - what more could you ask for?

There are only 2 bars - one at the back of the main room, and a larger in the foyer - but as the venue is not massive in size it's usually quite easy to get liquified. The only thing it doesn't have is food, but it is situated on a fast food freeway, so when stumbling down the stairs post-show I dare you to ignore the neon calls of McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King), or even Ali Baba's.

TICKETING & SHOWS

All Century venues do their own ticketing, as well as sometimes going through Ticketmaster/Ticketek, so check listings for details. You can always buy tickets from The Metro website (www.metrotheatre.com.au) or over the phone on #9550 3666. But as always, be sure to opt for the 'print tickets at home' or postal option, as the ticket collection queues are always long no matter when you arrive.

As mentioned previously the Metro used to have a 24 hour license which meant all night dance-a-thon's were always on the agenda from the likes of Fuzzy, Jam and Frisky. The license has since been cut (thank you Mr Sartor) which means it's curfew is Midnight. But even before this happened The Metro played host to some of the most amazing acts of our time, especially considering it usually picks up most of the Big Day Out festival side shows. I saw more bands and DJ's at this venue than I could ever begin to remember, but some that spring to mind are:

BILLY BRAGG, COLDPLAY, AT THE DRIVE IN, CRYSTAL METHOD, THE WHITE STRIPES, PERRY FARRELL, FOO FIGHTERS, WILCO, XZIBIT, MIDNIGHT OIL, MUDHONEY, QUEENS OF THE STONEAGE, LOU REED, RONI SIZE, LTJ BUKEM, UGLY DUCKLING, JURASSIC 5, JET, CRAZY PENIS, SHANE McGOWAN, BETH ORTON, THE DONNAS, THE STRANGLERS, and so many more you wouldn't believe..

Needless to say The Metro is not only situated in, but IS the heart of music in the city of Sydney. It has had a rough trot in the past, getting caught up in corporate fumblings, administrators, bad management and clueless contractors. But none of these things will ever change the amazing memories and experiences the people of Sydney have had within it's walls. I guarantee most Sydney-siders have seen a show here, and I guarantee they all had a great time.

I can also guarantee that one day this venue will be taken back by those who truley own it and return it to it's former glory...