The weather for the weekend is predicted to be warm, then extremely hot, very windy, then get pretty cold (maybe a bit of rain, although it didn't end up raining in the end). It is nice getting there early when everything is pretty empty and quiet. A brilliant spot has been staked out for us to camp, kind of directly behind the stage, off in a back corner by the cinema.
Soon to be filled with 20,000 people.
Earning my ticket.
The next day, after working to earn my ticket, the music starts. Snakadaktal is first up for me. Yeah, they are not for me. I can't remember what they sounded like right now, I just remember not liking them all that much.
Snakadaktal
Then Earthless. They were noisy and all but like lots of jam bands, I get tired of that one song they are playing end up tuning out.
Earthless
I know Brous is getting a lot of buzz here in Australia, but I found her pretty unbearable. Her website describes her as "60s film soundtracks, shimmering psychedelia and industrial lounge" which should work for me but aack, I just wanted to run away.
Brous
Ok, down to the front for Grimes. Her act was utterly ridiculous, two dancers gyrating around while she jumped around behind a synth playing cheezy dance music, but yeah, it was fun cheezy. So, after a not so promising morning, things start to pick up.
Grimes
The Sunnyboys, 80s power-pop from Sydney. Everybody I was camping with could only remember that one song they had that everybody would know when they heard it. Their set was pleasant and catchy. I wonder how many couples say, hey, that's our song when they hear Alone With You.
Sunnyboys
Finally, headlining for the night, Spiritualized. I like the description of Spacemen 3 as the sound of the vacuum cleaner. It was fun watching them to see how they that sound happens. You really have to play the guitar fast to get that droning buzz. Lots of the audience around me seemed to be having a spiritual experience, weeping and holding on to each other. They were pretty good, but I'm not sure they were all that.
Spiritualized
The rest of the evening was well after my bedtime. From the tent, I sort of heard Tame Impala while I was sleeping. They sounded fine but I'm not sure I missed them. Then as I half slept, Omar Souleyman sounded pretty cool, little bits of Arabic songs drifted in and out. Too bad it was 2 am, I would have liked to have seen him. And I was pretty asleep when Four Tet was playing. Just bits of that got into my sleep and also sounded pretty good.
Campsite nicely set up
But I was pretty well rested for the next day. I've seen the Twerps a few times here in Melbourne and think they are pretty good but I didn't feel the need to go see them. What I heard from a distance sounded pretty good. I went to see a bit of Chet Faker. You know, I thought (from the name), maybe he would be country, roots, or at least a little bit rock. But he was just kind of electronic jazz, which, yuck, I didn't last long there.
Chet Faker
Royal Headache, I know I've seen them before at some point, opening for somebody like the Buzzcocks or something. Kind of energetic garage punk, I only sort of remember them from then and not much from this time either.
Royal Headache
Ok, finally the highlight of the whole thing. I love that Meredith programs their acts all over the place. I wasn't expecting Frank Fairfield last year but he was the 2nd best thing there (can't beat Grinderman, you know.) Big Jay McNeely is a tenor sax player from the 40s/50s, before the guitar tool over rock and roll. He is 85 but he totally killed. Yeah, he has been doing the same act for decades, but what an act it is. He goes over time (festival schedules have to be tight) but nobody was going to drag him off the stage. He gets the first boot from the crowd (tradition is to show extreme appreciation of a set through a show of footwear) and totally deserves it.
Big Jay getting the boot
Big Jay McNeely
Hosing down on a 36 degree day.
Anything was going to be a letdown after Big Jay (and I was melting from the 36 degree day), but Hot Snakes carried on pretty well with a pretty rocking punk set.
Hot Snakes
I'll admit that I don't really get rap. Rahzel did a set with DJ JS-1. He seemed to go over fine with the crowd but yeah, I don't know. He had a DJ so he wasn't doing his human beatbox stuff. At least as far as I know. I watched a few songs then went and took a shower (which was really amazing.) From a distance, I understood even less of Rahzel. I mean, it just sounded like somebody shouting at a Bob Marley record.
Rahzel & DJ JS-1
The Toot Toot Toots were fun. A bit of cow punk, spaghetti western but with bits of other things thrown in like rap and ska.
The Toot Toot Toots
Saskwatch, saw them last year at Golden Plains, didn't like them then, still didn't like them. They've got a lot of horns in their music. Went and got food instead.
Saskwatch
I didn't grow up in Australia, so I have no particular nostalgia for Regurgitator. Apparently they are one of the images that pop out when people think of music in the 90s here. They made me think of the Dead Milkmen, if the Dead Milkmen were later on and had heard lots of rap and nu-metal. But not really like that, I did enjoy them in a sort of insubstantial way.
Regurgitator
Wow, Turbonegro was totally ridiculous. They rock pretty good, verging on that hard rock area populated by KISS and AC/DC but with a decent amount of the Stooges and regular punk. The act is totally glam and seems to be have been a careful evolution to their current mix of leather/denim/'hello sailor' schtick. They were fun to see and got a reasonable number of boots in the air.
Turbonegro
And to finish off the evening for me, Primal Scream. I was lucky enough to end up behind the tallest man in the world (who was also wearing the biggest backpack in the world), so I had trouble seen much of the show. Primal Scream has lots of cool songs and I'm glad I saw them, but at times this felt a little flat.
Behind the tallest man in the world for Primal Scream
Primal Scream
After that, bedtime. I slept pretty soundly and didn't hear much else. Yeah, I would have liked to have heard the DJ set from the Boredoms, but I'm old and I need to sleep. The next morning, we wake up to the sound of Master Song's Tai Chi, which is a nice way to wake up. We pack up and Fraser A Gorman sounds pretty good from the distance, but it is time to go home. I'll have to catch the Boomgates and some of the others in town sometime soon.
Now looking forward to Golden Plains in March (Catpower, Dinosaur Jr., Red Kross, Jon Spencer, George Clinton, etc.)
