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Big Day Out 2005 Friday 4 Feb, Wayville Showgrounds  Had
anyone been unaware that the 2005 Big Day Out was a sell out they'd
have realised the second they arrived: a sea of people flooded into
Wayville Showgrounds as gates opened and thousands more queued up
outside, and the cold, overcast weather couldn't dampen the spirits
of the biggest Adelaide event to date. Long-serving punk mainstays Frenzal Rhomb opened the proceedings on the main stage, bashing through a year-by-year back catalogue of hits right up to songs from latest album 'Sans Souci.' However, one glance at the t-shirts of the crowd waiting for the Essential Stage to open proved that Slipknot fans avoid Frenzal Rhomb in astounding numbers. Mere Theory showed why they're a local favourite, their thoroughly modern hardcore as accomplished as any you'll hear. If they'd come from the US, they'd have been playing a lot later in the day. The D4 stormed the Blue Stage to a crowd of hungry revelers. Their enthusiasm matched the upbeat rock tones of the songs they bashed out with unbridled vigor, while The Deceptikonz woke the Boiler Room crowd up early with snappy punchlines and deep bass attracting quite a response with tracks like Stop, Drop and Roll and Elimination. Kid 606 didn't go down quite so well and much of the crowd drifted off for his set, the fast-paced electro breaks too much for them. Whyalla's Central Deli Band seemed disappointed at the end of their shorter-than-planned set after technical difficulties got them off to a heavily delayed start. Vibe-bringing bear in tow, when they got going they managed to get their groove on, piquing the interest of many a passer-by on the Local Produce Stage.  The
Donnas brought the spunk to the Orange Stage and are probably the
best-looking band ever to grace the BDO. That didn't matter once they
started playing: it's a simple brand of rock'n'roll but it's ridiculously
effective, especially at the start of a long day. Their set built
to Fall Behind Me and Take It Off, Alison's guitar tones
and Torry's drums lending it all an air of vintage Guns N' Roses.
Eskimo Joe's intimate style of rock didn't quite suit the main arena. That didn't stop them putting on a lively show, decked out in Eskimo Joe army uniforms and sporting awesome tunes, mostly from 2004's 'A Song Is A City'. They did their best to rev the crowd up, but the punters were more inclined to watch attentively and sing along, but by the time they closed with hit From The Sea the crowd was right there with them. Dallas Crane got off to a late start which helped build the tension in an already over excited crowd. Their brand of noise wasn't my cup of tea but given the applause, roars and cheers, they certainly lived up to most people's expectations. However, right from the opening slashing chord of Shazam, it was clear that Spiderbait were here to rock. Kram egged on an energetic mosh pit who lapped up every guitar lick and every sing-a-long. However, they entered in high gear and remained at that level pretty much throughout; the lack of any kind of depth to the set left this reviewer's attention wandering. The Zero Kelvins hit the Local Produce Stage to illustrate just how flat the Killers show at Thebby was. With a sound born of eighties English pop, the Kelvins give it enough twists and turns - and looked liked they were actually enjoying themselves - that they took the sound to places that seem logical in hindsight. Jebediah were relegated to the Essential Stage this year, but their horde of loyal fans were not disappointed. While a little loose, the Jebs mixed hits from last year's 'Braxton Hicks' with a myriad of less obvious tracks including b-side Monument and a rare live performance of Run Of The Company, plus an impromptu slice of Silverchair's Freak. After their heroics two years back, The Music had graduated to the Blue Stage. Robert Harvey's dancing (not to mention dress sense) is so lacking in pretence you can't help but love the guy, while favourites like The People and Getaway gave their set the feel of an intimate get-together. When Atmosphere hit the Boiler Room it was evident that there were more than a few fans who had been waiting for Slug to make the trip to Adelaide. His four-piece band fleshed out Atmosphere's typically minimalistic sound, adding some vigour to a few of the dancier tunes from 'Seven's Travels'. The crowd lapped it up, diehard fans mouthing every word. Katy Steele has a unique and impressive voice, no question, but in the middle of the afternoon in what is essentially a glasshouse on the Green Stage, it's also an exceedingly annoying voice. Little Birdy did their indie-rock thing, Steele did her vocal thing and the fans did the loving-it thing, but it all felt a little hollow. The John Butler Trio were clearly amongst the favourites of the day. They played material old and new with passion and heart as the crowd clapped and grooved along with their signature soulful tunes. Had Le Tigre been in the Boiler Room, their blasting beats, bratty vocals, scratchy guitars and synchronised dance moves may have changed my life. However, their set seemed incongruous in the bare environs of the Essential Stage in the middle of the afternoon. Adelaide loves its drum'n'bass, and as the only crew representing d'n'b in the Boiler Room this year, Concord Dawn rocked it out big time. Starting with their classic Don't Tell Me, they played an awesome set. I hadn't seen Testeagles since their album stormed the charts a few years back and was keen to see what had changed. Not a lot, it would seem. The beats, riffs and samples are all in place, and the crowd loved it (watching passers-by almost unconsciously lock into the grooves of Wise Up was a highlight of the day), but the TEs seem like a band capable of something special yet haven't quite worked out what that is. Taking a step back for a much need breath of fresh air allowed me to see thousands go nuts as Grinspoon played a solid hour of non-stop rock. The mosh was pumping hard to their edgier-than-expected set. But the highlight for many must have been the Hilltop Hoods, the sheer enormity of the crowd created an incredible atmosphere. It was definitely a mistake not to put them on one of the main stages; the crowd was eating out of their hands as they ran through most of 'The Calling' as well as the regular call-and-response drills. I Killed The Prom Queen's set on the Local Produce Stage served to prove one thing: the strength and fierce loyalty of the Adelaide hardcore scene. The band are as slick, professional and intense as any of their international counterparts, and the number of fans that had turned out was astonishing. The violent circle-pit certainly shocked a few less familiar BDO punters. Meanwhile Infusion heated up the Boiler Room with some heavy dance beats, throwing some live vocals over the top to give each track a very individual flavour, and Scribe played to an Essential Stage crowd probably about 50 times bigger than last years'. After P-Money warmed up with a DJ set of the usual club favourites, Scribe came on and absolutely ripped it. The singles from 'The Crusader' got a massive reception, and his new material was received just as well.  I
suspect many were surprised at just how well Slipknot performed. Corey
Taylor's continual requests for crowd participation kept the spirit
of the pit alive, beckoning the crowd to crouch down on the ground
during Spit It Out, before launching them into a vicious simultaneous
mosh.The Hot Lies impressed with their air-tight set covering the whole of last year's 'Streets Become Hallways' as well as a few new tracks. A highly appreciative crowd were grateful for every second and seemed disappointed when it was all over. I expected The Streets to be rather crap, but with a full band and they performed very well. I would have preferred a more upbeat set, but the crowd were enjoying it. Meanwhile Bexta worked the crowd well, getting the booty shaking on the floor with her hard dance style.  System
Of A Down's Serj Tankian is a saxophone away from being a Kenny G
clone, but thankfully this hasn't affected his band. They worked their
way into the set, starting with the brooding Aerials, before
unleashing highlights from 'Toxicity' - Chop Suey, Prison
Song, Deer Dance - and a couple of new songs. Tankian's
voice was as powerful live as on record, and the energy lifted as
the band played, their twisted take on metal keeping the fans happy
and puzzling everyone else. Wolf
& Cub started 20 minutes late but still managed to pull a decent crowd.
Powered by twin drummers and a wailing guitarist, their brand of driving
rock was one of the highlights of the Local Produce stage. Butterfingers
also played a heavier set than anticipated. Their off-beat lyrics
complimented their seemingly spontaneous quirkiness, but The Freestylers
fully rocked out, showing that not only are they good producers and
DJs, they can perform as a band as well. Playing tunes mostly off
'Hard As Fuck' they proved that they're not just one hit wonders with
a storming set of breaks and even a bit of drum'n'bass, the crowd
enjoying every minute! Powderfinger
opened their set with a harmonica before breaking out the big guns.
A healthy blend of hits old and new gelled well with the very enthusiastic
crowd and an effective lighting display lit up the stage while the
band rocked out. Then Hatebreed were unrelenting in their all out
hardcore/metal attack, pumping harder song after song into the eager
crowd. The group covered a lot of older material but threw in a couple
of newer songs like This Is Now and Live For This for
good measure, finishing the set by dividing the crowd, then prompting
each side to collide into a united sea of chaos for the finale
I Will Be Heard. The Blues Explosion had the unenviable task of
playing the Green Stage while many punters were fighting their way
through the crowd for the Beastie Boys, but pulled out a set that
rocked so hard that drummer Russell Simins popped his kick pedal through
his bass drum. Regurgitator decided to leave their Bubble at home
and rocked hard to crowd that showed their appreciation by moshing
from start to finish and were left still wanting more. From
the moment The Beastie Boys were announced as headliners, there was
only one way it could possibly end. And we got it: Sabotage
blew away every other song played on the main stages this year: bigger,
badder and with more 'tude than a hundred Slipknots. Before that it
was a greatest hits celebration, from No Sleep Til Brooklyn
(can you believe they played that?!) to Ch-Ch-Check It Out.
Apart from an overlong instrumental workout mid-set The Beastie Boys
and Mixmaster Mike kept the crowd moving and smiling throughout. There was a decent crowd as Carl Cox came on in the Boiler Room, though his set wasn't to everyone's taste. Switching between well-known club tracks and the house that he is famous for, it must be said that a lot of the crowd was simply waiting for the Chemical Brothers, though a lot of people still missed out: there still wasn't enough space for everyone in the much-larger Boiler Room, and although screens were set up for those stuck outside to view the laser show, they missed out on most of the audio. Rather than simply playing their tracks back to back, Tom and Ed used their hits as starting points for journeys that delved through crashing guitars, wailing sirens, driving techno beats and everything in between. The 90-minute set did drag a little, but it was an enjoyable way to finish off another Big Day Out before that sea of people flooded out of the Showgrounds. But the departure of one sea only uncovered another: an arena of flattened cans, plastic cups and broken Jack Daniels foam hands. Oh, how I admire - but surely do not envy - those left with the clean up...  |
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