Review: Big Day Out Gold Coast

I’m all for changing with the times, but headlining with Kanye West (not too long after Splendour in the Grass) and the newly reformed Soundgarden isn’t really taking a step forward.

My festival started with Bluejuice in the Boiler Room. I had seen these guys as Splendour last year and was suitably impressed. The visuals were not as impressive during the day (fluorescent green lined suits don’t really work in the day time) but the energy and musicianship were prominent. Crowd favourites Vitriol and Broken Leg capped of an epic set as thousands of punters joyfully bounded off to witness the other bands BDO had to offer. Great way to start off the day.

Ducking quickly over to the other side of the site, I caught quite a glimpse of Best Coast. There is something so sweet and enchanting about Bethany Cosentino, who is (from what I can see) every audience-member’s wet dream. Smashing through much of the album Crazy For You, including JJJ favourite Boyfriend, and When I’m With You. What excites me most is the promise of a new album before their next Aussie tour. Let’s hope that both come around quickly!

The Vaccines are not really my style of music, and this seemed to be the general consensus as they drew a very modest crowd at the Essential Stage. There was nothing particularly wrong with their performance, there was just no wow factor; they looked bored. In saying that though, they can hit some great riffs if you can hang in through the mundane British pop/rock. The die-hards in the front row were ecstatic.

It was back to the Boiler Room to see OFWGKTA. This was more of a sideshow than a genuine musical interest (after the KFC run-in I’m sure we all know about by Tyler the Creator).  After a slow start with the DJ seemingly stranded on stage alone for a good 5 minutes, the tent erupted as the crew embarked on stage distorting mics with their fierce raps. This could have been a delay tactic to build anticipation and if so, they pulled it off. The flow was good and the beats infectious; the crowd bounced in unison. I’m sure no one could understand a word they were saying, and knowing the content of most of their songs, it was probably for the best that we didn’t know what we were assenting to.

Time to visit the mains stages. The Jezebels were on the Blue Stage performing their hits much to the crowds delight. As I sat back and soaked in some local skateboarding at the Skate Ramp they opened with hit Endless Summer that got their set off on the right foot. One of their other hits Trycolour was laced in towards the end of the set with Dark Storm bringing it home.

Next door at the Orange Stage Aussie hip-hop giants the Hilltop Hoods reminded us why they are the premier hip-hop outfit in the country. It was good to see them with other musicians, mixing live music with samples and a DJ really worked well and made their live stage show more enjoyable to watch (better than some guys standing around a deck). The Hard Road (a personal favourite of mine) sent the already ballistic crowd into hysteria while Chase That Feeling topped off an enjoyable performance. Keep up the good work boys.

Keeping in the hip-hop zone, it was over to the Hot Produce stage for Das Racist to see what the boys from New York City could provide. They were trying a bit too hard to convince us they were credible rappers although their performance did not back up their chat. The transition from joke rap to credibility is a hard road (Hilltop Hoods reference not intended), and them telling us that they are ‘professional rappers’ over and over again between each song is not the way to do it. This was a parody/social comment gone terribly wrong. Let’s hope they take it a bit more seriously next time.

From one group of NYC boys to another, unlike Das Racist, Battles ooze credibility and skill. There were some technical difficulties to overcome as guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams struggled to get sound from his instruments which left the drummer and bass player stranded in a riff. Awkwardly, they pushed through and those who stuck around were witness to some amazing musicianship and precession. I have listed to recordings of these guys and was not too impressed. The recordings fail to capture what they can produce live. And what they can produce live is brilliant. Stand out performance of the day for me.

UK rockers Kasabian were up next. Starting the set in an awkwardly slow fashion, inclusive of a muddled version of Shoot The Runner, I was rather disappointed by their lack of energy and the flat sounds coming from the stage. In saying that, by the final track of their set, a long-winded rendition of Fire, the band had picked themselves and the crowd up to a state of bliss and perfection. This was the pinnacle – the headliners of the day were just beginning.

Last band on the Orange Stage this evening was Soundgarden. Yet another 80s/90s rock band to recently reform for some coin. I had resigned to the fact that I would never witness these guys live since their break-up in 1997, but this two time Grammy award winning grunge powerhouse put their differences behind them and are back in the thick of it with a new album set for release this year. Two songs I wanted to hear; the obvious Black Hole Sun and Spoonman; the latter coming second in the set, much to my delight. But as the rain descended on the smallish crowd in the ‘D’ it made the gig much more intimate than what you would expect on the main stage at BDO. The boys made everyone wait for Black Hole Sun leaving it towards the end but it did not disappoint in impact. They may be old but they can definitely teach some young bucks a thing or two about rock.

Kanye was taking his sweet ass time taking the stage and from what I was told did not start until about 9.15pm (some 45 minutes off schedule). All I know is that his massive stage set-up was nowhere near being constructed when Soundgarden finished. After being disappointed with him at Splendour, I wasn’t going to stick around.

Instead, after a long day, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds provided the perfect ending, Unlike Soundgarden, I am almost certain that I will not get to see Oasis perform live; the brains and mastery behind them was the next best thing. Thankfully, a few ‘B-sides’ were played which kept Oasis fans happy, but Noel’s solo stuff is actually pretty good. I had not heard any of it prior to this performance but it is exactly what you would come to expect from such a brilliant songwriter.