Check out the On the Bright Side photos HERE

On the Bright Side is a brand new festival to come to Perth. It’s the little sister of Splendour in the Grass and it’s nice for the west to have some mid-winter excitement. Being a smaller festival certainly has its advantages. There were less punters to contend with. Having separate male and female toilets was joyful with “Loo Loos” housing the most pleasant portaloos many girls have had to endure. Having just one stage was also a plus. It meant no losing friends or arguments about who to see next. The organisers won over the over 18 punters by giving them equal access to the stage as the under 18s, with the gates evenly splitting the two areas from the middle of the stage backwards.

Having just one stage meant the organisers must have realised they’d need some damn good bands all day to get people there in the first place. Testament to this was the fair amount of people milling about at the very start of the show ready and raring for the day ahead.

First up, The Middle East were giving Angus and Julia Stone a run for their money in the cutesy pie category. This outfit from Townsville have an innocence to their harmonious folky pop that is very sweet indeed. They’ve been off on jaunts around the US including the South by South West festival and touring with Mumford and Sons. Darkest Side was a highlight with it’s more sombre feel . Mumford and Sons joined the already crowded stage for a love-in style jam. Prettiness personified Bree Tranter had her turn in song and she showed a vulnerability that still exists even with their swift rise to familiarity.

Bluejuice were their usual larrikin selves. Yes you could despair against their shouting, sometimes out-of-tune vocals, but you wouldn’t really be getting what they’re about. They know they aren’t musical virtuosos but they also know they’ve got the goods to win you over with their assault on the stage. Jake Stone carried on like a pork chop as per usual, revelling in the attention of the crowd. During the first song I get a Little he jumped on the drum stand and spat on drummer James Hauptmann. As usual he got his shirt off, with more leaping around and perverted hand gestures to the under 18 section. Having the crowd separated like they were showed how much more into it the young ones were, with Stone playing up to them more and more. He seemed to enjoy being mobbed by young girls, with the rest of the band plugging away and providing some pretty decent instrumentals. Newer songs utilised these more with some heavy synth keyboards more prominent. One lovely new one was dedicated to the girl he can’t f*** with other oldies like Vitriol pumping the crowd up.

Hot Chip were the next on, carrying on the dance vibe. Their delivery was clearly more subdued as by no stretch of the imagination would the well-suited frontmen get their kit off! They do the nerdy gentleman look well and whilst they stand unmoved the crowd were progressively getting more jiggly. Their electropop beats and repetitive lyrics as a catchy layer made for an easy, fun experience. And I Was a Boy From School was the starting song to get the crowd singing to the chorus. One Life Stand was next with other favourites Ready for the Floor; Over and Over and Hold On.

Art Vs Science were a late addition to the bill, as they replaced The Ting Tings for whatever reason. Were the crowd pleased with this change? YES. Art Vs Science were ready to go from the start, they were hitting their synthesiser keys with such vigour the crowd couldn’t help but go nuts. It’s important to note they played from 3-4pm and yet had the crowd in as much of a mosh/dance pit frenzy as The Strokes did, later on. They fit in a new song in their set which had the crowd just as excited as favourites Friend in the Field, Magic Fountain, Parlez Vous Francais and Flippers. Dan Mac had an epic guitar solo, and was surprisingly the only guitarist to make use of the runway between the gates separating the young and old punters. They managed to persuade the crowd into spirit fingers before Parlez Vous Francais gave way to a shout-a-long. Fun times were had by all as Art Vs Science had one of the best sets in terms of energy all day.

Band Of Horses may have fallen victim to an unfortunate scheduling error. After the amazingly upbeat energy of the band before them, Band of Horses just seemed to fall a little flat. There were some dedicated fans at the front of the tent but one of the drawbacks of the one stage came to light. Because there was just one stage, even if people don’t like the band, there weren’t any other options so they’d hang around anyway. This meant the tent filled with chatter which almost drowned out their sound. It seemed like the bands before were so energetic and infectious that people took the time during Band of Horses’ low key set to catch up and chill out. This isn’t to say they aren’t of a high musical calibre, just that the vibe really changed during their set. “Boring” was thrown around to describe them, but in another circumstance, like a contained bar, their music could better be appreciated. Their fans did cheer and sing along to their familiar songs. See the Band of Horses set report here

Angus and Julia Stone carried on the low key vibe, but it seemed like people had gotten through the toilet and food queues and come back ready for some action as the tent was really packed full by now. They are so sweet and little and cute, with both siblings showing their vocal and instrumental ability in their folksy pop. Julia showcased her trumpet skills, doing some fancy tonguing (that many of the boys in the audience wished she’d do with them, as the usual “Marry me, Julia” gets shouted out). They’re just so happy all the time which is usually infectious.

Mumford and Sons drew the whole crowd ahead with people getting rowdier and rowdier. Rowdiness and a big ole bush band bash almost went hand in hand (although some dufuses always take things too far). The rollicking country upbeat numbers seemed to go down the best with the crowd but this wasn’t all the sons were about. They had some very impressive instrumental solos, including a mournful cello, brass blaring and some intricate piano. Lyrically there were some serious themes, like imploring people to love responsibly, being open to love and sparing judgement. Pulling people’s heartstrings and appealing to their inner hillbilly seemed to work a treat. They returned the favour and The Middle East jumped up to crazily tambourine along. Apparently everyone loves a hoedown, with even some Mumford and Sons look-alikes scattered throughout the crowd. The Cave was a highlight with an atmospheric rendition including extended instrumentals made for a dramatic but engaging turn.

The crowd were growing impatient as they jostled to the best spots they could reach to see rock machine The Strokes. As the radio turned off and the into to We Are the Champions began everyone was waiting with baited breath. But alas, it was a false start and as the light flickered on and off then finally blared on, it was an awkward beginning to what would be an awesome set.

New York City Cops began with the crowd jumping out of their skins to hear some of their old favourites played again after waiting more than a few years. See The Strokes set report for a full set list here.

Did the songs sound the same as we’d remembered them? Yes. Even the characters of the band members were as we remembered them. Nikolai Fraiture was still the dork, with the harry-high pant, mushroom hair-cut hunched look perfected to an art. He just got along with it, as did Nick Valensi who is a skinnier, longer haired version of his former self. Julian Casablancas was not so fresh-faced as his previous incarnation. He looked pretty haggard and gave some mumbled, awkward banter. It was unclear whether he was making jokes or the band really didn’t know which song they were playing next. Fabrizio Moretti played along by leading a rendition of The Girl from Ipanema on Casablancas’ request. Albert Hammond seemed to be having the most fun as the bigscreens showed him grinning to himself while playing along.

It was a bit worrisome when they left the stage at 9.20pm… were we going to be jipped?! But no, there were five songs left and although they didn’t make it to the 10pm mark all was forgiven as the set was as good as could be expected. Along with their faultless rendition of all the old favourites was a great light show coordinated along with the music. They’re all a bit too cool for school to break out any rock moves so it was nice to have the added visual element.

Although there’s videos on their website of them recording new material, there was no word of what or when anything will be released. It almost felt like this was the reminder of what they were and how good they were before we will (hopefully soon) be introduced to what they will become.

Check out the On the Bright Side photos HERE