Valley Fiesta has grown from its humble beginnings, where it raised awareness about the live music scene in Brisbane, to become an annual event, a chance for local and national acts to get out and strut their stuff, and this year’s festival was no exception. From international acts Silversun Pickups and Limbeck, through to Australian hip hop stars True Live and Bliss N Esso, all the way down to local legends Tim Steward and Iron On, every act on this solid weekend of music gave their all to celebrate culture and entertainment.
Saturday saw the emergence of some of the heavier and punkier acts, alongside major Australian folk and roots acts The Audreys and Whitley. It was a day of contrasts, and the end result was another stunning day of culture and entertainment.
The small mid-afternoon crowd in the Chinatown mall hangs back, seemingly afraid the Butcher Birds are going to emulate in deed the title of their EP – Eat their Young. The band’s shoegaze attitude is no threat though, as the up-and-coming local foursome slow-burn their way through some intense sonic landscapes starkly at odds with their unpretentious style. Dark heavy riffs meld deliciously with Stacey’s sweet vocals, and songs such as Julius and The Great Escape are sultry highlights. With a slew of shows coming up, more efforts like this will propel Butcher Birds to bigger things.
Spitfireliar burst forth, all fast, eardrum-pulverising guitars, hoarse vocals and a high-energy approach that steps back for no-one. In the case of constantly roaming frontman Mouldy – it’s actually several leaps onto the stage barrier to get up close and personal with the crowd. In full flight he’s so fierce he looks as though he’s about to burst a vein. Final song We love Alcohol perfectly sums their simultaneously chirpy and hardcore attitude.
Krill’s 80s new wave influences battle an awkward mix that somehow manages to kill any nuance in the guitar and synths. The crowd is attentive and claps politely, but a quick tour of Myspace shows these Sydneysiders can do a lot better.
Scul Hazzards back up their recent solid support of I Heart Hiroshima at the Zoo with another fine set drenched in dissonance and distortion. Tiffany Milne oozes fuck-you attitude on bass, while guitarist-vocalist Steven Smith screams in fits and starts like he’s demonically possessed. Someone in the crowd screams “More evil!”, but if Plastic Protective was any more evil, the drummer’s head would start spinning.
Californians Limbeck bring an air of lighthearted alt-country to the Street Closure stage. Frontman Robb Maclean delivers vocals that tug at the heart strings with almost alarming ease, and although he’s good with the acoustic, the intensity and energy really lift when he picks up the electric guitar. They go through songs from their latest album, the imaginitively titled Limbeck, and they put on an excellent show, impressing a lot of people who might not have heard of them before – Limbeck made some new fans today.
Kate Cooper from Iron On begs the indulgence of the crowd to help them shed any leftover rustiness from their recent hiatus. People happily oblige, but there’s no need: Learn Today Earn Tomorrow emerges perfectly, hand-claps and all. Kate promises that whoever brings the party gets her PCYC floral wreath, but it’s Iron On pulling all the party tricks this afternoon, treating us to a slew of gorgeous new songs such as One Man and Signs in addition to some familiar old ones.
As the sun sets, a hushed audience has gathered to hear indie-folkster Tom Cooney. He doesn’t disappoint, holding them spellbound with a bunch of tunes so sparse that they ache. His voice is sublime framed by the simple yet entrancing melodies he plucks out on his acoustic guitar. Occasionally Corinna Scanlon pipes in some dusky-voiced backing vocals to fill out the sound, but, with or without support, Tom is one of the day’s highlights.
The Red Paintings show their appetite for the outlandish is undiminished, with Trash McSweeney taking to the stage daubed in black bodypaint and a black-red skirt. Under the red stage lights his appearance takes on a tinge of the demonic as he and his kimono-clad compatriots belt out Fall of Rome and Streets Came in Through My Window with onanistic fury. Nearby, a near-naked woman in black and green bodypaint wearing the head of a goat writhes sinuously to the music. By the end Trash has leaped the barrier, dragged dozens around the Chinatown Mall in a demented conga, and left the fans all a-lather. He wanders off stage casually firing a toy laser pistol held against his head. Par for the course, really.
A healthy crowd has gathered for local grungesters Violent Soho, and the band deliver one of their best shows yet. Filled with old songs ( Generation, Bombs Over Broadway and Revolutionary) and new ( Jesus Stole My Girlfriend, popular cover My Pal), the boys have never been tighter, and each song finds the intensity rising, and the crowd getting more and more into it. Violent Soho tap into a vein of anger and self-destructiveness that is sorely missing from much of modern rock. They’re just one incredible show away from greatness, and although this wasn’t quite it, it was pretty damn close.
A very laid-back Whitley quickly wins the crowd with a combination of introspective solo numbers chock-full of delicate guitar and relaxed banter about how much he loves playing in Brisbane. Even when his backing band joins him on-stage they pretty much disappears into the background – it’s Whitley’s cover-boy good looks and emotional vulnerability that are the hero tonight. Lost in Time and All is Whole, from his newly released album, go down a treat, as does a cute cover of Bjork’s Hyber-Ballad before the band emerges from its shell to give The Submarine a rock-out finish.
Taasha Coates relates how the last time The Audreys played a Valley Fiesta they had an audience of about seven people. “So this is a nice change,” she adds, gesturing at the thousand-strong crowd in front of her. It’s no less than they deserve, as the five-piece show precisely why they snared the award for best new blues and roots release at last year’s ARIAs. Taasha’s honeyed voice seduces effortlessly, while her dapperly dressed boys layer their instrumentation ever-so-delicately around her, giving Banjo and Violin and You and Steve McQueen a texture like an aged whiskey. A Little More takes us on a detour into country, but the Tristan Goodall’s banjo is so charming that it never threatens to become overbearing.
It’s said that charm wins over skill, but when you have both it’s a killer combination. The Audreys ooze so much of both that by the time they wind up with the gently strummed Where Are You Now?, we’ve all been knocked dead. After The Audreys, there’s just enough time left over to catch Butterfingers last couple of songs. Apparently everyone else has the same idea, though – thousands are wedged cheek-by-jowl along Brunswick Street bouncing and waving arms to FIGJAM. Evil Eddie and co seem to be in fine form, but there’s only time enough left for them deliver a cracking version of Hook-up before they take their bows and depart.
By Liam McGinniss aka gumbuoy and Stephen Goodwin aka demosthenes
