With acts flying in from all around the world and bands such as the likes of The Offspring and Incubus to headline, many would’ve salivated over this year’s line-up for Soundwave. A collaboration of all good things pop, punk, emo, rock and metal has seen Soundwave maintain its status as one of the most anticipated annual Aussie festivals around and on Monday 3rd March had seen it come to the end of the line at Steel Blue Oval, Perth.

The crowds had gathered early, with this particular event falling conveniently on a public holiday, with high hopes of bearing witness to their favourite bands even thought the line-up had changed a great deal since the original announcement.It was a fair wait before anyone got in though, with skins slowly turning a rosy shade of pink and crowds stirring as they overheard a range of local bands playing to an empty field. Poor buggers. (Bad management much?)

New Jersey five-piece, Socratic was one of the first of the day, playing to a small crowd which made no efforts to disguise the fact that they were really waiting for the next band, apparent when a total of six people cheered when they introduced themselves. Nonetheless, they played a strong and solid pop-punk set and managed to connect with the audience despite their initial impressions of them. Frontman Duane Okun also took this opportunity to promote tracks off their new record due out in May called Spread the Rumors. And songs such as Blend In and Boy in a Magazine seemed to be hits with the youngens. They even got a random from the crowd up on stage to participate in some tambourine action and booty shakin’. Admittedly, she wasn’t any good at either, but props to the good guys of Socratic for getting the audience involved.

Next came a wave of shrills, shrieks and screams from a mob of female minors that could only mean one thing – the typical welcome for All Time Low of course. These guys were hot property and they were very aware of it. Greeting the punters by calling them a bunch of “ass-fucking mother fuckers” frontman Alex Gaskarth grinned cheekily as they received a reception from a mob consisting mainly of teenage boys that wanted to be them and girls that wanted to be with them. They kicked off with Six Feet Under the Stars the single from their latest record So Wrong, It’s Right (2007) and like crickets on fire, the crowd was ready and jumping all over the place. These great sports are more popularly known for their humourous/questionable press photos of them posing in their tighty-whities, as seen on their myspace. Gaskarth even wore a pair of fairy wings that was thrown on stage. Hit after hit was played and they finished off their set with Dear Maria Count Me In as the crowd formed a circle pit upon request from Jack Barakat (guitar).

Taking to one of the main stages was radio’s poster boys of the moment, Plain White T’s wasting no time in getting into their first hit Hate (I Really Don’t Like You). The sing-along favourite Hey There Delilah was what the people came to hear, along with latest pop single Our Time Now.

Cartel, along with having a relatively small fanbase here in Perth, also has the misfortune of being allotted the same time slot as Plain White T’s, resulting in a somewhat dismal turnout. The numbers however did not reflect on their ability to rock out to whoever would listen. Frontman Will Pugh exuded charisma and charm as he belted out pop-punk delights with flawless vocals, showing that The Fortunate and Lose It were favourites off their latest self titled album.

Virginia boys Mae were quick to take to the stage playing songs from their latest record Singularity (2007) and The Everglow (2005). Dave Elkins’ (guitar, vocals) joy and excitement was contagious and he got the crowd singing along to hits such as Summertime, Anything and Someone Else’s Arms. Making every effort to show his appreciation, Elkin’s thanked the audience continually and handed out band goodies to the hardcore fans.

Mindless Self Indulgence set up on the main stage and is definitely one of those bands that have to be seen to be believed. It’s hard to try and classify them into a genre, something that has to do with punk, metal, electronica and funk would do it. Straight to Video rocked the grounds with sounds so strange and exciting it melted faces more than the sun did. James “Jimmy Urine” Euringer (vocals) clad as the embodiment of emo, strutted around the stage with fluoro green cane in one hand and mic in the other, doing all sorts of crazy stuff like pouring a bottle of water down his crotch when singing “Oops! I think I messed myself!” What a showman.

Motion City Soundtrack attracted a surprisingly large crowd considering they hadn’t released much in Australia besides their current album Even If It Kills Me featuring This Is For Real. Every song was catchy, boppy and easy to sing along to, which is what we have come to expect if you have heard any of their other albums. Motion City Soundtrack’s sound was tight and impressive, sounding very much the same as what you would hear on their records, which may be a pro or a con, depending on how you like your live music. Everything Is Alright got the best response of the set along with The Future Freaks Me Out to finish.

And then, it was the great divide between hardcore Incubus and The Offspring fans, all wanting to get a good viewing/moshing spot for the two headliners.

And as the bodies crammed towards the front of the stage where personal space was nowhere to be found and annoying chants came and went all too frequently, finally emerged Incubus and it wasn’t too long before things got wild.

This group’s impressive back catalogue has seen many fans stay with them since the very beginning and many more joining them along the way, some fans expressing to each other how many years they had waited to see this band. It was more than just a gig to them, it was an experience.

Frontman Brandon Boyd was in top shape working the crowd from the very beginning and it was only two songs in before people that couldn’t handle the intensity of the mosh left heavy-hearted.

The punters took some time to cool off and replaced moshing with light head nodding along to Wish You Were Here. Incubus also put a spin on chart-topper Drive with added harmonies and acoustics and had people from all over the oval running over to lend their ears. Completing the hour-long set with Megalomaniac, the first track from their hugely successful record A Crow Left of the Murder (2004) and a stunning lightshow to complement, it was nothing short of electrifying.

By this stage of the night, the smell of pot was well and truly in the air, perhaps people in preparation of what was to come.

After a typically long buffer zone between bands, appearing from the darkness to a roaring crowd of various age groups emerged The Offspring. It was a bit of a conflict between the eyes and the ears though. Everyone knows how long Offspring have been in the game for, and yet Bryan “Dexter” Holland (now looking very middle aged) still had the pipes and energy to sing pretty much all their hit songs in the band’s history such as Come Out And Play, Pretty Fly (For A White Guy), Hit That and Why Don’t You Get A Job?

While their set was well played and all, props have to go to the lighting operators, without which, the show may have lost big points as far as entertainment value goes.

By this time, people feeling satisfied after watching Offspring started heading off (which were a great deal of people) unless they decided to catch the last part of Saosin or Killswitch Engage’s set. But way back behind the grandstands and out of view on stage 5 was the eager young boys of My American Heart getting ready to play to a slowly dissipating crowd.

Their youth and enthusiasm were exciting to watch and the passion for their music was very clear. Frontman Larry Soliman displayed dynamic vocals and songs from Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather (2007) such as Tired and Uninspired, Speak Low if You Speak Love and The Shake (Awful Feeling) proved to be very popular amongst the people that stayed around to see them. Closing for the big night, they played Boys! Grab Your Guns and all the energy left in the crowd after a long and very exhausting day was put into letting MAH know they appreciated them.