The spectacle of winter-white legs squeezed into short shorts just a wee bit snugger than they were in March, made it plain that summer is almost upon us. The rain receded for one glorious, twenty five degree day of music, madness and not a few ridiculously oversized sunnies… welcome, to Parklife 2008.
There were some issues getting into the festival, as the fashionably late crowd was forced to mingle for about an hour as they shuffled slowly towards the entrance. It seems that door security was a little over-zealous, checking the ID of every single person who entered the gates. Security is all well and good, but as one perturbed punter put it, “There were more gates at my primary school fete than this!” But these things are a learning experience, and we are assured that steps will be taken to avoid the clutter next time, and perhaps fans may arrive a little earlier to avoid the rush; we can only hope so.
Putting aside the lines at the gates (and the lines at the toilets for that matter), the day was otherwise run surprisingly well. The good people at Boomtick should be congratulated on the most well-organised on-schedule event we’ve seen in a long time. The seamless crossovers between acts meant that some party people didn’t even notice when one act ended and another began. There was very little of the mass-exodus phenomenon that is such a problem at festivals when several acts end at the same time, and having similar types of acts on each stage meant that some people barely had to leave their chosen patch of grass all day.
As the newly arrived crowd, who had been waiting patiently (with only a few grumbled threats about storming of the gates), finally tumbled onto the oval; they were scooped up quickly by the inviting sounds of the Fire Stage. By 4:00pm, the blaze was well underway with Grafton Primary tearing up the stage with their resurgent synth sounds and analogue drums making them a stand-out lesson in “new-school” and for some, a great start to a fantastic festival.
Moving clockwise around the oval, you are next faced with the Earth Stage, aptly named, not only for the prevalence of down-to-earth hip-hop acts, but also for the whiff of damp, churned grass you are greeted with upon entering. A surprise highlight of the day, for those who didn’t previously know them, was UK Breakbeat act Slyde. Sylde specialise in layering beats and sounds, producing a wealth of varied results; some undeniably bouncy and a whole lot of fun for the dancers, who were kept well-occupied, frantically kicking up turf with a carefree disregard for the groundskeepers on Tuesday morning.
Later in the day, as twilight was well and truly upon us, Blackalicious took to the Earth Stage, tempting us in with promises of decadent tastes; inspiring at least three brave souls to climb and hang off the rigging in the centre of the crowd to show their appreciation. However, as undoubtedly talented as this act is, there is only so many songs you can hear in a row that sound almost the same before moving on in search of something that better sates the ear’s palette.
Back over at the Fire Stage, Miami Horror was churning out some cheesy disco house, which may have had some people considering whether they should have wandered towards the Water Stage instead. Miami Horror used the tried and true method of giving the punters what they want – if what they want is for DJs to play tracks that are already getting plenty of air-time; it was a little like being in a club, albeit a pretty decent club. There just didn’t seem to be the inspired art of a DJ creating something out of nothing, or at least spinning some unexpected, eclectic mixes.
Any disappointment with the previous act was quickly burnt away however, as Sydney four-piece Van She began one of the highlight sets of the day. With a casual request for a bass amp from anyone in the crowd, it was clear they were having some technical difficulties; this was completely unnoticeable from the seething mass of dancers however. The crowd was blown away with an amazing fusion of rock and electronic that surpasses any attempt at a cross-over we have heard thus-far. Gone are the tacky, over-synthesized rock bands of the eighties and the keyboard afterthoughts of the nineties, it seems that in the naughties, they have finally got it worked out. Van She blends rock and electronic so seamlessly that you don’t know whether to mosh or whip out your glowsticks. Australia is at the forefront of fusion music at the moment, and where the Presets gave us “poptronic”, Van She would more rightly be described as “rocktronic”.
The problem with so many great acts in one place at the same time means that if you’re really involved in an act, you have to forgo seeing another one that overlaps the timeslot, evidence: Van She and Goldfrapp; who looked and sounded pretty from a distance, but considering they were half over by the time Van She finished and on the opposite side of the oval, Goldfrapp will just have to be one of those acts that fits in to the “next time” pile. Let’s just hope there is a next time.
The night ended with a pumping set from 2 Many DJs on the Air Stage. This was a great way to finish the evening. The brothers from Belgium having some recovery time from their performance earlier in the day as part of Soul Wax, hit their decks with force, churning out clever mash-ups and cheeky remixes of everything from Salt’n’Peppa to ACDC. The backing visuals were as spectacular as the sound and served to end the night on a high, with a lot of less-than-healthy looking revelers in the mood to hit the after-party at The Deen. For those who had to drag themselves out of bed for work the next morning however, they went home knowing that it was definitely worth it and that it certainly won’t be the last time this year.
Were you there? Find yourself in the gallery by shanebutler
