Stonefest Day Two, Universityof Canberra, Canberra(01/11/08)

Sun 2nd Nov, 2008 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT THE DAY TWO ACTION HERE!

We’ve all been there.

You have a big night, and you’re expected to back up early the next day. Hangover cures are as plentiful as UC Res kids hair-ing of the dog-ing at 1230pm on the UC ovals, and that segued simile means it is Stonefest Day Two, bitches!

With a hot sun beating down, the day was kicked off by local act Ashleigh Mannix. Unfortunately, many were held back by lack of sleep/hang overs, and thus missed her, leaving only a sparse sprinkling of an audience for the lovely Canberran.

Those that had made it out early were soon treated, and boy do I mean TREATED, to the genre blurring talents of Sean Ray aka Snob Scrilla aka one of the best acts I have seen in a while. With his DJ kicking things off for about ten minutes, mixing up tracks, Snob eventually turned up on stage with his full band and kicked right into his tracks. Initially expecting more of a hip-hop/rap deal, the sheer ferocity of the hard rock and rhymes was Saul Williams-like in its combination of sharp social commentary over the mixed influences of punk, heavy rock, RnB, hip hop, and dance.

The only problem seemed to be that everyone was still anchored to the floor, which was noted by Snob Scrilla as he continually reached out to the audience, almost complaining about how the gig wasn’t as fun for him if no one was dancing. Wouldn’t you know it, by the time his set was finished he had a sizeable crowd bouncing around up the front.
“We can be friends. I will bake you cookies,” he said to the crowd in a way strangely reminiscent of the late comedian, Mitch Hedberg. Well Snob, the oven is on, and you’re welcome anytime. I could write 2000 words on this performance alone, it was that good, but there are more acts to write about. His new album is out soon (he couldn’t say when exactly due to fear of being shot), so keep an eye out for it.

After quite a long wait, the dirty looking, abrasive, and graduates of The Nick Cave School for Not Giving a Fuck, The Drones, came onto the stage. Lead singer Gareth Liddiard was a man possessed. In between songs showcasing new album Havilah, he would initiate a somewhat vulgar conversation with the audience, but once they started playing his eyes screamed murder, and his thick Australian accented vocals were so forced into the audience, it was hard not to have a reaction to them. It was rock and roll, of the rawest kind.

Held together by the powerful rhythm section of drummer Michael Noga and audience shy bassist Fiona Kitschin, Liddiard and lead guitarist Dan Luscombe were able to launch all-out noise assaults with guitars being slammed into amplifiers to create feedback, whammy bars bending chords out of shape, and the resultant broken strings that come from such aggression. Reactions were mixed, with some in the crowd finding the attitude of The Drones a hindrance to enjoying the music, but others were blown away by the performance. The Drones were rude, they were harsh, they were unpredictable, and most of all they were dangerous.

As soon as The Drones exited, silver star pinwheels were brought out and the contrast between them and the next act, red cordial fiends The Grates, was blinding. Iran and the USA have more in common. To the theme of Laverne and Shirley, The Grates skipped onto stage, apart from lead singer Patience Hodgson, who did more of a bounce/jump combination.

Breaking right into Science Is Golden, the crowd swelled up front and the party really began. Stage diving, gymnastic ribbons, the chicken leg dance, it was all there! Patience did not stop smiling, nor stop moving, and The Grates’ sugar-coated sour-lolly indie-pop was never going to go down poorly with the crowd. After starting off with so much energy, it was inevitable that there would be a midset recovery period. The banjo made an appearance for Sukkafish, and the tempo dropped slightly without losing the crowd, which with today’s kids and their internets and hula hoops and ADD is no mean feat.

Despite playing a wide selection from new album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won, it was clear to all and sundry that the – œold’ favourites were what the crowd were there for, and when the opening bars of 19 20 20 begun to end the set, the smell of a few thousand people simultaneously losing their shit wasn’t as bad as it sounds… or smells.

What The Grates did right was leave their huge hit to the last song, which kept any casual fans hanging around. As the night progressed, this rock and roll cliché was dropped, with the results not good.

Take next act,* Faker*, for example. Despite Nathan Hudsons enigmatic persona and energy levels that rival Patience, playing the huge hit single This Heart Attack midway through the set meant that well over a third of the crowd trimmed away as soon as the last note had been played. Perhaps due to this, the set seemed flaccid and boring, with the band acting like they were just going through the (very active) motions.

Adding to the predictable performance, Hudson had to fight with a very prominent and annoying feedback problem early on in the set. Whether or not this contributed to the very small amount of verbal crowd interaction is unclear, but when Hudson did address the crowd, his annoying faux-British accent was far too distracting for anything he said to be registered. The loyal crowd up the front were always going to enjoy the set, and Hudsons antics probably entertained a number of the crowd, but Faker’s set was definitely a low light for Stonefest Day Two.

As the sun set, the temperature dropped considerably, the wind picked up, and the ominous threat of rain literally cast a shadow over the impending Dandy Warhols set. Leaving the crowd waiting for a much longer than normal stage setup/soundcheck, the Dandies came on stage about 15 minutes late, but once on, their psychedelic tones were well received.

As the smell of illegal substances started to waft around the crowd, Courtney Taylor Taylor and Co. did the Faker trick of playing a lot of their bigger hits early on, with We Used to Be Friends, Get Off, and Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth cleverly broken up by newer songs and various dreamy interludes. When drummer Brent DeBoer began the beat to Bohemian Like You, the audience rose in anticipation for the huge hit song, but were quickly snuffed out as Taylor-Taylor butchered the opening guitar line, and consequently yelled various expletives and began again.

When it did start, the love began, and whilst the set was a lot more subdued than the previous two sets, The Dandy Warhols were still able to dictate the atmosphere of the crowd, and the twilight into night set time only accentuated the ethereal mood that they had created. Finishing even further behind time with old stalwart Boys Better, the makeout sessions going on in the crowd came to an end, and the lingering haze of smoke began to lift as the drug of choice moved to a more liquid variety as headliners Grinspoon came to the stage.

Foot loose and ice free, infamous frontman Phil Jamieson and the boys closed out Stonefest 2008 for another year. Unlike the dilemma facing some of the other bands as to when to unleash the hit song on the sometimes fickle crowd, the Aussie rock stalwards smacked the rather tired crowd with hit after hit (after hit). Luckily the still packed crowd found some fresh energy, and spent one more hour dancing, jumping and singing their hearts out.

Whilst playing a very predictable set-list, (similar to that of Splendour 2007) the punters screamed and palpitated at the first chords to every song, illiciting many ‘I remember when’s’ as many reminisced their teen years through the song factory that is Grinspoon. Lost Control, Chemical Heart, Hard Act To Follow, More Than You Are just some of the highlights. Mid-set the band took a breather while the peroxide blonde Phil remained on stage playing a slow, acoustic version of Better Off Alone. Some might have mistkaken Phil for Jimmy Barnes, (profile, from a distance), but one thing was not mistakable; Grinspoon still know how to rock a festival. They rocked, they entertained, and they showed some of the younger bands what’s what.

And then a little sooner than we wanted Stonefest 2008 came to a close.

CHECK OUT DAY ONE ACTION!