Falls Festival - Day 1, Lorne(29/12/2008)

Fri 2nd Jan, 2009 in Gig Reviews

What’s the best way to spend your new year’s eve? Surrounded by hoards of beer swilling, bottle throwing dickheads? Perhaps standing in the freezing cold, trying your best to huddle close to anybody near by to stay warm? … Not the prettiest picture, but at Falls Festival, all that business seemed forgivable amongst the incredible lineup of artists, playing spectacular sets for three amazing days of musical madness.

Those lucky enough to score the three day tickets were treated to a feast of talent on Monday night, with the likes of Rocket Science and Ash Grunwald providing some early party vibes. Grunwald’s rhythmic blues had a small (well, in comparison to later crowds at least) contingent jumping about near the stage, prompted by the greatest security guards any festival could ask for, who happily obliged and even encouraged the jumping mass and joined in with their own dancing.

Taking the pace down considerably, Fleet Foxes took to the Falls stage to a mass of their adoring faithful and new faces alike. The band had to borrow their equipment from Augie March, though this didn’t change the fact they sounded amazing; with perfect harmonies making them a surprisingly fantastic addition to the Falls lineup. The set consisted mostly of material from the Washington five piece’s debut album, with White Winter Hymnal an obvious crowd pleaser.

Bluejuice are easily one of the best party bands going around and the interlude of more subtle tunes was immediately overrun as they set to work. Stav Yiannoukas was as crazy as ever, flailing himself about the stage, jumping wherever he could and hurling his microphone about. Much of their setlist was new material, which included several songs of infidelity and ex-girlfriends – setting up a real theme – and despite not knowing the songs too well the crowd was still enthusiastic as ever. 2009 was proclaimed to be the “year of the man dancers” according to Stav, and three guys in only their jocks happily obliged with the on stage dancing for Vitriol – the clear favourite that was apparently the only track most of the audience recognised.

Any thoughts of Augie March slowing the pace back down again were put to rest as the lads delivered a rather “hammed up” set of their rockier numbers. You wouldn’t see beach balls flying around at Augie’s normal gigs, but the band embraced the festival atmosphere and delivered more upbeat material for the crowd. Despite using a lot of material from Moo, You Bloody Choir, older masterpieces, The Hole In Your Roof and There Is No Such Place appeared mid-set as somewhat of a calm before the storm. Of course, in the truest of commercial senses, just like the crowd had reacted to Bluejuice’s Vitriol, Augie’s One Crowded Hour was met with a similar, albeit larger, rapturous response. The incredible Brundisium finished up Augie’s set and was enough to certify them as the highlight of the first night at Falls 2008.

The grooves continued into the night with the Latin vibes of Labjacd stirring a dance and the synth driven pop of Late Or The Pier doing much of the same. A truly eclectic Friday lineup definitely set the scene for things to come, and as the grounds filled to capacity the following day there was most certainly a heap of even greater goodies to come.

Photos courtesy of Anthony Smith