Live at the Zoo - Day 2 @Monarto, Adelaide (12/04/09)

Fri 17th Apr, 2009 in Gig Reviews

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Starting the day in intense blazing heat and walking hundreds of metres in thick brown soil isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. But that’s what people had to put up with when Day 2 of Live at the Zoo started at ‘The Chimp Club’. After The Shiny Brights pulled out for pay reasons local contemporaries The Touch took to the stage. The band had a sound which was a little like Faker’s more irritating musical traits. They were reasonably tight, and whilst their brand of music verged on a more vacuous formulaic style of indie, they did resonate well with the crowd and the singer’s stage energy and confidence really shone out.

The main stage started with the driven metal of Vampirates. The driven double kick and bass probably would have shaken the late risers out of their slumber. At least if the heat didn’t. The wasted stoner rock of Calling all Cars had an element of Queens of the Stone Age, although certainly the act have come into their own. The great drum rolls were a feature of the set.

Triple J ‘band of the moment’ Tama Impala created a strong vibe and crowd response despite playing in blaring sunlight. They pulled it off in the day as they would at night, although their style of music suits big visuals. Their old school flanged psychedelic sound building over steady bass pulses almost brought a Woodstock element to the event and was warmly received by the assembled. Unfortunately the sound for Van She was the only barrier preventing them from putting on the kind of standard strong and engaging show they put on at Parklife. Regardless despite the thinner sound, synth drop outs and the fold back issues the crowd response to hits Kelly, The Cat and the Eye and Changes was fantastic.

End of Fashion were one of the most solid acts of the festival and great value to boot. Their warm sound filled out with fuzzy crunchy guitars and super-strong melodies. With a thick mix and strong hooks, their dazzling set brought the whole festival up a notch. Local hip hop troupe Funkoars are rapidly becoming stars on Triple J and right now, with the Hilltop Hoods on down time, are essentially the biggest act out of Adelaide, perhaps even with Wolf & Cub in the equation. Working the stage with pumping beats and spitting out rhymes like the best, the act is truly up there in Aussie hip hop and deserved their place on main stage at prime time.

Augie March are amongst the best Australian bands of the past fifteen years and if their rich silky vocals and heart warming four part harmonies are anything to go their music will live on long after the band’s demise. With near perfect sound and hits like This Train will be taking no passengers and A Hole in the Roof they brought the touch of prestige this festival desperately needed.

Whilst Evermore certainly aren’t everyone’s favourite band with a more commercial and confused turn in recent years since their break through hit Ride On, they were very well received by the crowd. The mix for the afore-mentioned song was a bit off but overall the act’s star presence was on hand for all to see. Cog justified their place as headliners on the last day with intense amazing performance, conjuring up memories of Tool at the Big Day Out.

Here’s why you will hear more and more about the Scientists of Modern Music. They excel in the following categories: electro music, dance sensibility, onstage energy, sparkling dress sense and crowd rapport. Having them on at 2am is another masterstroke with the main stage finished and the crowd eager to party on. Whilst a little annoying on stage, Loot & Plunder were quite popular with a few Justice blends interwoven into the set. Blakwax finished the set by bringing the crowd onto the stage, alarming the few security guards on hand. Only sparse gathering moved on to the ‘Red Devil Night Club’.

All in all the festival has been tarnished by its bad management, unsanitary conditions, general discomfort and lack of professionalism. The local bands who were cut with the closure of Zebra Stage and the lack of security and terrible management of the grossly under-utilised Acacia Tent will also cost the organisers much needed local support.

But if only for the quality of the bands and the under publicised good times Peter Rowe deserves to give the event another go and literally owes it to himself to earn his money back. Drop the price by $100, increase the toilets by tenfold, sort out the site, get some experienced event managers on hand and do it again. Better.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE