In what is considered a rite of passage in the music culture of Australia, the years music festival season kicks off (or ends, whichever way you look at it) with the New Years festivals. Although the Falls Festival in Lorne has existed as the dominant force since its conception in 1993, the Pyramid Rock Festival in its sixth year gave festival goers a fantastic line up of international and home-grown talent spanning across many genres. Held on Phillip Island with the stunning backdrop of the Bass Strait, 15,000 punters from around Victoria and Australia wide, flocked to the island for two days of music, camping and festive celebrations to see in the new year.
For those who held a three day pass to the festival, much of the first day was spent chilling out at their campsite, perusing the market stalls on offer, or hanging out at the main stage watching the movies on the big screen. By the time the official first day of the festival arrived, it was clear that the capacity crowd were well and truly ready for the music to begin despite the blisteringly hot temperature. Melbourne lads The Smoke took to the Main Stage to officially begin the festivities, rocking the decent sized crowd with their wild set which included indie rock tracks Defeat Retreat , Stoned On Fire and the critically acclaimed Sweet Spanish.
New Zealanders Bang Bang Eche delighted the fans of the more selective genre of ‘dance punk’ to a late morning treat, playing tracks off their two EP’s including the catchy single, 4 To The Floor. While Sugar Army continued the rock proceedings on the Main Stage, In Sol Inside entertained the crowd who flocked to the main tent for some home grown local music. It was The Melodics who attracted a fair amount of attention from the crowd through their tracks such as Pop Culture which fused hip hop, rock and new wave and presented an enjoyable cross genre set.
Back on the Main Stage, a committed and swelling crowd braved the increasingly hot temperature and sun to gather for the set from Brisbane boys, Dead Letter Circus, who performed their well known tracks Disconnect And Apply, Lines, The Mile and Reaction, along with brand new tracks off their debut album which is due out in early 2010. Kim Benzie’s powerful vocals reached through the entertainment area attracting deserved attention alongside the initiation of the very first thrash pit of the festival.
South African born and Melbourne based hip hop outfit Diafrix are described as an eclectic and explosive live act, and they did not disappoint. Fresh from their Daniel Merriweather national tour support slot, Diafrix rocked the large crowd inside the tent with their tracks Concrete Jungle, Lose Control and Crazy, which had the crowd jumping up and down, absolutely immersed in the set from the boys and left cheering for more.
Sydney band Red Riders gave their usually fantastic set of a range of songs from both their albums, including Slide In Next To Me, Tomorrow/Today, A.S.P.I.R.I.N, C’Mon and the catchy crowd favourite Ordinary. Red Riders consistently demonstrate why they are a force in the Australian music industry and their set on this occasion was no different, with a dedicated following and yet another fantastic set from the boys.
Back on the Main Stage, Melbourne boys British India were keeping a huge crowd distracted from the heat and focused on their stellar set. From a band which has well and truly adapted to the festival circuit, they possessed a certain control over the audience who were singing and dancing along to the set. Tracks such as Vanilla, I Said I’m Sorry and Tie Up My Hands received a great reaction, demonstrating the lengthy success which the band has achieved thus far. Finishing with Black And White Radio, the boys left the crowd more than satisfied.
As the temperature soared, so did the quality of music on offer. After an eclectic and rocking set from Melbourne band, The Drones, next on the Main Stage was Sydney band Faker, who after the more commercial success of their last album Be The Twilight, gained a solid following. This is particularly after the success of singles This Heart Attack, Are You Magnetic? as well as Sleepwalking, which had the majority of the crowd singing along to every word. They also continued their solid and energetic set with older tracks like Hurricane and Love For Sale off their debut album, as well as playing new songs, giving fans and punters alike an insight into a future release.
In a break from the rock genre bands, Blue King Brown came as a refreshing and for some much anticipated set. Frontwoman Natalie Pa’apa’a maintained her usual grounds in social activism and related matters, preaching to the crowd about a new year on the western calendar hopefully bringing a new western consciousness with it. The majority of the patrons were gathered at the main stage for the usual high energy set including Come And Check Your Head and Water and you couldn’t help but feel that the band had managed to get their message across through their incredible music.
The international headliner for the festival, Cat Power brought her melodic brand of indie pop with breathy vocals to the Pyramid Main Stage. Complete with a backing band, Cat Power, real name Chan Marshall, played tracks spanning across most of her releases in what was considered a decent set. Though the crowd did not seem too impressed with the set, with many punters preferring to lie down and talk during the set or return to their campsites or check out the music on the other stage. The problem was not necessarily the quality of Cat Power’s performance, but rather that the performance itself failed to capture the attention of the festival crowd, with many feeling that she did not fit the Pyramid bill.
While Grafton Primary played an explosive set to an overflowing Pharoah’s Annex tent, Ugly Duckling brought the hip hop and beats on the Main Stage with their entertaining on stage antics, persistent crowd participation and varied and gripping and fun set.
Architecture In Helsinki provided a highlight for many at the festival in the tent rather than on the Main Stage. Opening the set with Beep, punters packed into the tent to see this eclectic local group perform. Tracks such as Heart It Races and Hold Music more than satisfied this beaming crowd who could not speak any more highly of the set and of the band themselves.
Local boys The Cat Empire who can safely be considered festival regulars by now, opened a cracking set with crowd favourite, Fishies. This always entertaining six piece was completed by the usual live band accompanists who only further enhanced their full sound. Charging through a set which included So Many Nights, Sly and Two Shoes, the band also treated the crowd to a brand new song from a possible upcoming 2010 release. A highlight of the set was what has become somewhat of an anthem for the band, The Chariot, seemingly taking place of the now rarely played hit single, Hello. Despite the absence of Hello, the set still saw the crowd participating to their fullest and enjoying every single second of it, so much so, that the band returned for an encore, playing explosive debut album opener, How To Explain?.
After Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro cancelled their spot on the Pyramid bill, local heroes Regurgitator were added, much to the delight of many of the punters present. In what could have been termed as a greatest hits set, the boys from Brisbane treated the crowd to their pop electronic material produced throughout a career which has so far spanned six albums and five EP’s. Tracks Everyday Formula, Polyester Girl, My Friend Robot, I, Zombie, as well as the more recent, Pretty Girls Swear kept both the diehard fans and the general Pyramid crowd entertained from start to finish. This strong set from the Australian group expressed why Regurgitator have been such a force in the Australian music industry for so long. And so at the conclusion of their set, most punters returned to their campsite to get some rest and energy for the massive day ahead.
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