Coaster Festival @ GosfordShowgrounds (25/09/10)

Thu 7th Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

At first glance, the lineup for Gosford’s Coaster Festival was nothing special. Sure, Cypress Hill are awesome, and I love Silversun Pickups, but since those were the only international acts the rest of the list was pretty underwhelming, and largely consisted of Australian bands I tend to skip at festivals in favour of international acts that don’t get out here that often.

But the genius of this festival is that its target audience live on the Central Coast, and so don’t get festival burnout. Because it’s only ninety minutes from Sydney, and with only a small population, precious few bands bother to make the trip. As a result the atmosphere at Coaster was jubilant, with almost everyone excited just to go to a festival with their friends. It made a really nice chance from going to gigs in Sydney, where everyone tends to stand at the back, with their arms crossed, talk loudly and telling anyone who will listen how the band on stage has gone downhill since their first EP.

I arrived just in time for California’s SIlversun Pickups, who were playing in the early afternoon despite being one of the two international acts at the festival. However, this odd scheduling didn’t seem to affect them, as they thrashed and wailed their way through a white-hot set. I guess the best way to describe them is to compare them to the Smashing Pumpkins at their least self-indulgent, and they had everyone jumping up and down. It’s a great shame that they don’t come out more often, although judging by their beaming smiles and rapturous reception we may not have to wait another two years to rock out to Lazy Eye.

Heading over to check out Spit Syndicate I came across the biggest problem with the festival, which was the location of the third (and smallest stage). Right next to the entrance, it was situated in the middle of the thoroughfare between the main stage and the second stage, which meant that each act had to fight tooth and nail just to be heard over the marauding hordes. This might have been fine had the acts been louder, guitar-based bands, but the roster included Jinja Safari, Hungry Kids Of Hungary and Cloud Control – not exactly known for their ferocity. We passed by as The Chemist was wrapping up, closing with End Of July, which has managed some airplay on triple j. It was just a glimpse, but it was enough to convince me to buy his two EPs. And make no mistake, main man Ben Witt has the ability to make a big splash. You haven’t heard the last of him.

Spit Syndicate have had a massive year, with their debut album garnering serious airplay and some excellent reviews, and they had an appreciative crowd jumping all over the place. It wasn’t really doing much for me, but I was clearly in the minority. And they did look like they were having a great time on stage.

Heading back over to the main stage, it was time for the “bands who play at every festival and I can’t believe I haven’t seen them before” double-header of Bluejuice and Art Vs. Science. Bluejuice bring the party, dressed in homemade chicken suits that must be boiling in the brilliant sunshine. Frontman Jake Stone clearly agrees with me, as he strips down in next to no time and proceeds to do most of the show clad only in grey briefs. I must confess I don’t care much for their music beyond the singles, but they may well be the perfect festival band. They are full of energy, and everyone in the crowd seems to know exactly which parts of each song they are expected to scream out. There is even a small group near me who brought their own skipping rope along in homage to the Broken Leg video clip – a song that is greeted by screams of excitement.

Art Vs. Science are up next, and have clearly come to terms with the fact that they are a party band above all else. Everything about this set is at an almost Spinal Tap level of absurdity, with strobe lights working overtime and almost religious significance placed on the lyrics of current single Magic Fountain. It’s all ridiculous but undeniably fun, and the boys have clearly become very comfortable with playing live – Parlez Vous Francais? is predictably huge and has everyone leaping about until Dan McNamee busts out a long, rambling guitar solo that almost kills the energy. But then the random noodling becomes the Back To The Future theme song, and everyone loses their shit. Another surprise treat was their cover of Electric Six’s Gay Bar, which was full of such undeniable energy that even the many meatheads around us were yelling along with the lyrics.

Back over to the smallest stage for Hungry Kids Of Hungary, we were rewarded with a high-energy set of delightful, summery pop. It did seem an odd choice to have them play after dark, but given how fast their star is on the rise that is probably something we can expect to see more of in the future. Up next on the same stage were Cloud Control, who are a much more settled live act than when I saw them at their album launch six months ago. It shouldn’t be a surprise given the sheer number of shows they have played in the intervening period, but the live show is finally able to do justice to the incredible complexity and sophistication of the record. Word is they are relocating to London soon to try and crack the scene over there, and based on this performance you can expect to see them on the cover of NME before too long.

I had to leave before the end of the set, however, because it seemed as though everyone in the universe was flooding to the main stage for Cypress Hill. Having seen them at the Enmore a couple of years ago I knew what to expect, but I was still caught up in the crowd’s collective excitement at seeing these legends do their thing. Although ostensibly touring in support of their new album, the gang clearly knew that everyone wanted to hear the classics – and when your back catalogue includes How I Could Just Kill A Man, Insane In The Brain and Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk, how could they not? It seemed as though everyone knew every word.

But this was far more than a simple festival set. It was an open-air Church Of Mary Jane. It seemed as though everyone was passing around a joint in a cupped hand, and when B-Real lit up the biggest joint I have ever seen it was almost impossible to breathe in air that wasn’t filled with smoke. And when they launched into a medley of I Wanna Get High/Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk/Hits From The Bong there was hardly an eye that wasn’t bloodshot and a little bit unfocussed.

Coaster has only been running for a couple of years, but I think they have their niche sorted out. By catering to a region that is lacking in major events, and by focussing on bands that know how to party, Coaster has positioned itself as a day full of sunshine and happiness. And, in the absence of Homebake this year, it is the festival that does more to showcase local talent than any other. The festival scene is hugely overcrowded, and a day of reckoning is coming, but it seems to me as though Coaster has enough that sets it apart to be a feature of Central Coast life for many years to come.

Check out the photos from the festival