Future Music Festival @Randwick Racecourse, Sydney(12/3/11)

Tue 15th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

From its humble 2006 beginnings, Future Music Festival has morphed into a colossal beast of an event. The lineup is huge, which means the crowd is huge, which means the venue is huge, which means I’m exhausted and it’s only 1.30, geez. Trekking from one end of Randwick Racecourse to the other, I feel like I should have passed through customs at some point. Mind you, the sheer size of it all is quite impressive – there are stages everywhere, there’s a foam party, there’s even a roller-disco for goodness sake!

Over at the Mazda stage, Zowie played some same-old-same-old, yelpy, electro-pop, swaying from predictable to boring to irritating. Gypsy and the Cat are no better. People, I don’t get it; the praise, the airtime, the accolades – why is such mediocrity being glorified? Opening with Time to Wander, the crowd laps it up, despite the heat. Credit where credit is due; the song is really catchy and their live show has evolved emphatically, but they know it and they couldn’t wipe the smugness of their faces if they tried. This is followed by one of the most annoying songs of 2010, Breakaway, which belongs in a soundtrack for a cheesy dragon movie. Poor songwriting, lame music, whiney-twang vocals and wanky band name to top it all off.

Surprise draw card, Ke$ha, was next over at the main stage parading her brand of filth-pop to the masses. I made it through half of the first song, Sleazy, before I felt physically ill and left (she lost me at “fat beats gonna make me come”). From what I’ve gathered from friends’ accounts – it was all glitter, whoring-around and heart-eating. Yep, there was even theatrical cannibalism.

Meanwhile, Tame Impala were sculpting pure genius and cutting shapes I didn’t know existed. The sun would have been melting my face had Kevin Parker not done so already with some incredible fretwork. Closing with Half Full Glass of Wine, we we’re reminded why the rest of the world is obsessing over these guys as much as we have been.

One of the most anticipated acts of the day, Mark Ronson and the Business International, truly delivered. Ronson is all class, all charm and all style. Bike Song early up prompts fits of hysteria and Spank Rock’s entry is one of the best I’ve ever seen, seemingly appearing in one swift rapping and rapturing leap. Alex Greenwald asked if he could play one of his tracks, to which California began. Being the OC-generation, we all lost our minds. Special treat #2 – Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow fame leads a slower, tropical version of Animal then Somebody to Love Me_. Bang, Bang, Bang closes the show, it’s over too soon, but it was always going to be.

BBC 1 radio host Zane Lowe kept the seats warm with some apt dance mixes. Sometimes I wonder what DJ’s did before Daft Punk. Lowe had a good balance of tunes and crowd interaction- mind you, if I hear one more DJ try and pump us up with an Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, (oi, oi, oi), I’m going to write an angry letter.

Highlight of the day, MGMT, played an extraordinary set erasing all preconceptions of a lacking live show. The performance – impeccable, song choices – a dream, so why was I the only one dancing? The weight of their talent hit hard from the battering of brilliant songs – Time to Pretend, Weekend Wars, Of Moons, Birds and Monsters, Flash Delirium the list goes on. The show seemed frustratingly ill received, a restless crowd waiting for Electric Feel and Kids, which after they had played, they left. Congratulations and Brian Eno closed the show to those remaining.

Dizzee Rascal had the crowd eating out of his palm, feeding them some smooth rhymes and frantic rhythms. Plumes of confetti exploded during You Got The Dirtee Love and then a cheeky exit before Bonkers, returning with the hit being one of the biggest sing-alongs all day.

I began to battle with the fatigue of a massive day, but Pendulum’s hypnotic tunes and machine gun beats kept me entertained. While drum and bass or dubstep isn’t one of my raisons d’etre, watching thousands of ravers go ballistic to Witchcraft is something else. And don’t get me started on that ABC remix.

Throughout the day id been quite impressed at the quality of sound and light that Future provided, but the standards that Chemical Brothers brought with them blew it all out of the water. Things I had known to appreciate before were made to look like child’s play. I was in awe. The hum of their show awakening was paired with a circle of fairy light-like strobes gently unraveling, blinking and pulsing until a pillar of light surrounded Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed. Galvanise erupted and so did the crowd.

The best-of setlist morphed hits into other hits. I left the front, convinced the bass was going to give me a heart palpitation, retreating into the stands for the rest of the show. Do It Again was tainted by the most horrifying/creepy clown visual singing along while Hey Boy / Hey Girl took us back to the 90s for a few minutes. Things ‘slowed down’ (kind of) for Swoon, a stunning rarity and a highlight of the day.

Future is at the forefront of where dance music festivals are headed. State of the art technology, varied, eclectic lineups, and still a keen focus on its electronic sensibilities.