Parklife @ Kippax Lake, Sydney(02/10/2011)

Tue 4th Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

On Sunday amongst the lake boasting surrounds of Moore Park, Parklife festival came to fruition, treating Sydneysiders to performances from an eclectic mix of dance and crossover acts. Despite the gloomy weather – best put at 12-degree temperatures, intermittent spouts of rain and icy winds – thousands of punters were happy to hold on to their hats and ponchos right until the very end. With a lineup of acts that stretched far for choice, from Lykke Li, Death from Above 1979, Little Dragon and The Streets, meant enough was on offer to please the wildest of tastes, and when paired with a few holy moments of sunshine proved to be an equation for success.

This year the festival didn’t sell out which overall saw more room to move across all five stages and the opportunity to catch a good glimpse of any act without having to manoeuvre too far into the crowd. The last-minute cancellation of Katy B brought across warning that set times had changed, but this was only really questioned when waiting between acts, which under the weather conditions felt like a really long time.

The day always starts with a queue, and after conquering the lines there remained a good selection of local talent to check out. After Nina Las Vegas, who had the early starters keen for a taste of hip-hop inspired tunes, it was Ballarat act Goldfields who took to the stage with their buzzed about show. Difficult by definition, each track was beat and percussion heavy, yet with just enough harmonies to hold them as a great warm-up act, perfect for those only ready to slightly nod up and down on the outskirts of the stage.

Swedish act Little Dragon were next to grace the Atoll Stage. The four-piece were quick to jump straight into Machine Dreams track, A New led by the smiling Yukimi Nagano wrapped beneath her navy cape. After an astonishing show of live and electronic percussion, where Nagano jumped up onto the drum kit for a few hits, the group’s execution was pretty much seamless as they ran through tracks off their two albums, that included the likes of Looking Glass, Little Man, and Shuffle a Dream. What was disappointing, however, was the sound. Granted it was only bordering on mid-afternoon and the stage wasn’t jam-packed with punters, the sound was nowhere near loud enough to drown out the banter of surrounding crowd members and really missed giving out that dreamy mood Little Dragon are known for creating.

After a brief intermission, Death from Above 1979 took to the Atoll Stage. Being the first performance in Sydney after a split five years ago meant big anticipation for some, but surprisingly the crowd really seemed to filter out once Little Dragon exited. Maybe five years was too long a time for the punters that came for the bigger electronic acts of more recent spotlight fame. Dressed in head-to-toe white, Sebastien Granger was every part the showman and asked the crowd if they were up for MSTRKRFT later, whilst Jesse Keeler played his bass-guitar with fury. “Lets play some more of the hits, shall we?” he asked, and they continued on with the majority of material off their sole release, You’re A Woman, I’m a Machine. There was no real improvement on sound for the Canadian two-piece though. Granger’s guitar work sounded nowhere near as sharp as it seemed executed on stage or expected, but those in attendance still rocked out just as hard all the same.

Crystal Fighters proved to be quite the spectacle. Led by front man Sebastian Pringle, the UK act kept things bright with their combination of organic and electronic percussion to create at times dreamy, other times upbeat synth-y pop tunes. As Pringle played out the summer hit Plage on acoustic guitar, the crowd was more than happy to sing the tropical lyrics in a welcomed distraction against the hostile weather.

Enter next: Santigold. The larger Sahara stage was perfect for the gold crowned Miss Santi, who allowed back-up singers to drag her across the stage amidst gold streamers, before inviting 20 crowd members up on deck for a dance. There too was the impressive LED display of pulsating tigers and tribal masks to top off the aesthetic appeal and when the sun decided to shine through for a mere 15 minutes or so, there was no way spirits could get any higher. Working her way through hits L.E.S Artistes, Starstruck and Creator, the sound was louder, clearer, and although she herself complained of her mic levels was a mile ahead in comparison to the Atoll stage.

The end of Santigold signaled for a decision: Diplo or Digitalism? In an effort to wait for The Streets on the nearby Atoll stage, Diplo on Sahara was chosen. The US DJ and producer’s set was big, flashy, and interactive. He continually communicated with the crowd, getting them to give themselves up for tracks that included a working of Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know, and his Major Lazer track, Pod De Floor. Up close up in the pit or slightly afar on the grass, most couldn’t help but let a dance move loose.

It became an emotional time for any Mike Skinner fan. Parklife was the last Sydney performance for The Streets before they officially call it quits at the end of the month, so naturally anticipation was high when they took to the stage. Skinner is a pro at charming the crowd with his geezer talk and between jumping on speakers and catapulting across all ends of the stage, led the way through a set that wasn’t afraid to drop the tempo. With full band in tow, slower tunes like Dry Your Eyes Mate were received with much love and perhaps signaled a perfect ending. It was hard to believe that it was one of the very last times Don’t Mug Yourself or Fit But You Know It would hear the light of day live.

As the final time-slot for the day approached, thousands of punters began to separate and wander off to their stage of choice. Against Duck Sauce, Magnetic Man and Simian Mobile Disco, Lykke Li had big shoes to fill as a closing act. Any doubts though were disbanded from the get go when Li and her band propelled into Silent My Song, the closing track off her Wounded Rhymes record and a showcase piece of her vocal strength. Against a backdrop of smoke and billowy black sails clad in only a cape and leotard, Li posed an ethereal figure with a commanding presence that suggests far beyond her age of a mere 25.

The sound was brilliant this time on the Atoll stage, and popular tracks, I Follow Rivers and Sadness is a Blessing appeared early on in the set, whilst the older number Dance, Dance, Dance was perhaps the defined peak of the set. Far from a laidback piano and vocal track that might have been expected from Li a few years ago, it was great to witness an artist who has continued to develop and embrace all her quirky charms that have placed her literally a cut above the rest.

As the wind and rain hastened and crowds began to thin, it was time catch a moment of Duck Sauce performing their trademark tune Barbara Streisand, albeit as almost comedic relief. A blow-up duck completed the visual and it can be almost certain that the DJ duo had half of the park humming the chorus the whole way home. Lykke Li or Duck Sauce, Parklife proved that come rain or shine, a diverse lineup will still bring the crowds.