Over the last few years, The University of Canberra’s Stonefest has not only signalled the end of the Uni year, but also the beginning of the summer festival season here in Canberra. The festival has morphed from a celebration of the University of Canberra’s inception, as the Canberra College of Advanced Education, to the largest music event on the local calendar.
In 2004 nearly 10,000 people attended the two day event, seeing Groove Armada headline Friday night and The Von Bondies headline the Saturday recovery. This year’s event has seen the Friday lineup parred back, with no big name international dance act, but the Saturday lineup has been bolstered by the addition of Electric Six, reflecting the move back to rock.
Over the course of the past week, a dinghy car park outside the back of the Uni Bar has been transformed into a festival site. Marquees, fridges and pallets, yes pallets, of beer and spirits have been all painstaking put into place for ten thousand thirsty punters who were ready to have a great night and recovery day, after a big year of study and work.
The giant marquee that housed the Superstage was arranged slightly differently this year, giving more people a better view of the stage, aside from that the layout remained unchanged. In fact in the six years since my first Stonefest very little has changed, girls in the blokes toilets, messy couples getting it on together in every spare corner and students with massive grins across their faces.
Of the dance acts donning the stages on Friday night it was the big live acts that were of most interest. So it was Soma Rasa that kicked off our evening. The crowd had just started to amass when they graced the stage, but at this point the crowd was not as large as last years. Having seen Soma Rasa before, they have quite a reputation for their dance beats and freakish live drumming. Their set on Friday had the punters dancing in the field, and set the night off well. Playing singles from all their albums including Something Wicked and their latest Say What You Say which samples The Clash’s Rock the Kasbar, a classic which had the crowd rocking their socks off.
Following Soma Rasa were Decoder Ring. This year there was a deliberate attempt to broaden the depth of the Friday night lineup, including some acts not known as dance acts. Decoder Ring’s set was reminiscent of Scottish art rockers Mogwai with their sprawling guitar solos and solid rhythm section. They did a great job of keeping the dance fans moving and the rockers on their toes.
With Saturday being the day where most of the rock acts were playing, The Presets were the final act of interest before the head called for a pillow. Their set did not disappoint. Their set was very reminiscent of an electronic Joy Division. Julian Moyes vocals were gruff and angular with that distinctly Australian tune, providing a rocking but very danceable set.
Sleep was needed before the mammoth day of rock acts, Saturday.
On the many occasions I’ve seen Faker they have never disappointed, always solid rock. Sliding into the pit, this arvo’s version of Teenage Werewolf was as a killer. The crowd were bouncing with a great deal of energy. Nathan Hudson was throwing himself around the stage contorting and thrashing around, whipping the crowd up. Other highlights of their set were Love for Sale and Kids on Overload which not only had the punters bouncing, but were played with gusto and showed a band that was as musically tight as can be.
The bouncers at the front gave a cautionary note that Butterfingers could well set the crowd off, but all they did was bring the crowd up another notch. Playing their catchy blend of hip-hop, punk and rock, you could see the smiles beaming across the punters faces. From the smiles on their faces, it was not only crowd enjoying themselves but the band as well.
Their set included some new numbers, peppered in amongst all the crowd favourites. Songs like Everytime, I Love Work and Sorry had the cord pushing forward and bouncing wildly. The biggest sing-a-long of the afternoon had to be for the rollicking version of Yo Mamma, which was a great choice for mid set.
Thristy Merc and The Beautiful Girls’ sets took the vibe down a notch, with The Beautiful Girls in particular going down a treat and getting the crowd grooving. Harmonica player Phillipe was an absolute marvel on the mouthharp, pulling some great bended notes out of the instrument. The harp featured heavily on Music from 2003’s Learn Yourself. Of the other singles, Black Bird was also a feature of their show. The set concluded with Dub Be Good To Me breaking into La Mar, with the band’s tour manager joining them on stage on lead guitar.
Having taken it down a notch it was now time to “kick the punters’ arse and send them home,” as promoter Pete Spicer put it, and that they did, with Electric Six and The Living End closing out the night.
Electric Six, with Dick Valentine on lead vocals really set the crowd off. Valentine in a brown suit came on stage, introduced each member of the band and reminded punters about the imminent onset of daylight savings. When introducing the drummer, he commented on his Tasmanian origins, a point of reference throughout the show.
Electric Six’s performance was high-energy stuff; the crowd bounced and partied their way through the set. Valentine’s stage antics saw him doing laps of the stage, reaching out from the crowd and mid song callisthenics. The band’s radio singles garnered the greatest crowd response with the crowd singing a long to both Danger! High Voltage and Gay Bar.
As the crowd waited for The Living End to close the show, the rain began to fall. Instead of dampening spirits, it lifted them. When they finally hit the stage the crowd exploded. The Living End put on the most spectacular set of the weekend. Their performance was tight and polished, impressing not only the punters, but the other artists watching side of stage. Playing a variety of material from each of their albums, as well as their new single What’s On Your Radio, which whilst little known still gained a great reaction from the crowd.
Their greatest hits had the crowd bouncing in unison, with Prisoner of Society receiving one of the most rousing ovations of any I’ve seen at a festival. West End Riot was one of the opening songs from the set and was played with such gusto that it dragged anyone not in front of the stage to the stage. Picture In the Mirror and Roll On, from the album Roll On also took the crowd up yet another level. Scott Owen’s patented double bass balancing act surprised and amazed me, not everyone can balance themselves on a six-foot high curved string instrument.
When the set eventually concluded the crowd were not done yet, so with an incredible volume the punters called the band back to the stage. Playing two final songs, The Living End left the crowd spent, wet, but satisfied.
This year’s Stonefest marked a turning point for the festival, transforming it from a dance oriented event, as it was last year to a fully fledged rock festival. As it continues to attract quality headliners like Electric Six, it is a festival I’d recommend.
