The energy kept flowing with Aussie hip hop act The Herd. A crowded stage with
multiple MCs and singers made for an electrifying performance that showed how they got
Triple J listeners to sit up and take notice. Their politically conscious lyrics got the crowd
fired up at they vigorously hammered out hip hop beats, but disappointingly my hopes of a
live performance of their now stand-alone hit ‘I was only 19’ (which began as a cover
on Triple J’s Like A Version’) were not fulfilled. However their up-tempo tracks were most
warmly received – as ironically much of the outskirts of the crowd shivered along in an
attempt to shelter from the now extremely frosty Canberra wind which whipped around
the venue. Like never before the ‘front row possie’ was coveted – but not for its view.
Instead, people mashed together to the music in order to steal body heat. At this point the
crowd thinned, people either taking shelter inside the Arena or calling it quits. For the rest
of the eskimo punters, the fact that the weather couldn’t be controlled was recognised as
The Herd and final act The Avalanches controlled the tunes to keep the
party moving and the blood flowing. Another slight disappointment for me that ‘Frontier
Psychiatrist’ didn’t get a bait in The Avalanches’ set – such a tune would have
been sure to get a great response from those in the crowd needing their heads looked at at
that stage of the evening.

None the matter, as plenty weary heads and a couple of steadily progressing local acts
opened the event for day two of Stonefest 2006. With the previous night going off without a
hitch (if you disregard the chilly weather) punters arrived with high expectations of a
repeat performance. The crowd steadily grew throughout impressive sets by Los
Capitanes and Hancock Basement. Both acts fared well under the demanding
task of finding the right tunes to help the crowd shake of their previous night’s hang-
overs.

In a peculiar spot of scheduling, heavy progressive rockers Cog took the stage at
3.30pm. While on the one hand their music attracted plenty meat-heads and shocked many
out of self-pity; on the other the pleasant sunshine beaming down at that point called for
some more chilled out tunes. Their set was great without a doubt – and as the evening
unfolded it was clear their talents would have been better utilised later, as once again
that damn Canberra weather reared its ugly head.

Urge Overkill, the band associated with Pulp Fiction soundtrack, impressed
without resorting to tracks from the cult film. The US rockers deviated between heavy rock
to 70s rock riffs, which appeared to have a broader appeal than Cog – at which point
the consensus was by now that they were good but too early in the day. Urge Overkill left
the stage with a promise to ‘go home and make a new record then we’ll be back’. At this
stage for many the music was not enough and the ‘beer jacket’ wasn’t thick enough to get
them to brave the cold. The bar filled up as people took refuge while waiting for final acts
Sarah Blasko and Hoodoo Gurus to play.

At this stage I noticed for the first time the significantly lower crowd numbers than in
previous years. The ease at which toilet visits occurred was direct evidence in my book that
Stonefest ‘06 may not have lived up to previous years in terms of attendance. I put this
down to three factors:  increased ticket prices thanks to VSU, a line-up which failed to win
over the ‘lowest common denominator’ of festival fans and of course, the bloody cold
weather. Sarah Blasko appealed to many with her indescribable live sound quality.
Complete with violinist, her 3M tunes (melancholy, moody, mellow) would have been ideal
during the 3.30pm timeslot when punters could soak up her music in the sunshine. Instead,
they stood hugging themselves and swaying in an attempt to generate some body heat
which detracted from what would have other wise been an amazing performance. For many,
the Ministry of Sound remix and warmth of the bar was more attractive than the new ‘it’
girl who is finding her place somewhere between the perky Missy Higgins and attitudinal
Fiona Apple.

‘Finally’ – my goosebumps screamed – it was time for the Hoodoo Gurus. As
suspected they demonstrated why they’ve still got a healthy following and why they
deserved the final timeslot. While long-time fans were on short-supply, there were plenty
of cries of “hey! I know this song!” as they pumped out the hits that earned them a
contemporary adage by Australian music acts in the form of Stoneage Cameos – a
cover of the entire Stoneage Romeos album that spawned their career.

So while not quite yet over the hill, both Hoodoo Gurus and Stonefest
demonstrated what it is about them that fans fell in love with – infectious tunes, great live
performances and memorable events.