Thank God Its Over is nothing new for Melbourne audiences, but for the first time this end-of-year celebration made its way to Brisbane’s River Stage. The day dawned sunny and hot, a true summer festival atmosphere, but ticket prices, and the fact that the event is held before the school year is actually over, kept the event from reaching its full potential. In the end, most of the bands played memorable sets, battling on against the emptiness of the venue on front of them.

The first two acts of the day were the winners of the Brisbane Myspace.com Battle of the Bbands competition; they were selected from a huge amount of entries and were wildly enthusiastic about being there.  First up was A YEAR TO REMEMBER ; four young North Brissie boys who thrashed it out with some high energy stuff. It was heavy on the electric guitar and bass and Sam, the very talented, and very happy multi-tasker of the group, was sporting a wicked ‘fro and playing keyboards and guitar and vocals. Their self-described influences are “punk”, and “anything happy”. With Dean on bass, Jeremy on the drums, and Bryce on guitar and vocals (along with Sam, of course), these fine young lads are here to stay

Up at the DJ tent, Soren Osterman aka DJ RASP, was first up on the decks. He has been on the Brisbane DJ scene since 99, and today he played his usual mix of break beats, fighting the sweltering heat to deliver a tight set to a dedicated group of fans.
 
Next up was another local group, NINA MAY, with front-girl Erin sporting a very appropriate white shirt and school tie while belting out some amazing soulful vocals with her totally wicked, Gwen Stefani-ish voice.  Another four-piece rock group, these guys were extremely tight for a band that has only been playing together for only five months.  Erin joins Simon on guitar, Nick on drums and vocals and Brenton on bass, and they are all music students at QUT and have all “played in various shitty bands then we decided to play something decent”.  Their demo is also well worth a listen, if you can get hold of it; these guys are a class act.

Meanwhile, CUTLOOSE was, well, cutting loose in the DJ tent, playing a cool mixture of hip-hop and break beats, packing it all into the mix. The crowd had started to assemble itself into the usual square shape of a room. Strange how even though they were not constricted by any walls, everyone still managed to gather in a room shaped dance floor. With the heat, one thing this event could have done with was a big marquee size tent over the top of the dance area. This would have prevented unnecessary dehydration whilst dancing in full sunlight and also it might have helped contain the duff-duff sounds that quite often floated down and drowned out main stage

THE GINGERS hit the main stage next – three pop punk gals from Melbourne who rocked it out and got the small crowd jumping. The band is made up of Nellie on guitar, Chelsea on vox, bass and keyboards and Etta on drums and vocals. I felt as if I was on the set of an 80’s Countdown show. A young crowd with fluoro socks, lace gloves and leopard print headbands were all clapping, screaming hysterically and jumping in the air. The Gingers played songs that got the crowd jumping, Evening Rose, A Boy Called Hunter and The Gingerbread Man.  After being taken under the wing of rock producer Lindsay Gravina (Jet/The Living End), The Gingers have released their debut EP Love You Long Time and songs from that EP were well received by the bopping teenage crowd.

KATE ALEXA came on to stage to a swelling crowd.  Her style of singing was a little reminiscent of the Veronicas. She was backed by three burley looking lads that looked kind of put together like a girl or boy band, but they confounded expectations and delivered a tight set. You might recognize her voice from the song Always There on Home and Away. She hit all the right notes at the right time, pointing at the crowd and singing. Being the daughter of Mushroom record founder Michael Gudinski, you would expect her to be trained well in her vocation. She wrote her first song at the age of thirteen and today she played many tracks from her latest album Broken and Beautiful. Today she performed the role of pop princess to perfection.

The Resin Dogs are Brisbane legends, and DJ KATCH from the Dogs is a name that all Aussie hip hop fans are beginning to become familiar with. Today he produced a tight mix of hip hop n break beats, keeping the sweaty crowd gyrating and grooving. Katch produced one of the stand-out sets of the day.

BRITISH INDIA were noticeably unimpressed with the size of the crowd in front of the main stage and tried their hardest to get the crowd into it saying things like, “Stop having water-fights with hula hoops or whatever you kids are into, and come and dance with us”.  These guys put so much energy into their act and sport a very passionate lead vocalist.  Despite the lyrics “I’m sweet sixteen and I’ve never been kissed”, there was nothing sweet about these guys.  British India are all about hair-shaking, sweating and screaming.  They want you to love it as much as they do. By the last track, Bright Lights of Chinatown, the small but enthusiastic mosh-pit were chanting the words and the energy bar had well and truly been raised.

MELODYSSEY, a young quartet from the Sunshine Coast, delivered a punchy emo set to an crowd that was excitable, very vocal, and eager to clap along at any given cue. They have so-called sound of the new wave of pop/hardcore/emo/screamo down pat.  This may seem like an unusual description for a band, but nowadays its surprisingly common, and like all good things underground, the masses eventually get hold of it and make it phenomenally huge and mainstream.

Back at the DJ tent, one of Brisbane’s premier underground DJ acts was tearing it up. ANIKI loves his driving bass lines, and today these powerful beats are prolific in all of the tracks he spins. It’s another fine dance set on this summer afternoon at the Riverstage in Brisbane.
 
After the antics of Melodyssey, SHIFTER looked like a mature rock band that had spent a few too many sleepless nights on the road. They rocked it though, in true rocker style. Shifter is made up of Peter Robertson on drums and vocals, lead singer Michael (Mickey) Nason, Dan Alder on bass and Ned Walker on organ.  The Brisbane boys have just landed support for INXS, and today they demonstrate their pulling power, encouraging straggling punters to the front of stage with a call of “If you like rock and roll, let’s see you jump!” They play a good mix of songs from all their releases, and the Unearthed-winning Butter is still a crowd favourite

BEHIND CRIMSON EYES took the stage next. These boys from Melbourne (Aaron Schultz on guitar and vocals, Josh Stuart on vocals, Kevin Orr on guitar and vocals, Prashant ‘Baz’ Raju on bass, and Steve Szalay on drums) were definitely one of the crowd favourites of the day, with the teenage audience screaming wildly for them throughout their set. They played a tight set of screamo/emo that the crowd seemed hungry for. Not deterred by the relentless sun, much of the crowd was sporting black t-shirts, black jeans and stockings, and they screamed and jumped along to all the songs, as Behind Crimson Eyes played tracks from both their EPs, Pavour Nocturnus and The Art of War.

A pioneer in the early Melbourne dance scene, JOHN COURSE has been playing sets to crowds since the 80’s. Today, he was extremely comfortable behind the decks, having played to over 26 000 people in Melbourne in New Years, as well as wowing crowds at the popular SummerDaze. His set showed his confidence and prowess as he wiled away the hot afternoon with some summery beats.

THE CASANOVAS saw a reduction in intensity, if not in the music, then at least in the atmosphere, as the sun began to set, and the air began to cool. This very tight set showcased the talent of a band that knows it’s stuff, as the Casanovas played a quality performance to a small but grateful crowd.  Playing Born to Run, their great new track California, Mousy, I Thank You, and Dog House Blues, along with several other tracks, their set was superb, even withstanding a drunken Gingers stage invasion. They played tracks from their self titled album, with Keep It Hot and Shake It really rocking the crowd.

Night had set over Brisbane’s River Stage as KILLING HEIDI came to the stage, with Ella sporting a new blond bombshell haircut, giving her a completely different look from the dreads of old. They played all the classic hits, including I Am from the Spiderman 2 soundtrack. Captivating the crowd with their amazing talent, it was with sadness that Ella announced, after a gorgeous version of their orginal hit Weir, that Killing Heidi will be taking an extended break for a while.

Recognised as Peoples Choice at the Queensland Dance Music Awards and number one in Queensland’s top 50 DJs for the last two years running, BABY GEE played through the dusk, delivered slick beats and smooth mixes to an ever growing crowd.

The ever popular KISSCHASY played a great set showcasing some new tracks from their upcoming album which is due around April of next year. Even the new songs which were being played live for the first time still had the crowd jumping and dancing like crazy. Although they stray on the pop side of pop-punk, hits from their first album including Face Without A Name, The Shake, and Do-do’s & Whoa-oh’s were all met with raucous cheers.

ANDY VAN is known for great tracks such as Never Say Never and Twisted through his group Vandalism. Tonight he produced a great set of house tracks that the swelling crowd really got into, dancing hard. Having entertained crowds in Europe, Japan and America Andy was quite relaxed in front of the relatively small crowd.

Back at the main stage GYROSCOPE really picked up the pace, with a very loyal following of fans creating some real steam in the mosh pit for the first time all day. The Perth lads played songs from Sound Shattering Sound and their latest album Are You Involved. They did extremely well battling against the beats from the dance stage, and didn’t let the small crowd sap the energy, with singer Daniel Sanders taking advantage of his remote guitar and long mic lead, venturing out BEHIND the crowd for an impromptu performance. After playing their hit Fast Girl, they dedicated their last track to “all the old school Gyro fans out there” and ripped into a killer version of Safe Forever to close out the set on a definite high.

DALLAS CRANE were the last rock band of the night, and the veterans of dirty rock and roll put on an excellent show. Their set was a perfect balance of new songs from their latest album, Factory Girls, and singles from their back catalogue, delivered with the kind of precision and technical mastery that comes from sincere effort to improve one’s craft.  This act was a highlight of the night, with the band rocking out, and the crowd quite often singing every word and clapping crazily between songs. They too battled the small crowd, and delivered an excellent performance which provided a perfect sampler for those wondering if the new album will be worth a purchase.

THE STAFFORD BROTHERS closed out the DJ tent, and had the unenviable job of going up against Dallas Crane and the Hilltop Hoods on the main stage. Brothers Matt and Chris produced a mainly house set to a small but appreciative crowd. Having played shows in Ibiza, Dubai and London, they are now back to entertain Aussie crowds over the next couple of months.

The big drawcard of the event was undoubtedly THE HILLTOP HOODS, who were the final act on the main stage. Everyone who had been sitting down on the hill came down for a dance and a raised hand (or fist), and the Hoods draw out their arrival, teasing the crowd with soundbytes and sirens until the two MC’s finally hit the stage to screams of approval. The Adelaide hip-hoppers had the crowd jumping from the onset, pulling what was left of the crowd up on the hill at the DJ stage away and down to the front of the stage to end the day in true Hilltop style. The Hoods were bouncing around with endless energy, hardly staying still for a second. The crowd reflected their high energy performance, almost toppling the barrier a few times. They played tracks from The Calling and from Left Foot, Right Foot, as well as numerous tracks from their new album The Hard Road. It was a brilliant performance, but an unusual way to close a day of predominantly rock and roll acts.

Thank God Its Over didn’t draw the big crowd it probably needed to in order to be successful, but those that decided to stay home missed a day of solid rock acts from a wide range of genres, as well as another unforgettable Hilltop Hoods performance. With any luck, this festival will continue in future years (albeit with some slight changes) and grow into another veteran Brisbane festival.

Written by Zoe Barradell aka livenpromoz and Liam McGinniss aka gumbuoy