Rock The Vote @ The RNAShowgrounds, 18/11/2006

Wed 29th Nov, 2006 in Gig Reviews

By Stephen Goodwin aka dsthenes and Clinton Lovell aka Siege Jay

Rock The Vote is the brainchild of the Queensland Labor Union, intended to encourage young people to sign onto the electoral roll and agitate against the federal government’s IR laws and there are plenty of passionate people on hand to spruik the cause throughout the day. They just happen to play some damn fine music as well.

DJ NICK TOTH mixed up some nice tunes which started to get the crowd a little pumped, with the hands arising in the air (watch out for Foreign Affair- MC Trey, Maya Jupiter and Nick touring soon). Toth played a quality set, funky and full of soul which had everyone  – even those with two left feet – moving as his records spun some big beats with some great melodies.
 
Four-piece ACE kick off in a cruisy, relaxed fashion in front of just a couple of hundred punters seated on the grass under the big top. For the most part, they run on from one gentle, alt-pop song to the next, but on the few occasions they pause, they receive warm applause from a quiet but definitely not disinterested crowd.

LA rapper PIGEON JOHN doesn’t let the size, nor the early-day near-somnolence of the crowd deter him as he flies through a superb set of songs. Supported ably by scratcher DJ Nick Toth and a tiny knot of hardcore fans lining the front barrier, encourages us to jump like monkeys, introduces us to the pigeon dance and—when he’s not rapping—displays a damn fine singing voice to boot. Live renditions of songs such as Money Back Guarantee, Freaks! Freaks! and Go Higher!? are much faster and rawer than the slick album versions – and all the more enjoyable for it. This is a fellow who deserves a larger, more appreciative audience.

A short while later, TRUE LIVE’s strings-driven jazz-hip hop fusion kicks things along a little more. The tiny knot at the barrier has become far more substantial, and the band’s freewheeling fast-slow style that continuously forms, metamorphoses and reforms around the more structured and rhythmic vocals of Ryan ‘RHyNO’ Ritchie is fascinating to behold. Jazzy breakdowns throughout the set, most often led by Thai Matus’s noodling keyboards or Tamil Rogeon’s violin, and anchored by the unflappable double bass of Tim Blake. Damn Right opens urgently and there’s just a tinge of beat for the slower, more humid Question This. TV gets the crowd jiving the most, though.

RESIN DOGS follow with an energetic performance that proves exactly why they’ve been a staple of the Brisbane scene for more than 10 years. With punchy guitars, and a tonne of bottom end, they roar through half a dozen great tunes including the drawling, wailing Shock Gene in a set that culminates in a rousing cover of Midnight Oil’s Power and the Passion. With Peter Garrett set to make an appearance later in the day, the choice is perfect and the crowd writhes its sweaty approval as the frontman chants “People” over and over behind that oh-so-familiar guitar riff. Not a single person can fight the groove and stand still, and it was another quality set, with some new tunes, and some classic hits mixed together.

LYRICS BORN and his five-piece posse ooze San Francisco sophistication from the moment they step onto the stage. They might not exude the raw energy of Resin Dogs, but  they’ve got the style, swagger and moves. Stop Complaining, Callin’ Out, I’m Just Raw and Bad Dreams prove they have the talent and the songs as well. If only Lyrics Born would spend less time cajoling the audience to make some noise and make some more of his own.
 
The (notorious) CHASER TEAM prove they aren’t shy by flopping out their cocks early on. Oh, wait, they’re stuffed socks., If only Axel Whitehead had thought of that. The banter is hilarious, but surpassed by the ditty at the very end: “We’ve been golden showered, by Johhny Winston Howard”. Thankfully, the socks aren’t fully equipped.
 
The trio that make up veteran Aussie rock outfit SPIDERBAIT all take to the stage wearing sunglasses. Maybe they’ve just come off a bender. They do prove to be a little rusty as they open with Shazam!, but after a nine-month break they have some right to be. Nevertheless, a thousand and more punters – some of them rather tipsy by this time – greet them like family and get treated to plenty of hits ‘n memories. As usual, the crowd takes charge for Buy Me A Pony and Calypso. Run is a moment of charm with Whitt and Janet each trying to fake the other into leading off. And Janet claims improvised lyric of the day when she pipes into Fucken’ Awesome: “You know if you enrol to vote you’re…” and the crowd duly finishes with the title lyrics. It’s a light-hearted yet sobering reminder of the serious business underlying the day of fun. The band finishes with a teasing rendition of Black Betty that brings down the house, and Spiderbait have once again proven they are one of Australia’s great live acts.

Afterwards, people flood out to hit the bar. Which means poor old SOMA RASA are left to pump out their electronic break beats to a much-diminished crowd. Undeterred, the band tells the faithful: “We’re here for a good time, not a long time!” and then proceed to whip them into a frenzy. Soma Rasa have their funk guns a-blazing, playing quality tunes with some quality mixing from Dj Sampology. By the end of their set, they’ve even drawn in a few extra friends.

PETER GARRETT was supposed to address the crowd at the end of the night, but he ended up coming out earlier than listed. Whether it was because he had somewhere to be, or he just wanted to get out of the way of the rock and roll, it matters little. He is a master orator, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand as he rails against the Howard government in general, and their workforce laws in particular. It might feel a little like preaching to the converted, but it’s clear the audience has respect for Garrett as both a politician AND a veteran rock’n’roller. He concludes by introducing the next act to rock the crowd.

As opposed to Spiderbait, THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT have just come off a 30-plus city tour of Australia and it shows – they have the crowd enraptured from start to finish. Reach showcases frontman Clint Boge’s haunting vocals. Slow Descent’s pulsating riffs get everyone moshing and old favourite Always is spine tingling. When Kurt Goedhart’s guitar dies at the beginning of Crave, it’s only a momentary inconvenience. Unfazed, Clint and the rest thrash on while a roadie rushes out a replacement. Kurt rejoins mid-chorus with such aplomb you have to shake your head. Aisles of White then offers a quieter moment before the boys from Ferny Grove conclude with frenetic versions of One Second of Insanity and Take It Away. Anyone who reckons these guys have lost their edge is off their nut – the songs from Imago are every inch as powerful as those on predecessor Begins Here.

Peter Garrett returns to the stage extremely briefly to once again deliver a damning condemnation of the Howard government, to encourage all people to enrol to vote, and introduce one of Australia’s favourite adopted bands.

SHIHAD deliver a white-hot set full of aggressive cock-rock style, equally aggressive hard rock topped off with some fierce anti-Howard rhetoric. After Jon Toogood dedicates Beautiful Machine to “getting rid of that c*nt John Howard” we’re all pretty sure we know which side of the fence he’s sitting on. The band’s passion is infectious after Pacifier, Run and a bunch of other thrashy songs, the crowd’s own passions are definitely aroused – even if for some it’s only the passionate need for another beer. Australia’s little adopted New Zealand boys rock out with a punch that could have taken Mike Tyson’s head off, playing a lot of their well known hits, as well as a couple of new songs from their forthcoming album, due to drop next year.

YOU AM I round out the day with a set that is high on energy but low on hits. Apart from Berlin Chair the only other singles they play are from the band’s newest album. The crowd doesn’t seem too perturbed by this deliberate demolition of the unwritten rule of composing a festival set. The ever-mercurial Tim Rogers is all grins and smiles to start as he guides us in with half a dozen gentle, almost alt-country tracks pulled from the band’s giant back catalogue. Daydream Heroes – “for the beautiful idealistic Bob Brown” – is a highlight. When the band strikes up Baby Clothes, Tim is suddenly transformed. The trademark windmilling takes on a more manic tinge, and by the time they bow out with Thank God I’ve Hit The Bottom, Tim has discarded his guitar to froth and scream at us all while lying over the foldback speakers. Never has so much saliva been expended in the name of rock.

After the small crowd turnout for the similarly sized Thank God It’s Over, it was good to see the Brisbane crowd turn out in strength for a one-stage festival. It helped that some of Australia’s best live acts were on hand, and by the end of the day, its hard to imagine any punters going home dissatisfied. Hopefully, a few of them enrolled to vote too.

By Stephen Goodwin aka dsthenes and Clinton Lovell aka Siege Jay