G-Fest @ McCallum Park, Perth(8/12/2006)

Mon 11th Dec, 2006 in Gig Reviews

G-Fest’s impressive lineup promised it to be one of the largest and most important punk and hardcore concerts ever to reach Perth. The excitement amongst the fans whilst waiting in line was contagious, with everybody eagerly awaiting the sets of their favourite bands.

Anticipation and curiosity started to build amongst the crowd, as they wanted to see what this comparatively unknown band called ‘Goodnight Nurse’, had to offer. Goodnight Nurse are a pop punk band hailing from Auckland, New Zealand (but we won’t hold that against them). Midway through their first song, it was amazing to see how many people turned to their friends with raised eyebrows, giving them the old “wow, how do we not know about these guys?”. Impressing the crowd with their cover of Kelis’ Milkshake, the trio dominated the early punters with their stage presence and impressed with their full sound. The Kiwis warmed the crowd up nicely and prepared them for the night ahead. Certainly a band to look out for in the future.

Next to the stage, The Getaway Plan. Despite hitting the stage bursting at the seams with energy, the Melbournians had some serious mixing issues that hindered the early stages of their performance.But as good bands always do, they recovered to play a tight set and show everyone what they are really capable of. It would have been nice to see lead singer Matt Wright show some more animation and enthusiasm with his singing though  when a singer doesn’t really show passion for his own lyrics it creates an aura of superficiality for the song and conveys a tone of insincerity to the audience.

Judging by the crowd’s reaction to Parkway Drive, people either love Parkway or are completely terrified by them. Possessing what is arguably the best stage presence of any band in the country, you can’t help but respect Parkway for the energy and intensity they bring to the stage. That being said, it wasn’t pretty seeing injured kids coming out of the mosh pit looking like death warmed up. The band’s set mixed material from their forthcoming album with old favourites and did well to take the intensity of their smaller club shows and make it work on the big stage.

Kisschasy they came, they saw, they played the most amazing set of the night… oh, they conquered too. Producing one of the best live performances I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, Kisschasy really are maturing into a fine and respectable band. The passion and emotion displayed by Darren Cordeux’s vocals makes this band’s performance stand out, as the singer hit every note perfectly, mesmerising the audience with every syllable. And the band’s live show has improved tenfold over the past year, with all four members combining to create a slick live sound that makes the band’s early gigs look amateur. The quartet also played a selection of tracks from their album, due to be released in April. The sneak peak at the songs showed promising signsand the band definitely proved they could back it up with their live performance too.

Hitting the stage at 8.45 in light and sunny conditions thanks to the recently-introduced daylight savings, Brad Campbell from Gyroscope started things off by dedicating the entire set to the WA State Government’s decision to put the clocks forward. Picking up right where Kisschasy left off, the local heroes graced the stage with their ever-so-captivating live performance. Anyone who has been to a Gyroscope show knows very well that the boys certainly do bring it live and exert a wave of energy with every move they make. It was pleasing to see them pay due respect to their older material, with the highlight of their set definitely Dream vs Scream. A great song and a great username if you are ever in need of one.

After such an impressive build-up from the bands preceding them, the frantic crowds brimmed with anticipation as American headliners Aiden prepared to start their set.. They played a tight and precise set, they rocked out in synchronisation and maintained some sort of tune with their vocals but something was really lacking. One would expect something extra from a headlining act, especially when the smaller Australian bands before them had set the bar so high. But their set failed to gather pace, never really taking off and passing the audience by. The band appeared to tire with each song as the rocking out decreased with each song as their set progressed. They didn’t do anything wrong per se; the band just lacked any kind of charisma or appeal and washed over the audience with a wave of indifference. It seemed as though Aiden were playing amongst themselves, due to a lack of any real crowd involvement or confrontation with the audience.

As disappointing as it is when an international headlining act fails to impress, it also reinforces the strength of the Australian and New Zealand music scenes. To know that our bands can well and truly keep up with international acts is reassuring and exciting for the future of Australian music.