Big Day Out @ SydneyShowground, Homebush, Sydney(25/01/07)

Mon 29th Jan, 2007 in Gig Reviews

At this time of year talk generally turns to only one thing: the Big Day Out. But who could have predicted the metaphorical tongue-lashing the festival received in the lead-up this time around? Every politic, journalist and average naysayer placed their hands over their hearts and pledged their allegiance to the Australian flag. The kids’ response was to stay ever loyal to an institution almost as old as many of them – not forgetting a little patriotism too. One thing was for sure, the Big Day Out had just got even bigger.

Yet although the lineup this year seemed to be all about the big, bigger and biggest, as well as big-headed (i.e. My Chemical Romance, Muse, Tool and The Killers respectively), early pickings were all about the smaller stages and the smaller-scale bands. But just where they were most needed – fighting the good fight for quality Aussie product – our young Union Jack and Southern Cross adorned “battlers” were largely and most conspicuously absent.

The vast expanses of the Showground with its myriad of distractions may have accounted for a few absentees, the early start times too, but the bright lights and show-stealing-manship of the larger stadium acts was surely the main cause of neglection. Un-Australian? You decide.

It must be said that it was their loss. The relatively unheralded likes of Tucker B’s, Angus & Julia Stone and The Drones brought an unassuming sense of passion to proceedings. First Tucker B’s with their outta-body-outta-mind catchy rock routine. You can always expect a few moments of craziness from these guys and not even a slew of early festival timeslots deters them on their mission to entertain.

Things on the V Energy Home Produce stage then dropped significantly in intensity but rose in warmth and appreciation with the appearance of recent JJJ favourites Angus & Julia Stone. Newport’s most-loved siblings provided a delightful retreat from the ever-growing chaos surrounding, alternating microphone duties on songs from their debut EP and their forthcoming follow-up. It is easy to see why this pair is receiving a great deal of overseas attention, what with their already strong repertoire of acoustic ditties and lullabies, and plenty of charm to boot.

Onto charm of a very different kind – The Drones. Gareth Liddiard and co. have been riding what appears to have been wave after enormous wave of critical adulation since bagging the 2005 Australian Music Prize with their swampy, darkly poetic dirge. Liddiard’s ever-throaty, scotch-drunk ramblings suited the crowd to a tee, although his well-documented mining of Australian history may well have passed over many on this almost-Australia Day. They brought the rock and that was all that mattered.

Another change of scenery took us to the Boiler Room for the first time in the day. And who should greet us but, yes, the one and only Lily Allen. It may have been only three in the afternoon but the light and laser show was in full mode – to which the cheeky one added her own sparks. Love her or hate her, you’ve got to admit she knows how to swing a verbal punch or two; witness (forgive the guesswork): “I’d like to dedicate this song to the drummer from a band called Jet. He threw a cigarette at me in Japan, so I throw my glass his face. This is a song for men with small penises.” Oh how they roared. Then smiled and sang along as the lady did her dub thing to her hit singles ‘Smile’ and ‘LDN’. Despite her obvious entertainment value, Allen’s music is something best taken in small doses – perhaps a little too much like an episode of Jerry Springer.

As if all Australia needed was some more Pommy arrogance, hyped stomp rockers Kasabian were the next to shake the foundations of the Green Stage. Noel Gallagher’s latest favourites were largely as you would expect, all blustering rock anthems with singalong choruses that just seem silly unless you’ve a few drinks under your belt. Genius! But unlike messrs Gallagher and, before them, Ian Brown, the Kasabian crew led by singer Tom Meighan seemed to extend less a cocksure British swagger and more glam-rock posturing. In the true spirit of the festival these guys will be big.

Having to miss out on the poptastic Australian combo of Dappled Cities Fly and Red Riders was the price of admission to Britain’s delightful Hot Chip. The group’s genre-hopping album of last year, The Warning, had Hot Chip pinned down as one of the acts to catch this Big Day Out. And they didn’t disappoint. Meshing the best bits of dance and rock cultures – with a whole heap of dorky charm thrown in – the band appealed to and impressed many. Highlights included the popular singles ‘Over and Over’ and ‘Boy From School’.

But ask anybody and nothing, repeat, nothing, could compare to the live spectacle that is Muse. Three gawky young men, a mess of guitars and keyboard, an elastic vocalist and an appetite for the absurd all add up to a beguiling recipe of success. The masses descended upon the Orange Stage to get their dose of over-the-top prog-rock kicking off with ‘Knights of Cydonia’. Like singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy’s wailing histrionics the mosh-pit was an intense affair as sweaty bodies contorted to the mind-edifying sounds of ‘Time is Running Out’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. The hour-long set seemed just enough but those who needed more of a hit moved on towards the hulking shadow that was Tool.

From afar it was plain to see that this was big, really big. The old-timers took their distinct progressive heavy-rock to a surging, appreciative audience. Some people refer to Tool fans as being cult-like and it certainly appeared that some were taking songs very close to heart. As the band were illuminated in colour, it was like their figures took on even greater significance, with mainman Maynard James Keenan’s silhouette seemingly wrestling with some distorted demons. Loud and dramatic – just what the crowd wanted.

But who wants to end a festival on that note? The Violent Femmes, those eternal teenagers, had the task of saying goodnight and they did so in their own much-loved way. A mixed crowd of young and old joined Gordon Gano and the gang for spiked-up renditions of plenty of the old hits – yes, ‘Blister in the Sun’ amongst them. The headliners of the first ever Big Day Out showed they still had it, as the crowd attested, even if hearing a middle-aged man singing about his inability to get a f*ck is not that high on anyone’s things-to-do list.

And so it was over, the Big Day Out for another year. May we turn our thoughts to the flag and thank this wonderful country for such a spectacle. Aussie, oi!