It’s 12.15pm and Say Nothing are playing to nobody. Well, nobody except the market stall vendors and the sound crew. On stage since 12pm, their set finishes at 12.25pm. For some reason all of the punters are yet to be let in by the gatekeepers and we, the Fasterlouder crew, are still waiting outside the unopened ticket box. So, with only ten minutes playing time left, it’s little wonder the festival openers are asking “Where for art our audience?”

Tall As Lions hail from Long Island, New Jersey. Song for Luna has a good intro, and their sound could be equated to Evermore on overdrive; there are a lot of girls dancing in the small crowd forming at the front of the main stage. The bass player is the showman and the keyboardist makes interesting goldfish faces as he gets more and more into it.

Dr Octopus are a local band from the Gold Coast, and they performed a fusion of rock/reggae/ska/punk set. This Time We Fight got the crowd singing and dancing along. They attracted a decent crowd for the start of the day, with everyone skanking and jumping in the sweltering heat that was obviously taking its toll on a few members of the band. Still, they managed to deliver a cool set of ska tunes.

Over on Stage 3, Brisbane’s old English style punx The Disables were doing their thing. These guys have come up in leaps and bounds, having just returned from The US cutting a new album. DJ and the boys will have gained a few more fans after their recent tour with NOFX. They played all their classics, such as A.S.I.O and The Girls Don’t Like Us Cause We Don’t Play Football, to a loyal fan base that are at every gig singing word for word to every song.

Something With Numbers are boys from the Central Coast, of NSW whose sound would have been well at home amongst the early surf rock bands that used to get the longboarders out of the house after dark in Noosa on an annual basis alla Spy Vs Spy et al. Within the first couple of songs it’s clear these guys rock hard and the crowd builds to a point where the first semblance of a mosh starts. The frenetic front man jumps, stamps, swings and pouts all over the stage, the energy and movement in the performance encouraging the growing audience to really get moving. The bass drum amp blows out during the set, the thwack thwack of a rattling speaker thumping through the low end of the PA. A stage guy gets on at end of Double Dime to try and fix it but it’s almost pointless in the middle of a set. Saving the best til last, Apple of the Eye initiates a massive crowd response most likely due to its high rotation on Triple J.

The first thing that strikes about Forgive Durben, a young band from Seattle, is the calibre of lead singer Thomas Dutton’s voice. The set starts with a sound reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys, but with an American vibe. Dutton keeps apologising for being sick and therefore not having as such energy as he usually does for a live show – if he hadn’t said anything the crowd wouldn’t have known he was sick as his voice was still clear and all the notes hit with precision. There is a wide breadth of musicianship displayed throughout the set, a mandolin being a nice touch on the second track and great effects from an old keyboard burning a path to their fourth song that makes people stop and listen. The rhythm guitarist/keyboardist/mandolinist is mincing and preening on stage left, making up for the rest of the band’s apparent lack of personality. The harmonies aren’t strong enough to fill out the chorus’, making it hard to discern any stand out tracks – which makes it eminently clear that Dutton’s voice carries the group. One of the last tracks shimmers with a little Jeff Buckley-esque falsetto, indicating this young man is destined for bigger things… maybe in a slightly different genre? He is definitely one to watch.

Over on Stage 3, Flyleaf, a five piece from Texas are cranking out their original sound that could be slotted in somewhere between Evanescence and Nina May. With lead female vocals that were a combination of Bjork, Miss Connie and guttural growls, they put on a decent show, impressing especially those who were new to the band. Fully Alive and All Around Me were truly soul lifting, and Flyleaf give a spiritual performance that deals with issues that face a lot of youth of today.

Amongst all the hardcore, metal and punk, Juliette And The Licks treat us to a rock’n’roll show. The Licks start the set playing by themselves saying hi to the crowd and getting the anticipation happening. The tempo builds and Juliette Lewis jumps out on stage, barefoot, sporting tight silver pants with light purple cloth knee pads that match her singlet and purple and blue indian headress. Working the stage from left to right and back again she starts to shout and growl in the same way that Courtney Love did in her heyday. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this type of grrrl rock and it’s a welcome surprise to see Lewis do it so well. There are momentary flashes of a more rough and tumble PJ Havey in her performance and some of the songs are catchy enough to get a big
crowd response that transcends the lure of Juliette Lewis live and jumping around a stage in shiny tight pants. This is obviously something she has wanted to do for some time. The songs are tight, and the performance energetic. The bass drum amp is on its way to truly blown by now, but the set goes on and the songs get better. With a hot pink face and sweat that has soaked her long brunette locks so they’re sticking to her shoulders and upper arms, the self dubbed “little freak monkey” shakes and jumps across, around and off the stage into the crowd. Then, in one of the highlights of the day, Lewis pays homage to Iggy Pop and belts out a fantastic version of Search and Destroy to close the set. Awesome.

The Bronx was up next on the Stage 3, with a tight New York style hardcore sound. A huge double full circle mosh was formed, like a violent cyclone, with an awesome, adrenalin pumping feeling. The boys actually from LA got the crowd crankin to rocker New York City, Bats and La Muerta Viva. The lead singer jumped from the stage and ran amongst the crowd. Matt needs to invest in a cordless microphone, with the lead putting restrictions on his movements amongst the crazed mosh pit.

A heap of kids singing along to all the lyrics is a good indication that you have built yourself a following and this is what Hit The Lights were enjoying on this very hot and sunny afternoon in BrisVegas. This high energy fun party punk is the kind of Californina pop punk that the kids have been in love with since Blink 182 first graced us with Cheshire Cat. For Hit The Lights, the harmonies are good and their guitarist has a bitchin afro – but their songs, while popular with their small group of devotees (there’s a bit screech from the girls when Save your Breath starts), aren’t compelling enough to keep the crowd interested, many people making their way to the bar, the food, the toilets or over the hill to Stage 3.

MXPX attracted a huge crowd that were singing along in unison to every word. They delivered a tight set of pop/ punk getting the crowd swirling. They are no newcomers to the sound that has become so popular recently, and MXPX know how to lift the crowd to a higher level and really get the audience involved in their performance. They played classics from Pokinatcha, finishing their set with Punk Rawk Show from Teenage Politics. 1 & 3, from their latest release Let’s Rock, also brought new life and energy to the heat exhausted crowd.

Stage 3 has been dubbed “The Black Stage” for the genre of black metal and hardcore rock
characterising the lineup and the battalion of black t-shirts and hair that amasses in front of the small stage just down the slope from the Botanical Garden’s River Café. The Black Stage has a far more aggressive mosh with the crowd noticably older and burlier than the ones around the main stages. When 18 Visions start it’s like a wave of early Seattle grunge mixed with traces of the Brisbane scene where comparisons to Rollerball vis a vis the vocals just cannot be helped. Not having heard these guys before, it’s surprising how pop the harmonies laced to the hardcore dark melodies and echoing distortion are. The speakers aren’t dealing with the distortion they’re pumping out, and while it may just be a case of the sound guys just turning it up as loud as the amp will go without blowing the speakers, it detracts from the aural experience of anyoneone who loves their heavy distortion.

Houston Calls proves that it’s just not white boys from Orange County who get in on the pop punk scene. Another New Jersey offering, there’s an interesting cultural mix in the band and the songs are relatively entertaining, so there’s a lot of dancing going on in front of the stage, but those further away from the stage are noticably non-plussed. It is really getting hot and the band stops for a moment noting that in the States ”...security beats the shit out of kids. Here, they give you guys water, so give it up for your security guys.”

Unwritten Law rocked on to the stage as the sun set, bringing a little relief from the day’s heat. Unwritten Law weren’t about to let the crowd cool down though, with a blistering set of raw tunes. Shoulda Known Better saw the crowd into a head banging frenzy. The band were so dynamic and powerful that they attracted the hugest crowd of the day, who went ballistic to their classic hits such as Save Me.

Playing at the same time as Unwritten Law, the crowd for Terror is small but as hardcore as the band they are here to see. This is the type of rapid-fire, breakneck speed thrash hardcore metal that was expected of today and the fact that these guys have been touring the world almost non-stop is reflected in the power of their live performance.

Trial Kennedy from Melbourne played a set that was nothing short of spectacular. They displayed the typical blend of emo/screamo that younger audiences are just aching for right now. Trial Kennedy have pulled themselves through the over saturated music market in Melbourne to play gigs with bands such as Yellow Card and The Butterfly Effect. They played tracks from each of their releases Present for a Day, Picture Frame and Birds and Bees. Their latest hit The Great Escape received a warm welcome from the crowd, while Sonic Affair and Tuesday Shoes also got a good response.

Local lads Parkway Drive start early, and much to the audience’s delight, they rocket it in with double kick drumming that shakes the ground and a guitar lick that tingles the ears. Rasping black growls echo across the Botanical Gardens and I smile at the thought of the number of people wondering just what the hell is going on behind the trees.

Hailing from Orange County, the boys from Thrice have played at prestige punk events such as the Vans Warped tour. They cranked an awesome, wholesome set of screamo/emo meets Californian punk with some good ole rock guitar riffs thrown in for good measure. The band performed Red Sky and Stare at The Sun to an appreciative and swelling crowd that by this stage had most of the paved area of The Brisbane Riverstage covered. They played a kick arse set that prepared the stage for +44 to take matters into their own hands.

There is a massive exit after Parkway Drive are finished on Stage 3, and it is only the truly hardcore who are in attendance for Hatebreed. The double kick onslaught continues, gutteral utterances turn into a aural assault that ravages the eardrums and basslines shake your lungs inside your ribcage. The crowd is obviously very appreciative and it’s good to see a heap of young people, guys especially, as punters get to enjoy their favourite band just as the day begins to wane and the sun sears the sky orange and purple.

Back over the hill to Stage 2, and Drive By have taken to the stage, much to the appreciation of a younger audience, who are very vocal in their adoration for this band. The lyrics are tinged with a sense of dark hope and it’s these sentiments that play to the heart of the age group that dominates today’s festival. Tapping into the recognition of how hard it is to deal with trying to find your identity in a world that wants to prescribe it for you and then putting it into words that meld and layer with some fantastic riffs and melodies engenders big sighs and smiles from the kids dancing on the hill side as evening settles over the river.

Star studied punk rock combination +44 (made up of ex-BLINK 182 legends Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, along with Shane Gallagher and Craig Fairbaugh) delivered a Californian style punx rock set to sweltering crowd. The band gave an awesome set playing tracks from their recently released album When Your Heart Stops Beating. Baby Come On picks the crowd up with everyone singing along to the album title track and moshin’ happily to their new number Cliff Diving.

Lights… Camera… 3, 2, 1, Action! Suicidal Tendencies, from Venice, Califonia, deliver a high energy set. I entered the Church of Suicidal and left feeling nothing short of ecstatic. Along with twenty nine other punters, I was invited on to the stage, and joined in on singing along to some tracks. Meanwhile, this manic three piece were still managing to play their instruments perfectly whilst being surrounded by jumping fans. Their guitar solos sound like they could have been composed on another planet. Also worth mentioning is the awesome bass expertise and solos delivered by Steve Brunner on bass, supporting frontman Mike Muir who, despite just recovering from back surgery, energetically mastered the stage in his recognizable Suicidal fashion. Possessed to Sk8 is a highlight of the set, bringing back fond memories of searching the suburban landscape for any friends who might be getting a freshly concreted pool that we could crank the boom box, skate, break-dance and generally have fun in.

Behind Crimson Eyes executed an awesome set with numbers from their recently released A Revelation for Despair. They performed to a black eyelinered, black jeaned youthful crowd, who danced hardcore style like a bunch of ninjas warming up for a tournament swinging their arms and high kicking round houses in the air. The boys from Melbourne have created a huge impression on the hardcore scene in such a short time playing tracks such as Children Of The Broken Hearted. The crowd screamed wildly when they played Art of War from their 2005 release of the same name.

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Deftones’ return to Australia, and they didn’t disappoint. producing a god sent set, They delivered strong instrumented tunes of gothic/
metal, touching controversial subjects with undertones of dark themes. The crowd sung along to the moving, moody melodies. They played for over an hour, an epic at such an event. Classic after classic with powerful riffs and powerful vocals that real touched your inner essence. They blasted through Mein, a newey that they have just completed recording a new video for. Hole In The Earth, from their latest release Night Wrist, brings on a great crowd reaction, and Street Carp has a simlar effect. They also didn’t neglect old school fans, playing songs from Adrenaline and Around the Fur.

All up the day was a huge success, and hopefully next year will see the event being bigger and better, with increased stage sizes, and an even bigger lineup.

By Zoe Barradell aka Zoe B and Shan Welham aka QueenNahs