Live Review: Falls Festival Byron Bay: Day 1

1 January 2018 | 12:53 pm | Velvet Winter

"A stunningly beautiful but musically underwhelming way to enter the new year."

Photos by Oliver Wolf

Photos by Oliver Wolf

The air is thick with humidity and hope and glitter levels are high as Falls Festival Byron Bay begins.

Kicking off the Northen leg of the tour was Sydney duo Party Dozen. Not quite knowing what was in store from the group, what we got was 45 minutes of lightly improvised jazz/electronic/pop from saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet. It was interesting, to say the least. There was passion in the pair and Tickle's use of the sax bell as a form of vocal amplification was something to see. It's good to see Falls branch out from the usual pop/rock foursome.

Brisso boys DZ Deathrays slot comfortably into the early afternoon set, making the swelling crowd sweaty with a mix of classic tracks and new singles Total Meltdown and Shred For Summer. They were the first band of the festival to kick out the confetti guns, a welcome and exciting surprise during final heart-thumping tune Gina Works At Hearts.

After a quick stage shuffle, the main Amphitheatre opened specially for a very different Brisbane duo, Confidence Man. There's been a lot said about this pair in the last 12 months as they've exploded onto the scene with their mix of bubblegum pop and eclectic live shows. They pulled out all the stop for Falls, showing off their rudimentary synchronised dance moves, popping bottles on stage and throwing handfuls of condoms in the crowd.

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Like other fine things in life, caviar, oysters, Vegemite; you're either gonna love Confidence Man for their provocative presence (think a lot of nipple rubbing and aggressive hip thrusts) or hate them for bordering-on-disingenuous stage demeanour. It's all about personal preference, baby.


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This year's nostalgia came in the form of Australian music icon/living meme, Daryl Braithwaite. In all honesty, Braithwaite's set might have been the most enjoyable of the day. The 68-year-old had boundless energy as he sailed through his back catalogue, most of which was recorded before a sizeable chunk of the crowd was born. Of course, we were all there for one reason and as those familiar opening riffs rang over the amphitheatre and the crowd exploded into song. Age, race, gender didn't matter, we were all each other's little darlings and if one of us fell you better believe we were all there to pick them up. Braithwaite beamed the whole time, obviously thrilled that his music had reached a new generation.

Thundamentals kicked off as the sun went down and punters were offered a break from the relentless, punishing heat. The group was obviously having the times of their lives as they bounded across the stage and pushed the monolithic crowd into total hysterics. The boys pulled out their much-loved cover of Matt Corby's Brother, much to the delight of fans. Wrapping it up with a boogy to Sally, Thundamentals confirmed the rising euphoric throughout the amphitheatre by christening their set the best gig they've ever done.

As the only international act for the New Year's Eve proceedings, Foster The People more than made up for it by absolutely slaying their set. Only frontman Mark Foster could make a wifebeater, wallet chain, '70s moustache and '80s dance moves look not just cool, but desirable. Each member of the band was on point, putting everything they had into the performance. The setlist was designed to please fans old and new with recent singles Pay The Man and Sit Next To Me intermingling with classic tunes like Call It What You Want and Houdini. The only misstep in the whole set was finishing up with the excellent but little known, Sid And Nancy instead of the beloved Pumped Up Kicks.

Homeboy Flume had the honour of countdown duties and had theatrics coming out of the wazoo. Sheet pull reveals, giant neon boxes and a blindingly bright light show all featured in the set. It's just a shame that the music didn't match the level of interest as the accoutrements. A stunningly beautiful but musically underwhelming way to enter the new year.

Toto's Africa blasted punters on their way out of the gates, a firm and sobering reminder that we've still got two days to go.