Soundwave Review - Melbourne

Soundwave Festival (Melbourne) Review, by Kate McCabe.

Having attended an abundance of festivals so far this summer, I was determined to take a stress-free approach to my day at the Melbourne Soundwave Festival.

With a line up totaling 50+ acts over six stages, it was impossible to see every band even with perfect planning. Having caught my favorite acts at various Sidewave shows this week, I put my focus on having a great day with friends, enjoying some over-priced drinks and catching a select few bands in between.

The first who caught my eye was The Subways. Their energy on stage was inspiring. I have a feeling most of the guys in the crowd were either thinking 'Man, that bass player is hot', or 'Ohhhh it's that band who was in Rock N Rolla'. It was a really great performance, breaking up a day that would have otherwise been filled with pop punk and metal.

Next was Dallas group Forever The Sickest Kids. They belted out a style a pop punk goodness which seemed to draw punters back over the main stages. If people didn't know their tracks before today, they certainly did by the end of the set. The band's sing-a-long choruses meant that it was easy to catch on and be drawn into their highly energetic performance.

I stayed for a few tracks of Underoath, but as the sun beamed down on my unprotected skin and the strong winds blew dust and dirt into my eyes, I decided that it was time to seek calmer conditions. The next couple of hours were spent at the licensed beer tent. I used this time to analyze this year's festival goers - plenty of metal t-shirts, Thursday tattoos, some strategically styled mohawks and a few big-black-boot types.

Hello Goodbye were pushed aside to stage 3. This might have prevented anyone who hadn't heard of them before to make the effort to check them out. Particularly after over hearing a passer-by say 'Where is that dance crap coming from?' It is a shame because the few dedicated fans who saw them play were treated to a fun and interactive show.

Back at the main stage, Blood Hound Gang took me back to high school. They used every cliché in the book for winning over the crowd - paying out another Australian city, the presence of an Australian flag and a few political puns. The best received was the bass player's effort to beer bong some Jager, puke it into a jug then drink it again. The worst received was a way-too-soon joke about the West Gate Bridge incident. After 'The Roof', 'Chasey Lane' and 'The Bad Touch', I felt a little dumber for having actually enjoyed the set.

Billy Talent was a surprise. After hearing 'Fallen Leaves' being played way too many times on the Triple J airwaves a few months back, my expectations were low. The funniest part was their interaction between songs - not because they were making jokes, but because singer Benjamin Kowalewicz's voice sounded a lot like the voice of a bad cartoon character. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't just the Canadian accent. Weird. I was impressed with their ability to build suspense throughout the show. They finished with such a bang that I was almost won over by them.... almost.

Here comes the low light... after Billy Talent, I wanted to head back to stage three asap for New Found Glory. After reading that Soundwave organizers were going to double the amount of food vendors from last year's festival, I didn't think that stopping for a bite to eat on the way would be an issue. Boy, was I wrong. Every one of the food venders throughout the site had huge lines. And by that time of the day, most had sold out of cold drinks. I am told a few impatient line jumpers almost caused the lines of hungry people to fight it out to be served first their $8 hot dog.

So, I missed the start of New Found Glory while I was waiting for a soggy roast beef roll and warm fruit punch, which left me disappointed that their set didn't seem long enough. I was able to see them flawlessly play a mix of old and new tracks. In true NFG style, the crowd joined them up on stage for 'My Friend's Over You'. The audience walked away looking exhausted, but with grins from ear-to-ear.

I took a seat in the Grand Stand for Nine Inch Nails. It was the loudest, most inthralling rock show I have seen in a while. The light show was the best I have ever seen, with an epilepsy warning that was well warranted. My new camera sports a zoom that allowed me to get up-close and personal with Trent Reznor and his ultimate rock stance and big guns. While they didn't play any of the hits I had been hoping to hear, the highlight was emotional rendition of 'Hurt' as the band's finale.

In summary, the regret of my day was missing Goldfinger. The highlights were struggling to keep my eyes open throughout Nine Inch Nails epileptic light show.

-KM