Walking down the path towards Soundwave 2014 around 2pm you might second guess whether you've come to the right festival. With Richie Sambora's ripping rendition of Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead Or Alive blasting across the Flemington hill and The Living End's Second Solution following it up, you could be forgiven for thinking you were at Bluesfest. Did this eclecticism of line-up contribute to the markedly thinner (and younger) audience this year? Who knows. But it sure makes for a far cruisier festival experience. And there's still some semblance of lawn at Flemington Racecourse.
Early technical problems see Tesseract get off to a shaky start, with guitarist James Monteith offstage for pretty much all of the first song. After the technical issues are ironed out, frontman Ashe O' Hara's vocals sound amazing over the brutal-yet-ambient soundscape that defines this band. The crowd absolutely erupts for current single Nocturne, which guarantees the math-metal heads will be exercising their polyrhythmic brains for weeks to come.
Today the demographic seems generally much younger than at Richie Sambora's solo show last night. They're more alternative and less mainstream, which makes it harder for Sambora to engage the audience. He opens with Burn That Candle Down and audience response is friendly but reserved. The sounds coming out of the PA are fantastic, with incredible clarity and separation between instruments, but even a mixture of Bon Jovi classics such as Lay Your Hands On Me and Wanted Dead Or Alive only create average ripples of appreciation. Australia's own guitar wizard Orianthi deserves a special mention not only for her mad skills, but also for her bitchin' sense of style: that cascading blonde mane and skull-shaped conch belt/band around her hat are to die for.
Richie Sambora & Orianthi. Pic by Jay Hynes.
The Living End run out onto the stage, crack out a big chord and jump right into Second Solution. Right from the get-go they are on fire and put on an inspired performance throughout. There's a positive vibe in the air that feels like you're at the greatest backyard party of all time. Standout tracks include End Of The World, Uncle Harry, an instrumental version of Waltzing Matilda and a crazy jam that results in Chris Cheney sculling a beer after playing slide guitar with it.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
En route to Latino-American heavy metallers Ill Niño (who go off, by the way), we spy our first bloody forehead although said punter doesn't seem at all concerned and isn't heading toward first aid. Not long after this, we witness a dude being escorted from the site by two security guards and he's putting up a bit of a struggle.
It's great for kiddies to experience festivals before they hit the legal drinking age but, man! Not being able to wander around with your drink in hand is a real drainer. In the bar before Leeds' Pulled Apart By Horses, it turns out the bloke that asks me for a key doesn't have any drugs on him, he just wants to shotgun his beer (which he doesn't really seem to know how to do – kids these days!) so he can get outta the bar and into the action. The set's a bit patchier than their Golden Plains spot a few years back but they're still an impressive live force. Wolf Hand from 2012's Tough Love typifies a performance bursting with super grooves (thankfully without sounding anything like NZ's Supergroove) but lacking a bit of oomph.
You could write a whole page on East Coast US outfit Gwar without once mentioning their music but it's surprisingly good, if a tad overblown, thrash metal. (It's mostly surprising that they can play guitars at all in those costumes.) And though the lyrics fall flat – overuse of the word “GWAR!!!” tires quickly – they do behead Tony Abbott onstage and spray half the crowd with red gloop. Plus, they have their own fucking dinosaur! A fucking dinosaur!
The crowd swells with anticipation before a band consisting of young, relative newcomers and Mr Richard Patrick. Filter launch straight into the '99 classic Welcome To The Fold, which doesn't deserve to sound thin due to technical problems. Patrick's performance is both mesmerising and brutally honest as he still destroys his voice in the name of art. Standout tracks include (Can't You) Trip Like I Do, new single What Do You Say and epic closer Hey Man Nice Shot, which gets the crowd jumping during the choruses.
Filter. Pic by Jay Hynes.
Alice In Chains open with the grinding classic We Die Young and it quickly becomes apparent this is not a band of mere mortals but rather musical gods incapable of making mistakes or singing out of key. Fronted by one of the greatest new voices in rock, William DuVall brilliantly fills the massive shoes of Layne Staley, his voice even sounding eerily similar at times. Newer tracks such as Check My Brain and Fear The Voices sound as strong as seasoned anthems such as Man In The Box, Would? and Rooster. Catching a portion of Jimmy Eat World's set, a thought springs to mind: once can only appreciate that band name's origin after experiencing them live: they are all-consuming.
There are a few “Fuck Tony Abbott” tank top sightings (undoubtedly inspired by Gwar). Over on Stage 5B, Skindred frontman Clive “Benji” Webbe expresses himself: “If you're racist, fuck off youse cunts!” On the adjacent Stage 5A, there's something wrong with Rocket From The Crypt's sound from the get-go and it seems it's to do with the empty tent. It's also glaringly obvious they're not on the right festival bill and they fucking know it (singer John “Speedo” Reis even commenting it was lovely of everyone's parents to have dropped them off for the day). They rip out the hits with a kind of loose interest – Born In '69 (kinda says it all really), Middle and On A Rope all amazing – but they never really get the opportunity to properly go off. Still, the worst 40 minutes watching Mario “Ruby Mars” Rubalcaba on drums is better than the best 40 minutes at work.
Eagles Of Death Metal open with I Only Want You and the congregation hang on frontman Jesse Hughes' every “Can you dig it?” and “Amen”. All the girls present can't help but dance like strippers and Hughes informs us he got himself a “Slug” tattoo the other day to express his love for Cherry Bar's favourite security guard of the same name. Hughes gets visibly excited at the conclusion of each song, by how well it's been received, that our applause amplifies. A killer cover of Stuck In The Middle With You sees Hughes truly rocking out before EODM's own Speaking In Tongues leaves us all with tongues hanging out and tingling loins.
The last time Rob Zombie appeared at Melbourne Soundwave 2011 there was a massive stage show consisting of multiple screens, crazy outfits and lights, but this year it is the exact opposite with big banners of old monsters and a stripped-back show. Living Dead Girl, More Human Than Human, Thunder Kiss '65 and closer Dragula rock the audience, while House Of 1000 Corpses creates an eerie atmosphere as the sun starts to set. Mr Zombie even pays homage to Alice Cooper with a great version of School's Out.
The classic line-up of Corey Glover, Vernon Reid, Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish open with a bizarre cover of Robert Johnson's Preaching Blues, drawing their audience into the oddball dimension of bizarre genius that is Living Colour. Classic tracks such as Ignorance Is Bliss, Love Rears Its Ugly Head and crowd fave Cult Of Personality get the band so excited they literally climb the scaffolding. They close with a great version of James Brown's Get Up until an overexcited/drunken Down take the stage and massacre it.
All intentions to catch a bit of Green Day on Stage 1 are tarnished when Billie Joe Armstrong leads an, “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” chant. Come on, man! Don't insult us! We're not at a sporting event.
