Sounds of Spring a winner
Thu 23 October 2008
Simone Hockins, Bachelor of Journalism
Wet conditions haunted eager punters ready for a big day before the doors opened to the RNA Showgrounds.
Thankfully, good weather prevailed with only a slight shower at the beginning of the festival and a mad rush to one of the stalls for a poncho.
First up were Brisbane lads the John Steel Singers, who boast a range of 60s indie pop that were sure to make locals proud. Easily one of the standouts of the day, they were even being able to easily recover when the lead singer forgot some of the words to the chorus.
The Red Paintings were next. With stages being swapped due to problems from the rain, punters were left standing for 20 or so minutes wondering who these bodies were standing on stage in elaborate white costumes. The lead singer even had an extravagant, Elton John-esque headpiece. The main problem was he forgot to put his guitar on before the headpiece, making it rather funny for punters to watch as the guitar was slowly lowered over the headpiece. As amusing as this was, they were easily the biggest disappointment for the day, with soundchecks and their art “performance” taking longer than almost the whole set.
Saving the day by the almost disaster of the previous performance was Melbourne band Young and Restless. Karina Utomo’s powerhouse vocals make for a memorable set at the festival.
Next was up and coming rockers Trial Kennedy. Proving to live up to the hype, they managed to pull quite a large crowd for the early afternoon, with the crowd favourite Colour Day Tours really making the crowd roar.
Bluejuice played next, easily pulling the largest crowd of the day thus far, with much of the younger audience enjoying their mix of indie rock showtunes. The set was longer than others, although it left many punters aching for more.
Next were Australian hip-hop favourites Muph and Plutonic who easily proved their worthiness of their ARIA nomination for best Urban album. The crowd also clearly agreed.
Favourites of the day were Melbourne boys British India. Consistently touring the festival circuits has paid off, with their blend of punk rock drawing fans, both old and new. Lyrically, the songs are amazing and seem to capture the “stick it to the man” persona fans can relate to. Run The Red Light was the clear crowd favourite but the whole set managed to run rings around the rest. If their performance was anything to go by, this band will be huge.
Again representing Australian hip-hop in its finest were The Herd, who were also nominated for best Urban album at the ARIAs. Both bands managed to restore this reviewer’s faith in the state of Aussie hip-hop and the quality and professionalism the bands maintained.
The only complaints for the festival? Making almost all food and drink stalls only available on a tickets basis, with many people complaining of two hour queues at times. Also, not utilising the whole of RNA Showgrounds, as the stages were too close to each other. All in all, a good debut festival for the organisers that secured a wide array of acts that were sure to please.
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