Sunshine Coast Bulletin - Australia

After last year’s success, the annual Soundwave festival had big expectations to live up to, but with a line up including the likes of Alexisonfire, Incubus, Killswitch Engage and the Offspring, it was off to a running start.

The diverse line up of 40 bands, from international superstars to local acts, drew 16,000 people to Brisbane’s Parklands, braving the sweltering 40 degree heat. While the long entry queues meant many people missed the first few acts (with some punters even passing out in the heat), once inside all was forgiven as the party was well and truly getting started.

My fears that Soundwave would this year bring a crowd similar to Big Day Out’s fluro clad rowdy bogans seemed mostly unfounded, and as people drifted between the five jam-packed stage areas and the even more crowded bars, the atmosphere was one of excitement and camaraderie.

A mixture of pop punk bands playing early in the day begun the dreaded timetable clashes, with many people unsure whether to choose one band over another or run between stages in attempt to fit it all in.

There were clear fan bases for every band and the variety of music genres being represented at the festival meant that there were varying opinions on who played best, but there were some clear crowd favourites.

Alexisonfire played from the main stage to a packed crowd of sweaty bodies who will not soon forget the experience. Playing songs predominately from their 2006 release, Crisis, they captivated the high spirited but obviously heat affected crowd.

Bleeding Through and Killswitch Engage played fast pace, high energy shows that provided highlights for hardcore and metal fans, while Thursday’s more mellow sound impressed their many devotees.

Headliners Incubus brought in the night with their superb performance of songs from their numerous releases, satisfying new fans as well as long time enthusiasts.

The Offspring wrapped things up with their set, playing all the crowd favourites and managing to get the exhausted festival goers up and dancing.

Despite clear organisational problems bringing massive queues for entry, water, food, alcohol and toilets, along with the excruciating heat and lack of shade, the quality of the bands undoubtedly made up for any errs and the day was an overall success and I am yet to find anyone who thought otherwise.