Rock It Festival - Perth, 28th October 2012
Words: Sally Jarvis
After a three-year hiatus, Rock It returned to the Joondalup Arena with an enticing lineup and a headliner to impress. A warm and sunny day was forecast and things were looking good. There were already a fair few bodies lining up early on, ready to kick off in fine festival form.
To begin, with over on the main stage was east coast rockabilly performer Lanie Lane. There was a reasonable sized crowd standing around bopping their heads along to some crooning blues, a slap bass and a cute rockabilly outfit – Lane definitely looked the part. Lane introduced her song To the Horses as one of her favorites and the crowd seemed pleased. Lane was struggling to compete with the size of the venue and lack of atmosphere, however the kids seemed to be having fun with her hip style.
Over on the side stage, local Perth act The Kill Devil Hills were well and truly into their set. Oozing with mood and atmosphere, this experienced five-piece country tinged blues/rock band knew how to please the punters. Announcing it was their last song and receiving a request for 10 more from an eager fan they went into I Don’t Believe Enough with a long intro. The song was well built up and moody as hell, evoking thoughts of some old bar that smelt of stale beer, drinking a whiskey and of talking to a man with no teeth.
From there it was back over to the main stage and to the beer tent. What is with the crap beer at festivals these days? An interesting crowd though and no lines so you can’t really complain with that!
Next up was a locally originated and ARIA winning indie band The Panics on the main stage. Having toured extensively all over the globe and recording their latest album in New York last year, the band were well suited to the big stage. Lead vocalist Jae Laffer said “Hello” to the crowd and “it’s good to be home”. The crowd was anticipating their set and they launched into some older stuff to get people going.
Back over to the side stage to catch Melbourne band The Brothers Grim. How to describe these guys? Americana blues with a bit of garage thrash. Nice guitar twang and a beard to impress. Your cool uncle’s band…
Next up was The John Butler Trio on the main stage. The crowd seemed to be getting bigger and the hippies were out. Few songs into the set was all that was needed to be reminded of this man's incredible techy guitar style. There was a friendly vibe all round and John Butler kept the fans happy with plenty of hits from across his career.
To begin, with over on the main stage was east coast rockabilly performer Lanie Lane. There was a reasonable sized crowd standing around bopping their heads along to some crooning blues, a slap bass and a cute rockabilly outfit – Lane definitely looked the part. Lane introduced her song To the Horses as one of her favorites and the crowd seemed pleased. Lane was struggling to compete with the size of the venue and lack of atmosphere, however the kids seemed to be having fun with her hip style.
Over on the side stage, local Perth act The Kill Devil Hills were well and truly into their set. Oozing with mood and atmosphere, this experienced five-piece country tinged blues/rock band knew how to please the punters. Announcing it was their last song and receiving a request for 10 more from an eager fan they went into I Don’t Believe Enough with a long intro. The song was well built up and moody as hell, evoking thoughts of some old bar that smelt of stale beer, drinking a whiskey and of talking to a man with no teeth.
From there it was back over to the main stage and to the beer tent. What is with the crap beer at festivals these days? An interesting crowd though and no lines so you can’t really complain with that!
Next up was a locally originated and ARIA winning indie band The Panics on the main stage. Having toured extensively all over the globe and recording their latest album in New York last year, the band were well suited to the big stage. Lead vocalist Jae Laffer said “Hello” to the crowd and “it’s good to be home”. The crowd was anticipating their set and they launched into some older stuff to get people going.
Back over to the side stage to catch Melbourne band The Brothers Grim. How to describe these guys? Americana blues with a bit of garage thrash. Nice guitar twang and a beard to impress. Your cool uncle’s band…
Next up was The John Butler Trio on the main stage. The crowd seemed to be getting bigger and the hippies were out. Few songs into the set was all that was needed to be reminded of this man's incredible techy guitar style. There was a friendly vibe all round and John Butler kept the fans happy with plenty of hits from across his career.
The day’s heat (and beer?) appeared to have taken its toll and punters seemed to be taking a break before the much-anticipated headline act The Black Keys. By then the sun had gone down, the crowd had grown, fans were boozed and eagerly anticipating what was to come. Still battling the limited atmosphere of the venue, The Black Keys managed to bring the vibe. Playing mostly songs off their two most recent albums. The original two-piece has expanded into a four-piece at times, however for this tour they were lacking the extra members. They definitely had their work cut out for them headlining such a big venue. They put in a good effort though and nailed it with solid tracks like Howlin For You, Girl is on My Mind, Your Touch and I Got Mine. Engaging with the crowd a fair bit the guys seemed to be enjoying the festival vibe and delivered a compelling performance to an impressed crowd.
Overall the festival was a good day with some solid performances and a nice warm up to the festival season.
Black Keys live photo: Sarah Bahbah
Overall the festival was a good day with some solid performances and a nice warm up to the festival season.
Black Keys live photo: Sarah Bahbah