Soundwave - Adelaide, 3rd March 2012
Words: Rob Lyon
There’s no doubt that Soundwave has cemented its position as the premier music festival in Australia. With the majority of other festivals either haemorrhaging at rising costs or suffering poor ticket sales, Soundwave has defied the trend and continued onward and upward. Eleven stages and ninety plus acts provided plenty of bang for your buck.
Punters turned out in black cladded numbers, descending on Bonython Park to celebrate a massive Soundwave 2012. The bill proving to be one of the best yet and had every band vying to be involved with punters more than willing to shed out one hundred and seventy sobs to be a part of it.
The biggest mistake of the day was underestimating the popularity of Steel Panther and not giving them higher billing. If the catch cry Death To All But Metal was not firmly stored in the subconscious, the set would have been to lost on the lay punter. In short, fucking brilliant and hilarious! Glam hair metal is back in a big way with popular songs Fat Girl, Asian Hooker and the set closer Death To All But Metal stating the undertones of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll running rampant throughout their songs. Surely some promoter out there would have booked them by now for a proper Australian tour.
Punters turned out in black cladded numbers, descending on Bonython Park to celebrate a massive Soundwave 2012. The bill proving to be one of the best yet and had every band vying to be involved with punters more than willing to shed out one hundred and seventy sobs to be a part of it.
The biggest mistake of the day was underestimating the popularity of Steel Panther and not giving them higher billing. If the catch cry Death To All But Metal was not firmly stored in the subconscious, the set would have been to lost on the lay punter. In short, fucking brilliant and hilarious! Glam hair metal is back in a big way with popular songs Fat Girl, Asian Hooker and the set closer Death To All But Metal stating the undertones of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll running rampant throughout their songs. Surely some promoter out there would have booked them by now for a proper Australian tour.
Like any festival, it is a tough decision on what to see, be that full sets or bits and pieces. This year proved especially problematic when spoiled for such enormous choice. Lostprophets were impressive for the most part, attracting some loyal and die-hard followers down the front. Burn Burn and Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast) were standouts from their set.
Alter Bridge were the surprise pack of the day, impressing no end with their tight forty minute set. It would be easy to be put off by the fact that three quarters of the line up are from Creed, but knowing that Myles Kennedy is front man, most could turn a blind eye to the previous fact. The guitar solos were fab and all the favourites got a guernsey such as Slip To The Void, White Knuckles, Ghosts Of Days Gone By and the monster hit Rise Today. Definitely the type of band where once discovered would prompt a mad dash to go out and buy their back catalogue…
A Day To Remember had a massive ground swell of support and it didn’t take long for them to hit full throttle. Playing right in the heat of the day there was no inkling that these lads from Florida would be coasting along, especially the barrage of songs such as The Downfall Of Us, I’m Made Of Wax Larry and What Are You Made Of getting the crowd well fired up outside of the D-section.
Bush were a surprise inclusion on the bill and judging by the numbers down the front early in their set it was a very loyal fan base down there. It was like taking a trip back to 1994 when Sixteen Stone was all the rage. Gavin Rossdale hasn’t lost his touch and backed by a stellar band they played what the fans wanted. The obvious highlights were Everything Zen, Glycerine and Come Down and it was good to see that the set wasn’t just filled with all their new material. There was also the promise of a proper tour later in the year, which they’ll be held to no doubt.
Alter Bridge were the surprise pack of the day, impressing no end with their tight forty minute set. It would be easy to be put off by the fact that three quarters of the line up are from Creed, but knowing that Myles Kennedy is front man, most could turn a blind eye to the previous fact. The guitar solos were fab and all the favourites got a guernsey such as Slip To The Void, White Knuckles, Ghosts Of Days Gone By and the monster hit Rise Today. Definitely the type of band where once discovered would prompt a mad dash to go out and buy their back catalogue…
A Day To Remember had a massive ground swell of support and it didn’t take long for them to hit full throttle. Playing right in the heat of the day there was no inkling that these lads from Florida would be coasting along, especially the barrage of songs such as The Downfall Of Us, I’m Made Of Wax Larry and What Are You Made Of getting the crowd well fired up outside of the D-section.
Bush were a surprise inclusion on the bill and judging by the numbers down the front early in their set it was a very loyal fan base down there. It was like taking a trip back to 1994 when Sixteen Stone was all the rage. Gavin Rossdale hasn’t lost his touch and backed by a stellar band they played what the fans wanted. The obvious highlights were Everything Zen, Glycerine and Come Down and it was good to see that the set wasn’t just filled with all their new material. There was also the promise of a proper tour later in the year, which they’ll be held to no doubt.
Bad Religion pulled some big numbers and being the elder statesman of the punk scene it goes without question. They’re definitely one of those bands worth seeing now they’re in to the prime of their career, which has spanned some thirty years. Front man Greg Graffin doesn’t look like the typical front man of a punk band, but more like an accountant who should be suited up ready to catch the bus to work. Very personable and continually reminding Adelaide of how great our city is and that they should make the most of it because you never know if it will be the end. Plenty of political statements in there with the likes of You Are (The Government), 21st Century (Digital Boy) and Los Angeles Is Burning all getting the nod of approval.
The intensity and ferocity rose tenfold when Limp Bizkit hit the stage and after their last Australian tour debacle they had a lot to make up for. It was a massive crowd in both sides of the D-section and to say there wasn’t going to be a body count was an understatement. Seeing big, muscled up guys being pulled over the barricade because they were getting crushed isn’t something that’s seen a lot. Introbra sent the crowd well in to overdrive and Hot Dog was intense, inciting rage and fury in punters intent on “fucking shit up”. Fred Durst took time to speak to fans about the death that marred their last tour here, continuing to blame organisers for not taking appropriate safety measures but what was surprising was that he didn’t acknowledge the fact that his band contributed to the problem as well. By encouraging the crowd “to fuck shit up” seems such a contradiction to what he said before as the potential for the same type of incident could occur again, that said, the tribute to Jessica was a fitting gesture. The hit machine was on in earnest with Nookie, Break Stuff, Faith and Rollin’ being more than well received.
The intensity and ferocity rose tenfold when Limp Bizkit hit the stage and after their last Australian tour debacle they had a lot to make up for. It was a massive crowd in both sides of the D-section and to say there wasn’t going to be a body count was an understatement. Seeing big, muscled up guys being pulled over the barricade because they were getting crushed isn’t something that’s seen a lot. Introbra sent the crowd well in to overdrive and Hot Dog was intense, inciting rage and fury in punters intent on “fucking shit up”. Fred Durst took time to speak to fans about the death that marred their last tour here, continuing to blame organisers for not taking appropriate safety measures but what was surprising was that he didn’t acknowledge the fact that his band contributed to the problem as well. By encouraging the crowd “to fuck shit up” seems such a contradiction to what he said before as the potential for the same type of incident could occur again, that said, the tribute to Jessica was a fitting gesture. The hit machine was on in earnest with Nookie, Break Stuff, Faith and Rollin’ being more than well received.
Noel Gallagher made the remark at the Big Day Out “who was shit (today), invariably there is always someone who is shit!” Well, that honour went to Marilyn Manson, who was just terrible. His band looked disinterested and that isn’t surprising given the condition of their front man. There isn’t a lot of shock in his set these days and overall it all just seems quite drab. His vocals were terrible and raspy begging the question of whether he deserved such high billing. Is his music still relevant? The quote of the day came from Manson after a hottie down the front got her kit off and he responded “I don’t condone public nudity, it’s like shitting on the face of Jesus.” Who the hell says that? The set relied heavily on the likes of Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) and The Beautiful People to win fans over.
It was time for the first of the headliners to appear with Slipknot receiving a hero’s welcome as the rain started to teem down. A lot of people say they don’t get them and it is easy to understand why. Back in the orange jumpsuits and the masks they wore on their first album it was well and truly on. Trying to escape the madness of the D-section was impossible. With punters trying to break their way in, whilst others trying to exit, it all got a little freaky. Slipknot have been described as lunatics trying to escape from a mental institution and the way they move around the stage kind of confirms this. Spit It Out was the choice cut from their set where front man Corey Taylor urged punters to kneel down and leap up into a frenzy on his command – a sight truly to be seen to be believed. The set focused mostly on the first two albums and no doubt fans would have given this the thumbs up.
It was time for the first of the headliners to appear with Slipknot receiving a hero’s welcome as the rain started to teem down. A lot of people say they don’t get them and it is easy to understand why. Back in the orange jumpsuits and the masks they wore on their first album it was well and truly on. Trying to escape the madness of the D-section was impossible. With punters trying to break their way in, whilst others trying to exit, it all got a little freaky. Slipknot have been described as lunatics trying to escape from a mental institution and the way they move around the stage kind of confirms this. Spit It Out was the choice cut from their set where front man Corey Taylor urged punters to kneel down and leap up into a frenzy on his command – a sight truly to be seen to be believed. The set focused mostly on the first two albums and no doubt fans would have given this the thumbs up.
The night belonged to headliner System Of A Down who’s reunion has been a successful one. Their ninety minute epic set will go down in Soundwave folklore as one of the greatest, begging the question as whether this is the last time Adelaide will see them. There was no elaborate stage get up like Slipknot’s, opting instead to create a fun atmosphere built on a solid back catalogue heavy weighing on Toxicity, Hypnotize and Mezmerize. Even standing a significant distance back their sound was perfect and they proved why they deserved top billing – thank god for the video screens. The band looked like they were genuinely enjoying playing together again and the Dire Straits cover Sultans Of Swing was a surprise. Aerials was awesome and so was Chop Suey amongst the rest of their twenty six song set.
All in all? Nice work Soundwave! An awesome day had by all. It’s clear organisers have set the bar extremely high for 2013 so let the speculation about next year’s line up begin, and wonder where the future of Australian festivals is from here.
All in all? Nice work Soundwave! An awesome day had by all. It’s clear organisers have set the bar extremely high for 2013 so let the speculation about next year’s line up begin, and wonder where the future of Australian festivals is from here.