If you’d been in a coma for the last 10 years and woken up to see the line-up for Soundwave 2014, you could be forgiven for thinking only a week had passed. This year ‘s festival was thick and fast with veteran acts and that is in no way a criticism. Soundwave always manages to pull together line-ups that, to an outsider or casual music fan, would make no sense. But for those of us making the tedious trek out to Homebush (seriously, can we stop holding events out there?!) every year, we know exactly why this line-up exists. It’s because these are the bands we love. These are the bands we worship. These are the bands we trawl the net for, spend all our money on merch for and donate the little of what’s remaining of our hearing to. Some people would dismiss Soundwave goers as music nerds. Little do they know that we’re the true music lovers. That we’ve got a connection with the music more than anyone could imagine or understand. That’s why Soundwave is like home for us. It’s where we can let our “freak” flag fly and worship those musicians that give us so much joy – even if our favourite album of theirs came out in 2003, right before that coma.
So here, once again, is our review of Sydney Soundwave 2014.
The Porkers
The Porkers are one of those bands that always seem to have been part of the Australian punk rock consciousness and with good reason – they’re a fucking good time band. They’ve been thrashing guitars and blasting horns for almost 30 years now and they can still get a bloody impressive circle pit spinning at 11am on a Sunday, so you know they’re doing something right. They lit up Stage 1 from the outset and played with the same ferocity as they would if they were playing to a packed stadium, instead of the couple hundred that had trickled in early. The shirtless mascot/boofhead they had dancing on stage had a bit too much fun though, falling off the stage and axing himself but it was all part of the rollicking good time and the perfect way to kick off the day.
Stand out songs: ‘Too Big For Ya Boots’, ‘Alcohol’.
Biffy Clyro
It’s no wonder people that searched for Biffy Clyro on Google also searched for Foo Fighters and Muse. Some music is just meant to swirl around a stadium. You could feel the mega light poles shake as the Scotsmen unleashed their anthemic power rock in unrelenting wave after wave upon the crowd. They deserved a much later set in the day but they didn’t hold back to the punters they had in their grasp, encouraging them to holler along to each “Woah-oh-oh-oh,” like they were left over from the Bruce Springsteen gig at Homebush earlier this week. Shirtless and glam panted, they raged through their set and clearly fed off of the crowd’s hyper energy.
Stand out songs: ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Mountains’.
Alter Bridge
It would probably be easy to dismiss Alter Bridge as a run of the mill, balls and all cock rock band. Their sound at times broaches on cliff rock and tacky hair metal. But live there’s something very genuine about the band that makes you forget easily made assumptions. They have an unrelenting brutality about their music that calls to the inner hard rock lover. Myles Kennedy’s status as a gun for hire frontman is well earned. His throat has an immense amount of power and dexterity. His guitar playing leaves nothing to be desired too – his fingers often highlighted on the big screens nimbly dancing up the fret board. For a festival line-up that heavily features acts from the ’90s, Alter Bridge play a style of rock that was ultimately at its peak in the mid ’90s and it’s a heart-warming reminder that solid rock still exists. Clearly the crowd agreed, chanting, “Alter Bridge!” from midway through their set.
Stand out songs: ‘Come To Life’ ‘Ghosts Of Days Gone By’ and ‘Black Bird’.
Alkaline Trio
Pop punk stalwarts Alkaline Trio are criminally under appreciated in Australia. Their melody-dipped speed punk songs ring out with intensity and emotion and everything you could ask from a great live band. They don’t move a lot on stage, focusing on getting the audience to sing along at the top of their lungs rather than throw themselves at each other. But what the smaller crowd in attendance lacked in aggression physically, they more than made up for with violent applause. Alkaline Trio are clearly an act that mean a lot to few, rather than a little to many – an element shared by many acts across the Soundwave line-up and the reason the event has such a devoted following.
Stand out song – ‘Radio’.
Mutemath
I’d never heard Mutemath before today but had several people gush buckets of praise on the New Orleans act in the lead up to the festival. However, the first thing that became apparent about the band as they took the stage was that they were the least Soundwave-looking band on the line-up. With a wardrobe cut and pasted out of a H&M catalogue, they looked like they’d gotten lost on the way to Laneway. Their music was intricate and had a solid groove, but stuck out like an indie sore thumb. They simply didn’t have the edge one expects for a Soundwave act, despite having a fucking killer drummer (although he looked like he’d just had his wisdom teeth removed with his headphones strapped to his chin). We’re sure their keytars, multiple dudes playing on a single drum kit and f-holed guitars would be much more comfortable alongside a more horn-rimmed glasses audience.
Stand out song: ‘Electrify’.
Trash Talk
These California hardcore skate punks embody their genre to a tee. In true, punk rock tradition, frontman Lee Spielman was in the crowd and in everyone’s face for the majority of the set – acquiring a “Soundwave Crowd Care” vest, bucket hat and a slurpee through his travels amongst the punters. Each song rattled off like a bullet from a revolver – short, fast, loud and devastating. It left plenty of time for quality banter and crowd interaction for Spielman. One moment, he had us all sitting flat on the ground, the next he had us all running out of the venue midway through the set (literally – he had to call everyone back in as the band had no-one to play to). Hilarious, intense, loud, fun – everything punk rock should be.
Stand out song: ‘Well Of Souls’.
AFI
It’s crazy to think how long these guys have been warping minds and destroying stages. Their melodic hardcore never fails to take the foot off the accelerator. Davey Havok is like a puppeteer the way he works the crowd to follow every gesture he makes and every syllable he shrieks. Their set feels less like a rock show and more like a rock opera. There’s a majesty and pageantry to the whole thing that is totally captivating.
Stand out songs: ‘Love Like Winter’, ’17 Crimes’.
GWAR
When a band come out on stage and the singer ejaculates blood from a giant fake dong on the audience and then beheads a giant rubber Tony Abott, they really can’t be anything short of fucking amazing. But just like their warlords-from-hell outfits, GWAR were devastating musically. Their thrash punk metal was arguably one of the sets of the day. For a gimmick band, they brought a seriously legit sound.
Stand out songs: ‘Genocide’, ‘Bring Back The Bomb’.
Placebo
The glam rock legends were one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing for nostalgic reasons and undoubtedly the highlights of their set were old classics. Brian Molko & Co were all business as they drilled through hits from throughout the band’s 20-year career. They ended up being one of the best, straight-up guitar bands of the day. That being said, a few too many newer tracks were lost a little on this reviewer, as they failed to have the same hooks as their late ’90s/early 2000s cream, but that’s on me.
Stand out songs: ‘Every You Every Me’, ‘Bitter End’, ‘Special K’.
Pennywise
They may have been together for over 25 years, but when Pennywise launch into ‘Same Old Story’ and ‘Bro-hymn’, you could be forgiven for thinking a bunch of 17 year olds had stormed the stage. The California icons can still set a mosh pit to high spin cycle, with legs, arms, sweat and spit flying everywhere. Beers, beards, and “fuck the man” punk rock all go beautifully hand in hand, and will do for the next 25 years.
Stand out song: ‘Same Old Story’.
Baroness
There’s good reason why Baroness have been accepted by the indie rock community as well as the heavy rock and metal crowd. Their driving guitar lines firmly have one toe dipped in the music of Black Sabbath and another in the records of Neil Young. The only thing that really could have made their set better was improved PA as the venue speakers were out and nowhere near loud enough. Their extended stoner rock jams were perfect for the setting sun, giving off a Queens Of The Stone Age desert rock vibe. They also won the prize for prettiest backdrop.
Stand out songs: ‘Steel That Sleeps The Eye’.
Korn
It’s almost sad to see a band like Korn, who at one stage were one of the biggest acts on the planet, be relegated to a non-main stage. But that didn’t stop the former nu metal kings from annihilating the crowd at Stage 3. Their music is just as eerie, sexy and heavy as ever. Their breakdowns drop like anvils, their choruses smash your face like hammers. Jonathon Davis’s voice remains one of the most unique in rock music.
Stand out song: ‘Falling Away From Me’.
Jimmy Eat World
It’s hard to watch JEW and not be transported to when my heart was broken by my high school girlfriend.Bleed American was such a formative album for so many people in the early 2000s that its songs still ring with all the same emotions here, over a decade later. But that’s not to say that JEW haven’t evolved and developed over that time. Their material from throughout the last decade resonates with the same intense feelings and emotions of their earlier work. But come on, ‘Crimson and Clover’, ‘Bleed American’, ‘The Middle’, ‘The Sweetness’ – all gut-wrenching classics.
Stand outs songs: ‘A Praise Chorus’, ‘Bleed American’, ‘The Middle’, ‘Sweetness’.
Green Day
It’s funny to think that 10 years ago, where a lot of bands on the Soundwave line-up were at their popular peak, Green Day were all but in the wilderness. They’d released International Super Hits a few years earlier and no-one had really heard from them since. Then came American Idiot and they reclaimed their position as one of the biggest bands on the planet. Now here they are, a decade later, maintaining that title like an undefeated heavyweight champion. Over three hours the band worked through hit after hit after hit. Pulling fans from the crowd to sing and play guitar; leading mass sing-alongs; covering Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Johnny O’Keefe; epic build ups, and huge crescendos – it was a master class of stadium festival rock. Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice is more superb than it’s ever been and their stagecraft was impeccable. They were like the Bruce Springsteens of punk rock. With a set full of classics from their 20-year career, including a fair smattering of Dookie songs, they didn’t leave a single fan disappointed. And finishing their set/the day off with ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ – punk rock perfection.
Stand out songs: ‘Know Your Enemy’, ‘On Holiday’, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’, ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’.
Originally published on vmusic.com.au
