To BIG DAY OUT at the Gold Coast Parklands.
Massive line-up. You can never see all the bands but I managed to see all those I wanted to. 12 hours of great music.
Jake & myself on arrival - the shirt attracted many positive comments, but fortunately none from the police.
First band, The MEDICS. Local band unearthed by Triple J. Leaping bass guitarist.
ABBE MAY. Hard rocking guitarist from Western Australia. Very impressive.
PAPA vs, PRETTY. Sydney band who put on a good show.
STONEFIELD. Four sisters from Victoria. Played at Glastonbury. Very good indeed.
FRENZAL RHOMB. Aussie punk/rock legends. Great show.
CAGE the ELEPHANT. American band from Kentucky. One of the day's best surprises. Brilliant live show with the singer, Matthew Schulz, crowd surfing during their first song!
PARKWAY DRIVE. One of Jake's favourite bands. Serious Metalcore from Byron Bay. Very shouty!
BEST COAST. Californian group with a 'Californian' sound - a bit retro.
BOY & BEAR. Big favourites in Australia at the moment. I like a couple of their songs but they are a bit too Mumford and Sons for me, ie. annoying!
The VACCINES. Brilliant. A class act with a repetoire of great songs.
The JEZABELS. Excellent show. Good songs and an iconic look.
The GETAWAY PLAN. Melbourne band with a great sound.
The AMITY AFFLICTION. Another good surprise. Shouty but good!
HILLTOP HOODS. Iconic Aussie rappers. Excellent show. All the better for having a beer or two whilst watching it. They did all their big hits.
KIMBRA. Best looking girl at all Big Day Out and a great voice as well. She did a few new songs . Just gets better.
FAKER. Sydney band. Another revelation. These guys are excellent. Lead singer, Nathan Hudson, spent much time aloft - on speakers, on the gantry and, at one point, on the bass drum!
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI. An Aussie band - a bit Scissor Sisters.
BATTLES. Dense, virtually impenetrable riffs with much feedback and loops. Very much early Pink Floyd therefore brilliant.
KASABIAN. Second time at BDO and they did another excellent show. Crowd not dismayed by rain.
REGURGITATOR. Brisbane icons who like to act it up on stage. The wigs threw me for a while.
ART vs. SCIENCE. Sydney dance trio had the Boiler Room throbbing.
NOEL GALLAGHERS HIGH FLYING BIRDS. A great show from the old Oasis dude. He's better off without Liam. He can certainly play guitar and write good songs.
NERO. A final half hour to wind up the day. They did a great version of Plan B's 'Recluse'. Amazing to see 5,000 people jumping up and down in time.
On the way out to the bus we caught the dismal wails of KANYE WEST's voice processed through a computer whilst he was trying to sing his own song 'Runaway'. He should give up and listen to Plan B's version, then weep!
All in all. An Amazingly Brilliant Massive Day Out.
