CherryRock’s tenth anniversary was a perfect reflection of Cherry Bar’s long standing mantra. After fighting for their right to keep holding the festival because of the new high rise buildings that loom over AC/DC Lane, CherryRock016’s ‘Too Tough To Die’ slogan was bloody perfect.
The two stage set-up allowed the entertainment to alternate between stages without more than second in between. There was no pushing to the front of the stage and no people taking photos of themselves – just a whole load of people from the ages of 18-99 moving gently and respectably to the music.
Melbourne’s Mesa Cosa kicked off the day, their dirty garage punk really booting CherryRock016 into action. Not long after, Sydney two-piece Polish Club rocked out with intense, all consuming energy, playing soulful music as loud as possible.
Supersuckers took to the main stage halfway through the day, playing what main man Eddie Spaghetti described as “crazy, fucked up country music”. Their head-in-a-bottle-of-whiskey lyrics and Spaghetti’s constant references to his father’s disinterest in his music (he even dedicated one song to this “arsehole dad”) conveyed a palpable sense of angst.
Sydney boys Gay Paris hit up the Cherry Bar stage, filling the room in a number of seconds. The inability to move to the music created that real slimy, sweaty Cherry Bar feeling. The power went out, but vocalist Wailin H Monks treated us to some pseudo-philosophical rap and then challenged Kanye West to a rap battle. When things were finally worked out, the bearded boys filled the room with more energy than any other band of the day.
The most anticipated rock’n’roll legend of the day was Richie Ramone, whocasually waltzed on stage, telling the crowd he’d always wanted to play this festival. The former Ramones drummer jumped around like he was still in his 20s, alternating between drums and lead vocals. Though, he occasionally took a back seat to the lead guitarist, who looked like a mix between Alice Cooper and Sid Vicious.
The headliners from Berlin, Kadavar, wrapped up the night, with their near-perfect, almost photo shopped hard rock sound. The dreamier, psychedelic element of their music created an eerie, otherworldly feeling, putting the crowd in a rhythmic trance. Their flawless performance was a stark contrast to the rawness of the other bands that had played. But while they didn’t bring the same head banging feeling to the crowd, they allowed the festival end on a satisfying high.
LOVED: Gay Paris’ sea of red beards.
HATED: Hearing about Eddie Spaghetti’s daddy issues.
DRANK: Sailor Jerry’s and Cherry Cola.
BY ROCHELLE BEVIS
Photos by Zo Damage
