Stompy and the Heat kick-started our weekend of musical feasting with a spicy mix of garage, boogie, surf and rockabilly that was impossible to resist. Scott Wilson’s mastery of the axe was a fiery shape-throwing treat. The percussive powerhouse that is Blue King Brown opened with a progressive funk juggernaut of an instrumental that set the tone for a scintillating set. The Living End, keenly anticipated and warmly welcomed by a large and appreciative audience, opened with a thunderous Second Solution which inspired spirited crowd participation and provided a great entree to a sterling set of world class punk rock.
Roll On, West End Riot and Prisoner of Society were sing-along highlights and the band rocked so hard that Chris split his pants. Ten points to the drummer for sporting a Die Toten Hosen t-shirt.
Siskin River was delightfully chilled as they sparkled through a set of acoustic folk pop characterised by gentle and highly melodic vocal harmonies and enchanting guitar. “We are the Melbourne Ska Orchestra and we have more than four people in the band.” quipped Nicky Bomba before leading his giant skankin’ ensemble through a hugely entertaining performance. As if the stage wasn’t busy enough already, a clown riding a unicycle made a guest appearance during that old ska classic A Message To You Rudy. “That’s the sound of rock’n’roll,” Kram said as he cheerfully pummelled his way into the joyous onslaught that is Black Betty.
Spiderbait seemed to attract about a million screaming punters to the main tent and proved that the quirky boogie punk of Old Man Sam and the molten Buy Me A Pony can still shake the joint to its shuddering foundations. Imagine if Sky Saxon had hijacked a passing flying saucer in 1967, picked up Roky Erickson along the way and launched a sonic attack on Jupiter. This is what The Murlocs sound like. Yes, they really are that good. The Murlocs blew my bleeding eardrums to smithereens with wonderful acid-drenched garage rock characterised by post-apocalyptic harmonica, snotty vocals and the type of shuddering wall of sound that might just cook your brain.
The Preatures delivered an exciting and attention-grabbing set that culminated in a rousing rendition of I’m Stranded while flame-haired rock god Dallas Frasca pumped out high-octane blues metal that adrenalised our Sunday afternoon. The vivacious crowd-surfing tinsel-throwing Patience Hodgson, who said that she felt “like a glamorous cave lady” sparkled in her glittering costume as The Grates delivered a mind-blowing theatrical performance that seethed with energy and vitality. After such a robustly entertaining weekend, I’m already counting down the days until next year’s festival.
BY GRAHAM BLACKLEY
Loved: The Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s good-time vibes.
Hated: Nothing.
Drank: Southern Bay Draught, Bellarine Mussel Stout and Forrest Pale Ale.
