It was the biggest weekend in Melbourne’s history, and not because of White Night, The Eagles, The Cricket World Cup, The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and Cirque Du Soleil all falling on the same weekend. No. It was because for the first time ever, Soundwave was over two action-packed days. After one train, one tram and a long walk to find Gate Seven, Soundwave had finally begun.
The Wonder Years were first up, and brought a lot to their loyal fans that braved the 35-degree heat to watch their set. With their Australian tour last September being cancelled, The Wonder Years made it up to their fans producing a highly energetic performance with plenty of sing-a-longs and circle pits.
If there was one band to rave about at this year’s Soundwave, my stamp of approval would definitely have to go to Animals As Leaders.The three-piece progressive metal band out of Washington DC produced one of the most notable sets of day one. Guitarist Tosin Abasi mesmerised the crowd with his incredible technical ability. The band gave their fans plenty to cheer about throughout the set, playing a mix of old and new songs, however closing with COFA had their fans leaving with a grin.
The Vandals were… well, they were exactly what you’d expect from The Vandals. Insane. Mentally that is. In their rich and fruitful history, most know that The Vandals take their music very lightly, and bring satire and humour to their songwriting and live shows. The lads gave the crowd one hell of a show, playing some classics like I’ve Got An Ape Drape and People Who Are Going To Hell, proving to the crowd that the veterans of punk aren’t dead yet.
Flash back to 2002 and Papa Roach had hit Stage Two with a storm. A rather big crowd gathered in anticipation to hear a catalogue of classics from the rock veterans, who hadn’t been on our shores in over 13 years. They may be past their prime, but that didn’t stop Papa Roach from bringing one hell of a performance. Fans were treated to a couple of new songs off their latest record F.E.A.R, and also got to hear some classics with Scars and Last Resort gathering the crowd into one big sing-along.
It truly was four seasons in one day in Melbourne. After having blue skies and blistering heat in the early afternoon, a large downpour of rain fittingly greeted fans just before Marilyn Manson hit the stage. It isn’t old news that Marilyn Manson was a touch off his best last time he was at Soundwave in 2012. In fact, our friends over in Sydney even booed the intoxicated frontman off the stage after a rather dull performance. This time around, it luckily went a little differently. It was clear from the start that Manson had cleaned up his act and gave the crowd a bit more to cheer about. He had them singling along in unison to Obscene before destroying everything in his path to The Beautiful People. The charismatic front man was everything you would expect from Marilyn Manson. Outrageous, destructive and completely psychotic.
Slash,accompanied by Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators took to the stage with a roar from his long time fans, and gave them everything the expected. Slash showed off his astonishing talent with blistering solos during Stoneblind and Wicked Stone, before sending the crowd into an eruption with Guns ‘N’ Roses classics Welcome To The Jungle and Sweet Child of Mine. Vocalist Myles Kennedy may be a shadow to Slash in title, but he had the crowd at his command throughout the set, showing them why he’s the front man for the world’s most iconic guitarist. Slash finished with the Gunners classic Paradise City, with the whole crowd belting it out and pulling out their air guitars.
Closing the lights on the day one event was none other than metal giants Slipknot, who brought an entirely new look to coincide with their latest release .5: The Grey Chapter. Slipknot delivered carnage to their devoted fans, playing a back catalogue of hits including The Heretic Anthem, Wait and Bleed, Before I Forget and Duality, and a few new ones including The Devil In I and The Negative One. If you thought it was impossible to top their last performance at Soundwave, you’re terribly wrong. Their set was nothing less than faultless. Frontman Corey Taylor conducted the audience into mayhem during Spit It Out, which saw half of the Melbourne Showgrounds kneeling before them (literally). Captivating their fans, Slipknot finished their set with crowd favourites (Sic) and People = Shit, before closing the day one antics with Surfacing.
If you think one day at Soundwave in 35-degree heat is tough, try two days straight. Punters flocked to the Showgrounds with high spirits; some nursing hangovers from the previous day, and some still intoxicated.
Hometown heroes The Bennies were first on my list for day two, and when frontman Anty Horgan took the stage with zebra print tights and a joint in hands, you knew it was going to be a party. The self-labeled ‘psychedelic reggae ska doom metal punk rock band from hell’ were there to have fun, and the crowd loved every minute of it; singing along to My Bike and going crazy to Heavy Disco. The Melbourne boys thrived off the energy of their local fans and gave an entertaining set. These lads are ones to watch in 2015.
Asian rock bands aren’t all that common to feature on Soundwave lineups, therefore my venture to stage one to catch One Ok Rock was out of curiosity more than anything, however the Japanese rockers definitely left a good impression. They were catchy, energetic, and had their fans moving.
Steel Panther absolutely killed it on the main stage. Opening to a barrage of metal heads raising their horns in the air, the charismatic quartet brought a performance that was way too politically incorrect, much to the delight of the crowd. The banter between vocalist Michael Star and guitarist Satchel provided amusing entertainment for their fans, with conversions as left field as screwing Nicole Kidman arising. Steel Panther aren’t all just theatrics though. The talent of this band goes without question. Death To All But Metal had Satchel and Lexxi Foxx shredding while their stage presence and gang vocals in Party All Day had their fans going nuts. Highlights included a raw acoustic rendition of Community Property, as well as Asian Hooker, which saw numerous girls being brought onto the stage.
The latest project to come from At The Drive In’s and Mars Volta’s Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Antemasque, were a nice addition to the already jam packed lineup. Their performance showed shades of At The Drive In, and Rodríguez-López busted out some insane riffs. Flawless.
There were not many surprises out of Incubus’ set. Besides the fact that they didn’t play crowd favourite Drive, the Californian lads delivered an unforgettable performance. Incubus got their fans singing right from the start, opening with Wish You Were Here, before treating fans to new material playing Trustfall and Absolution Calling. Pardon Me was the highlight of the set, with everyone at the main stages dancing and singing along.
Unfortunately, at some point a man has got to eat, and Soundgarden’s set was the one that had to be sacrificed. Luckily I managed to catch the second half of their set while fighting through the masses, and what a treat it was. In short, Chris Cornell still rules. Black Hole Sun had the crowd buzzing, before the band closed with a mesmerising rendition of Slaves & Bulldozers, which ended with Cornell tearing the strings straight off of his guitar to close one hell of a performance.
The crowd was building and there was a sense of excitement in the surf as Faith No More prepared to take stage to a packed-out Showgrounds. There’s no hiding the fact that frontman Mike Paton is all about the theatrics, therefore it was fitting that the band all came out in matching white garments, with Paton wearing a surgical mask and white gloves. Opening with Motherfucker, FNM were simply flawless.
Ending my two-day Soundwave experience was pop punk legends New Found Glory, who undeniably stole the show at Stage Three. With so many great bands closing the festival, the pop punk veterans definitely earned their reputation as one of the best in their business, with a set that had fans singing and moving. Opening with new track, Selfless, the newly changed four-piece were as tough as ever. Fans were going mental to classics Listen To Your Friends, Dressed To Kill, and All Down Hill From Here; with vocalist Jordan Pundik barely having to sing a word the crowd were singing that loudly. To close Soundwave 2015, NFG ended with hit My Friends Over You, which had the crowd jumping.
This all-star Soundwave lineup was one for the ages, and we can only start speculating who might feature on next year’s lineup.
BY MICHAEL EDNEY
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
Loved: Everything.
Hated: The heat.
Drank: Sweat.
