Big Day Out - Perth, Western Australia - White Stripes, Iggy & The Stooges, Franz Ferdinand and more - 5th Feb 2006
Posted by Tollah on 02.08.2006
Australia's seminal music festival was attended by the likes of Iggy & the Stooges, the White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand this year, and 411's very own T-Maestro was right in the thick of it.
Big Day Out is Australia and New Zealand's premier music festival, playing at Auckland, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth every year. I happened to attend this year's Perth show on February the 5th. It was my 3rd Big Day Out and, well, here's a review of the bands I saw.
11:00am - Airbourne
Before: Airbourne are one of the bands who I had never heard of before they were announced. When I was looking through the BDO website I happened to like the sound of their description and downloaded a few mp3s. Suitably impressed by this hard hitting band I decided to get their nice and early to check them out.
The show: I strolled easily to the barrier just as they started playing. The crowd was a little slow getting into it, unsurprisingly since they were the first band on, but by the end of the first song people were rocking. Their frontman/lead guitarist.. what can I say? Amazing showman, singer and can play too. With lyrics and music in the same vein as the likes of Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and, shockingly, AC/DC, how could I not enjoy them? Really great start to the show with some classic rock antics and I left the stage with a big smile on my face.
2:00pm - The Subways
Before: I had heard of the Subways but not listened to any of their music. I knew somewhere in the back of my head that they were little indie NME boys, but then again so were most of the bands there. I liked their description better than the likes of The Go! Team or whatever so I downloaded a few tracks and couldn't decide whether I liked them or not, so what the hell.. I'll go watch them and that'll make my decision for me.
The show: This band impressed me a lot more than I thought they would. The frontman/guitarist couldn't play particularly well but he has very strong vocals. The chick bass player was hot and ran around like a nutcase. She was very enthusiastic and helped get the crowd going. The drummer I was also impressed with. It's not often I notice a drummer so he must have been doing something right. Dude looked like he was playing his little heart out. Another thumbs up and it's 2 out of 2 so far.
3:15pm - Sarah Blasko
Before: I was already a big fan of Sarah Blasko beforehand. The only problem here was that Wolfmother, another band that I'm a big fan of, was playing over on the main stage at the same time. I decided to watch Sarah because it would have been much easier to get to the front and because I've seen the Wolfies before.
The show: I managed to get 2nd to the front. The show was pretty much as I expected as I'd seen a few live clips of Sarah before. She's really beautiful. The biggest highlights were 'Always Worth It' and an extended version of 'Don't U Eva'.
4:30pm - The Magic Numbers
Before: Another band I had never heard of, the description on the BDO website said they sounded like the Flamings Lips, who I enjoy immensely (as Ian Wright would say), and the Polyphonic Spree. I downloaded a few tunes and I was so hooked I decided to pick up their album. They have a great sound that's like the Strokes if they were fronted by Wayne Coyne.
The show: Because there were female backing vocals on the album I was expecting a hot bitch somewhere in the band. I was shocked to see that there were actually TWO chicks, and disappointed to see that they were Fats. Oh well, can't win 'em all. I'll let them off the hook though, because god damn, could the fat bassist chick play! She was all over that fretboard. All in all a good performance, although it did get tiresome during some of their less good songs.
6:45pm - Franz Ferdinand
Before: Haven't got their new album but what I've heard of it either sucks cock or is no different from their first, which wasn't that great either apart from about 3 good songs.
The show: The only reason I watched them is because I wanted to get a good position for the Stooges. They were about as mediocre as I expected. They are a very girly band and the chicks loved dancing to them. Franz Ferdinand are a girly band.
7:45pm - Iggy & The Stooges
Before: Yes, business just picked up. Iggy Pop is an icon and The Stooges are a classic band and credited by many for inventing punk, or at least being the inspiration for it. Not that punk is a good thing, but there's much more to the Stooges' music, such as bluesy guitars, catchy basslines and, well Iggy.
The show: The set list was taken entirely from their first two albums. It was just really great. They sound awesome live with modern equipment and Iggy can still sing, dance and put on a show like other guys a third of his age. The highlight would have to be Iggy getting about 20 people from the crowd on stage for two songs. Lucky bastards.
8:45pm - The White Stripes
Before: I've been a fan of the White Stripes for much longer than any of the other bands on the card, and have seen them live before (in fact it was the first famous band gig I've been to). The only question was would Jack and Meg be able to follow the Stooges successfully?
The show: I have to admit, I had my doubts, but they were destroyed about three songs in when the Stripes busted out 'Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground'. Their set was pretty much a Greatest Hits + New Album type deal and it worked well. The only down point was Jack playing 'The Nurse' from their new album on the xylophone. What the hell? The encore made up for it, though, with 'Fell In Love With A Girl' (on piano!), 'The Hardest Button to Button' and 'Seven Nation Army'.
The 411: I've been to two previous Big Day Out's and, although I think 2004's had the best card, it was my first festival and my inexperience led to me not getting maximum satisfaction out of the day. This time I am almost a seasoned festival-goer and I was able to get a good position for every band while being comfortable all day and drinking the required amount of beer. Add to that the (sometimes surprisingly) impressive performances by every band I saw apart from Franz, and this Big Day Out will be hard to beat.
