(no subject)
05 Feb 2008
Thanks for your sweat (BIG DAY OUT 2008)
We came, we saw, we nearly died from heat exhaustion. I only came away with a tiny bit of sunburn so I'm pretty cheery.
Kele and I got there at about 1:00, just in time to see Kate Nash all the way from the U.K. She was certainly empassioned. I think she dealt with the overbearing heat pretty well. The audience was drenched in waterfalls of sweat, even those of us who just stood there not moving. We were in the Essential stage building and it was beyond a sauna. Also, Kate Nash is hawt and everybody knew it. Billy Bragg appeared as a guest onstage for a song. Kele knew him by his hat, when she spotted him side-stage.
Next we saw Brash & Sassy in Lily Word - where I got a lovely mojito - who are a homegrown Perth outfit full of synthesizers, big hair, bold make-up and 80s clothing. They informed the audience that they'd really "enjoyed our technical difficulties."
Dizzee Rascal did a good job of pumping up the crowd in the Boiler Room. I tried to get close to the front but I gave up my quest. It was all too much. All I could do in the end was sit under a tree and listen, rather than watch. I did stand for a moment to the side and elevated, so I saw a bit of the show from a nice vantage point. The crowd was going nuts for Dizzee Rascal.
Next we headed off to see Billy Bragg, who put on a great show full to the brim with political rants including one about "Australia First" (I think he meant "Family First"...). It's always great when foreigners acknowledge the pain that we locals have gone through with some of the blights on our government. At least we know we're not imagining it all! And he insulted his own government too, so that soothed the pain a little. There was one song during which he played a few White Stripes bars, and then he appeased the confusion of some befuddled older audience members by adding in a Deep Purple riff. "Same joke, different day," he said after this, suggesting that he'd done the same at every Big Day Out set.
We went from Billy Bragg to Spoon, over at the Green Stage, and they were pretty good, but they were the lowlight of the day for me. I have seen fabulous bands on that stage in the past, and I think Sleater-Kinney for example far outshone Spoon. But then, I may be biased.
Following on Spoon, Kele and I headed off to one of the main stages to prepare ourselves for The Arcade Fire. I was delighted to see that the lead singer from this band is a hottie. I was not so delighted to hear that he was married. But hey, I've always got Daniel Johns to fall back on, now that he's not so romantically attached (and apparently he's a little sexually frustrated too. See below for an explanation...). Anyway, the Arcade Fire were great. I need to buy some of their CDs. I find it difficult to think of words to describe them, but they sound beautiful, a little magical, and a little exhilarating. I wouldn't call them searing, but they certainly have a lasting effect.
Silverchair played on the alternate main stage at 7:00 pm. We watched from a distance, from inside one of the licensed areas. Kele and I had met up with Bruna, Doug, Anthony, Jenna, Taj and some random folk who interjected themselves now and then. Some guy sat down with us and none of us knew him. He found us tiresome so he left. Anyway, Silverchair played "Israel's Son" and finished with "Freak", which was great for all those Silverchair fans out there who have been calling out for the tune the last 10 years or so. Personally I would've preferred to hear "Tomorrow" or something else, but it was a good way to end the set, I'll admit. Anyway, the bit about sexual frustration? Daniel Johns wanted the whole crowd to express their sexual frustration, and I got the distinct impression he was dropping a hint. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease, it's been a while!"
Björk took the place of the Arcade Fire next, and her set began with a shitload of confetti floating down like snow. Perth's first snow in...maybe forever? I don't know my weather history all that well. Anyway, Björk's show started when an extraterrestrial orchestra marched out onto the stage. She put on a great show. The thing I remember most about her were the "thik yoo!"s after every song, the pointy green headband thing she had on, and her mass of floating black hair. Oh, and her prancing around the stage. The only song I can remember the name of that she played was "All Is Full Of Love". Oh wait, she played "Army of Me" too. And "Hyperballad". Wow, one song turned into 3... I still haven't bought any Björk CDs, but I intend to remedy that! Not just because I've now seen her live.
We got into the mosh for Rage Against the Machine, and from the beginning it was clear that there would be much sweat mixing going on. I was a little scared that the moshpit would turn really ugly, considering we were really far away from the stage and still in the thick of it all. It turned out to the be the biggest mosh pit I've ever seen, with almost everyone who attended the BDO probably intending to see RATM. When they started, the crowd went nuts, but soon into their first song the sound cut out. They finished the song, there was silence, and then the sound issues were resolved. Songs I remember were "Bullet in the Head", "Guerilla Radio", "Bulls on Parade" and, of course...wait for it...waaaaait for it..."Killing in the Name". They finished with that last one, and I was sooooooooo sated. I think most people at the venue were loving that rendition.
We finished off the night by catching the last part of The Stems' "At First Sight", back at the Essential Stage.
We headed back to our hub - Freo - and got some food. I was dropped off at home and had the best shower of my life - except that shower I had in Coober Pedy after 5 days in the desert, back in February (height of summer, let me iterate) 1998.
So, Perth, thank you for your sweat, though I'm glad it's all washed off me now.
8:07 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove
Thanks for your sweat (BIG DAY OUT 2008)
We came, we saw, we nearly died from heat exhaustion. I only came away with a tiny bit of sunburn so I'm pretty cheery.
Kele and I got there at about 1:00, just in time to see Kate Nash all the way from the U.K. She was certainly empassioned. I think she dealt with the overbearing heat pretty well. The audience was drenched in waterfalls of sweat, even those of us who just stood there not moving. We were in the Essential stage building and it was beyond a sauna. Also, Kate Nash is hawt and everybody knew it. Billy Bragg appeared as a guest onstage for a song. Kele knew him by his hat, when she spotted him side-stage.
Next we saw Brash & Sassy in Lily Word - where I got a lovely mojito - who are a homegrown Perth outfit full of synthesizers, big hair, bold make-up and 80s clothing. They informed the audience that they'd really "enjoyed our technical difficulties."
Dizzee Rascal did a good job of pumping up the crowd in the Boiler Room. I tried to get close to the front but I gave up my quest. It was all too much. All I could do in the end was sit under a tree and listen, rather than watch. I did stand for a moment to the side and elevated, so I saw a bit of the show from a nice vantage point. The crowd was going nuts for Dizzee Rascal.
Next we headed off to see Billy Bragg, who put on a great show full to the brim with political rants including one about "Australia First" (I think he meant "Family First"...). It's always great when foreigners acknowledge the pain that we locals have gone through with some of the blights on our government. At least we know we're not imagining it all! And he insulted his own government too, so that soothed the pain a little. There was one song during which he played a few White Stripes bars, and then he appeased the confusion of some befuddled older audience members by adding in a Deep Purple riff. "Same joke, different day," he said after this, suggesting that he'd done the same at every Big Day Out set.
We went from Billy Bragg to Spoon, over at the Green Stage, and they were pretty good, but they were the lowlight of the day for me. I have seen fabulous bands on that stage in the past, and I think Sleater-Kinney for example far outshone Spoon. But then, I may be biased.
Following on Spoon, Kele and I headed off to one of the main stages to prepare ourselves for The Arcade Fire. I was delighted to see that the lead singer from this band is a hottie. I was not so delighted to hear that he was married. But hey, I've always got Daniel Johns to fall back on, now that he's not so romantically attached (and apparently he's a little sexually frustrated too. See below for an explanation...). Anyway, the Arcade Fire were great. I need to buy some of their CDs. I find it difficult to think of words to describe them, but they sound beautiful, a little magical, and a little exhilarating. I wouldn't call them searing, but they certainly have a lasting effect.
Silverchair played on the alternate main stage at 7:00 pm. We watched from a distance, from inside one of the licensed areas. Kele and I had met up with Bruna, Doug, Anthony, Jenna, Taj and some random folk who interjected themselves now and then. Some guy sat down with us and none of us knew him. He found us tiresome so he left. Anyway, Silverchair played "Israel's Son" and finished with "Freak", which was great for all those Silverchair fans out there who have been calling out for the tune the last 10 years or so. Personally I would've preferred to hear "Tomorrow" or something else, but it was a good way to end the set, I'll admit. Anyway, the bit about sexual frustration? Daniel Johns wanted the whole crowd to express their sexual frustration, and I got the distinct impression he was dropping a hint. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease, it's been a while!"
Björk took the place of the Arcade Fire next, and her set began with a shitload of confetti floating down like snow. Perth's first snow in...maybe forever? I don't know my weather history all that well. Anyway, Björk's show started when an extraterrestrial orchestra marched out onto the stage. She put on a great show. The thing I remember most about her were the "thik yoo!"s after every song, the pointy green headband thing she had on, and her mass of floating black hair. Oh, and her prancing around the stage. The only song I can remember the name of that she played was "All Is Full Of Love". Oh wait, she played "Army of Me" too. And "Hyperballad". Wow, one song turned into 3... I still haven't bought any Björk CDs, but I intend to remedy that! Not just because I've now seen her live.
We got into the mosh for Rage Against the Machine, and from the beginning it was clear that there would be much sweat mixing going on. I was a little scared that the moshpit would turn really ugly, considering we were really far away from the stage and still in the thick of it all. It turned out to the be the biggest mosh pit I've ever seen, with almost everyone who attended the BDO probably intending to see RATM. When they started, the crowd went nuts, but soon into their first song the sound cut out. They finished the song, there was silence, and then the sound issues were resolved. Songs I remember were "Bullet in the Head", "Guerilla Radio", "Bulls on Parade" and, of course...wait for it...waaaaait for it..."Killing in the Name". They finished with that last one, and I was sooooooooo sated. I think most people at the venue were loving that rendition.
We finished off the night by catching the last part of The Stems' "At First Sight", back at the Essential Stage.
We headed back to our hub - Freo - and got some food. I was dropped off at home and had the best shower of my life - except that shower I had in Coober Pedy after 5 days in the desert, back in February (height of summer, let me iterate) 1998.
So, Perth, thank you for your sweat, though I'm glad it's all washed off me now.
8:07 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove