It was a relatively low key Big Day Out this year, what with Neil Young being one of the main drawcards on the line up, compared to previous years bulked up by the like of Tool, Muse and Rage Against The Machine. So with around 3000 less people to push past, it made for a more cruisy but just as eventful day.
I had a great time anyway, my last Bdo was back in 2004, back when Kings of Leon played a smaller stage and still had proper beards. Needless to say I happily got on with it, zipping round industriously, seeing all I could see in the space of one day.
Major highlights, Ladi 6, who I found inspiring, a superstrong perfomance and lovely dance moves, plus a guest spot from Scribe. Hot Chip, still brilliant. They seem to do more extended variations of their songs every time I see them. And then there’s that beautiful ending with a Sinnead O’Connor cover seguing into ‘Made In The Dark. Awww. Fantomas – genius! I just had to watch the whole set as they were playing the whole of ‘The Director’s Cut’ album in track order. After that I did manage to catch the end of Neil Young’s set and his encore, a cover of ‘A Day In The Life’ which was pretty impressive. It made me think I could have appreciated his set even without knowing all the songs.
I also enjoyed seeing Bionic Pixie, the fresh faced first band of the day. She’s pretty cute, and plays a red heart shaped guitar. I really liked some of her lyrics in her songs about boys, and the super sharp electro beats exuding her own distinctive style. Her real name is Zoe Fleury, and she also has another band called the Bengal Lights. I probably could’ve watched more of Bullet for My Valentine, both the sound and the mighty mosh pit below them were amazing to behold. I actually had a bit of a ‘magic metal moment’ watching the crowd all start to mosh in unison, it was powerful stuff. Much more so than what was apparently the highlight of most people’s Bdo drum ‘n’ bass ‘legends’ Pendulum?! That’s all very well I spose, but personally I’ve never been that partial to that kind of ‘black t-shirt wearing, bogan’s drum ‘n’ bass’. I prefer the real stuff. Black Kids seemed to be a real hit with the crowd, their summery indie pop fitting perfectly with early afternoon slot on the Orange stage. Tiki Taane played a hypnotic and wicked set in the Boiler Room, but the surprise party of the day went to Son of Dave at the Lilyworld stage. It was mental, people were loving it. There was lots of great harmonica playing and lazy blues jamming. Two girls from the crowd were pulled up on stage to sing backing vocals and Ladi 6 even dropped by to sing with him. I had heaps of fun bouncing off the inflatable seating, sustaining minor injuries and bouncing people off their seats with drinks still in their hands. All in all, a great day out even with a slightly lighter line up for once.
Review by Dedee W.
