Another fabulous instalment of Sunset Sounds is about to get underway beneath the canopies of Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens, right in the heart of the city. Don’t miss this wonderful festival, taking place this Wednesday and Thursday, the 5th and 6th of January.
Having warmed up at Falls, a stellar selection of the line-up is headed for Sunset Sounds, all set to unleash on Bris-vegas! Here’s a snapshot of just some of the many great performances experienced at Falls courtesy of Richard Moffat, long time festival and venue programmer along with snippets from The Age review which gave the festival a brilliant 4 out of 5 star rating:
Catching Flavour Flav & Chuck D with their commando attired dancers rip through their set was a live moment no one would forget for a long time. ‘On its 20th anniversary PUBLIC ENEMY performed a searing album Fear of a Black Planet in full (to perhaps the whitest crowd of their career), the group provided a veritable education of hip-hop’s roots to the Gen Y-heavy audience.’ (The Age)
THE NATIONAL with sideshows an instant sell out and High Violet on every reviewer’s best albums of 2010 list their festival set was a dark, powerful, poetic and reflective affair.
JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was a blast from the past, undeniably iconic and unrelentingly cool, the crowd were treated to the rawest of rock ‘n’ roll. Signed to MIA’s label SLEIGH BELLS might only be a two piece but with a towering stack of Marshalls behind them their loud, dance-punk-pop antics lead by a frenetic Alexis Krauss had the crowd moving and a-shaking with a whole lot of crazy this new years. ‘Dark New York rockers INTERPOL were impressive with an outstanding set of indie-rock. Drawing heavily from their recently released self-titled fourth album, the group were exceptionally tight throughout their hour-long set. And strangely, for an act renowned for its gloomy disposition, they not only had fans dancing but also smiling.’ (The Age)
COLD WAR KIDS set was rooted in hot-blooded soul and delivered with the inventiveness of post-punk. Willett’s hugely impressive voice is the band’s calling card but the secret to the intoxicating live set is in the rhythmic interplay between the other three members, bassist Matt Maust, drummer Matthew Aveiro and guitarist Jonathan Russell.
Three teens in love with the 50’s KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS’ brought their vintage inspired rockabilly, swing and country to a rammed and boogie filled tent at The Falls. Seasoned multi-instrumentalists, they take turns with banjos, ukuleles and pretty much anything else sliced from wood and string that can be strummed, plucked, whacked or otherwise manhandled.
A revolutionary figure in 21st century electronic music PEACHES brought her one woman travelling circus to Falls Festival. Shredding the hair for a night of excess fun she combined singing her own material, dishing up remixes with dancers and costuming from another planet.
Mixing rap with reggae, ragga and even Cuban sounds, much of the audience had never experienced DAARA J FAMILY live before, but were ignited by their Senegalese hip-hop antics, which had a pied piper like effect on the audience, drawing them in to dance and become dedicated fans by the end of the set.
With the stunning Modular release, Innerspeaker being another fave for 2010’s best album lists, TAME IMPALA performed a stunning live set. Their razor-sharp, fuzzed-up psych riff was a life-affirming experience. It’s hard not to stare into the eye of this technicolour storm and succumb to its beauty.
Mercury Prize winners KLAXONS return to Australia saw them intoxicate the crowd with their kaleidoscopic dance-psych-rock. The sing-a-long for ‘Echoes’ showed its chorus was one of the year’s most memorable.
‘Rising Australian folk-pop act BOY & BEAR had the festival’s second stage area heaving, drawing a massive crowd. The band’s cover of Crowded House’s Fall at Your Feet was that day’s biggest, most emphatic sing-a-long. The crowd interest suggested the group already has a vast fan base ahead of much-anticipated album releases in 2011.’ (The Age)
‘Wednesday’s outstanding highlight was Melbourne’s THE LIVING END. The trio, who are working on a new album, ploughed through a virtual greatest hits-style set. Opening with the barnstorming How Do We Know, they then unveiled a canny cover of the Choirboys’ ”Oz rock” classic Run to Paradise, which segued into their own classic Roll On. They repeated the dose later with a verse of Billy Thorpe’s Most People I Know.’ (The Age)
WASHINGTON received a great response playing her biggest Australian shows so far. Falls was Washington’s first festival performances since the ARIA awards win and her recent whirlwind world tour.
ANGUS & JULIA STONE also jetted in from the US and played the coveted sunset slot with full live show including massive hot balloons side of stage. It was no surprise to see them going down well with the crowd as their album is the highest selling local record of 2010.
‘PAUL KELLY’S hit-heavy set (To Her Door, Dumb Things, Love Never Runs on Time) was lapped up by an audience honed on the singer-songwriter’s career via older family members or classic rock radio. His finale of How to Make Gravy was inspired’. (The Age)
That’s just a taste of what’s to come at Sunset Sounds – Doors open at 3pm each day – check out all the details at www.sunsetsounds.com.au
Purchase tickets from www.ticketmaster.com.au
Tickets for sale at the door: $169 (general admission) and $259 (VIP ticket).
Sunset Sounds
Dates: Wed 5th & Thu 6th January 2011
Venue: Sunset Sounds combining the Garden Stage in the Botanic Gardens and the Riverstage in the City Gardens, Brisbane QLD
Tickets: 18+ event. Available from Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com.au and Moshtix, www.moshtix.com.au
Website: www.sunsetsounds.com.au
