Like V Festival before it, Australia’s latest English export has arrived in spectacular fashion, taking over the Hordern Pavilion and its surrounds this past Saturday. And with a crowd as diverse as the bands and DJs who graced the 5 stages, this was a day to be enjoyed by everyone, young and old alike. But thankfully an event with tickets still available meant there would be plenty of room to relax even at the business end of the occasion: you could get a drink when you wanted, go to the bathroom when you needed, see whatever band you wanted – and with the surrounding crowds seeming to be there for the music, rather than to be “trendy,” this made for an excellent and relaxed day in those regards.
When I did arrive, the DJ sets were in full swing, Anna Lunoe & Kato were engaging a small crowd in the Forum, The Potbelleez were about to launch onto the Future Entertainment stage, and Tydi was showing himself off at Godskitchen. But all of this, I must admit, was pretty average – an opinion seemingly shared by many of those who are actually into trance (I, myself, am not). And who decided that Tydi is the number one DJ in Australia? The guy really is average in every respect. But such just gave everyone a chance to get into the spirit of the festival (i.e. have several beverages), and pump themselves up for the main attractions. Although I’m sure those “in the know” would have chosen better DJ sets than I did.
Definitely the first of the standout acts were The Orb, who launched into a blend of DJ mixes and live sets. Famous for a surprising blend of music choices, they certainly didn’t disappoint in that respect. After opening up with Eminem, everything from the Star Trek Theme to 50 Cent followed – but my personal favourite was “The Muppet Show Theme” mixed in with “Gay Bar” by Electric Six. Quite possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen or heard.
With attendees of Global Gatherings in the other major cities touting Sasha as a highlight of the day, naturally I thought I’d give him a listen – but once again found myself listening to average DJ skills, uninspired music choices and a crowd seeming to have trouble getting into it as a result. Clearly it was time to return to Godskitchen and experience the masters at work: ATB. Like The Orb before them, they definitely didn’t disappoint, with inspired music choices and exceptional DJ skills keeping those feet a flutterin’! The crowd was very much into it, as they built to dance climax after dance climax. And from here on out, not even the resulting sore feet could keep the crowd down, as the acts just got better and better.
One of the more surprising selections on the line-up, and one of the main reasons many people decided to purchase a ticket, was the inclusion of the Gorillaz, albeit in the “Gorillaz Sound System” format. Similar to The Orb, they had a blend of live performances and recorded material – at a ratio of about 35:65 when it came to original Gorillaz material and other works, respectively. A live drum and percussion set helped keep the beat going, and created seamless transitions from their own “Dare” into AC/DC, Blur’s “Song 2” (How Appropriate!) and even Kanye West. And while every song they chose went off with a bang, it was the Gorillaz numbers that naturally gained the most attention.
I have to admit that the light and graphics “show” wasn’t AS impressive as they had been touting it, nor did they play nearly enough Gorillaz material, but I’m going to have to say this was the best set of the day – I really enjoyed every minute of it. But Mark Ronson and the Version Players, who had started during the Gorillaz set, appeared as an unexpected rival to the Gorillaz: with an amazingly talented band, and special guests including Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Australia’s Daniel Merriweather and the hip-hop due Plastic Little (from Philadelphia), they put on a set nothing short of amazing. Alex Greenwald is of particular mention, with a cover of “Just” by Radiohead (performed while crowd-surfing, no less) as well as his own “California” which set the crowd into nothing short of a frenzy – no one expected THIS! And suffice it to say, it was great to see Mark Ronson happy to pass the spotlight over to his guests of honour. Thalia from South London, who covered Amy Winehouse’s cover of The Zuton’s Valerie and Kaiser Chief’s Oh My God, was also fantastic, and the crowd sung along to every word. As the only true live set of the day (at least that I saw), this was a fantastic and surprising set.
Expecting nothing, I really was blown away.
But as the sun set on Mark Ronson’s set (literally), the day wasn’t nearly over- German Pioneers Kraftwerk were ready to launch onto the Hordern Pavilion, and did so in their normal creepy fashion. I say creepy, because is there really any other way to describe their electronic style? And I couldn’t love it any more if I tried! From “Computerlove” to “Tour de France”, they filled their 90 minute set with all their well known songs, and plenty of tracks you probably didn’t know you knew. These guys might be getting on in age, but you can’t help but still love ‘em. So creepy, so cool – a fantastic end to a fantastic day. And I’m sure the same could be said for those embracing a 3-hour set from Above & Beyond at the Godskitchen stage.
All in all, a spectacular festival: really well managed, and the fact that it wasn’t sold out and that the crowd was one of the best I’ve experienced in recent memory – you really couldn’t help but leave with a smile on your face, sore feet and legs, a stomach ache from excessive alcohol consumption, and some great memories. My only real criticism of the day: as much as I love Dizzee Rascal (and I do), using his album between every set at every stage was probably a bit much, eh?
