A smaller-than-usual crowd took over Centennial Park in Sydney yesterday for the annual Good Vibrations Festival, as a light rain did little to dampen the spirits of punters ready for some pretty fantastic music.
Before we get to the music, let’s talk more generally about the event itself. Good Vibrations is about as commercial as you get, especially when compared to last weekend’s Laneway. Let’s just say that between the “Free Snooki” T-Shirts (great promotional idea from MTV to be honest, hell it has us mentioning it…) and the testosterone, I rarely feel like I belong at these sorts of events. But I’m there for the music – and surprisingly enough, so were the majority of this crowd. They showed a lot more courtesy, love, support and enthusiasm for the artists on the lineup than I would have otherwise given them credit for.
In addition, the sound was some of the best I’ve ever heard at a Sydney music festival, there were consistently impressive light and visual displays, and you could tell that the crew had listened to all the gripes from previous years to provide the best possible festival for its punters. For a festival that does have its critics, it’s great to see them step up and listen to concerns. All too often they are just ignored in this industry.
So what did that mean?
Well, more security and police presence was seen than in previous years – and with police on horses greeting us as we left the venue, it almost felt as though they were expecting the Egyptian themes of the event to go to our heads. However, whether or not their presence had anything to do with it, this was the best behaved crowds I’ve seen in recent memory.
I’m told the bathrooms were surprisingly clean, even in spite of the weather – apparently this was due to the hiring of extra cleaners following complaints in previous years. There were more food options and bars than I recall in prior years – resulting in almost no significant queues for the entire day. But should the event have been at capacity, I’m sure the story would have been different… still, the fact remains that we were well catered for, albeit with an expectation of a hefty wallet.
And I think all this, plus the cool weather, really pulls us 360 and brings us back to the point of a well behaved crowd. When people don’t have to line up for an hour for a drink or to go to the bathroom, and aren’t sweating through their teeth, there will naturally be less reason for people to lose their cool. That said, I did see a girl fight. I think that’s a festival first for me…
But what about the music? Well there was more than enough to whet any appetite. The roots and hip hop lovers would have been head over heels in the Roots Tent, with Koolism, Erykah Badu, Nas, Damien Marley and Ludacris amongst the performers. Fans of pop-rock-super-fun-times would have enjoyed artists like Miike Snow and Phoenix on the MR J stage and Friendly Fires on the main. Meanwhile, Faithless, Ajax, Bag Raiders, Fake Blood and Rusko would kept the electronic fans pleased. However, when you’re someone who likes all these genres, almost to the point of ridiculousness, this also meant a lot of clashes throughout the day.
It wasn’t too much of an issue on first arrival, however, as I darted over to see Aloe Blacc on the MR J stage. The Los Angeles based soul singer and rapper was very much in the mode of the former in his appearance at Good Vibrations, performing tracks off this new record, Good Things. Aloe Blacc was in town only a fortnight ago for Sydney Festival, however this time around we bore witness to a larger musical production, with local brass musicians thrown into the mix, making for quite the aurally pleasing experience.
These more musically impressive sets, infused with jazz, R&B and soul don’t exactly feel at home at an event like this (although the very name of the festival should suggest otherwise), but with the charismatic frontman proving eye candy for the ladies, and the beats bringing hands into the air, it somehow all seems to work – even when it doesn’t (I note his request for us to provide a rhythm, for which the crowd replied with humourous bewilderment). A perfect way to start the day.
Sydney based Jinja Safari followed Aloe Blacc on the MR J stage, as Erykah Badu got the ball rolling on the “Roots Stage Delays” situation (more on that later). This is the largest stage I’ve seen the boys perform on, but they seemed to fit it well. This wasn’t their usual crowd, so they could have been forgiven for having an average turnout – but there were genuinely quite a lot of people watching, listening and enjoying their music – some even singing along. It wasn’t the most energetic I’ve seen them, but it was as entertaining as always – with music like that you really don’t need much else. And as the rain began to fall, they couldn’t help but comment on the appropriateness of the “dancing in the rain” themes of their popular track “Peter Pan”.
Erica Abi Wright aka Erykah Badu brought on the first clash of the day, signaling my early exit from the Jinja’s performance, and my late arrival to Friendly Fires on the main stage. But with Australia waiting some 15 years to finally bear witness to the iconic performer, it was without a doubt the unmissable performance of the day. Unfortunately, however, I’m largely unfamiliar with her material, which prevented my full involvement in the experience, but her set, which was focused on her more recent material, like “The Healer (Hip-Hop)”, was an impressive one to say the least.
This is one talented performer with an impeccable voice, who had a unique power to send the crowd into a frenzy just by hitting her notes. It was wonderful to see her get so much adoration from the crowd. It’s always difficult to guage the popularity of such a performer on a level that goes beyond the “name”. But she definitely has her fans. A particular mention has to be given to her surprising cover of “Straight Outta Compton”. Very cool.
Meanwhile, Friendly Fires were setting the mainstage alight with their entertaining, often cowbell infused jams. “Lovesick”, “White Diamonds”, “Jump in the Pool” and “Paris” were amongst the tracks off their self titled debut to make an appearance, and naturally received the best reception. But there was also the occasional appearance of new material from their forthcoming album, Pala. The band gave a performance of expected high energy standard, with Ed Macfarlane dancing around the stage, giving us all a reason to join in. The set ended with the infectious “Kiss of Life”, the video of which gives a pretty decent showcase of Ed Macfarlane’s dancing excellence.
Mike Posner was over on the MR J stage next, and I caught “Who Knows?” (from his mixtape A Matter of Time) mixed in with Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Snow (Hey Oh)”. This is a young performer coming into his own, and while his singles (“Cooler Than Me” and “Please Don’t Go”) haven’t quite impressed me, he definitely has his fans, and was definitely the international “next big thing” addition to the lineup.
Rusko was on the Laundry stage at the same time, bringing his highly popular dubstep sounds to a packed out tent. I was mainly there to escape the rain, but I’ve always been impressed by his music – and he was definitely providing precedence to his popularity at the festival. All the same, I have trouble getting into a performance when it feels like someone’s just pressing play and occasionally talking themselves up / saying hello to the crowd. “Here comes my new single!”, “here comes a track that no one has heard yet!”. If a robot can do it, and you’re not dressed as a robot (e.g. Daft Punk), then you may as well have a robot do it. Though I suppose when it comes to dubstep, it is indeed all about the music itself, and word is that the rest of his set may have been a bit different to what I experienced…
Fat Freddy’s Drop continued Erykah Badu’s trend of delays on the roots stage, appearing about 25 minutes late. The interim DJ, Samrai, really needed more variety of tunes – he played the same tracks several times, which didn’t help the waiting game. Once Fat Freddy’s made it onto the stage, they sounded fantastic, and they had managed to pull a massive crowd. However, I have to say I wasn’t really ‘feeling it’. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the crowd (if you’re going to physically move someone out of your way as you push through, the least you can do is throw a “sorry mate”) or maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for their smooth beats – but it definitely wasn’t for me. This is a band I enjoy in the confines of a smaller venue, or under the highs of the more relaxed events like Bluesfest. But nonetheless, the crowd lapped it up.
Nas & Damian Marley followed, and with the DJ playing for his allotted time, this now saw the stage 30 minutes behind schedule. Unfortunately, much to our fears, this would go on to see Ludacris’ set cut down by about 15 minutes, thanks to the venues super-strict 10pm curfew, but as these numbers imply, it could have been a lot worse! Their set was a whole lot tighter than when I saw them at SXSW last March. They have a flawless flow about them now – and what once felt very much like the Nas show, was now indeed a balanced act. While the set focused on their debut collaborative album, Damian’s solo material also made an appearance, as did his fathers – “Could You Be Love” closing the night. “Made You Look” was among the Nas numbers to get in a listen during the hour and a half set. A pure delight for any fan of either artist – and hopefully not the last time we’ll see the two of them perform together on our shores.
Back on the MR J stage, I watched the sun set with Miike Snow. Last seen at the Splendour in the Grass, the band produced a truly impressive set, with an incredible cover of Vampire Weekend’s “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” (or, rather, a performance of their remix). The track in question made an appearance as I took my position, amongst a far more relaxed crowd, looking at a stage covered in antlers. “Slyvia” was possibly the highlight of the night, with an impressive light show and a stellar performance from the band. They truly are in fine form. “Plastic Jungle” was another winner, and “Animal” was the unsurprising set closer. A true standout performance.
For yours truly, the most frustrating clash came as the day drew to a close: Faithless – British electronic icons unseen in Australia for a decade – Ludacris – the American hip hop megastar who has never made it down to Australia until now – and Phoenix – the French pop rock group whose legendary performance back at V Festival 2007 turned me into an instant fan. As my nature usually suggests, I couldn’t say no to any of these performances – so I ran between the three, leaving with slight regret that I couldn’t stay for all of Faithless’ breathtaking performance.
Phoenix played through a similar set to what we experienced last time they were out here. “Lisztomania” opened things up, with “Lasso”, “Long Distance Call” “Fences”, “Girlfriend”, “Love Like a Sunset”, “Rally” and “Rome” among the tracks to follow behind. The light show was outstanding (you’ll have to find some video of the show to truly grasp what went on – it’s difficult to explain), and Thomas Mars and his troupe of fellow Frenchmen were at their usual standard of excellence. “1901” closed things up, with Thomas jumping into the crowd, much as he did at the Enmore when I last caught them. Indeed, not too much has changed since then, but the band assured us that they were about to disappear to work on new material, and should be back soon.
Ludacris wasted no time jumping into his set, rushing through plenty of his hits – including “Area Codes” (preceded by questions such as “Where are all my white people at?” “Where are all my Aborigines at?” “Who here grew up in Sydney?”), “Stand Up” and “How Low” to round the set out. Bits and pieces from his guest spots also made an appearance, including “Glamorous” by Fergie and “Yeah!” by Usher. Jessica Mauboy also stopped by, to perform their track “Saturday Night”. Not a fan of this one, but I have to say, she’s quite an impressive live singer. The standard hip hop fare was included – the “fuck that side” routine, the DJ solo, the banter about hot girls and local delights (e.g. weed) – and all in all I was just impressed he managed to fit so much in to the shortened set! The crowd loved it, and I’m sure it won’t be long before we see him back on Australian soil.
Closing out the main stage, Faithless provided the adoring and respectful crowd with an amazing light show, two drummers, and “You’re The Sun To Me” helping set things off. “God is a DJ” came early, sending goosebumps over me. You know what, as music becomes more and more a part of my life, this track has increasing resonance with me. Harry from The Hempolics joined for “Feel The Pain” and his collaboration with Maxi Jazz was definitely one of the set’s most impressive moments, especially thanks to Maxi’s cowbell interludes. Sister Bliss was also in fine form, and I’m glad to say I made it back throughout the set just in time to catch “Insomnia” (which was dropped surprisingly early), and set closer “We Come One”, which resonated with us as we left the venue – Maxi’s finger raised in the air, a heartfelt thanks, alongside a promised return, giving us a moment of connection with the iconic performer.
Good Vibrations delivered a fantastic festival this year. I had a truly enjoyable day out.
