Day 1 – Wednesday 5 January
The first post-New Year’s festival to hit Brisbane, Sunset Sounds (AKA the two-day northern Falls minus the camping) brings together musical talent both young and well-established as well as throngs of revellers flock to the Gardens. Previously sunny, the weather is already cloudy by the time we make it to the Goodwill Bridge entrance to pick up our wristbands. We also manage to hear the end of local Triple J Unearthed crop Ball Park Music – who today, boosted by the River Stage’s massive PA, sound bigger and better ever, cheery indie-pop hooks resonating around.
Next, hotly-hyped New Yorkers Sleigh Bells are a girl in tights who can’t really sing, an anorak-wearing dude with a ‘metal’ guitar who clearly didn’t get the humidity memo and a tinny backing track. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they’re terrible. My friend christens them “Slurp Balls” and the nickname immediately sticks. In short, both The Kills and The Ting Tings do this kind of thing better.
In search of decent-quality live music, we temporarily retreat to the Gardens Stage where Canadians Hot Hot Heat preside over a not-inconsiderable crowd. Singer Steve Bays’ trademark Afro may be feeling the effects of condensation in the Brisbane afternoon air, however the combo are in excellent form, kicking off a major collective motion with their 2005 hit and indie-disco staple “Goodnight Goodnight”.
Back at the River Stage, LA’s Cold War Kids are treated to a heroes’ welcome, rolling out live staples from both Robbers & Cowards and Loyalty To Loyalty as well as newer cuts “Audience Of One” and “Louder Than Ever”. As the skies open up, Nathan Willett commands the crowd’s plea on “Hang Me Up To Dry”; the universe doesn’t oblige and proceeds to drench everything and everyone and then some. Nonetheless, the one-two finish of fan favourites “Hospital Beds” and “We Used To Vacation” goes down an absolute treat.
Gold Coast’s premium electro-flamenco fusion masters Tijuana Cartel and their sunny grooves may be somewhat incongruous at the rain-sodden Hibiscus Stage, yet the muddy circumstances don’t stop the audience from hip-swinging their way through stompers “Holiday In Baghdad” and “Persian”.
Still playing the same songs from a nearly three-year-old album, Ladyhawke – aka Kiwi Pip Brown and her backing band – is a firm crowd favourite, cranking out a solid set at the Gardens Stage and prompting singalongs with radio hits “Back Of The Van”, “Paris Is Burning” and the ever-present “My Delirium”.
The day’s biggest drawcard, The National are basking in adulation as they open with Mistaken For Strangers from 2007’s reputation-boosting Boxer. Immaculately presented, the New York-through-Ohio collective assume full control of the Gardens Stage as they blast through High Violet‘s standouts – “Anyone’s Ghost”, the Triple J-favourited “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, “Afraid Of Everyone”, “Conversation 16” – as well as Alligator rockers “Abel” and “Mr November”. The exultant mood hits a peak as “Fake Empire”‘s immediately-recognisable piano chords hit the rain-punctuated air, and I suppress a momentary urge to join the mobbing throng when Matt Berninger goes on a stroll through the front rows during the concluding “Terrible Love”. As dozens of hands grab whatever part of the deep-voiced frontman they can temporarily hold on to (the beard being a particular hit), we conclude that we’ve witnessed something truly special.
There’s still enough time on our clocks for the last 15 or so volume-lacking minutes of rap legends Public Enemy, however the torrential rain prevents us from descending downhill and we have to make do with a small dose of righteous old-school hip hop and a scratched-up remix of Nirvana’s immortal “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as the water streams down our ponchos.
Away from the Australian shores for the last three years, Wednesday’s headliners Interpol manage to be both fantastic and disappointing. Doubtless chuffed that the rain has failed to disperse the crowd, a grinning Paul Banks (an unusual sight in itself) is in top voice and the ever-dapper guitarist Daniel Kessler rocks out with usual vigour. Current bassist David Pajo (of Slint/Tortoise/Zwan/Papa M glory) may lack Carlos D’s enigma and edginess, yet has his lines down pat and gels seamlessly with powerhouse drummer Sam Fogarino, while touring keyboardist Brandon Curtis (of prog-rockers The Secret Machines) lays down subtle synth touches.
Super-tight, the New York combo score deafening cheers with Antics material: “Narc”, “Slow Hands”, rarely-performed “Take You On A Cruise”, big number “Evil” and the eventual closer “Not Even Jail”. We also get a generous five entries from their self-titled recent LP and one from 2007’s Our Love To Admire – the still-excellent “Rest My Chemistry” – yet old fans (myself included) feel a bit gypped after only “Say Hello To The Angels” and “Hands Away” from 2002’s landmark, never-bettered debut Turn On The Bright Lights pop up during the set.
Despite the massed “IN-TER-POL!” and “EN-CORE!” chants, the New Yorkers fail to return onstage and the roadies start packing away the gear. Richly mud-splattered and thoroughly wet, we head home for a well-deserved hot shower, towel-off and sleep. Sunset Drowns day 1 over.
Day 2 – Thursday 6 January
Following an abysmal overnight downpour, the entirety of the Gardens is a slurry, sludgy mudbath today – however sensibly gumbooted and ponchoed-up, I’m ready to brave the unwelcoming weather again. Upon entry, our group splits in two, with me and a friend staying at the rain-sodden River Stage – where Townsville’s good kids The Middle East preach their Christian indie-folk to the masses – and the other half venturing to check out Boy & Bear (I later hear that apart from their infamous Crowded House cover, the Sydneysiders were lacklustre and plagued by a bad mix).
Just like the last time I saw TME, they’re rather unremarkable. As ever, I miss “The Darkest Side” and manage to repeat the feat with the recent single “Jesus Came To My Birthday Party”, but duly reminisce about 2009 when the collective bring out the horns for the predictable crowd-pleaser “Blood”. As we head to the bar, the north Queenslanders take time to bow out with a lengthy post-rock exercise “Tsietsi”, ostensibly the weakest number on their first EP.
Melbourne noiseniks Children Collide are on the other great fun to watch, pummelling now long-established The Long Now singles “Farewell Rocketship”, “Skeleton Dance” as well as “My Eagle”, “Jellylegs” and “Arrows” from recent LP Theory Of Everything. His longer-than-ever hair a-flailin’, Johnny McKay has the early ’90s Seattle grunge look down pat and attacks his Fender Jaguar with the same fury Kurt Cobain used to (even at one point playing a few phrases with his teeth, Hendrix-style). I’m a bit perplexed that the trio don’t finish with “Social Currency”, their common closer, but with a pretty ominous new instrumental – however no one around seems to mind.
Veteran festival dogs The Living End are as water-tight as one would expect them to be, Chris Cheney tearing out long-familiar licks from his Gretsch and transporting the crowd back to 1998 with “Second Solution” and “All Torn Down”.
At the Hibiscus Stage, Californian indie wonders The Morning Benders immerse the listeners in much-needed harmonic sunshine, the highlights including a note-perfect cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and the closing “Excuses” (which they extend with a self-oscillating, melodic-noise outro). As we stand and enjoy the four-piece’s set, the rain temporarily stops and few spots of clear sky peek through the grey and we observe approximately fifteen minutes of incredibly gorgeous sunset before the thick clouds blanket the view and take another mighty leak on all and sundry.
As anachronistic as they may seem given today’s musical climate, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts prove to be one of the festival’s standout acts. 30 years since she exploded on the charts, the iconic frontwoman still pumps out no-frills, loud and simple rock & roll – and she’s still fantastic. Following a cracking opening salvo of “Bad Reputation” and The Runaways angry-girl classic “Cherry Bomb”, Joan teases us with “Do You Want To Touch Me”, later taking her jacket off. A young girl standing nearby proclaims to us she wants to be like JJ when she hits her 50s – and one cannot help but think the 52 year-old must have access to some magic potion to allow herself to get away with donning a bra.
The jubilant mood reigning all over, the River Stage turns into a massive karaoke as Joan’s signature stomper “I Love Rock & Roll” is belted out by thousands of voices, while her take on the ’60s standard “Crimson And Clover” and a lusty “You Drive Me Wild” equate to pure sonic sex. We may have heard rumours about her supposedly “stuffing up” the New Year countdown at Falls “not once, but twice”, but that Brisbane got a high-calibre display is beyond any doubt.
Back at the Gardens Stage, the Paul Kelly fans are standing in a mudpit oblivious to the discomfort, hanging on to the storyteller’s every word and singing along to classics “Before Too Long”, “To Her Door” and “Love Never Runs On Time”. Her incredible voice filling the air, cohort Vika Bull shines on “Everything’s Turning To White” and “Sweet Guy”. Such is the power of the Aussie icon’s words, we’re practically reluctant to return to the River Stage for the big finish.
With the rain gradually decreasing, UK trendsetters Klaxons close Sunset Sounds with a hefty serving of futuristic new-rave indie-pop interspersed by air sirens and balloons, dismantling whatever previous hit-and-miss reputation they had in the past. Tonight, they’re pretty bloody excellent. Myths From The Near Future singles “Atlantis To Interzone”, “Golden Skans” and “Gravity’s Rainbow” get a rapturous crowd response and from new album Surfing The Void, “Echoes” takes off like a jet plane. Proving to everyone they’re still firmly keeping their hands on the pop music pulse, Jamie Reynolds and his bandmates bow out in an urgent, bombastic fashion with “It’s Not Over Yet”.
Which brings the end to the two days of fun, rain, mud and top-notch live music. Sunset Sounds 2011, we’ll miss you (even if our footwear probably won’t).
