Luna Park at Milsons Point in Sydney played host to a great line up of Australian rock this Anzac Day long weekend. The line up was as eclectic as the fans themselves. An all ages crowd had a chance to catch tunes from the likes of Little Birdy to Butterfingers, The Scare, Peabody, Wolf & Cub, The City Lights, The Mess Hall, Youth Group, Gerling, Dappled Cities Fly, The Red Sun Band and the Spazzys just to name a few.
Under the Big Top bands played in half hour sets, one after the other on a split stage. You could be forgiven for not moving from there all night except for the fact that equally talented bands were playing simultaneously on the more intimate Spectrum stage across the way.
The weather was great and a big ‘heads up’ to the organisers and contributors of the day, it all seemed to run like clockwork. The lines were minimal and fast moving, the free rides were a great bonus and the views from such a venue only improved as the sun went down and the lights came on. There couldn’t have been a better choice in venue for the Come Together Festival.
A great all-ages event has just that – all-ages. Come Together sported an even mix of over and under-age punters, with two bars available to the older folk and barriers to separate the areas, it all seemed to work well. The tickets were replaced with wrist-bands giving greater freedom and speeding up the entry que.
Opening up the Big Top stage at 11:30am were The Devoted Few. I was glad to see that tickets were put to maximum use and music fans were filtering in early. The Devoted Few played a great set, and being a big fan of Bluebottle Kiss, (Ben Fletcher being a former member) they could not disappoint me. Loud and tight, their half hour was up all to quickly.
Wolf and Cub turned it up a notch with two drum kits pounding and guitar screaming. The vocal effects had us wishing we had spent a little money on a set of earplugs, but we loved it none the less. There were definitely a lot of Wolf & Cub fans in the house as the crowd erupted when the set was over.
The City Lights followed on from this and did not seem to find Wolf and Cub such a hard act to follow. They delighted us with hooks and melodies.
To catch Brisbane’s The Scare I had to leg it over to the Spectrum stage where the doors were a little late to open. I secured a place down the front with all of the other girls. These guys are hot! The Brisbanites put on a screaming show filled with technical difficulties like broken strings, mic and keyboard stands and leads being unplugged but managed to still have us all wondering where the time had got to. Like the ultimate CD sampler of Australian music, the day flowed on and the line up was awesome.
Expatriate and The Red Riders (making a big and well-deserved name for themselves) warmed up the crowd for some of Adelaide’s finest, Bit By Bats. These boys shocked the hell out of me, and are a prime example as to why you should go and see live music. These guys had a great presence on stage and had us nodding and tapping with delight. I may have danced.
By the time Peabody came onto the Spectrum stage, act and onlookers were drenched in sweat. As always, they did not disappoint. One of Sydney’s most loved bands, Peabody have a following twice the size of the little venue they occupied, and by now the mercury was right up there and a breather was necessary just prior to heading back in to catch The Grates. Fresh from a rocking gig at Spectrum, I found their energy motivating and I could withstand the heat in front of the Spectrum stage a little longer. The Grates launched into Suckerfish proving that there is no accounting for what a little radio airplay can do and the whole room, including me, sang along.
The Flairz, all the way from Fremantle in Perth, really surprised onlookers who had trekked back to the Big Top. We had heard they were young but we did not expect what we were about to see. The Flairz, a 5 month old band with an average age of 10 and half years, rocked out with their little voices not quite broken yet. Massive tunes like Rock And Roll Ain’t Evil had us stunned. I was really chuffed to see the crowd so supportive of these (literally) kids. I can’t help feeling though that if they were a little older they might not be so impressive. I guess time will tell with this band.
Dappled Cities Fly never seem to disappoint, and I was proud to be wearing my badge. I find this band amazing, from their energy, catchy lyrics to their flat out style. I don’t think any self- respecting punter in Sydney hasn’t seen them. If you haven’t seen them, you know what you must do.
After a break for some ride fun (and more coffee!) I caught the last part of Faker. I have seen these guys a few times but not in this incarnation. I was pleasantly surprised. Previously I have found them a little boring, but with new faces and loads of new tunes, they rocked.
Highlight of the day – The Mess Hall. I am loving the current trend towards a new band set up – guitar and drums or bass and drums, streaming away from the standard guitar-bass-drums set-up. It’s not only fascinating for the punter, but sticks pins into a whole new part of the soul. I can’t applaud this duo enough. After hearing so much about them I’m now a dedicated follower. Loud, tough, hard, fast – I’ve never experienced rock/pop this way before; I liken them to a poppier version of Death From Above 1979.
Sound in Spectrum stage was a problem for all the bands playing, and there was a noticeable lack of people to help out on stage. All the bands did well to get through a set, but after a while I found myself avoiding this stage. But I was not going to miss Gerling for all the tea in China.
Well where do I start? Got sucker punched into thinking I would hear some of their well honed electronica but this was, dare I say heavy, raw and very rock and roll! The version of Who’s your Daddy absolutely tore the crowd up, as did the mention of the worthy Sydney audience. Is it the emperor’s new clothes for Gerling? God no - it’s a damn fine new set of threads and an awesome show!
A few rides later and it was time to catch Butterfingers, the Aussie hip-hop trail-blazers from Brisbane. These boys know how to work a crowd. They had us jumping all over the place, and hip hopping along to their radio-friendly tracks. Great sound under the big top, with huge garage beats mixed with rock and a little electronic punk, the crowd showed their appreciation with screams for an encore.
It was hotting up in front of stage for the head-line act Little Birdy. With the Spectrum stage closed, people flooded in and filled up all available floor space. Front woman Katy Steele came on stage to a roar of applause and launched into her set her amazing vocal ability (second only to her equally amazing range) which stunned us all. The crowd went nuts the entire set as Katie and her band belted out massive melodies, backed up by huge drum fills and bass licks. Little Birdy have a raw rock sound live. Seeing this lady rock out, I am sure, inspired a whole new generation of female musicians amongst the all-ages crowd.
In short the line up, the crowd and the venue couldn’t have been better, and with a second Come Together Festival secured for October, the success of this Saturday is more than obvious. Festivals like this are a great showcase of talent from all over Australia and, to be sold out, shows that there are plenty of fans out there to support them all. Sign me up for the next one.
