Review – Soundwave
So, I popped my music-festival ticket cherry this past weekend, with the Adelaide edition of punk/rock/metal fest, Soundwave.
Though it was my first experience of a music festival, it was everything that I had thought it would be, in both the best and worst senses of the phrase. The lines were long. The drinks were expensive, and the “ATM” was an utter rip-off and simply involved two crew processing EFTPOS transactions for the sum of 5% extra per withdrawal. The food was awful – and pricey – I paid $13 for the worst fish and chips I’ve ever eaten.
But all that was to be expected. What I was really there for was, of course, the music. The biggest draw card for me were Blink 182, who returned to Australia after almost a decade long absence, also following their lengthy hiatus as a band. I have loved Blink since I was very young and had never been able to see them live til now, and they were truly worth the wait. Though many fans were angered and disappointed when Travis Barker, the band’s long-time drummer, dropped out of the tour, none of that bitterness was expressed on the day. The atmosphere was electric and it was clear that fans were ecstatic to see (most of) Blink together at last. Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge also delighted fans with their infamous gross-out banter. The set list was also spectacularly chosen, with no major holes or disappointments for either long-time or new fans.
Flogging Molly, earlier in the day, drew a respectable crowd and kept their interest with an engaging set and ample interactions with their audience. The highlight, admittedly I am a huge fan of the song, was hearing ‘If I ever leave this world alive’ performed live.
Sum 41 had their set during probably the hottest part of the day, and while the performance did not suffer, the enthusiasm of the fans did.
Despite competing with Metallica, Paramore drew a huge crowd – though it was decidedly more full of teenage girls than any other audience. I was pleasantly surprised that singer Hayley Williams’ voice is equally impressive and compelling live as it is recorded, which made for an excellent performance.
The Offspring, also competing with Metallica, finished of the day for me, with slight disappointment. While their songs are undeniably fun, and the crowd went utterly wild for ‘Pretty Fly for a White Guy’ and ‘Why Don’t You Get a Job?’, when performed live, one after another, the similarities between most of their songs are hard to escape. That said, the Californian rockers were a light-hearted, fun and very danceable way to end the line-up.
Thus ended my first festival, and it was a truly great experience. If the line-up continues to be so impressive in the future, you can count on my presence year after year, sub par fish and chips or not.
