Live Review: Big Day Out

Ten of thousands of Sydneysiders, apparently unaffected by the blistering 46-degree heat, swarmed through Olympic Park in order to enjoy one of the country's biggest festival line-ups at Sydney's Big Day Out. Opening the day at the Vans Essential Stage were triple j Unearthed winners Jackie Onassis, a Sydney hip hop outfit that brought huge levels of energy and excitement to the indoor stage space. The group drew a remarkable crowd, all of whom were visibly impressed with the group's hard-hitting, catchy beats and MC Kai Tan's clever, punchy verses.

At the main arena, post-hardcore group House Vs. Hurricane performed an impressive set to an attentive audience at the Orange Stage. The band's performance was technically very accomplished and was also brimming with enthusiasm. Across the arena at the Red Stage, the day was opened by Blue Mountains group Fishing. The group's catchy beats and tuneful melodies as well as their enigmatic stage presence also made them a great choice for the opening act there. The Griswolds followed them and captivated a large crowd with a very tight, sophisticated set that combined expertly-executed guitar and drum lines with very clear, catchy vocals. Indie-rock band Good Heavens also lifted the crowd there and tackled the heat with very high energy levels, but the vocals often did not quite reach all parts of the space and as a result the set did not feel as engaging as others on the stage.

Next up on the Red Stage was Australian hip-hopper Chance Waters, who drew the biggest and most excited crowd the stage had seen thus far. The entire audience sang along with some of the artist's older, slower tracks such as I Don't Know and Build It Up. One of the highlights of the set was the rapper's cover of Gotye's hit, Somebody That I Used To Know, which was flawlessly executed and thoroughly enjoyed by every member of the audience. The set closed with recent popular singles Young And Dumb and Maybe Tomorrow, both of which were expertly performed and made for a very exciting end to an incredible performance.

The Red Stage was then graced by Australian hip hop heavyweight Urthboy, who always displays a remarkable ability to totally captivate any audience and certainly did not disappoint on this occasion. Joined by stunning vocalist Jane Tyrrell, the rapper performed a great mix of his hits, such as Hellsong, Your Call and We Get Around. Drawing a crowd which almost completely filled the arena, Urthboy continued to use his energetic raps and witty banter to lift the mood even further with his performance of Shruggin.

In terms of musical and vocal competence, Band Of Horses played undoubtedly one of the most accomplished sets of the day. Every complex guitar melody and every strong vocal note the band performed carried clearly to each far corner of the main arena, showcasing the group's true musical talent. Singer Ben Bridwell's vocal prowess was particularly enjoyable in his performances of Is There A Ghost and No One's Gonna Love You.

Next door on the Orange Stage, American indie-rockers Vampire Weekend performed to an incredibly excited crowd. The band certainly knew how to engage an audience, taking plenty of time to talk to the crowd and managing to retain the focus of the whole arena for the entirety of their 60-minute set. The band, with all of their energy and enthusiasm, managed to get most of the crowd on their feet and dancing in the main arena for the first time that day.

In terms of the overall confidence and energy of performance, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' set was certainly one of Big Day Out's standouts. The most enjoyable tracks of the set were the incredibly energetic renditions of Phenomena and Soft Shock. Although the energy levels of the band never faltered, the group did seem to experience some technical difficulties and at times the complexity of the instrumental and vocal lines did not carry well to the back of the arena.

The Red Stage featured another accomplished Australian act, Something With Numbers. The set was technically very impressive and the audience were engaged the whole way through, with incredibly high levels of energy extending to all corners.

Another standout set of the day, however, was undoubtedly The Killers. Clearly knowing exactly how to please a festival crowd, the group opened their set with their classic hits Mr. Brightside and Smile Like You Mean It, which inspired every member of the audience to dance and sing along to every word. The set continued in this vein, with frontman Brandon Flowers talking to the audience between songs to ensure they remained totally engaged.

The night was then closed with an incredible set by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. One of the world's most celebrated rock bands, the group certainly lived up to their title as they faced a packed-out main arena. Without a hint of complacency and with incredible levels of enthusiasm, the band opened the set with a long instrumental introduction accompanied by impressive audio-visual displays. While the sound at the main arena seemed to experience a few technical hiccups and the lead guitar sound was drowned out occasionally during the set, the group nonetheless seemed to impress every punter in the huge arena. The group performed an incredibly well-selected set, performing both old and newer hits such as Snow (Hey Oh), Can't Stop, Under The Bridge, Californication and By The Way. The group then performed a flawless encore consisting of Higher Ground, Soul To Squeeze and closed the night with Give It Away. The 90-minute performance truly felt like a celebration of and a testament to the power and importance of live music.

Lucia Osborne-Crowley

What more fitting way to celebrate the hottest day in Sydney on record than being surrounded by festival punters in the sweaty inferno that was this year's Big Day Out. Luckily, however, the day was bursting with exceptional local and international talent which compensated somewhat for the overwhelming heat, inspiring indecent bikini tops and bare chests aplenty. Kickstarting the day was dynamic Sydney four-piece Royal Headache, who blasted the crowd with their vitriolic punk vibes and induced serious crowd involvement. Following shortly after was pop-punk trio Against Me! whose charismatic frontwoman Laura Jane Grace took the performance to new heights. The flawless energy between the members was inspiring and proved that it was going to take more than state record heat to deter this act. In many instances however, the heat systematically deterred the crowd from being involved in the performances or honestly engaging. For example, the Essential Stage, which was home to the very intense Death Grips, was crammed with a dense mist of sweat, seemingly dissuading festivalgoers to share the band's intensity. Vocalist MC Ride's visceral yells of “IT GOES!” during the raw performance of Guillotine demonstrated why Death Grips are truly in a field of their own and have coined their own unique style of music. Continuing this dense wall of sound was local deathcore icons Thy Art Is Murder, who blasted the crowd with their signature brand of metal, as they loped around the stage in unison.

As people mobbed into the Essential stage violently in packs, Childish Gambino hit the stage, opening with the choir-style chorus of Sunrise. Performing a mix of tracks off recent album, Camp, and mixtape, Royalty, Gambino possessed exceptional charm and pulled an impressive crowd, filling the sweaty furnace to its brim. And the Essential Stage's more punishing twin The Boiler Room, was home to the pervasive Canadian two-piece Crystal Castles, where 'badass' frontwoman Alice Glass provided her piercing vocals synched into static, synthesised sound. The fast-paced, short songs of OFF! were enough to get the crowd circle-pittin', rife with old-school power chords and typically irate lyrics, introducing the obvious garage-rock aesthetic channelled by Keith Morris. Performing Now I'm Pissed, Steve McDonald's intricate bass lines shone through the band's overall furious raw punk sensibility.

Moving along to the main stages, Yeah Yeah Yeahs took command with a very blonde frontwoman Karen O sporting a loud yellow shorts-suit, embellished with glittery detail. As they performed their popular singles, Gold Lion, Heads Will Roll, and slow jam, Maps, Karen O's delicate lyrics faltered against her obvious pitch issues, which became more and more apparent as their set progressed. The Killers however, who performed soon after, enthralled the crowd with their dense instrumental abilities and Brandon Flowers' precise vocal talents. The crowd passionately sang along to tracks Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine and Mr. Brightside, somewhat neglecting their newer material as it did not induce the same enthusiasm from the crowd as their classics. Heading back to the horror of the indoor stages, a sweaty 360 spat his ritual bogan banter rhymes, generating a positive reaction from the crowd that he pulled.

At the neighbouring Green Stage however, Foals emerged to perform a tight set that showcased vocalist Yannis Philippakis' incredible talents and the band's overall ability to create depth through instrumental layering. With a hauntingly beautiful performance of Spanish Sahara, off most recent album, Total Life Forever, it's obvious why Foals have managed to maintain relevance and not fade away like many other 'flavour-of-the-week' indie hype bands. Providing a divergent yet brilliant end to the day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Animal Collective brought the goods. With a crowd smaller than one would have expected of these legendary artists, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' vigorous performance did not disappoint. Performing classics Can't Stop, Scar Tissue and Snow (Hey Oh), the combination of pitch perfect vocals from frontman Anthony Kiedis and trippy accompanying graphics motivated the crowd to continuously cheer and shriek in excitement. As the night cooled down, the beautiful experimental vibrations of Animal Collective soaked through everyone's ears and soothed all the crowd's weary woes. With a unique light display and an effortless group dynamic, the impenetrable psych tunes were euphoria-inducing and left the audience with a very sweet taste in their mouths.

Ava Nirui