Live Review: Parklife 2012

Eager punters are swarming the Botanic Gardens in droves. A lot of guys' shorts have unfortunately shrunk overnight in the wash, while the alluring hint of side boob seems more prevalent than ever before. But what's sure to be more entertaining than these fashion faux pas today is the cracking line-up assembled, with a balanced mix of DJs, bands and MCs offering some poison for everyone.

Brisbane Riverstage reaches an early peak in radiance as the Hermitude duo put forth an energised display of their distinctive blend of hip hop. None too fussed over the punishing heat of such an early slot, the crowd is eager to dance up a proverbial storm. Remixes of The Presets' Ghosts and MJ's Rock With You draw favourable response, but it's recent hit Speak Of The Devil, complete with live vocals by Chaos Emerald, that really knocks it out of the park.  

UK bass hero Benga is at his dominant best today, the Londoner showing all and sundry why he's already considered a dubstep legend at the age of 25. His sonic variety keeps the crowd on their toes while technically, the producer is flawless.

A gifted beatboxer keeps the entertainment flowing before Plan B takes the stage. Being backed by a full live band is generally of great enhancement to an MC's set, but this case invites mild disappointment as the arrangement sometimes fails to translate the finer production detail of the studio tracks. Airing halfway through the set, amid a flurry of Ill Manors clips, Lost My Way actually translates quite impressively and certainly acts to add momentum to the mounting festival spirit. 

Brooklyn's Chairlift haven't drawn the biggest crowd of the afternoon, but those present are rewarded with a stunning performance full of unstoppable synth-driven pop perfection. Although the duo have bulked out their live experience with five players, Caroline Polachek is still the star, her ethereal vocals given the full treatment with Amanaemonesia and Bruises going down gorgeously.

British musician/producer Stuart Price, aka Jacques Lu Cont, seems to perform as a premonitory trailer for the mainstage electro-onslaught to come. He runs through a fine selection of electronic beats while screens present nostalgic visions of utopian futures through playful appropriations of retro video-game fonts and logos. A spin of Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger lights up the middle of the set and The Killers' Mr Brightside brings it to an excitable close.

Grime forefather Wiley and his lethargic posse of 'hype men' seem to be more interested in laying the groundwork for a late night back at their hotel room than they do giving a performance worth remembering. Sound difficulties plague the set but no one seems to give a damn when he launches into Wearing My Rolex.

Tame Impala sound massive from the outset. An extended Desire Be Desire Go swirls in the afternoon air while Kevin Parker turns his guitar into an extension of his soul when shredding the guts out of Why Won't You Make Your Mind Up? Operating as a quintet these days with the addition of drummer Julien Barbagallo, current single Elephant is the track Kasabian wished they'd written, while closer Half Full Glass Of Wine chugs along in another dimension.

Atop a hyrbrid structure of speaker stacks and TV screens, Nero set a course that extends above and beyond all possible expectations. Offerings from Welcome Reality are rendered exquisitely through a joyous concoction of audio-visual stimuli, which reaches a blissful saturation point as two jet-fighters shoot up in view and a cacophony of fireworks erupts all around. As if in perfect synchronicity, the two events harmonise to affect a profound duration of festival transcendence that will no doubt live on in memory as a truly special moment in time.

French electro royalty Justice (DJs) forego any indulgences in the visual department and simply focus on delivering an electrifying set of moving music. In the midst of the infectious mix, selections from † shine forth as true highlights. Exploring the darkest corners of the human psyche, Stress becomes a frightening exercise of sublime intensity, however, its very antithesis, D.A.N.C.E., performs the balancing act as ideal contrast. Their set is wrapped up by an epic rendition of Phantom and the holy trinity is complete.

The mixing for Passion Pit's set is inexcusably pathetic, and although it's obvious the Massachusetts electro-pop maestros are giving it their everything on stage, early tracks such as Take A Walk and The Reeling still sound unrecognisably weak and colourless. As the rain begins to fall, some technical issues and a thrown cup seem to fire up Michael Angelakos and the crew, with the second half of the set climbing higher and higher until Little Secrets triumphantly signs the show off.

After only just three days ago playing an intimate Sydney gig that was their first performance in 18 months, The Presets take Brisbane's Riverstage to re-enter the live arena proper. With spot-on sound Kicking And Screaming and Talk Like That ease the crowd over familiar terrains. New album Pacifica then becomes unveiled and realised in all its wonder, with stellar performances of Promises, Youth In Trouble and Fast Seconds acting to unfold the album, delivering its partially latent potential into full fruition. The emotive set peaks as A O climaxes into My People, and an encore of Push leaves a resounding “non-stop, party, party, party…” echoing into the night.

You're a good dancer? Robyn's better. You have confidence? Robyn has more. You think you're stylish? Well, unfortunately you're not; at least not compared to the Swedish pop dynamo – her closing performance on the Atoll Stage is simply a sight to behold. Operating like a well-oiled machine, her boiler-suited four-piece band makes the stellar production on tracks like Dancing On My Own and Indestructible come to life while the blonde cropped superstar takes control from the front, making the night hers for the keeping.

Even with Riverfire going off with a bang, the real fireworks were to be found on stage today; Parklife once again providing a stellar way to kick off the summer festival season in style.