Southbound

[JimDocker]

Who else went to Southbound on the weekend?

I missed the Friday night gig but arrived on time to see Philadelphia Grand Jury on Saturday. I wan't overlyfamiliar with these guys but they were a good start to the weekend. A lot of fun.

I caught the tail end of Abbe May and the Rockin' Pneumonia and they were as good as always. Quality musicians and a terrific singer.

I did some stage hopping and saw bits of Washington, Chairlift and Patrick Watson and thought all were ok without really grabbing me.

I watched most of the set by The View and really enjoyed it. They sounded a lot like The Libertines. Good pop rock.

I had only heard a bit of Andrew Bird previously but had really liked it and looked forward to seeing his set. Great musician, wonderful singer that reminded me of Rufus Wainwright at times and Ron Sexmith at others and boy can he whistle. It is a tough thing to do to whistle in tune and he was fantastic. I was slightly over the whistling by the end of the set but apparently I was the only one in my group of friends that had a problem with it. A great set.

Next up, highlight of the weekend. Grizzly Bear were amazing. A group od 4 young New Yorkers could be excused for not being totally professional for a one hour set at a little festival but these guys did there own sound checks and all sang to get the levels right prior to beginning before leaving the roadies to deal with minor matters. The level of musicianship was high, yet they are not bland and sterile. Warm, emotive and passionate. A truly magnificent performance.

I caught a bit of Bertie Blackman who was very good and a bit of Editors who I enjoyed for about 3 songs then thought they sounded a bit samey.

I gave Wolfmother and Moby a miss.

Sunday - I went to check out Siren Tower who played pretty straight forward rock, but played it well and were led by a big guy with a big voice. Enjoyable set.

Oh Mercy were a funny mob. Good pop songs that I knew as I have the EP and they played them well live. The lead singer was very deadpan while talking and I think he may have had a bit to drink the night before. Pretty good though. A lot of potential.

I haven't seen The Kill Devil Hills since the new release and they did not let me down. Absolute quality musicians and very tight. A really good stage presence and some great singing. Not sure that I enjoy the drummer's singing a lot. A little bit Barnesy but overall, a reeal highlight for me.

White Rabbits are a band I know nothing about but they put on a brilliant show. Great tandem drumming and really good infectious songs. I will be buying a CD after that set. Wonderful

I caught the end of John Steel Singers and found them a bit gimmicky with their capes...... Average, although the people in the tent seemed to be loving it so maybe they had built the atmosphere.

I wandered over to see Paul Dempsey and found it fairly dull, but he finished the Set off with a great cover of Cortez the Killer.

I only saw Sarah Blasko a few weeks back but could not resist her. She was as brilliant as ever. An absolute professional with a superb voice and a great band. Her sweet banter with the audience had everybody in love with her. She is amazing.

Not a huge hip hop fan but I enjoy the Hilltop Hoods generally and managed to catch the last 2 songs, the last being Chase that Feeling. It was great.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a truly great live act. They were worthy of being the headliners with a scorching performance. I admit to not moshing and sitting at the back with my nephew to chat about the weekend so I did not get the full atmosphere, but Karen O is a rock Goddess.

Overall, a great weekend.

 

[anti_]

i saw quite a few of the same ones as you really.

i went on the friday and saw local perth band 'the transients', i've seen them a few times and theyre a quality act. then i saw shazam later in the night, good tunes.

Philadelphia Grand Jury were great, the drummer owns. they're entertainers, the voiceover between songs was a laugh.

after a while of checking out some acts that didnt really interest me i saw grizzly bear...as you said, these guys are pros. they were ultra tight and the sound was great. that tent was perfect for their sound. ready, able is such a tune. saw MC bad genius checking them out, cant miss that beard.

then i checked out some/all of editors (average), amanda blank (pretty good) and yacht club djs (****ing shithouse, horrible etc)

at 11 dj yoda played in the tent. shit, that was one of the best dj sets i've seen. in terms of fun it was right up there...felt sorry for the people that witnessed moby instead of that. he's playing in perth in a few weeks time again, must see.

sunday...i watched oh mercy first, they were pretty decent. then after some time i saw white rabbits, who were also quite good.

went to see xavier rudd with a mate because shes in love with him...that shit made me feel sick. bailed after 10 minutes.

finally, future of the left, what ive been waiting for. so powerful, the sound was awesome and even though they didnt play a few of their best tunes (plague of onces + the lord hates a coward) it was still a really really great set. easily my highlight. colin is a pussy.

everything from there on wasnt going to compare. checked out temper trap for 20 minutes...eh.

miami horror were fairly average, they're a band that should just stick to writing hooky pop songs and not venture too far beyond that. because their other stuff is average.

checked out datarock, i thought they were good fun...should've played in the tent though.

then major lazer, pretty big let down. they were ok i guess but nothing special.