Homebake Festival 2009 – The Domain (05.12.09)

homebake-2009

Most people would find it surprising that the 2009 edition of Homebake was the first time I’d ever paid visit to the iconic Sydney festival. But indeed, this was the first December in which I made the journey to the Domain, to see all that was ‘hot’ in Australian music right now. And boy, are we shining or what?

After quite the lengthy line to get in, The Scare were finishing up a rousing set, which had fans up the front aching for more. Where I may have been underwhelmed by the rockers in the past, they certainly impressed me from the little I saw. They work wonderfully in the festival environment, and will no doubt enjoy the spotlight as the festival season rolls on.

Thankfully, I also arrived just in time to see recent J Award winners, The Middle East. The impeccably beautiful sounds that are provided by the Townsville collective are second-to-none in this country. It’s no surprise, therefore, that Sydney Festival chose their track “Blood” for the 2010 advertising campaign. They’re playing SXSW next year, and all I can say is – you better watch out planet earth – these guys are going to make an epic splash into your collective consciousness very soon.

The new song they played in the set was particularly more powerful than their more traditional ambient numbers, and quite honestly sent chills down my spine. It was raw, beautiful, and made everyone at the Dome stage stand up and take notice. And a nice little way of telling us all – you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Next up, I moved over to the Cinema, where Michael Dorman and Abbe May from the film PRIME MOVER were performing a short set of songs from the film, alongside a few other bits and pieces. The duo were highly engaging and had quite a few gems in their set. Was one of the great hidden events of the day, a joy to be a part of. And speaking of short – for a good part of the day the Cinema was the ONLY area of the festival in which you didn’t have to line up for an hour to get a drink. But word got around quickly. Perhaps I shouldn’t have tweeted about it! Even for a festival, the lines were some of the worst I’d seen. But after hearing Casey’s 2008 review (HERE), it was expected.

Moving back over to the Dome, where I’d spend most of my Homebake, Dappled Cities had taken the stage, replacing Rowland S Howard, who had to drop out last minute. While this was a huge disappointment for many, Dappled Cities filled the spot in style – and should champion themselves for yet another fantastic set. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – these guys get better and better with every viewing. Having a peak over to the main stage during their set, I was thankful to see Short Stack only gathering a minor crowd – I know I give these kids a hard time, and it’s always good to see people getting into Aussie music, but the music is just awful, and I did my best to block out their soundwaves while at the Dome.

Sticking with the Dome, Gin Wigmore & The Cardinals (of Ryan Adams fame) brought a bit of international flare to the event. The band sounded truly superb, and up-and-coming New Zealand artist Gin Wigmore truly shined, as she delved into her debut album, Holy Smoke. She brought the crowd under her spell early on, and kept them there until she left the stage.

There’s no doubt that Gin is a performer that has been able to ride in on the successes of similar talents such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy, but she’s truly a talent in every sense of the word, and will be a voice to watch over the years to come – I daresay even outlasting the two aforementioned!

I briefly made my way over to the Hopetoun stage next, where Bridezilla were well and truly blowing the crowd away. I was thrilled, too, to see the crowd spilling out of the tent. Apparently this was the case the entire day, and is no doubt a sign that they may need to give the smaller artists a bigger stage next year! We shouldn’t underestimate Australian crowds – there are a good many who know good music when they hear it! While this was my only venture to the tent of the day, David Young loved his time there, and has some further comments at the end of my review.

Back at the Dome, 90s rockers Underground Lovers reunited their original lineup for the Homebake stage. I was unfamiliar with the group, and they didn’t do anything to impress me I’m afraid. But this was OK, because there was another reunited act (just announced to also play Big Day Out!) to help please my ears. That’s right – 90s grunge rockers Tumbleweed are back, and they certainly impressed it. I’ve heard quite a few of their tracks over the years, and it was a thrill to see the band who supported Nirvana on their Australian tour, and rode the grunge wave right alongside them.

The man who never seems to smile, Paul Dempsey, followed on the Dome stage, and continued to impress people, like myself, who weren’t big fans of Something for Kate. His debut solo LP Everything is True is a superb achievement, and translates beautifully into the live setting.

As the tunes of Eskimo Joe started to drift over to the Dome stage with the breeze, the rest of the audience found themselves in a dilemma – Sia, Decoder Ring or Howling Bells? This is easily one of the worst timetable clashes I’ve ever seen, and as such found myself separated from my friends, watching Sia, my choice of the three. While all three are amazing performers, Sia is an artist who rarely makes the journey down under, and after being blown away at the Enmore Theatre the weekend before, I couldn’t help but jump at another opportunity to see the talent.

The set was a reduced version of what we saw at the Enmore, although she disappointingly finished the set with 15 minutes to spare, leaving the crowd chanting for more. I can’t say enough good things about Sia, she’s a talent in a class of her own.

I made my way into the Big Top to finish off my day, and was rather surprised to see the tent only half full for both Daniel Merriweather and Midnight Juggernauts. But it was fantastic to have the room to dance, and it provided an appropriate end to the day. Daniel, another rare visitor to our shores, too busy hanging out with Mark Ronson and friends, poured through songs of his debut LP, alongside a few covers, including “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As Your Told)” by the White Stripes and “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney. He ended the crowd pleasing set with “Red”.

But I was very much in the mood for some Midnight Juggernauts action, and caught a bit of Jet in between the two acts. They really haven’t changed much at all over the years have they? They really needn’t have bothered with Shaka Rock, to be completely honest. The Juggers immediately set the crowd into a frenzy, with Tombstone providing a catalyst for people to “lose their shit”. They are fast becoming the most respected name in dance rock, and with good reason. We can’t wait for the sophomore LP.

And so ended my first Homebake experience. In general, I was impressed by the quality of music which was showcased, and the day seemed to run fairly smoothly, with the natural exception of lines. Although there was a moment in which I saw the police mace a woman at point blank range. I’m sure she was doing something dodgy, but nonetheless seemed a bit over-the-top, and created a mini riot for a couple of minutes.

Ironically, this was easily one of the most entertaining moments of the day.

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Additional comments from contributor David Young regarding his highlight of the day:

At the Hopetoun stage, New Zealanders Die! Die! Die! were preparing to take the delicate flower that Bridezilla had made on the stage previously, rip it up with their teeth and spit blood and petals until there was nothing left.

What the fortunate few in the crowd – including members of the Scare, Red Riders, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and even Bridezilla – experienced in their 45-minute set was a thoroughly accurate display of the way rock & roll needs to be performed. The trio roared through a mix of older tracks (a gang vocal inciting “A.T.T.I.T.U.D.” and “Blue Skies”) and material from their upcoming new album, invariably receiving a roar of support. Drummer Michael Prain, shirtless and wasted, flailed his pasty frame around his small kit as bassist Lachlan Anderson slammed his thickly fuzzed-out tones up, down and across the stage (even scaling the P.A. with his buzz-cut head touching the tent roof).

Even still, all eyes ultimately came back to Andrew Wilson, the unpredictable frontman who let his guitar howl out rings of distortion, dove headfirst into the crowd and tore open the gate to let those in the front row dance onstage. Anyone who’s seen the band before is already familiar with the destructive, anarchic nature of their performance and didn’t leave disappointed. Those that hadn’t had just witnessed the kind of live performance that can make you believe that there’s still evil to be found and fear to be struck in the realm of rock music. Don’t ever miss a chance to see this band live ever again. This is your final warning.

Header Photo by Chris Singh. Gallery by Mr. F-Stop.

Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.