Parklife 2008 – Kippax Lake, Moore Park (05.10.08)


Another year, another Parklife festival – although this is the first year I’ve actually attended. While always one of the hottest tickets in town, there does generally seem to be a post-event “oh, yeah it was OK… but had a great time with my mates” kind of vibe. And I think I’m going to have to agree on that one.

There was nothing about the day that really jumps out at me in a way that other festivals do. At festivals like Big Day Out, Bluesfest and even Good Vibes, there is usually a moment of the day that defines it for you; that you tell all your mates about to make them jealous that they weren’t there. And as I sit here writing this review I honestly can’t think of one such moment.

That said, however, I was extremely impressed by the diversity of performers over previous years. With Justice and M.I.A. being the main drawcards of last year, this year the drawcards pushed the buttons of a wide variety of genres and audiences.

After spending my first hour doing quite a bit of wandering and drinking (whilst enjoying the beautiful surrounds of Kippax Lake despite crummy weather) the day officially started off for me just before 3pm with Van She Tech, with whom had managed to gather quite a major crowd. While I’ve seen the band a number of times (and never been too impressed to be honest) I must say that as DJs they were playing quite a few sweet tunes, and a few people I spoke to told me they were here just to see them. Surely a large wad of cash just for a local act, no? But at any rate, they were a good precursor for what was to come.

Neon Neon were up next, and their 80’s Back to the Future inspired tracks were pretty fantastic; the deLorean videos behind them a nice touch. Also joining them on stage to the surprise of many was the wonderfully balding and overweight Har Mar Superstar, who proceeded to climb up the tower (which you’re not supposed to climb on) and do the normal shtick he’s famous for. This time, however, he kept his clothes on and refrained from throwing his pubes at people – which was rather disappointing, I must admit. I found said experience pretty hilarious when he supported the Chili Peppers a couple of years back. There were a few around me who knew the songs quite well, so they definitely have a following, and I was thoroughly entertained through the whole set.

Next up were Metro Area, an electronic duo from Brooklyn, keeping the party going well until the first ‘must-see’ act hit the stage: Soulwax. Now I’ve been wanting to see these guys for years, and I must say they didn’t disappoint. It was at this point I first saw the crowd go nuts, dancing up a storm as they launched into a new version of “E-Talking” and then onto a variety of tracks which included a lot of cowbell, and even a cover of Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock”, sending people a little teary eyed at the memories of the real thing a little under a year ago. And by teary eyed I mean they danced their socks off. And damn, did the band look awesome in their white tuxedos or what?

While most people hung around for Diplo, I decided to go to the Earth stage and check out Blackalicious, a surprisingly little known hip-hop group featuring Gift of Gab, who have also been on my must-see list for quite some time. The crowd was pretty small compared to what you’d have probably experienced if they played Good Vibrations (such is just the nature of this festival), but those that were there were eating up every rhyme and every beat, including yours truly.

With Peaches starting up just before they were supposed to finish, I headed over then to that stage, which had a massive crowd in anticipation for her over-the-top performances. Naturally, she arrived late, but didn’t disappoint… stripping down pretty close to the nude by the end of the show (also, naturally), keeping the crowd wanting more (and some, probably less).

While I enjoyed every minute of it, thanks to her late arrival, not to mention the crowds getting a bit ridiculous as they were arriving for 2MANYDJs (some were clearly unhappy to still see Peaches on the stage), I just had to catch a glimpse of Goldfrapp before the festival was over. And catching her last 3 or 4 tracks, she was just as amazing as ever. Unsurprisingly, however, her crowd was pretty small for a headline act… the majority of the crowds were either waiting for Dizzee Rascal or 2MANYDJs at the other stages. I say this is unsurprising because as a dance festival, some of her amazing new material would have been deemed too “soft” for the multitude of pill-poppers in attendance. They must have forgotten, then, how much they love her dance hits of the past, such as “Ohh La La,” which she closed the set on, setting the crowd into madness!

And so with that the festival came to an end. Well not really… I relaxed at the Water stage for the remainder of the evening listening to French DJ Martin Solveig, who seemed to be playing a lot of similar music to Van She Tech … sometimes I don’t really understand what makes certain DJs so special – I guess that’s just not my scene. At any rate, I indeed left the day having experienced exactly what I had expected the vibe to have been over previous years… “Oh, yeah it was OK… but had a great time with my mates.” The people who were throwing up as they left the venue, however – probably not such a great time. Kids these days!

Oh, and quick thank you to Mother Nature for (surprisingly) keeping the rain at bay for the entire day!

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.