Summer sizzles around Oz

Summer festival season has arrived once again, but not soon enough it seems for avid music fans. There is a smorgasboard of summer flavours to entice any palette and if live music is your bag then you’re bound to be sultrily seduced by what’s on offer through the next few months. 
 
First up is the usual dance floor phenomena which accompanies the Summadayze festival and Summa Field Dayze on the Gold Coast. Two Many Djs, Major Lazer and Danny Howells provide a mixed-bag of musical treats which fit the electronica bent. For ticket and venue info visit: fuzzy.com.au.
 
If dirty electro is not your cup of tea then thanks to those who bring you the fantastic Falls Festival in Marion Bay and Lorne the touring road show is being taken to the Northern States. Sunset Sounds touches down in Brisbane on January 6 and will play host to Moby, The Temper Trap, Lyrics Born and Art Vs Science, not to mention the larger than life Yeah Yeah Yeahs. For ticket info visit: sunsetsounds.com.au.  
 
No sooner than you’ll be saying au revoir to your New Year’s celebrations but the Big Day Out Festival will kick off once more, this year with another super line-up. The Mars Volta, Passion Pit, Powderfinger, Muse as well as Lily Allen make this a variety filled day out for music fans. Visit bigdayout.com.au for further artist info.
 
But if it’s getting too big for you then why not throw your attention to a smaller scale festival, Laneway – smaller for it’s laneway restrictions but large in its band repertoire.
 
Taking place in lanes all over the country: Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane; Laneway will showcase international folk sensation Mumford and Sons, as well Florence & the Machine, Whitely and Sarah Blasko. Visit lanewayfestival.com.au.
 
Further to this will be February’s dressing down of the urban flava when Salt n Peppa, Busta Rhymes and the Uk’s Friendly Fires all make an appearance as part of the Good Vibrations Festival happening again nationally. Visit jammusic.com.au for further info.
 
You’d think you’ll be tuckered out though whe n no sooner does this festival wrap up but we’ll be hit up by the likes of Prodigy, Above and beyond and Franz Ferdinand when Future Music Festival touch down hitting all major cities with their delectable dance-crazed addicted artists. Go to futureentertainment.com.au.
 
Taking us right up to Easter and out of summer will be the 21st Blues and Roots festival happening again in Byron. This line-up promises a mad-hatters cup of Crowded House (reformed for this festival only) as well as blues musician Buddy Guy and amazing dance elicitors the Buena Vista Social Club. The festival unveiled late in November gun entertainer and crowd stealer – Jack Johnson as well. Visit bluesfest.com.au for ticket and date information.  

Ruth Bailey

Posted: December 29th, 2009 under FESTIVALS.
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Powderfinger embrace ‘golden rules’ for success

A five year hiatus from performing at sell-out festivals could make some bands nervous, unless of course you’re phenomenally successful Australian band Powderfinger. Jon Coghill (long-serving drummer to the five -piece) is excited about the prospect of the band being back on the road where they will join the stellar line-up for next year’s Big Day Out national tour. Even if, the excitement is fuelled by their desire to create better memories this year. The last time Jon and his band mates joined the Big Day Out bandwagon they found themselves as Jon recalls a little out of their element.

“We were playing with all these heavy metal bands and it was a horrible atmosphere, back stage with all these unfriendly people. So when this line-up was announced we were like ‘ooh yeh’ we’ll be able to get along with them.”

2010’s Big Day Out tour happens to time perfectly for Powderfinger (who comprise, Bernard Fanning, Ian Haug, Darren Middleton and John Collins and Coghill) because they’ll be touring with brand new fodder for their fans.

A seventh studio album – Golden Rule has been released to national acclaim and whilst it’s written everywhere about the ‘Finger’s’ many achievements over their illustrious twenty year journey, numerous Aria Awards now collect dust at the band’s studio space (located somewhere in industrial Albion, Brisbane) and it’s here again the magic for this latest album mesmerised.

According to Jon the stand out differences between this album and that of 2007’s Dream Days at the Hotel Existence are that this time around he and the lad’s were less focused on achieving perfection and more on just getting along and having fun. He also attributes a positive difference to their decision in welcoming back a trusted friend in Nick DiDia who truly grasps what the band is about.

“We let Nick take control of what was happening, and it took away the whole negotiating between each other how we should be doing stuff and usually five sort of opinions turns into something that is not very productive.

“We wrote the songs but the whole idea of the way the album sort of flowed and the sentiment, feeling underneath it was very much Nick’s doing.”

Not shy in admitting Hotel Existence’s producer didn’t quite gel with the band’s own vision for making music, ‘he was all about creating the perfect pop song’ he credits instead, Nick with the foresight and ability to shape a fantastic album.

“He’s got a really similar philosophy with music as we do it’s not as much about as selling as albums as trying to write the perfect pop song, it’s about making something aurally stimulating.

“It’s sort of like I don’t know you try not to get into that sell-out territory and you just sort of let the music speak for itself. “ Jon says.

And speak it shall, released in mid November the album has already enjoyed unprecedented sales (debuting at number one in the Aria Charts for a fifth consecutive time) possibly this is because the band decided to harness the online momentum generated by social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. A forward thinking move, from them, which has been exceedingly well embraced by their management.

“The internet is evolving and the way that you market on the internet is evolving so quickly and I think people are always looking for the next thing so it’s probably a lot of opportunity out there and there is a lot of scope provided by the internet but you have to be wary of it…” Jon warns.

A specific element to the social media strategy employed was for the band to perform and trial their new material on the sometimes unsuspecting public (busking outside the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay) and again under their band moniker – Adult Baby. The anonymity attached to performing this way, gives, Jon believes, the band a chance to perform without expectation.

“It’s pretty good actually, it frees you up, it’s good in different aspects when we did adult baby we just played the album from start to finish and we hear about four or five old songs that we don’t usually do  so with playing under Adult baby there is no expectations of what you’re going to play so you can play whatever you want.

Where as with Powderfinger, sometimes there are a few songs that people like you to play where as you also like to get the crowd into it, it changes your set pretty much.”

Powderfinger play the Sold out Big Day Out Festival tour nationally in January. For more information visit bigdayout.com. Their album Golden Rule is available via getmusic.com.au and powderfinger.com.

Ruth Bailey

Posted: December 29th, 2009 under FESTIVALS, INTERVIEWS.
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