Now in its seventh year, the Cherry Rock festival is one that prides itself on being different from the pack.
A good old-fashioned street party, with a stage set up at the end of AC/DC lane, as well as the normal stage within the venue, the number of patrons are kept down to around 800 and the bands are not the usual suspects that seem to play every festival that travels around the country.
One of the most refreshing aspects of this particular event is how laidback the punters are, with a complete absence of the dickhead factor that can mar bigger festivals.
Today featured 14 bands over the two stages. Early arrivals were well and truly woken up by the one two punch of the psychobilly of The Workinghorse Irons, with their compelling take on the genre, followed by the highly enjoyable Western Australian all-girl band The Surefire Midnights, who added a welcome bit of oestrogen in what was a highly male dominated line up.
The crowds were well and truly out in force by the time Battle Axe Howlers and Gay Paris took to the stage, with the bars pumping with activity and many enjoying a cheeky Sunday afternoon beverage or two.
Gay Paris in particular stood out with their over the top attitude and approach to stagecraft, threatening to have sex with anything that moved Armed with highly catchy and polished tracks like “Anvil” and “Cowgirl”, they proved to be one of the highlights of the day.
During the entire event, MC and Cherry co-owner James Young proved to be a highly affable and personable host, encouraging the crowd to see the bands and telling us a little about them.
In a change of pace and getting outside the ‘rock’ element of the day, country and western band Little Bastard really tore it up on the inside stage. This seven-piece provided a really nice counterpoint to the more heavier musical acts that played on the day. “Night Before” and “Motherless” were great illustrations of a band to keep an eye on in the future.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, Viking metal act Barbarion took to the main stage all guns blazing. This was a unique, very European take on metal as we know it. Surprisingly, this totally fit with the ethos and philosophy of the day, charming and engaging the crowd in the alleyway to no end.
A blistering set of dirty, filthy rock from Mammoth Mammoth awaited those at the inside stage. While not reinventing the wheel, this was the type of rock that was totally to the liking of the die-hard Cherry crowd and went down a treat.
A real curveball came up next in the form of Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk. A two-piece simply made up of guitar and drums, the twosome really created a big, fat and utterly mesmerising sound and style, transporting the besotted crowd to a sleazy dive somewhere in the deep south of America. A highly charged and stunning performance that makes one understand why they, by all accounts, completely stole this year’s Golden Plains festival (you can check out our review here).
After a nice bit of stoner rock from Matt Sonic & The High Times, the crowd completely got the heads blown off by local yahoos King Parrot. A thrash/grindcore band from Melbourne, the group are like Fugazi on crack in terms of feel and aggression.
Singer Matt Young prowled the stage like a man possessed, periodically crowd surfing and singing while doing so. A real treat and definitely one of the best on ground in regards to the local component of the festival.
It was finally time for the two overseas headlining acts. Swedish three-piece Truckfighters, with their highly upfront and in-your-face take on rock, won many new fans this evening, with many a smile and heads nodding approvingly in time with the music. With some great tracks like “Tourist” under their belt, it is no wonder the likes of Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age are big fans. They were an excellent choice for this festival, playing to a truly appreciative crowd.
Unida, the other project from John Garcia, former lead singer of the legendary stoner rock act Kyuss tore the place apart. The heavy and ridiculously enjoyable set, showcased the utter powerhouse of a vocalist that Garcia is. “Wet Pussy Cat”, “Summer” and the brilliant “Hangman’s Daughter” whipped this crowd into an absolute frenzy. To many, Garcia is like a deity of stoner rock, having really set the template with Kyuss. This was a brilliant way to end the day.
All up, Cherry Rock was and always will be an exciting and compelling alternative to the bigger festivals that are only interested in the financial bottom line. Created by lovers of music for lovers of music, long may it reign.
