The rock pigs of Melbourne descended on AC/DC Lane and Cherry on Sunday for what has become a much loved annual event – the day of denim and leather that is the Cherry Rock Festival. There was barely a polyester cardigan in sight as the sold out crowd lapped up a day of street rock n’ roll. On the Cherry Bar Stage The Bowers kicked the afternoon in to overdrive with their hard edged pop, while up in the new 24 Moons stage The Demon Parade play to a crowd of industry onlookers who can’t help be impressed with their visceral psychedelic squall. Back down on the Cherry Stage the Fearless Vampire Killers suffer a few technical difficulties but win the crowd over by the end of their set with their surf tinged garage pop.
Ash Grunwald and Kram kept it rootsy out on the AC/DC Lane stage, but the crowd lapped up The Dacios back inside Cherry as front woman Linda showed the boys how to rock out. Matt Sonic and The High Times play a taught variety of 70s psychedelic stoner rock but by the end of their set they could do with a few more pop hooks. Catching the end of the Led Zep-esque squall of Redcoats up in 24 Moons is a an awesome aural assault, contrasting with the horn infused soul of Dan Sultan on the AC/DC Lane stage who incidentally seems to be giving plenty of ladies in the crowd the horn. MC James Young has more costume changes than Lady Gaga and has the old school preacher man patter down pat.
You can’t move back inside Cherry as the Gun Street Girls bust out their sleazy brand of pub rock. The crowd is revved up like a Footscray speed freak by the time Rose Tattoo hit the AC/DC Lane stage for their headlining slot. Age shall not weary them for Angry – in his trademark boiler suit – and his crew look like your Mum’s worst nightmare – a bunch of greying bikies who carry their instruments on stage as if they were to be used to deliver a bashing after a drug deal gone wrong. The fists get pumping and a devil’s horns are seen to be raised aloft as the Tatts top off an awesome day of rawwwk! The band pull out all the hits, from ‘Bad Boy For Love’ to ‘Rock n’ Roll Outlaw’, ‘Rock n’ Roll Is King’ through to a barnstorming encore of ‘Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock N’ Roll’.
Cherry Rock 010 firmly cemented its place in Melbourne’s rock n’ roll calendar with a well organised event which bar the odd queue for the ladies ran as smoothly as any festival in town – and gave all the rock n’ roll outlaws in town a day to call their own.
– Jim Murray
