After weaving my way through the merch line, which wound its way around the inside of the venue, I arrived just in time to catch the beginning of The Swellers, a pop punk band, fresh out of Michigan. After hearing that some members of the band were out socialising with fans the previous night I didn’t expect these guys to have as much energy as they did at midday.
In no time they had the crowd dancing along to their catchy tunes. Ryan Collins, their guitarist, pulled out some great moves and even better sounds whilst Jonathan Diener pounded away at the drum kit. The Swellers were a perfect way to start my day as these guys got my blood pumping and reminded me that I was attending a rock show. After The Swellers it was time for me to rehydrate, the bar didn’t open till 1:00pm and as I stood patiently in line, I was lead into a basement. No windows and not even a glimpse of the stages.
I quickly finished my drink joined another line where I was hastily metal detected (for what I’m not entirely sure) as I hurried back up the stairs to catch We Are The It Crowd, Alesana and Go Radio.
Alesana put on an amazing set with fans screaming long before they came on stage. This time it was the audience that surprised me. They seemed to have endless amounts of energy whilst moshing and getting right into their killer tunes. Surprisingly, Go Radio have never toured outside of America, and when Jason Lancaster opened his mouth it made me wonder why. Jason sure has a set of lungs on him.
Hellogoodbye, Make Do Amends and The Damned Things were up next, followed by Funeral For A Friend, who sure know how to put on a show. Matthew Davies kept his cool during the technical difficulties and once they where sorted the set kicked off. Kris Coombs-Roberts and Gavin Burrough jumped around the stage putting on a great show. Playing one of the all time favorite songs “Street Car” which starts of with the sound of someone dialing on the phone pleased the crowed.
The crowd were singing and dancing the whole way though their true rock’n’roll set. Matthew Davies asked for the crowd to form a circle pit, of course everyone did as they were asked and thankfully, no one was visibly hurt. The crowd were left wanting more; however the Welsh-born rockers were out of time.
Set Your Goals, Time Providence (including an Aussie singer from Victoria) and Story Of The Year took to the stage next. Story Of The Year ripped up the stage with a special guest appearance from festival opener, Ryan Collins (The Swellers) on guitar for their last song “Until the Day I Die”. I’m honestly not sure who was more excited – Ryan or the crowd. Face to Face, Yellowcard and Young Guns also made their mark on the stage with violins, back flips and other crazy antics.
By 8:00pm we were nearing the end of this fast paced festival when All Time Low took to the stage. Most of the festival goers knew what to expect from these pop-punk boys from Baltimore, playing their crowd favorite such as “Six Feet Under the Stars” and “Dear Maria, Count Me In”. The band wooed the crowd with mum jokes, the fans lapping in every second. The audience was definitely in full swing, moshing, screaming and bringing as much noise and excitement as they could.
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S), the second headliner, gave it their all despite their set being significantly shorter than other co-headliners. Whilst behind the mic, Craig Owens spoke about his struggles now that he has hit “puberty” and the troubles his body is going through. This set was loud and filled with screams, one of my highlights for sure! Craig Owens sure knows how to put on a rock show.
Headliners, Panic! At The Disco, finally made their way onto the stage at 9:30pm. I forgot to mention earlier that the stage at Festival Hall was extended and divided into two – allowing busy roadies and sound techs time to sound check and have gear ready for smooth and quick transitions between bands. (To their credit, it worked!)
I was quiet surprised that they kept the stage this way for the headlining band. Panic! raised the roof, playing all our favourite songs including “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”, “Nine In The Afternoon” and “Mona Lisa Smile”. Falling for the charismatic singer, it wasn’t long until the crowd began yelling and chanting to Brendon Urie to “take it off”. After much chatter Brendon did, in fact, remove his shirt whilst sharing his childhood sob story. He explained that when he was young, he had a gland problem and during his school years his teachers would pick on him because he was the only one sweating. A sad story indeed, however, it resulted in a very pleased female audience.
Overall, the split stage idea seemed to satisfy the audience, as they didn’t have to worry about clashes or missing any of their favorite acts. However, terrible lighting, disgusting toilets and limited food/drink facilities meant the venue wasn’t something to be desired. However, despite the downgrade of Soundwave Revolution to Counter Revolution, Soundwave managed to pull off a decent indoor festival and a thoroughly enjoyable day. Bring on Soundwave 2012!
– Jess Tabone
