Is the best cure for the morning after a big night simply to carry on?
Almost 20, 000 Sydneysiders put this hypothesis to the test last Tuesday, trusting in their sunglasses and the efficiency of the Red Bull stand to carry them through 2013’s first, and definite contender for best party.
New Years Eve stories were put on hold and consequences delayed for another 24 hours, as the young and beautiful flocked to the Domain for Field Day.
Besides, there is no such thing as being too hungover to dance to Hot Chip.
As somewhat of a walking novelty, the prospect of seeing 90s rapper Coolio perform live was attractive, if only for nostalgic reasons.
It’s a shame then, that he was irritatingly out of synch with his backing instrumentation, and also seemed out of breath. ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ was the anticlimax to end all anticlimaxes, a mess of saxophone and samples playing at completely different times, and more shouting of “field daaaaaaaaay!” than actual rapping. A little past his prime, perhaps.
The weather gods were kind enough to bless the first day of the year with impeccable sunshine, which became a baking heat when stranded in front of the Centre Field.
Respite came in the form of the leafy, fairy garden paradise of the Forrest Stage, which played host throughout the festival to the cream of the crop of local DJs.
Here, Sosueme DJs mashed classics from Kendrick Lamar to Dolly Parton in a set of infectiously fun remixes, alongside a healthy injection of cheek. “Watch out ladies, this one might make you pregnant!” being one choice quote.
Over at Left Field the pixie-like figure of Maya Jane Coles sent waves of deep house into the crowd with quietly calm confidence. Booka Shade’s eclectic vocal whoops and bouncing, hollow synth – along with some truly impressive percussion – seemed to be having a hypnotic affect on their audience; before AraabMUZIK’s teeth shaking, mind bending dubstep took things up a notch across the park.
As expected, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ glittery, feather light electronica was a delight, built off the strength of wildly popular tracks like ‘Household Goods’ and ‘Garden.’
He wasn’t dressed in quite as an elaborate garb as he is renowned for (being native American headdress free), and instead draped himself in a deep orange poncho and shimmering pastel shirt.
Bubbles floated through the air while dancers dressed as pianos, gold-tailed animals and flowing purple butterflies writhed on stage, before the producer born Orlando Higginbottom signed off with a coolly nonchalant “Happy new year.”
Right before Hot Chip took to the stage, it emerged that their equipment had become lost somewhere in between Tasmania and Sydney, and they would instead be performing a DJ set for their assembled fans.
Yes, so it wasn’t what the crowd was expecting – but this mix of spaced out, vaguely wistful melodies, loveably dirty lyrics (“I’m skanking’”), and tinny beats was still one of the highlights of the day.
A remix of (Hot Chip member) Joe Goddard’s gorgeous solo track ‘Gabriel’ even played a part, in front of an AV show of glowing pastels, stark neon and blotchy splashes of primary colour.
On top of this electronic spectacular, it was then announced organisers had managed to extend the festival by half an hour, and the band would actually be able to perform their live set at the very end – meaning festival-goers would be treated to double the Hot Chip they had originally anticipated. Qantas’ incompetence: 2013’s first blessing in disguise.
Back at the Island, Django Django’s high-powered electro-rock and quirky showmanship was well under way. Despite being one of the most low key acts of the festival, the funk groove of ‘Skies Over Cairo,’ and live showing of one of the catchiest choruses of the year in ‘Default’ were still more than enough to get the crowd moving.
Without so much as a ‘Hey, we’re the Vaccines,’ the four piece exploded into their fiercely energetic set, a barrage of noisy punk rock with solid pop sensibilities.
At their most upbeat, the Londoners were among the most irresistibly danceable on offer at Field Day, an impressive feat considering the many electronic artists whose music is designed for that very purpose.
Frontman Justin Young twitched and jerked like a live wire where appropriate, and poured his vocals into the mic during their slower numbers – the finest of these being the grittily catchy ‘Wetsuit.’
Judging from the crowd reaction to the closer, ‘Norgaard,’ the unstoppable hype machine the Vaccines have been riding in their native Britain has definitely reached Australian shores.
The optimistic sound of Two Door Cinema Club’s anthemic indie pop was a perfect fit for a day meant to celebrate beginnings.
From the opening guitar burst of ‘Undercover Martyn’ to the bubblegum chorus of ‘What You Know,’ the Northern Ireland trio rattled off hit after hit, a polished, spectacular performance built for a crowd of this size.
Alex Trimble’s angelic vocals soured over the Domain, rising and falling with guitarist Sam Halliday and bassist Kevin Baird’s torrent of unbeatably catchy hooks.
There’s a simple reason for Two Door Cinema Club’s accolades in their home country – this band is just so goddam fun, and they are in their element live.
SBTRKT entered the Island bathed in a blood red wash, as eerie loops and a shuddering beat spilled out from the speakers.
In his recorded work this artist uses a rotation of guest vocalists, but for live performances, fans are commonly treated to the arresting RnB of album favourite Sampha, and Field Day was no exception.
His crooning vocals perfectly complemented the stylised post-dubstep; floating over the ghostly samples and refined bass like it was simply another effect.
Drawing from only a handful of EPs and one (self-titled) album, SBTRKT managed to put together a diverse and thrilling set list, with a myriad of technical subtleties from both his acoustic drum kit and the electronics he was simultaneously playing with.
It could be predicted that the highlight of the show would be a stand out track like ‘Wildfire’ or ‘Hold On,’ or even the stunning encore with ‘Disclosure’ – but the winner would have to be Sampha’s emotional cowbell solo in the middle of the set. Kickass.
At this point punters were supposed to be heading home, but thanks to the earlier twist of fate the entire Field Day population swarmed over to the Centre Field to catch Hot Chip’s brief, but highly rewarding live show.
They only had half an hour to work with, but the Londoners closed the night with well-practiced style, playing hits from ‘Flutes’ to ‘I Feel Better.’
If their performance on the first night of 2013 was anything to go by, it’s going to be a stellar year.
View the photo gallery of Field Day 2013 here.
