On Sunday Sydney cracked open a drink, lathered up the sunscreen and headed over to Sydney Olympic Park for what was set to be a day of punk, rock and metal madness. Both the young and old threw on their band shirts and got ready to rock out.
Everyone who got down early to see Hyro Da Hero were amazed by the combination of rap, hip hop and metal. Not only did they pump up the crowd with their awesome sound but Hyro jumped of the stage to stand among his fans, encouraging everyone to spread the love and hug each other before singing “Sleeping With Giants”. Hyro set the mood for what was to be an epic day.
Crowd numbers dwindled for Saves The Day but the energy did not change. They few that stayed bounced around and sung loud enough to make up for the numbers. Not only did Saves The Day play some of their most loved songs but they also covered Weezer’s landmark album Pinkerton.
Over at stage three Zebrahead pulled a large crowd. We were all pumped for the day while at Stage 4 our metal-horns were up for Black Dahlia Murder who pleased the crowd with a brilliant set. The only problem was guitars and vocal could have be a bit louder as they were drowned out by the drums.
There was an overwhelming sense of nostalgia when Unwritten Law played. They played a ton of crowd favourites as well as covering Grinspoon’s hit song “More Than You Are”. The Ready Set was full of energy; their songs bouncy and catchy, pulling in crowds that were just walking past.
You Me At Six had the whole crowd singing and jumping along. Franceschi’s vocals were off at the beginning but he made it up to the crowd by being full of energy. They played a few of their old songs like “Underdog” and “Stay With Me” as well as playing a new songs off Sinners Never Sleep which they released late last year.
Due to the sad news of Aussie hardcore band Break Even deciding to split last week hundreds of fans headed over to Stage 6 to see them for what would be the last time. Stage 6 was in a shed making it feel more intimate, like a local show, creating an awesome atmosphere. Vocalist Mark Bawden jumped in the pit during the second last song “Troublemaker” allowing the crowd to participate in vocals.
A Day To Remember was another band with sound trouble. The drums and vocals overpowered everything else, which was king of off putting. The crowd was defiantly pumped for A Day To Remember with people making human pyramids, girls getting their boobs out and everyone singing along. At one stage the sky was colourful due to large amounts of confetti being set off. A Day To Remembers set was all about fun and fun is what everyone had.
Hardcore veterans Bad Religion after 30 years of being a band pulled huge crowds. They played classics like “LA Burning” and “My Atomic Garden”. They are truly an inspiring band to watch.
Cobra Starship played an awesome set mixing both the old favourites with new ones. Vocalist Gabe Saporta pleased every girl in the crowd with his raunchy dance moves. Dashboard Confessional was amazing to watch as it was just Chris Carrabba and his guitar. It gave the set a more intimate feeling full of emotion. Unfortunately if you were up the back you the sound overlapped – you could hear Kittie rock out at Stage 6.
The last time Limp Bizkit played in Sydney it ended in tragedy with 16-year-old Jessica Michalik being crushed to death at Big Day Out 2001. They dedicated a speech to Jessica and her father George, who attended Sunday’s Soundwave at their invitation, and ripped down their own banner and instead displayed Jessica’s name as their backdrop. The crowd was touched by this gesture. Limp Bizkit played an epic set and even let the crowd pick what song they wanted to be played last.
Forever The Sickest Kids had the crowd up on their feet and bouncing around. It was impossible to stand still whilst watching them. They were then followed by The Pretty Reckless which shows that rock can still be deemed as sexy with Taylor Mosman seducing the crowd. They played roughly nine songs including “Zombie” and “Make Me Wanna Die”.
Although Marilyn Manson pulled a huge crowd he made it obvious he did not want to perform. He was forced back onto the stage multiple times and played only a few songs even though he had a 50-minute set. At one point he poured what appeared to be cocaine over a fellow band member’s head, he openly spoke about narcotics, encouraged fans to bring him some and told them not to worry about the law enforcement as he has “people backstage that can suck them off”. Overall the whole set was mess and disappointed loads of fans.
Jack Mannequin played an awesome set full of emotion and energy. It’s amazing how much a band can jump around even when there is a keyboard in the middle of the stage. They played both new and old songs with “Mixed Tape” being a notable favourite.
Slipknot were incredible; they blew everyone’s expectations out of the water. The stadium was so packed you could barely see the ground. There was flames, fireworks, drum kits getting tilted on weird angles and thousands of people rocking out. They were probably the most entertaining set of the whole day playing crowd favourites like “The Heretic Anthem” and “People = Shit”.
Enter Shikari got everyone up on their feet dancing along with their mix of post-hardcore and electronica. Most of their set consisted of songs off their latest CD A Flash Flood Of Colour with some old favourites like “Sorry, You’re Not A Winner” and “Juggernauts” thrown in. In previous years they have been accompanied by epic light shows but unfortunately this was not the case on Sunday, which was disappointing.
Metal legends Machine Head rocked out playing songs like “Imperium” and “Halo”. It was a perfect set to end the perfect day. No time to rest those sore feet or that killer sunburn Sydney because it’s still Soundwave week! Head to some killer Sidewaves and begin the countdown to Soundwave 2013!
– Marissa Hanson
