Gig Watch: Soundwave Festival 2008

Soundwave 2008 was a success

What a day it was.

Music lovers from all walks of life entered through the gates of the Melbourne Showgrounds. The majority sporting black band tees, skinny leg jeans and Chuck Taylors all eager to rock out to the sounds of some of the world’s biggest bands.

After getting my VIP wristband, I skipped the line and walked straight through the gates to the main stages. Kicking things off on Stage One were Halifax. Their average set was quickly followed up on Stage Two, by the screams of crazed teenage girls who went nuts for the 'Panic-At-The-Disco-Sounding', Boys Like Girls.

The crowd sung-along to their current radio hit, HeroHeroine. Lead singer Martin Johnson gave permission to the crowd to kick the shit out of a guy because he threw a bottle at drummer, John Keefe. How very Rock'n'Roll!

I then popped on over to catch a glimpse of All Time Low. Playing on a very small stage, they managed to fill the grass space they had with ease. A few drinks in the VIP tent - and this day was truly starting to kick off!

I made my way back to the main stage where I could hear people screaming (it seemed to be the order of the day!). The Plain White T’s had hit the stage and they immediately had everyone getting their grooving shoes on. They, of course, played songs from their fourth album, "Every Second Counts". And then came the number one song everyone had been waiting to hear Hey There Delilah. The showgrounds turned into what can only be described as one big campfire sing-along, minus the fire (and musical integrity). To end their set they finished with their new single, Our Time Now.

It was now 3:30pm. So I decided to go check out the market stalls and grab a bite to eat. I got to the food van only to find four lines of people that were about 50 deep in each (welcome to the world of Festival Foods!). So I wandered over to the slingshot (an amusement ride where two people sit in a round cage and get flung into the air). A young couple thought they would "give it a go". I’m pretty sure there were some wet pants by the end of it. I jumped in the line for food, grabbed a bag of chips and a can of drink and $7.50 later I wasn’t so hungry anymore.

Sadly, the Melbourne sun had started to heat everything up, and I noticed a lot of burnt faces moshing to Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

Due on stage next were Goth rockers, Mindless Self Indulgence. To be honest with you, I hadn’t heard much of their stuff but I sure had heard a lot about their energetic live performance. Me and one of my mates made our way down toward the front. Out they came and lead singer, Jimmy Urine, greeted us with the beautiful 'Hello, you bastards'. From that moment, everyone knew this was going to be a goth comedy set - and we weren't wrong!

He cracked jokes about Emo’s and told the crowd that he was 'The Bunyip' and was out to get us. The dude was a bit mental - but pretty damn funny though.

Thursday came out rocking, getting the crowd pumped up for the rest of the evening. Mind you, there is a fair chance they scared the sweet be-jesus out of the security when they told the crowd to perform "The Wall" (for the uninitiated - "The Wall" is where you split the mosh pit into two sections, straight down the middle, and then when the music starts, you run towards the middle and collide with the other side. Some crazy stuff but everyone was alright. At least that’s what I heard...).

Motion City Soundtrack. Three words I definitely don’t need to repeat to remind anyone who saw them. They were one of the highlights for the whole day. And you could tell that from the reaction of the crowd, first song of the set Fell in Love Without You got the crowd going. Awesome set throughout and topping things off with The Future Freaks Me Out.

Stage One was set alight yet again as Alexisonfire took front and center. Their set kept the crowd sweating with songs such as Accidents, Boiled Frogs and Drunks, Liars, Sinners and Saints. George Pettit is one hell of a performer - shirt or no shirt!

Incubus. Who are they? Yep, the boys have been somewhat absent from the limelight for a while, but there is simply no denying their ability. While I am not the biggest fan of "The ‘Bus"; they do put on an incredibly awesome live show. Brandon Boyd’s vocals were right on key. He had the crowd singing along to every radio-hit they had. Nice To Know You, Wish You Were Here, Megalomaniac and of course, Drive.

Then came the time. The time when everyone just stops, looks, and screams. The Offspring. Those blokes deserved headliner status (and wheelchairs...). They’ve been around for longer than I’ve been alive, and they sure know how to entertain 10,000 people. They cranked out Bad Habit, Pretty Fly, Original Prankster, Gone Away and Hit That. They also showcased one of their new songs, Hammerhead, which received a good reaction from the crowd. Only setback here was, four songs in, and they lost their lighting. But got it back a couple of minutes later. Offspring were hands down the best of the day.

All in all, Melbourne Soundwave 2008 was a huge success minus the food prices, long queues, time clashes and dust. Bring on Soundwave 09. 

Mindless Self Indulgence and The Offspring were the stand-out acts at Soundwave 2008

Overall: 70%