With a line-up of over 50 acts across five stages, it was hard to decide where in Brisbane’s Jubilee Hotel to start my Dead Of Winter experience (29 July).
I followed the buzz coming from the crowded Sailor Jerry’s Deck Stage for Blue Mountains trio Red Bee. The band was a great start, mixing thundering riffs with heavy-hitting melodies making for a very catchy set. Even though it was winter, the boys worked up a sweat on stage hanging from the barrier of the deck stage to take in as much of their fans as possible.
With my adrenaline rising, I ventured to the car park stage to see what was on offer. I made it in time for Gold Coast riot grrrls Being Jane Lane’s bouncing set. The girls made their band name’s inspiration obvious when they played the theme song to the cartoon ‘Daria’. Unlike the show’s dour characters, the girls were full of energy and inspired fans to pogo and bounce beach balls.
Without a second to spare, local band Smoking Martha showed where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The band lit up the neighbouring 4ZZZ Carpark Stage with heavy Black Sabbath riffs and ripping blues wail of lead goddess Tasha.
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Just as I was about to leave the car park to see what the other stages had to offer, Melbourne garage rockers La Bastard kept me put. The band hooked me with their twanging surf guitars and the soulful voice of Anna Lienhop. Just as I was about to come closer for their energetic performance, guitarist Ben Murphy leapt off the stage and raced through the crowd while letting out a ripping solo.
Turning to the 4ZZZ Stage, local rocker Sabrina Lawrie and her backing band The Hunting Party came up just as the sun went down. It was perfect timing, making their brooding blues howls as otherworldly as their painted faces looked. While a few technical issues arose, they were no match for the band, finishing with an intense descent into screaming and noise.
Dead Of Winter was dominated by heavy guitar bands, but Gold Coast duo Tesla Coils stood out with some dark synth-pop. The two gave their all, with Jed Wolters throwing himself across the stage and drummer Chris Dennis pummelling the life out of his kit over a set of catchy synth-pop.
Dallas Frasca - image © Lachlan Douglas
It was easy to be overwhelmed by the number of great bands playing across the festival, so a break was in order. I regained my energy for Dallas Frasca, who’ve returned from a hiatus to play crushing blues rock to a massive crowd. The break has only made the trio rock harder, stomping through riffs and guitarist Jeff Curran finishing by literally stomping the guitar he’d thrown to the ground.
Flangipanis - image © Lachlan Douglas
It’s hard to say who had the best set of the festival. Everyone put a lot of rock and energy into their performances. But no one had the same fan reaction as local punks and Dead Of Winter regulars Flangipanis. Dressed in matching pink masks and capes, the band barrelled through their snotty tunes about things like “my f@#&ing dad fighting your f@#&ing dad!”.
The band proved too much fun, leading to mass moshing, stage invasions and crowd surfing. Security had a handful managing the crowd, but lead singer Jodie Lawlor regained some control with the calming power of her bubble gun. It’s hard to control yourself during furious bursts of punk like ‘I’m Drunk, So What, F@#& You’, but the crowd refrained from rioting, instead having a good time in the mosh.
Some Jerks - image © Lachlan Douglas
Offering a comedown were Some Jerks, whose sunny surf-pop was slower in pace to other bands but had a lot of bite. The group crafted some catchy tunes with their twanging guitars and boy-girl harmonies, all coming together for the earworm ‘The Hunter’ that had fans twisting like they were at a beach party.
The Bennies - image © Lachlan Douglas
It was a hard choice to make for the next band to see. Party machines The Bennies drew a massive crowd when they headlined the 4ZZZ Stage. Their reputation as live performers peaked my curiosity, but at Sabrina Lawrie’s behest, I decided to check out Giants Of Science. And I’m glad I made that choice.
Giants Of Science - image © Lachlan Douglas
Giants Of Science have been rocking for close to 20 years and their numerous side-projects meant shows were fewer, with their last being 18 months ago. I was aware of Ben Salter from his solo career and as a member of folk collective The Gin Club, but I was completely surprised by what he could do with The Giants.
The group were absolute riff monsters, inspiring lots of thrashing and air guitar from the crowd. Alongside favourites like the towering ‘Tower Of Toowong’, by far the heaviest song about a Brisbane landmark, the band showcased new songs they say they’ve been sitting on for awhile. Here’s hoping that means a new release is on the cards.
The Meanies - image © Lachlan Douglas
Closing the festival were legendary punk band The Meanies, with what may be their second-last show ever. The band have been performing for close to 30 years and the tiny deck stage was filled with misty-eyed fans ready to shout along to tracks like ‘Punchin’ Air’.
Lead singer Link Meanie left no space of the stage untouched, leaping across the stage and rolling around on the floor, the crowd’s moshing matching Link’s energy. Link also spent a lot of time on top of the crowd, getting in as much crowd-surfing in the band’s hour-long set as he could. It’s sad The Meanies may no longer exist after this weekend, but the group have left both the festival and their career on a high note.
Dead Of Winter Festival wasn’t lying about how big this year’s edition was. There was so much to take in, but even though I missed some great acts I still didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. Even after leaving the Jubilee I was excited to do it all over again (once I’ve recovered, of course).
Here’s hoping Dead Of Winter returns again next year; Brisbane will be sorer without it.
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