Maaate, don't let the astronomical calendar fool you – last Saturday (12 March) at Eaton's Hill Outdoors in Brisbane it was Spring Loaded, man!
Fully loaded in fact, springing eight favourite Aussie bands to recreate the live music feels from the set lists they gave us back in the '90s. A decade that was the springtime of my life journey and no doubt for many ticket holders on their way here.I am so excited that I am one of the first through the gates into the outdoor venue. Let me in, let me in! Yes comrades. Check point cleared and I am in.
Under the usual hotel undercover car park, are food vans to the left and to the right. The vendors are at the ready to dish up tasty grub such as pizza, burgers, tacos, nachos and savoury pastries and sweet cake slices.
Walking straight ahead, my shoes leave the concrete and meet the grass of the festival space under the open sky. Wowsers! Ahead of me is a super cool construction.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
It is a two level Gig Rig adorned with a huge Spring Loaded banner. This contraption is providing a great stage view from shaded seats for the VIP ticket holders – lucky blighters.
Along the fence-line is an impressive length bar. I imagine there will be queuing at the corrals soon enough, so I grab a bottle of water that I can refill later at the free water station. Yeah, I forgot the reusable.
From there I head toward the back of the festival grounds, between the frozen cocktail stand and the phone charging stall, to the merch tent. I want to support a band and nab a new Meanies tee. The only one I had from back in the day died a horrible holey death.
View the entire band photo gallery.
Stashing my purchase, I turn back around to head towards the stage and see more bodies, in varying casual festival attire, stippled across the grass. Some are standing, some sitting on the soft lawn or seated in low camp chairs and picnic blankets.
Down at the stage, I see Lindsay 'The Doctor' McDougall who is not only performing in the band (Frenzal Rhomb) he joined at the tender age of 18, but also bringing us his radio show hosting skills to be our day-long MC. Talented dude this one.
The Doctor confirms Caligula is kicking off our afternoon. The electro-grunge rockers are quick to get the gathering crowd warmed up to their new material among their hits from the early '90s.
Caligula – image © Clea-marie Thorne
We also receive a live experience of their cover of ‘Tears Of A Clown’ (Smoky Robinson and the Miracles). Also, I chuckled when Rothschild in his signature violet-coloured glasses introduces 'Roundabout' claiming it sold 99 copies and his mum purchased about 50 them. A top set and I wish we could see more of them around Brisbane.
As the earlier threat of possible rain diminishes the crowd numbers grow. The Fauves are onstage next and teasing they are their own tribute band.
You know there will be a Fauves Are The Best People tribute band in the '30s or '40s right? No? Trust me on this.
The mighty Fauves' catchy tunes have the attention of the now swelling crowd. We are lost in our memories and the melodic grooves. Every mouth around me is singing along to their well know hit 'Don't Get Death Threats Anymore'.
We also really let our pipes loose singing: "Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Self Abuser'," and of course 'Dogs Are The Best People' – even I remembered all the words. My festival vibe-o-meter is already peaking at high and we are only two acts in!
The Fauves – image © Clea-marie Thorne
A crowd is moving closer to the stage barrier as the good Doctor prescribes us The Meanies who will be soon crashing the stage to get things thrashing.
Man! The Meanies hit stride from the get-go and just didn't let up. McLennan, lead singer, was singing every song like it was the first with no loss of momentum or pausing for breath and the rest of the band are going so hard I wonder if this momentum can last a full set.
Blimey! They may be giving us '10% Weird' but my festival vibe-o-meter is tipping at 110 per cent and these banging heads in front of stage prove it.
McLennan's roar is relentless and I am literally slurping on The Meanies' thrashy punk instrumentation deliciousness. Other songs 'Old Car To Shangri-La', 'Gangrenous' and 'Suicide' contributed to the delicious wild ride.
The Meanies – image © Clea-marie Thorne
Although The Doctor teased Frenzal would be on next – it is perfect timing, for a change in genre and ambience. Screamfeeder take to the stage and their high energy, melodic pop-rock reverberates as it rolls and crashes around us.
The set is going over a treat with fans and punters. We are singing along with Lloyd and her glorious pipes that are as amazing as ever, especially when harmonised by Steward.
Nothing showcases this better than when they are playing us 'Dart'. Hang on. What's this? McDougall is being a band floozy and is lifting his axe for '12345'. Maybe this is why he got muddled up the introductions – silly duffer! A fantastic set topped off with McDougall's animated guest appearance.
Screamfeeder – image © Clea-marie Thorne
After reminding punters to purchase tickets for the Grinspoon autographed Fender Stratocaster to aid in the music industry's contribution to flood relief, The Doctor weirdly introduces his own band.
Punk in sound and attitude and the sight of flailing dreadlock snakes on Whalley's head, Frenzal Rhomb bring us back to a hectic pace as more of the crowd crunch in towards the stage barrier as 'Mummy Doesn't Know That You're A Nazi' is let loose.
Along with the mini Rhomb-fied excerpt cover of 'Ooh Baby It's A Wild World' punters get to sing along to their favourites including 'You Are Not My Friend'.
A circle pit is being activated during the set of infectious riffs, cheeky lyrics and belting vocals. I notice McDougall's red frangipani shirt and Hawaiian theme shorts have been ditched like strippers layers as he dons his maroon stubbies with a tee to execute his incredible guitar playing jump moves.
Frenzal Rhomb – image © Clea-marie Thorne
The set is ending all too soon with the frantic punk paced 'Punch In The Face'.
Magic Dirt take to the stage with drinks in hand like the rock & rollers that they are. The set is hard, dirty, rock heavy and we are getting the hits tonight from a very moody stage.
We are rocking out to 'Plastic Loveless Letter', 'Pace It' and 'Dirty Jeans' like it was only yesterday they were playing on our mixed tapes while we sang into our hairbrushes – but how much better is it live.
After Srsen has a few more swigs of bourbon we get a crowd favourite from the band 'All My Crushes' while the end of the set is staged with Srsen shredding her guitar on the amps and foldbacks, before she exits from the stacks in front of the crowd with her broken-stringed axe.
Magic Dirt – image © Clea-marie Thorne
While the guitar strings were broken, the energy was not. If anything the rock queen antics got us wilder.
The Doctor, who is back in his MC get up, is now introducing a definite crowd favourite, major headliners in their own right and the headliners of our hearts, Regurgitator!
If there is a Gurge song that is not a killer song that we don't know ALL know the words too, this crowd doesn't know it.
Punters could be heard almost as well as the stage speakers as our voices resounded into the night sky. I am belting out 'Track 1' along with Yeomans who is giving it tonight like he has more energy output than the sun.
The set included 'Kong Foo Sing', 'Blubber Boy', 'Everyday Formula', 'I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff', 'Black Bugs', and 'I Will Lick Your Asshole'.
Regurgitator – image © Clea-marie Thorne
With every song, punters got noisy with elation and the band loved it and we loved the trip down memory lane and the new memories created with those packed in around us!
Ely was on fire bouncing around the stage and playing with frenetic passion. As Yeomans confirms, to end a show in Australia you need to end in a little Ozzie – we get a bit of Black Sabbath 'Paranoid' as a treat. The crowd cheered with true glee.
The vibe-o-meter went to maximum level with the Gurge and while we wait for Grinspoon to give us the final set the crowd's anticipation is holding it there. I sing along with fellow punters to Boss Skaggs' 'Lido Shuffle' as we prepare for the rock onslaught of the Grinners.
A huge crowd roar as they are walking on stage. Jamison is hands down one of the best showman-front men Australian bands has on offer.
The crowd doesn't hold back their excitement when Jamieson jumps around, or stops to hold his weird signature yoga poses, elegantly manoeuvres on the speaker stacks or dangles the microphone in front of the crowd to sing back to him.
Grinspoon – image © Clea-marie Thorne
The whole band is giving us powerful performances with well-known songs like 'Dead Cat', 'Lost Control', 'American Party Bomb' and '1000 Miles'.
The crowd is getting wild for each and every song, and what makes it a truly superb set and festival is the sea of people that have come together in front of the stage to sway, bounce or dance to the songs.
Our silhouettes and the band member silhouettes are being made from the rhythmic lights onstage – it's freaking electric.
Of course the Grinners went out with a bang to 'More Than You Are' and we are being showered with confetti from two canons side of stage. While many around have phones raised to capture the sight, I am in the moment taking it all in. Epic.
And just like that it was all over red rover. While the crowd isn't getting the encore they are calling for, it is early enough for mates to move on up into the hotel and chug back a few more while hashing out the best parts of the festival – and many did.
Experience wise, nearly every band made mention of the VIPs sitting above the general admission plebs that the bands jokingly favoured on the ground. From the looks of pleasure and creature comfort, I think I could highly recommend a VIP ticket next year. They really did have the best view to watch the show from.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
A couple of technical difficulties emerged and I just love how a crew gets on it immediately and the band members improvise to offer us a rock & roll experience you just can't get from a studio recording. Oh and maybe, just maybe there was that one band member that had to scramble to find their onstage pants before their band could play! Yes this did happen.
Aside from that festival was utterly ace. Everything within reach, a bar with enough lanes so you are not queuing for a drink, loos in the privacy of a corner patch, some shaded areas for us old goth types that wilt in the full sun and food vans near enough that it didn't prevent you from grabbing a feed. The merch tent did a roaring trade and were kept pretty busy for the day.
The whole line-up was nostalgic – recalling bands and the music with familiar hooks and defining lyrics from the '90s I found to be exciting and different, and imprinted with the memories of my 20s.
I am reminded of my youth and naivety, of old friends and crushes, of moving from a town to a city and hitting the live music action, which led to a deeper love of music and a life-long addiction to live music.
Truthfully. Even though we have all gotten older, the music on the set lists tonight is still just as incredibly relevant and enjoyable as it was then, no matter what age you are now. I love that these bands have not stopped playing music or making new material either.
I want this trip de nostalgia each and every turn of the season – spring me again in the autumn of 2023. Please.
I've no doubt that all those who attended will remember Spring Loaded 2022 with a fondness that will have them be the first ticket takers for 2023. You betchya!
