Brisbane and Sydney hard rockin’, metal lovin’, punky spunkies get your best festival outfits ready for a weekend of absolute heavy madness.
Last weekend Adelaide and Melbourne blasted off with Soundwave ’15 tour with a bang. Writer and photographer, Carl Neumann, tells us about his experience at the weekend festival and gives an insight into what the northern cities can expect this weekend.
Helpful hint: Get the Soundwave app. It’s kick-ass helpful and will be your personal guide for the day/s. I wouldn’t have covered as much ground as I did without it that's for certain. Bravo to the techies behind building it.
Click here for photos from Day One.
Attending the Melbourne festival was nothing short of, well exhausting for this 40-year-old body, an adventure. I was fortunate enough to photograph both days of the festival that got me up close and personal to the action. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch any of the bands from start to end but that didn’t matter, ‘cause I had me some rockstar shooting to do!
Day One
As always, Melbourne’s weather turned on all of its flavours and even threw in a stunning lightning show and a wee bit of hail. Not to mention scorching 35-degree heat, which to us Melburnians is like sitting in the sun itself — such blistering heat only occurs two or three times a year at best. But that didn’t stop the tens of thousands of music lovers from spending the weekend watching their favourite bands and exploring new ones.As I packed my cameras and backpack (equipped with a three-litre water bladder, which turned out to be the best thing ever) I couldn’t help think who I was going to start the day off with. I had big circles around Killer Be Killed, Godsmack and Judas Priest (Yep, I am an old man) but there were a few bands on before them which I have never heard of before.
Arriving at the Melbourne Showgrounds I picked up my media passes, joyfully bypassing the humongous line that almost circled the entire Showgrounds and went through the big gates for this year's much-anticipated festival.
King 810
Map in hand I quickly found myself down on Stage 4 ready to shoot – what turned out to be – a brutally honest and violently explosive King 810. The steely stare of intensity was enough to wake the dead and, therefore, the perfect way to kick-off the big weekend.Apocalyptica
Being a big, European power and symphonic metal fan I couldn’t miss the opportunity of seeing Finish band Apocalyptica. I had never heard a single note of their work until this day, even though they have been around for more than 21 years and toured to 50 countries. They didn’t disappoint and were nothing less than enchanting. Three cellists and an incredibly strong vocalist mellowed my raging mind after King 810. Apocalyptica stunned the crowd with a cracking version of ‘Advance Australia Fair’, symphonic-metal style.
Image © Carl Neumann
Twin Atlantic
The next band I had punched into the Soundwave app was Scottish pop-rockers Twin Atlantic. The young crowd seemed to know every word of every song, which surprised me as I didn’t know one, single syllable. Nonetheless I took a few snaps before heading off to Killer Be Killed.Lagwagon
On the way over to stage 4, I stopped off at the punky stage, stage 3, and grabbed a few, light pixels in my camera in the form of Santa Barbara’s own Lagwagon. Their catchy brand of politically biased, poppy hardcore got my feet tapping that unfortunately brought to my attention two massive blisters forming on my ankles. I haven’t been getting much exercise of late, and my poor feet were feeling it already.Killer Be Killed
This was a band I was looking forward to seeing. Having interviewed several members of the band recently and having flogged the self-titled album to death these past months, I had eager anticipation to witness they're first-ever live performance. Record sales in Australia were the strongest in the world for KBK, so they decided to reward us with the kick-off. Better than I imagined, the combination of the three, well-known singers: Max (ex-Sepultura and Soulfly), Greg Patricio (John Dillinger Escape Plan) and Troy Sanders (Mastodon), made this band a standout. The huge audience in attendance were fixated on the supergroup from the start to the end. They killed it. Unfortunately, my ankles were now red raw, and while I waited for stage 4 for Godsmack I received a bit of TLC from a very caring medic in the first-aid tent. While he dressed and padded the wounds, I managed to sneak in a selfie with Troy from (Killer Be Killed). He’s such a dude.
Godsmack
I recently watched a YouTube video of Godsmack's' drummer, Shannon Larkin, and lead vocalist, Sully Erna, do a duet, drum solo, and it was one hell of a rhythmic thunderstorm. From this, I knew these guys were going to be powerful on stage and deliver a blow equal to their predecessors. I now know why they are called Godsmack. They hit hard like just like the medieval Gods. Seriously, this was one hell of an energetic performance. The bassist and guitarist stayed quite stationary, but the vocalist and drummer were excitingly action-packed.
Image © Carl Neumann
Crossfaith
I the headed to stage 5 with thousands of sweaty, young men and women to watch the Japanese Prodigy and Slipknot-blended Crossfaith. At this point I put my camera down and watched in awe from the side.Millencolin
On the way back to stage 4, I dropped in on the Scandinavian skate-punk unit Millencolin. They bashed out their set during the searing, red-hot heat while punters bathed on the burning bitumen. The over-enthusiastic security team declared that everyone needed a shower and proceeded to spray all the onlookers, including the photographers and their cameras—which I put a stop to lickity split.Exodus
Feeling refreshed and soaking wet I picked up a snack from the good assortment of food trucks and made my way down to the metal stage once again. The dissipating Godsmack fans were leaving with huge grins on their faces. They obviously enjoyed the show. As I make my way back behind the security fences an announcement comes over the speakers that a thunderstorm is on its way and to expect lighting and hail! I looked up to the sky to see an intrusive, black cloud lingering and poised to drop its load on the festival. Thankfully it passed by, and only a light shower remained—which was welcomed as was a nice breeze. Unfortunately, though, Exodus were delayed by the storm and onstage technical difficulties and I had to bail before they started. This was disappointing because I have wanted to see Exodus since the mid-’80s.Marilyn Manson
Arriving in the photographer's pit I was advised that Marilyn has requested that only the first song be shot, not the usual ‘first three songs, no flash’ rule. No pressure. Soon stage 1 was bellowing smoke to create an eerie stage prop as strange, kiddy music played as the intro. The band, clad in modern gothic attire, made their way to their stage positions closley followed by a seemingly shy Manson. He walked across the stage, slightly glanced down at the photographers, walked over to the other side of the stage and disappeared behind the wall. This happened three times. My heart was racing. Was he going to ask for the photographers to be removed? He made his way to the centre of the stage, with his back to the audience, and grabbed his custom-made, vintage microphone. Then he stood at the back of the stage singing, still with his back to the crowd. Eventually, the smoke cleared and he turned and looked out over the sea of people who were there to be mind-raped by the shock-rocker himself.
Image © Carl Neumann
Judas Priest
The sun was out again and blazed across the stage like hell’s fire – appropriate for the mighty Judas Priest. Glen Tipman took the stage with the incredibly good-looking, and much younger, Richie Faulkner. Opening with a new song from their crowd pleasing ‘Redeemer Of Souls’, the crowd welcomed Priest with open arms. Rob Halford looked in really good shape and his incredible octave range didn’t miss a note. Dinner time beckoned and what better place to sit and eat a traditional Aussie burger than up on the hill overlooking Priest belt out their classic hits from the ‘80s.Slipknot
They have been headlining and dominating festivals the world over, and you could feel the massive crowd’s anticipation for a unique, stage set to match their masked ways. And they didn’t disappoint. Brightly-lit cages and hydraulic drum-lifts, fire, and all sorts of shocking assortments filled the stage, which really fucked with all my senses. Shooting them was tough as the pit was full of photographers scrambling to get the ‘money shot’ of the masked Corey Taylor in the almost darkness. Every now and then some light would hit his face and the sound of cameras blazoned along with the thundering drums on stage. Tired, worn out, blistered and ready for a cool shower and my king-sized bed, I made my way home to rest my aching body.
Image © Carl Neumann
Click here for photos from Day One.
Day Two
Feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the heat once again I packed my bags, filled my water bladder and headed to the the Melbourne Showgrounds for day two.King Parrot
A fellow photographer once said to me: “If you can survive a King Parrot pit, you can survive anything”. From the opening strum, I realised those words to be true. I was actually frightened by what had just been released. Lead vocalist Matt Young is one, pissed off motherfucker. His performance was unpredictable as he rapidly made his way across the stage and onto the speaker stacks on each side; while not forgetting to grab the hoses and spray the crowd before jumping in and crowd-surfing. Matt Young enticed a deadly wall of pit while being in the centre of it himself.The Treatment
After missing their connecting flight of the Adelaide leg of their tour, The Treatment hit the steamy stage 5 with their classic hard-rocking yakka. They have a cool look, and the young ladies were lined up at the front to get a close view of their tight, leather pants.Click here for photos from Day Two.
Nothing More
Slipping back over to my favourite stage, number 4, to experience for the first time Texan prog rockers Nothing More, I was deeply impressed by their sound. It is strong, technical, and as good as the best prog-metal groups out there. They won me over. I’ve hit up iTunes for their latest album.Ne Obliviscaris
This Melbourne-based classical-death metal band has some hard-hitting riffs and vocals. Accompanied by a violinist, these guys rocked their hometown fans into oblivion.Terror Universal
This horror-themed supergroup stunned onlookers with their grotesque masks and fearsome distortion. Featuring current and former members of Machine Head, Ill Nino and Soulfly, this American outfit definitely won over some new fans.Crown The Empire
Crown The Empire would have been the youngest of bands at the festival. They played to a half-filled venue, but the attendees had no hesitation of whipping up a wall of death before moshing into a frenzy.
Image © Carl Neumann
Steel Panther
After all of this hardcore seriousness, it was time for a laugh or two. Being a fan of old-school glam-rock, I have always been hesitant when it comes to engaging with Steel Panther. They are not your usual glam rockers. I’ve called them the (Weird Al) Yankovics of spandex. But on this occasion I wasn’t going miss the opportunity to take some quality shots of these lipstick posers. From the first song, I was quite shocked with the profanity and sexual innuendos coming from these chick-looking dudes. Once I shook it off I started understanding the funny side of it all. Soon I was laughing along with the rest of the widespread audience. Steel Panther is not for the feminist by any means. If you haven’t seen them and are faint at heart when it comes to anything to do with sex, then I recommend you keep your eyes closed and ears plugged if you are ever at a festival with them. With no hesitation at all women of all shapes and sizes climbed up on stage to flash their, in Steel Panther’s words, “sexy titties”. I’m looking forward to more of this craziness with Slash in Melbourne on Thursday night!
Image © Carl Neumann
Ministry
The sun was belting down again on stage 4 and Uncle Al Jourgensen smashed it with his thunderous, industrial mayhem. His creepy stage antics thrilled onlookers as they danced and sweated among the wall of bodies. At the end of the set, he threw himself into the pit, much to the delight of masticated fans.Dragonforce
The evening had fallen and my weary legs and blistered ankles were begging me not to walk all the way over to stage 2 to catch the first songs of Soundgarden. Happily knowing that I will be capturing Soundgarden on Tuesday night at Festival Hall, I opted to put my heals up at stage 4 and wait for the mighty Dragonforce. Their scorching, speedtasic power metal seemed faster than ever. The intricacy and accuracy of these British metallers is somewhat unbelievable — technical genius.
Faith No More
It was time for the most anticipated group to play Soundwave ’15. Faith No More have been on a long hiatus and haven’t released an album for quite some years. But that didn’t hinder the attendance as night fell across the Showgrounds for the final encore. The stage was covered in white. The walls, the amps; even the microphone stands were white. Hundreds of fresh flowers lined the front of the stage and thoughtfully placed around the stage. It was strange but cool. The lighting flicked from red, blue, black, white and kept cycling through making it incredibly difficult to photograph much to my disappointment. After snapping through three songs, I packed my equipment away, grabbed a cold VB, and enjoyed the show to the end. There’s no doubting at all why FNM were the headliners and why they had pulled the biggest Soundwave crowd for the weekend. Because of this one simple fact: They are fuckin’ awesome. Accompanied by at least 50,000 people, it was the best sing-along I have had in years. We loved them.
Image © Carl Neumann
Click here for photos from Day Two.
The Future
So it's off to Sydney and Brisbane for the Soundwave team and I’m sure things will be just as hectically good over there as it was here.AJ Maddah confessed that due to poor ticket sales, approx only 16,000, in Adelaide, they have done their dash and have seen the back of Soundwave in their city forever. Next year it will just be Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
A Twitter fan asked about next year's Soundwave and this is what AJ Tweeted back:
@shags666 going back to 1 day per city. 2 weekends. — AJ (@iamnotshouting) February 19, 2015Personally, I loved the two-day festival spread. Europe has tonnes of weekend festivals with just as many international acts coming through at a time. Until next year!
