It was gloomy, grey and overcast as thousands of metal fans of all shapes and sizes converged upon the RNA Showgrounds for Soundwave on Saturday (February 22).
Legendary Bon Jovi guitarist, Richie Sambora stepped out into a lightly misting rain to play his solo show for an early afternoon crowd. The set included songs from his 2012 album, ‘Aftermath Of The Lowdown’, Bon Jovi classics such as ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ and a mash-up of ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ with Midnight Oil’s ‘Beds Are Burning’. Appearing alongside the veteran rocker was Adelaide guitar virtuosa, Orianthi Panagaris who not only matched Sambora note-for-note but also proved why she’s one of the finest young guitarists in the world today.
PHOTOS: Click here for band photos from Brisbane Soundwave
The rock kept coming with The Living End who, despite looking a little older, haven’t lost a step when it comes to performing live. It was a good old-fashioned rock show from beat one, beginning with ‘Second Solution’ and ‘Roll On’, as well as tracks from their 2011 album, ‘The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating’. The performance was rounded out perfectly by a lively rendition of ‘Prisoner Of Society’ and a great cover of AC/DC’s ‘Jailbreak’.
A personal highlight came early in the day experiencing the gory chaos of everyone’s favourite scumdogs, the notorious, GWAR. Despite a short delay in hitting the stage they did not disappoint, launching into ‘Hail, Genocide!’ as vocalist Oderus Ungerus sprayed fake blood from a grotesque phallus. The theatrics continued with a decapitation of Tony Abbott and the evisceration of a pig-masked police officer, who was eventually impaled and hauled off-stage in a manner which can best be described as ‘pig-on-a-spit’; there were things seen during that show that can never be unseen!
Click here for social photos from the Brisbane Soundwave
An entire world (or two) away from GWAR’s savage stage antics, London’s Placebo attracted an eclectic crowd to the main arena for a set of songs spanning their 17-year career. Accompanied by their sidewoman, violinist, Fiona Brice, the band delivered a high-energy and emotionally driven set which featured their recent singles, ‘Loud Like Love’ and ‘Too Many Friends’ as well as sing-along favourites such as, ‘Every You Every Me’.
Over on the RBH side of the Showgrounds, Panic! At The Disco thrilled fans with their newly revamped glitzy Las Vegas style, demonstrating they’ve come a long way since their first album. Frontman, Brendon Urie postured and strutted across the stage, belting out songs like ‘Miss Jackson’, ‘Nicotine’ and ‘Nine In The Afternoon’. As if to reassure fans they haven’t strayed completely from their roots, they finished up with, ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’.
Late in the afternoon the sky darkened and the stage lights flared as Californian nu-metal gods, Korn graced the stage for an absolutely amazing hour of their uniquely infectious music. It was the ‘90s all over again as they played many of their classic tracks starting with ‘Falling Away From Me’ and ‘Got The Life’ — it become more awesome when Jonathan Davis brought out the bagpipes for ‘Shoots And Ladders’. Wrapping up easily one of the best performances at Soundwave, they finished where it all started with, ‘Blind’.
Finally it was time for the man so many loyal metalheads had waited to see, Rob Zombie. Unfortunately they had to wait a little longer as technical difficulties delayed the start of his set. It was worth the wait though to see the commanding, messianic stage presence of Mr Zombie as he growled songs like ‘Dead City Radio’, ‘Scum Of The Earth’ and a really fantastic version of Grand Funk Railroad’s ‘We’re An American Band’. Despite lacking the production values of his stand-alone shows, it was great to witness the Astro Creep in action, a true showman putting on a solid top-tier performance under difficult conditions.
By Matt Innes
This time last year it seemed unlikely whether Soundwave could top its preceding year (it's pretty damn hard to deliver a bill bigger than one headlined by Metallica). But this year promised to be the most eclectic edition in the festival's history, so it totally seemed possible.
Cleveland industrial collective Mushroomhead kicked things off – the band's first ever Australian appearance since their genesis in 1993. The ghoulish masked metallers wasted no time, either. They powered through hip hop-tinged numbers like 'Sun Doesn't Rise' and 'Becoming Cold', with their trio of frontmen bouncing off of each other like a group of emcees engaged in a rap battle.
Then it was time for one of this year’s heaviest acts, The Black Dahlia Murder. The quintet exploded into 'Hell Is Where She Waits For Me', with vocalist Trevor Strnad's rapid-fire screams piercing through a barrage of string-skipped riffs and breakneck beats. Credit is owed to drummer Alan Cassidy, too; he played most of their set double-kicking his bass pedals into the ground.
Japan's hottest musical export, Dir En Grey, was next – the group quelling the festival's general atmosphere with their brooding stage presence. The band's vocalist, Kyo, seemed lifeless between tracks; yet, his versatility as a performer was unrivalled. The band blitzed through songs like 'Dead Tree' – Kyo screaming maniacally one minute; unleashing superhuman falsettos the next.
Californian punk rockers Pennywise then took to the stage – bassist Fletcher Dragge's thundering dirge promising fans a high energy set from the get-go. The band's intense delivery of poison pen punk numbers like 'Same Old Story' and 'Fuck Authority' was equalled by the mosh pit – the crowd singing emphatically when the band appropriately wrapped things up with 'Bro Hymn'.
Finch then picked up the mantle and continued the afternoon's serving of lively performances. Their set mainly featured tracks from their debut effort, 'What It Is To Burn', with the band favouring their catchier, but less musically profound titles like 'Letters To You'. The only song which made the cut from their second record was 'Insomniac Meat', which was, honestly, very disappointing.
Afterwards it was time for the headliners, Green Day. They started off their performance covering songs from their more recent discography, and it wasn't until they were an hour into their set that they began duking more familiar numbers like 'Brain Stew' and 'When I Come Around'. But Green Day transformed every track into a stadium rock epic – the crowd lapping up every moment until Billie Joe Armstrong's encore rendition of 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)'.
But in the end it was post-hardcore quintet Letlive that brought Soundwave 2014 to a close. Their vocalist, Jason Butler, zipped back and forth as if he’d slammed back a few too many Red Bulls – his body colliding with their drum kit during their finale of ‘Renegade ‘86’. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Letlive rises to the same stature as their luminaries, At The Drive-In.
By David Miso
