So… I have now experienced the so called Music Festival. Call me backwards but I’m not a huge gigs person, don’t get me wrong – I enjoy music very much, I just prefer to be sitting. Last week I wandered off to Josh Pyke – which was super excellent except for 4hrs in a stinking hot room with nowhere to sit. (I am remarkably unfit it appears) what is more peculiar is that my lovely mother managed to someone score a ticket off someone who had broken their toe and she came home in raptures. I think it’s the beard. At least Dad has one. It was a truly excellent little set by Mr. Pyke at the classic Rubys in Belgrave – the home of affordable music goodness.
The Big Day Out is something else. I am lamenting a little now that we didn’t hold out and get Laneway tickets – as it’s much more my type of music (think Mumford and Sons – which, thank you very much came in at no.1!) but Geoff told me that I had to experience something of the likes of BDO and so he got us tickets. And I am glad of the experience (How very Gen Y of me). To put things in perspective, the BDO is about 10hrs worth of gigs. We intelligently caught the train and bought plenty of water and food. I got a rather interesting hat from Kmart so I wouldn’t fry – I say interesting because before I even got to use it it wound up drenched in hot-dog water and had to be washed didn’t come out quite as dandy as it started – but that is another story (and it wasn’t super dandy to start with). We scored remarkably good weather – warm but not stinking and fairly overcast/beautiful for the entireity.
We kicked off the event with a wander to the Public Opinion Afro Orchestra and then caught up with Ana, Blair, Marita and co. Checked out some Blue Juice and lamentably didn’t stay as we though Lisa Mitchell would be more worth seeing (Just go buy the CD instead) I mean really, who would miss out on guys in yellow jumpsuits! Then off to Tame Impala – who suddenly got popular (oh yeh, that’s right – someone told me about this good obscure little band but that was 3 years ago) – try a 14 year old with a shirt off – no just put it back on, you’re all ribs and your long hair reminds me of Hanson – well, props to them because they put on a good show. Then for some reason we went to see Dizzie Rascal – here’s where my day hit its’ low. I would possibly be okay with the music if I didn’t have over excited drunk girls invading my personal space and jumping to making the ground shake (I’m picturing a few of you laughing at me right now: ‘oh that’s so Bec’) but he did go for an hour – the ground shaking bit was kinda cool but no thanks – I at least had Marita to share disparaging looks. We off and up decided to check out Passion Pit but the crowds were so insane that it was a sneaky backtrack to sitting and the shade for The Decemberists – glory on all parts! Then back to standing for Mars Volta who don’t know when to end songs or make the last one sound any different from the one before. However our fixed location made for excellent spots for the following: Lily Allen (Who wore an Australian flag and looked a bit like an old woman in her kitchen in a kaftan with a cigarette – I think that’s what she was going for) she was however most excellent, then Powderfinger which allowed for some marvelous old school singalongs (And I possibly enjoy this most of all – knowing the music fairly well does help) and then Muse.
Muse were excellent. Like truly excellent.
And then a prick of a guy pushed forward in between me and Ana and obscured my vision. Apparently Ana punched him and I strategically put my elbow where he would be jumping into it. We should’ve been meaner.
The benefit of this was that I was so angry at this guy that I forgot about how sore my feet were for a good 20 minutes. Getting out was slightly insane, Geoff sourced a magic shortcut and we bypassed several hundred people and were home before midnight (not a bad effort when you live out near the end of a train line).
Despite the apparent whingyness of this post, I did enjoy myself mostly. Would I go again? Perhaps if I loved the line up, otherwise no.
I slept til 12pm the next day.
