06/12/2003 @ the Domain
Homebake 2003
the first band we caught was Offcuts. a group i'm tipping to be the next big thing. doing the very tricky thing of pretending to be two bands under the same name, separated into "the paper" and "the plastic" Offcuts. this was the "paper" show. starting off with wicked programmed beats, guitars, and two guys on vox. reminds me of Gerling, around two years ago. around a third into the set, the programmed beats gives way to a live drummer and they rock out better than Gerling does now in their new rock phase.
Zephyr Timbre next. it was certainly nice being back in the dance music tent. it's not just about being out of the sun, it wasn't even sunny. but when i stepped back into the tent, i felt, "yes, i'm back at Homebake". the girl with a voice so big it was verging on to the ridiculous. i prefer it when the guy raps instead. the music was pretty good. nice to see they're not just a one trick pony, even though it didn't really convince ben. gotta give the new local talent a chance, man. yeah, it's not so bad if you rubbish the new overseas bands. but if we don't give the locals a chance, who will?
on to the main stage, for the first and possibly the only time. man, we are so fringe. the Sleepy Jacksons. saw them before, didn't get it. then they went and blew up into "the band to watch" and "the next big thing" and "hot new locals" and what have you. i still don't get it. but i must admit, come the end of the night, it was a Sleepy Jacksons tune i was humming on the train. and i still don't know why. ug, this is weird, let's get out of here.
and quicky dart across to Screamfeeder. absolutely criminal that the Sleepy Jacksons could score the main stage while the band that's been at it for over a decade and played at the very first Homebake/Weedstock could be shafted to this little side stage with such a small turn out. outrageous. on the other hand, it does mean i get to be up front without a whole heap of pushing a shoving. and i'm feeling too old for much pushing and shoving these days. i like to think of it as a special gig for the few of us there who was in the know. (and sick and tired of John Butler and friends?) a solid set of pop rock goodness. one of the personal highlights of the day.
you know how much we love the aussie hip-hop, so of course we had to duck in to check out Downsyde. the best bit of the show would have to be the call and response section with beat box. "WE SAY DOWN! YOU SAY SYDE! DOWN!... DOWN!... SAY YEAH!" it's silly, it's fun, the crowd was up for it, does anything else really matter?
"we like to fuck, in the country of Sweden. we like to fuck, we fuck for our freedom." oh dear. guess this is what happens when kids listen to too much Chilly Gonzales instead of 50 Cents like everyone else. they turn out like Spod. flanked by two nurses, dressed like a vampire, armed with plastic roses, stripping down to pink shirt and boxers by the end of the show. dear me. singing along to an electro clash backing tape, the nurses making banana splits, twirling sticks, bubbles floating over the crowd, the man getting into the crowd to take photos and harass the front row. if i was a girl, i totally would, you know what i'm saying? the man is "born to love and ready to fight", and he "ain't afraid to represent." how could anyone resist his charms? oh dear.
when we recovered from the "radness" that was Spod, we headed over to check out Amiel. i think she was singing "black hole sun" by Soundgarden when we got there. if that wasn't weird enough, soon there was the acoustic guitar edit of "addicted to bass". and it was totally cool. but aside from those two tunes, there wasn't anything else that really caught my interests. erm, there's a lot of younger girls here, wearing pink. maybe i wasn't in Amiel's target market. but, its always nice is see a singer so happy and waving back to whoever in the crowd's trying to get her attention. there was a lot of love there for her. and love is always good.
as ben had a go at waiting in line, because it looked like fun and there were around 40 other people doing it, i wandered around for a little bit. but, knowing me, of course sooner or later i gravitated back towards the dance music tent. Bexta was doing her thing again and once again, there was this whole different breed of people that's just going off. i think now i understand a bit better. Bexta plays hard trance. these people are fans of trance. i don't know, there's just a quality about the music and the people which i couldn't comprehend last time i caught Bexta playing out. i tried to dance along but it didn't feel right. trance, like pink, is just not me.
Cat Empire, a group that claim themselves to be jazz but i reckon is more ska. didn't know much about them beforehand. a surprisingly good show of ethnic raps and trumpets and drums. shame the experience was ruined somewhat by the fact that we were next to a bunch of kids and i felt like a grumpy old bastard next to them, thinking, "bloody hell, can't wait to get back to an over 18's gig." and to think, i'm only 19. getting too old for this festival caper.
we had nowhere to go, so we caught a bit more Bexta as we waited for Gerling. all around us, people were singing praises for the dj.
"she's so awesome"
"oh my god"
"i love her"
"she's just the shit"
"fuck this"
wait, that last one may have been me. Gerling comes on, and definately do a much better show then their recent Metro gig. for one, it's a lot more electronic. there was even a few "tracks" instead of "songs", if you know what i mean. nice, grungy, dirty, crunchy dance tracks, mmm, mmm, tasty. before this, i was totally ready to walk any minute (to see Something For Kate instead.) i mean, i already saw Gerling just a month or so back. but i'm glad i hung around for this.
really wanted to catch Little Birdy, but the budget little Hopetoun stage was packed out by the time we got there. so, as always, when in doubt, to the dance music tent. and so there we stayed. dj Ben Korbel was on the decks and playing so classy oldies. Freeland remix of Nirvana into Freeland's "i want your soul". Underworld's "Born Slippy Nuxx", breaks bootleg perhaps?... what a sad little wannabe trainspotter. but i know there are worse out there. erm, right?
Resin Dogs had the tent pack. something to do with them winning the DMAs for best live act, possibly. not as good this time around, i felt. us old farts were already playing it cool and trying to hang back a bit, but it was still too cramped for my liking. damn, i'm too fucking old for this festival business. but, still love them, if only for one line. "i got a four track mind, two for beats and two for rhymes." see, i revolve around music, its all i know.
as the dj did his thing, and people left for the Vines or Nick Cave or Frenzal Rhomb or whatever, i finally felt freed from the cramped crowd and i dance my butt off. what's that old tune? "i've been too nice too long, defiantly time i get nasty."
Pnau. fucking awesome. the trumpet. the music. the visuals. the bass. the beats. the music. shit, it's all about the music. words cannot do it justice. it is one of the best shows i'd ever seen. and i'd seen one or two here and there. oh my! i didn't know they can be so awesome. did you know the first live act i ever saw was Pnau, opening at the Big Day Out early in the day back when Sambanova just came out. so i know their shit, i know what they do, and they've just kept improving so much, yet still, i was not expecting them to do something like this. this was just world class. Mr. Littlemore and friends just can do no wrong. well, actually, they can and they have, but i'll let this go for now. surely a gig this good cancels out all other crap commercial house misadventures in the past. this had just surpassed all exceptions i had placed on them. a shockingly fantastical finish to a lovely festival.
i'll even forget about the drunks climbing the scaffolding. there, it's forgotten. it was perfect.
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