Setlist:
Normal Person
Rebellion
Wake Up
My Body is a Cage
Keep the Car Running
Ocean of Noise
The Suburbs
It’s Never Over
Afterlife
Sprawl II
No Cars Go
Joan of Arc
Devil Inside (INXS Cover)
Here Comes the Night Time
Encore:
Ready to Start
Reflektor
Power Out
As a band whose music is known to be characterised by melancholic themes and introverted lyrics, they carry themselves with much confidence on stage. Perhaps it was because tonight would be the last headline show of the tour, but Cox was in an uncharacteristically talkative mood, abruptly shifting from random nonsensical observations to even more incoherent monologues with the audience, at a point even leaving a voice message for his family back in Atlanta as the band watched on, waiting for their cue to start playing again.
Their live set varied dramatically from rock jams to delicate harmonies. Their bass notes would reverberate with such intensity, aided by the tightness of the Hifi, which ensured the sound didn’t drift away – Cox at a point even joking about amplifiers not being loud enough in Australia, insisting there wasn’t a ’12’ switch. Their 15-song set spanned their entire discography to this year’s Monomania, which more than sufficiently lived up to the expectations following their 2010 opus, Halcyon Digest. Whilst a change in direction, these s0ngs translated well in a live setting with Sleepwalking, Back to the Middle and the title track, being well received by the audience. But even above the infectious music, it is the uninhibited enigma which is Bradford Cox which makes watching Deerhunter perform such a memorable experience.
Setlist:
Earthquake
Neon Junkyard
Don’t Cry
Revival
Desire Lines
T.H.M.
Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Nothing Ever Happened
Hazel St
Sleepwalking
Back to the Middle
Monomania
Encore:
Cover Me
Agoraphobia
Helicopter
Setlist:
Push It
Queer
Metal Heart
Control
Blood For Poppies
Special
Why Do You Love Me
#1 Crush
I Think I’m Paranoid
I Hate Love
The Trick is to Keep Breathing
Cherry Lips
Man on a Wire
Stupid Girl
Cup of Coffee
Only Happy When it Rains
Vow
Beloved Freak
Encore
Automatic System Habit
When I Grow Up
You Look So Fine
Setlist:
Hope Drone
Mladic
Moya
Monheim
Chart #3
World Police and Friendly Fire
Behemoth
As a band known for their performance on stage, Foals didn’t disappoint last night at the Oxford Art Factory. It was the second of an exclusive two night run of Big Day out sideshows and a return to the more modestly sized venues that Foals’ music started off at – compared to the arena tours that they’ve embarked on as of late. On a stage that was just large enough to fit all the equipment, they were clearly enjoying themselves as they comfortably jammed to a string of fan favourites. Everyone sang along enthusiastically to Olympic Airways and Miami Blood as the lead singer could be heard telling everyone to ‘up the BPM’ in between songs. The night was not complete without its fair share of stage dives, crowd surfing, and at a point which the lead singer performed from atop the bar, much to everyone’s delight.
Sydney was also treated to three new songs from their yet to be released album Holy Fire, with the fans already singing back the lyrics to My Number and Providence. My first impression was they were headed towards a heavier, even ‘hard rock’ sound, but still managing to retain the distinctive dance-punk sound that they pioneered two albums ago, the first taste leaving everyone eager as ever to hear their upcoming album.
Setlist:
Prelude
Total Life Forever
Olympic Airways
Miami
Blue Blood
My Number
Balloons
Providence
Spanish Sahara
Red Socks Pugie
Electric Bloom
Encore:
Inhaler
Two Steps, Twice
Tonight being the third time I was seeing Crystal Castles, I had a much better idea of what to expect from their live performance. And being the first time I was seeing them in an indoor venue like The Hi-Fi where the sound didn’t just dissipate into the atmosphere, it was perfect. From watching Alice Glass, the mysterious lead singer innately diving into the crowd more than a few times, to the convulsing sequence of lights, the experience was visceral. For me, it was difficult to pin down a specific highlight, as the energy sustained for the entirety of their 90 minute set with praise for their live drummer. Ethan Kath looked in his element as he head banged whilst operating various keyboards and synths. Wrath of God from the latest album, and Doe Deer were intense – but even more surprising was how engaging songs like Telepath, Reckless, and especially Intimate during the encore were. The 1500 or so people present had been caught in a trance by two elusive figures whom which most people don’t even know their real names, for an inexplicable mindfucking (for lack of a better word).
Setlist:
Plague
Baptism
Suffocation
Wrath of God
Doe Deer
Crimewave
Telepath
Alice Practice
Reckless
Celestica
Empathy
Vanished (Remix)
Black Panther
Not in Love
Encore:
Sad Eyes
Intimate
Yes No
Sure it’s true that for some people, it has gotten to the stage where it’s cool to hate Coldplay on account of their shameless attempt to be the biggest rock band in the world – but who cares especially if they produce songs that can be universally appreciated by the masses. As was the turnout, completely packing Sydney Football stadium, from the very young to the elderly, and Coldplay were exactly where they were meant to be.
Shortly after the lights went down, the show began, as fireworks erupted from the stage, the oval was showered with confetti, and the stadium lit up with each audience member’s wristbands, flashing in sync. It was difficult not to get caught up in the lights and sound that was Coldplay, as they played one of their singles from Mylo Xyloto, Hurts Like Heaven. And if this wasn’t enough, they then unleashed the elaborately decorated giant balloons, and lasers during Major Minus. The energy was high throughout the entire evening – the band were clearly enjoying themselves. It was hard to tell whether the audience or the band were happier to be there. their songs brought infectious smiles towards the audience, especially The Scientist and Yellow. A more rock-oriented version of God Put a Smile Upon Your Face was played, which worked very well. There was a good mix of newer and older material, including Warning Sign also from A Rush of Blood to the Head, a nice contrast to how much the band’s sound has changed since their early days. The audience couldn’t wait to join in at every possible opportunity, singing along with Chris Martin to Viva la Vida, and Paradise with not a care in the world.
The encore was played on a smaller stage in the midst of the standing audience as everyone on the floor scrambled to get a good view. Us Against the World and stripped down version Speed of Sound were both played beautifully. Returning to the stage, they played Clocks, a heartfelt Fix You, and finished off with the more upbeat Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, which was accompanied by a final display of pyrotechnics for the trip home, and a night well spent watching (and joining in with) a quartet of true performers.
Setlist:
Mylo Xyloto
Hurts Like Heaven
In My Place
Major Minus
Lovers In Japan
The Scientist
Yellow
Violet Hill
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Princess of China
Up In Flames
Warning Sign
Viva La Vida
Charlie Brown
Paradise
Encore:
Us Against The World
Speed of Sound
Encore:
Clocks
Fix You
Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
It wasn’t until Thom, Jonny, Ed, Colin and Phil finally took to the stage that the fact that I was seeing Radiohead live truly sunk in. They looked comfortable, as they launched into Bloom, the opener from their latest album The King of Limbs. The stage featured twelve LED panels which were repositioned in between songs, to great effect, in addition to the hypnotic visualisations accompanying the music.
Most of their songs were adapted for a more rock-orientated sound from their original recordings, with the help of a second drum kit. Songs like The Gloaming and Myxomytosis sounded drastically different to their album incarnations, retained their original punch.
Sydney was also lucky enough to hear a couple of new songs throughout the night – Staircase and Fullstop which sounded like a continuation of their sound in more recent albums but was well definitely well received by the crowd. It seemed as though each song received a lengthy applause, just in show of appreciation towards the band for making their way over to Australia again.
Radiohead played a string of songs from In Rainbows, including Videotape, Nude, and Lotus Flower, which was probably the first song played so far, which remotely resembled a ‘hit’. The impression that they were much happier playing newer material was immediately dispelled when distinctly familiar intro to Planet Telex was played.
This was followed by Feral which was a surprise highlight for me; especially hearing the vocal utterances live, layered throughout the song, not to mention the build up of bass towards the end of the piece.
After a hugely animated rendition of Bodysnatchers, they came back for the first of three encores, starting with the quieter and more subdued Give up the Ghost with just Thom and Jonny on stage. The band then re-entered as Jonny Greenwood took to the lead, bowing his electric guitar in a haunting performance of Pyramid Song, one of my favourites off Amnesiac. This was in stark contrast to Paranoid Android, which the crowd sang along to almost religiously.
The second encore featured 15 Step, then an epic, drawn out version of Everything In Its Right Place, with the repeating keyboard pattern building up as the band members left one by one, then came back for the final time to play Idioteque, finishing off an unforgettable show that was many years in the making for alot of people.
Setlist:
Bloom
Lucky
Morning Mr Magpie
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Myxomatosis
The Gloaming
Separator
Staircase
Videotape
Nude
Full Stop
Lotus Flower
There There
Planet Telex
Feral
Bodysnatchers
Encore:
Give Up the Ghost
Pyramid Song
These Are My Twisted Words
Reckoner
Paranoid Android
Encore:
15 Step
Everything In Its Right Place
Encore:
Idioteque
Patrick Wolf has always been an artist that will keep reinventing themselves. With every album and every tour, he brings in a different side of himself. And with this year’s Sundark and Riverlight tour, were acoustic re-recordings of songs in celebration of the release of his first album Lycanthropy. On board was a grand piano, a harp, and the signature assortment of ukeleles and violins, as well as an accompanying violinst and clarinettist.
Perhaps fitting with the venue, the studio of the Sydney Opera House, he produced a much more subdued performance compared to his two previous in Australia. Stripped away of the production evident in the albums, Patrick and his violinist worked beautifully, jamming off each other, re-incarnating his entire back catalogue. He played many old favourites, including Bluebells, which he described as the song which reminded him of Autumn in London. However, it felt as though the arrangements were a little hit and miss. Songs like Oblivion were more fierce than before stripped down, whereas Paris lacked its original fire on record, arranged for the piano.
It was also the debut for Trust from Lupercalia, which according to Patrick, had never been played before in its entirety. It was played poignantly, with Patrick’s fingers gliding across the harp in arpeggio motion.
Penzance was a real surprise, as a b-side from 2005’s Wind in the Wires. Especially as I had requested it earlier on Twitter. The arrangement also consisted of the deploying of a musical saw which was used to great effect. The audience were clearly happy to see him, made up of many fans who had been there during the last tours. He finished off by reciprocating the sentiment, joking at the lack of a band to jam off during The City, giving the audience a laugh as he feigned a mock self-destruction, before thanking everyone and bowing off till next time.
Setlist:
London
Teignmouth
Tristan
Paris
Bluebells
Oblivion
Hard Times
Together
Wind in the Wires
House
The Magic Position
Trust
Encore:
Penzance
The City
light + sound 