All Tomorrow's Parties
Glorious sunshine, no queues for the bar, and a line-up overseen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds? A better day out is hard to imagine.
Cockatoo Island - Sun 18 Jan
By Andrew P Street
So, where were you on Sunday 18 January? It was a lovely day, the sun was shining, the seagulls were wheeling, there was a lovely sea breeze, and you really couldn't have chosen a better place to be than Cockatoo Island. And yet for most of the day there were surprisingly few people about (although reportedly the Saturday crowd was larger), which actually made for a wonderfully relaxed vibe.
No queues for the toilets, no lines at the bar (and the fact that the whole event was 18+ meant that one wasn't corralled into a holding pen like some sort of boozy criminal: you could actually take your drink with you while watching the bands, which was magnificent).
And I strongly advise all festivals, no matter how landlocked, to make themselves accessible only by ferry. It makes for a glorious start to the event, even if it means you miss The Stabs, Bridezilla, Hunter Sienna and The Holy Sea because your ferry doesn't leave until 12.30.
Once ashore, Hoss were doling out dirty rock'n'roll to damn near no one, but they didn't let it faze them on the Foundry Stage, while Beaches droned through their set on the Shipbuilders. Osaka-based duo Afrirampo aren't going to do anything to change the perception of Japanese bands as being cute, shouty, discordant, but they were also one of the best acts of the day. And who could resist being charmed by cute, shouty Japanese girls, after all?
Dead Meadow might have shrunk to a trio, but that didn't stop their drone-blues sludging out of the speakers like a thick, black goo. Ed Kuepper's shaven head was the first surprise of Laughing Clowns' set, but the other was just how good they sounded - I don't deny getting a shiver down my spine during 'Eternally Yours'. Michael Gira solo didn't have the oomph of Swans (but how could it?), but the 65-year-old Greek singer Psaradonis was revelatory – and man, he made his lyra talk.
Spiritualized's gospel-influenced set left me a little cold, but their reproduction of their on-record sound was impressive. An energetic Robert Forster surprised crowds by pulling out Go-Betweens classics like 'Head Full of Steam' and 'Surfing Magazines' among his solo material, but The Saints were the day's highlight for me, powering through classics like '(I'm) Stranded' and 'Know Your Product' complete with mighty brass section.
For most people, of course, this was a glorified Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds gig with a day's worth of supports, and fortunately the band were in top form. They ranged through their catalogue, from a spirited 'Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!' to a growling, thundering 'Tupelo'. Jason Pierce popped on stage for 'Stagger Lee' and the crowd went predictably nuts for 'The Mercy Seat'. The Reels, Fuck Buttons and Silver Apples were closing the night on opposing stages, but by this stage I was ready to get on the ferry and head back to civilisation. Between the weather, the music, the location and the people, a better day out is hard to imagine.
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