Parklife Brisbane @ Botanical Gardens, Brisbane (26/09/09)

It might have surprised anyone not familiar with a typical Brisbane climate to learn that even though it’s not summer yet, Mother Nature had turned up the heat to a stroke-inducing 32º, leaving many people to think we were in the throes of a heat wave. However such was the lot of the Parklife faithful who had a blisteringly good day to soak in some sun, some alcohol, and some killer music.

With any festival, it is obviously impossible to cover every single act, and, as much as that was the intention, some were missed, but one early starter who deserved not to be missed was Junkbeats opening up the Air Stage. Coming out with their live show, they won over the crowd early by employing the services of dancing animals to throw candy at the crowd. Dave Basek had an auxiliary-percussion back up working overtime to compensate the smooth House he was laying out.

Early on in the Fire Stage’s day, Fans! DJs showed off some nice mixing and mashing and was a good accompaniment to the early afternoon vibe that permeated around the area, stretching from the Earth Stage, through Woods, and up to Fire. When 99 Problems, the most overused track in most mix bags, was spun, it was time to venture further into the Botanic Gardens.

That venture turned into more of trek, but before a Sherpa’s services were called upon, the winding track was finally negotiated and opened up to the Riverstage, and to the sounds of Miami Horror who by lunchtime, had claimed most of the Parklife crowd. Front of stage was already packed, bodies heaving to the Melbourne-based band’s ‘80s inspired electro. Down front wouldn’t have had any sounds issues, but it certainly didn’t seem loud enough to fill the ears of those taking in the view from the top of the hill.

Taking it down tempo a notch were Dubmarine, one of Brisbane’s best homegrown Dub and Reggae bands, at the Woods Stage. D-Kaz Man was giving it his all on the man, stirring the passing crowd into bouncing along to tracks including their infectiously Eastern inspired track Singie and finishing up with the funky Dancehall beats of Pass It On. The only problem with the Woods Stage was that it did seem somewhat sandwiched between the three other intermediate stages, so it was on occasion difficult to concentrate on an act without hearing the dull thud of a different tempo emanating from elsewhere. However, the roar of the crowd was unmistakable, and, as Dubmarine were packing up and making way for The Loops of Fury, the rapturous ovation demanded investigation.

Coming from the Air Stage, it was the sounds of Art vs Science filling its own corner of the Gardens with their fiery and blistering performance. Their ballsy set got into full flow with the likes of Parlez Vous Francais?, New Order and they kept the energy and the pace rocking with the biggest track of their show, Flippers. The hill in front of the Air Stage writhed as one wave of people, with thousands lapping up the raw energy of the boys’ set, and the dial was turned to 11 when they came out with a brilliantly original cover of Where’s Your Head At.

The Loops of Fury were doing a great job with the relatively small stage they were given, packing out the makeshift dancefloor as best they could and throwing out some bassy breaks in the afternoon sun. Operon tried to keep the energy going and it was all looking good but for some lacklustre MCing and a technical hitch here or there emptying the floor out somewhat. When the music he produces is so good, it’s better to let it speak for itself rather than blare over the top of it.

With the intention of catching a bit of Little Boots, preparations were made and provisions packed for the second expedition towards Riverstage. Obviously weather conditions were too treacherous as our party were informed that capacity was reached and the stage was closed. The Air Stage made a good base camp though and we were more than rewarded with a solid set from Autokratz. The London duo rocking out with some electronica liveliness in the form of What You Want, What You Got and a blinding cover of Primal Scream’s Swastika Eyes.

Not getting to the Riverstage had been a wise move as it might have meant missing one of the highlights of the Air Stage. The host for the venue, Busy P took his turn on the decks and blew everyone away with an absolutely banging set that started off with a certain Italian duo’s hardcore release Warp that you might just have heard of, and only got better from there. The crowd looked to be enjoying it almost as much as he was, especially with one fan showing him two particular motivational aids.

Highlight of the day was the Earth Stage in general. Few stages had the consistency of greatness on display here, none more so than Junior Boys. Their chilled out electronica suited the stage and the atmosphere perfectly. In The Morning typified a perfectly balanced and laidback style that ran throughout the set, Jeremy’s finely tuned vocals suiting Matt’s skilled production down to a tee.

Reaching the summit of Riverstage once more it was clear to see (or hear) that the sound restrictions were only going to become more intrusive as the night wore on, so what was indeed a great performance from The Aston Shuffle, with For Everyone a definite highlight from the ACT boys, was somewhat dampened by the curbing of the noise. If you weren’t in the thick of the pit front of stage and prepared to stay for the whole day then you were going to miss out.

Coming back down to Earth, the second half of the greatest piece of lineup scheduling was well under way, as Aeroplane carried on immaculately with the vibe that Junior Boys had carved out. The space in front of the stage lent itself well to having lots of room, and as a result it was the sanctuary within the park. Plus, when you have the smoothest of DJ sets from the likes of these Belgian maestros then you have a recipe for a perfect festival experience. Every track they laid out, from Joris Voorn’s Sweep The Floor to some subtle inclusions of their own making like Now Til ‘69, was met with stoic appreciation from the happiest crowd in the park. They brought the sun down over the park with their minimal tech and there was simply no better way to meet the dusk.

The draw of the Air Stage was ever present and it was difficult to miss Erol Alkan who pulled off one of the most eclectic sets of the day. Combining a healthy dose of disco house, jungle, bass heavy breaks and driving techno, there was something for every raver in the crowd. The Gossip had never sounded so good after Joakim had finished with a powerful mix of their big sounding Heavy Cross.

Catching Tiga finish up the day at Air Stage was a sight to behold. The strobes dousing the crowd in intermittent blue rays of intense energy gave the whole area a vibrancy that seemed to represent the electricity that had been building up at the Air Stage all day. This exploded in raptures when he dropped his signature Mind Dimension, one of the strangest but most compelling tracks to come out of the Montreal house scene in years. Never has a DJ so seemingly unassuming had so much success with a track that can hold one note for so long.

Not wanting to stay away from the best stage in the park it was back to Earth and back to minimal with Claude Von Stroke sealing the deal on Parklife for the night. His dark and seedy samples, the smoky and melodic synths all framed within a subtle but contagious beat, was an overpowering concoction of superior electro that rounded off the day beautifully and left those who had found the jewel in the crown of Parklife wanting more.

Shapeshifter @ The Hi Fi, Brisbane (11/09/09)

When this Kiwi live act is described in press cuttings and reviews, the words “dynamic” and “explosive” are often the first that wordsmiths go for. The only problem with these terms, aside from being repeated time and again, is that they don’t go far enough in describing the complexity of their euphonic brilliance. Almost a year ago to the day, Shapeshifter were showing The Zoo what it was like to take a chunk of New Zealand’s greatest music and plant it firmly in Brisbane for a night.

A year on and the anticipation of a great night of drum n bass hadn’t changed, just the venue had. With The Hi Fi hosting Shapeshifter for the first time (though with most members being individually familiar with the place), there was the potential for a bigger crowd and a bigger sound.

First though, it was down to Sunshine Sound System to lay the foundations of the evening and they more than answered the call to arms. With Downtown Brown manning the wheels of steel and mixing in some infectious hip hop beats, and Killa Puha and MC Switch on the mic, ushering the crowd to get some drinks down them and dance, there were few left in the crowd who didn’t feel the need to move.

Giving us the fundamentals of breaking down a track and mixing it in with some matching loops and vibes, Brown was displaying how: one track added to one track, makes one track, multiplied by the spirit of both. Trust me, it made sense at the time, and was this reviewer’s excuse for getting down to some Red Red Wine by British jamsters UB40 mixed in with some righteous hip hop flavour.

Puha and Switch also showed off their freestyling skills, getting the crowd to lift up anything so they could rhyme off about it, all to the rhythm of a reggae-inspired reworking of No Diggity. The boys weren’t just showing off their skills on the mic when it came to fresestyling, but in keeping the crowd geed up as best they could, especially when, half an hour after their due time, Shapeshifter were still nowhere to be seen.

Puha had been crying out “are you ready!?” for about half an hour, and the answer was now an emphatic and resounding “yes!” So when Tiki Taane, Shapeshifter’s touring sound man and live legend in his own right, took to his desk as his ownhis hip hop thumper R U Ready? rang out, it was clear that things were beginning to move.

A sign of just how desperate the crowd was getting for the band came as Red from the band came out and, in testing his bass drum, got an unexpectedly huge roar from the crowd. This faded into a whisper however, compared to the sound The Hi Fi made when he was joined by the rest of the boys. It was the kind of cheer that you don’t just hear, you feel, inside your head and throughout your body. The guys always look genuinely pleased to be in each city, and often say as much. Tonight was no different, because this particular city was genuinely pleased to see them.

Some old favourites got people in the mood early, with New Day Come blending seamlessly into Bring Change. If you’re a fan of these guys then you’ll know that these tracks are their old faithfuls and are well on their way to being established as Drum n Bass classics, and a staple in any serious DnB fan’s collection. They dropped these two in the same order last year and they’ll keep doing it as long as the people keep loving it. Personal favourite Electric Dream kept the Hi Fi’s sound system busy as it poured out thick bass. The signature electronica of the track had never sounded so crisp and the grinding backing synths nearly blew some hoodies off the crowd as it tore through the room. It was the kind of relentless hardcore that you can feel lift you off your feet and make you do anything but remain static.

This was mercifully followed up by some smooth liquid dnb with a jazzy edge and allowed for some slow grooning from side to side as people caught their breaths listening to Devin work his magic on the sax. But it didn’t last long as an unknown 2-step track from the new album showed off the drummer’s vast array of skills, going from a banging bass-mongering terrier of a tune to finishing in a percussive flurry of jungle floor toms.

Possibly the highlight of the night came in the form of an astoundingly explosive (yes I did just say “explosive”) version of Stryka. The 2-step intro is already powerful enough but with the added reverb and amplified bass that was latched onto it, it was the essence of cool in musical form. Hands floated in the air in front of you as you twisted your body and ground your shoulders to the techy riff laid over the top. Then the dark breakdown hits and you’re left swooning and waiting for the all-too-brief buildup which soon comes in an overwhelming wave of effects and percussion.

You watch the people as they begin to rise to their toes and lift their hands until the shockwave dealt out by the DnB climax shakes people violently; arms flailing and heads going off on neck-cracking tangents. When the 2-step kicks back in it’s even more pronounced and that’s you for the rest of the track; flipping between the two and feeling heightened all the way along.

The end of the set proper came in the form of new track Metals that gave Sam the freedom to rock out, with some punk-inspired hard and heavy guitars pounding through the equally hard and heavy DnB beats. It ended the set on a high, and left everyone wanting more, which they of course got. After some rhythmic floor stomping and chants from the crowd, they came out to finish the night with one of their more special tunes.

One is the kind of track that, if you’re a fan of Shapeshifter, is very personal but at the same time makes you feel an affinity with your fellow fan. It typified a set that had no surprises; they mostly end their encores with One. However just like the familiarity with the set itself, the track provides a warmth and respect that, coupled with the security brought about by P Digsss’ smooth vocals, culminates in a track that brings all the Kiwis home to their land, and all the rest of us yearning to visit the kind of place that could produce such musical forces of nature.

Jack'd High: Barefoot Bowls @ Toowong Bowls Club, Brisbane (05/09/09)

It was a mild Saturday afternoon and all was set for a nice quiet game of bowls down at the Toowong Bowls Club. Some of the old regulars were polishing their bowls and getting ready to line up the jack, puzzled but unperturbed by the lack of fellow bowlers. Sadly for them, no one had told them that the Jack’d High circus was rolling into town and wouldn’t be leaving ‘til well into the wee small ours.

Things were kicking off at 5pm and by that time the Bowls Club was already overrun with punters ready to take advantage of the “attractive” drinks offers and the prospect of coming away with top prize in the eventual bowls comp. The outside tent was set up for some smooth and steady beats while indoors was going to be focusing on the slightly harder stuff.

Verner made his mark with some impressive hip hop beats that had a bevy of fans grooving in the evening light, but when the tent gave way to Dan Gavel the beats turned up a notch and had the green vibrating. The sun had truly set and in the light of the full moon the atmosphere was one of happily fuelled punters and enjoyable banter.

Ducking indoors and, despite having half the people appreciating his stellar form,Chappo had twice the bass pumping through the speakers. There was a nice balance of big beat rhythms with some juicy tech, and all came together in the form of a very crisp and inviting set.
The casual bowls continued well into the night; though perhaps without the same level of skill that had (mostly) been on display during the comp earlier in the night. IndoorsCosmo Carter had taken over the reigns and was inspiring some dangerously athletic dancefloor moves by some of the more “jovial” punters with his proficiently old school set. Despite the low numbers, the thin crowd that did remain had a similar energy to any up-for-it crowd you’d see in the Valley on a typical Saturday night.
Outdoors it was left up to Manuka to finish proceedings and it was done in style with some wonderfully laid back psy-inspired beats that really captured the mood of the evening. The dropping of Underworld’s Dark & Long emphasised this mood completely and was a perfect choice to capture the soul of the evening outdoors. It was a night of hard drinking, yes, but it was also a night to sit back, take in the beautiful evening, and enjoy the surrounds of people dancing to good music and others trying to bowl. The total lack of stress was not only reflected in the people who attended, but in the music itself.

That’s of course until you went back indoors where Digital Divide were closing the inside set-up with a bang. There was some premium house on display, which, if it had have been blasting out the speakers in any club in Brisbane, would have absolutely killed. All the elements were there for a quietly epic set; the floor getting into the dizzying heights of double figures by the end of the night, the smoke machine sputtering as best it could like heavy breaths on a Winter’s morning, the sound system struggling to keep up with the fine house that is being pumped through it.

Jack’d High had everything you’d ever need for a thoroughly good night out, a plethora of beats, beers, and bowls. Who could ask for more?