Another year, another youthie. Except this year the annual free outdoor concert underwent a major revamp and became the Sounds Loud festival and boasted its biggest line up yet. These events are great for discovering new bands and for bands to open up to an audience that they might not otherwise be exposed to. And the best part that is all for free. I must admit that it is a very long day and that even after 6 years of attending, I’d never stayed for the whole day. But Queens Park is perfectly located so that if you did get a little bored you could wonder off and get coffee or go for a walk down to the shops. Having a stage of bands, a dance stage and an rnb stage meant that there was a little bit of everything for everyone.

Neon Love is a band that I’ve heard a lot about but have never been to a gig that they’ve played at or even really listened to them. Some people I’ve talked to love them, others not so much, so I was glad to finally be seeing them for myself. They burst on stage with a lot of energy and what seemed to be a lot going on. But really, I think they just had their singer playing an electronic drum kit. It was just the way they moved around on stage frantically that gave the impression that a lot was happening. Neon Love have a very fun, makes-you-want-to -dance-around indie rock sound and the crowd seemed to dig it. Honestly, their music isn’t really my thing, but I thought they were pretty good and would probably listen to them on the one-off occasion if in the right mood. I can definitely see how they’ve received so much exposure. What I was most impressed by though was the shuffling of instruments between the three members who weren’t the drummer or the bassist. It’s a clever way to show to your audience just how talented you are. The vocals were shared between these three guys, and each were very solid in the part that they played. 

The Heartbreak Club were a lot of energy in a 2004-pop-punk kind of way. They reminded me a lot of Sum 41, but that’s probably not an accurate description of their music, they were more pop than punk. All I really remember from their performance is that the vocalist had a very strong voice and a pretty decent range. At one point he held a note for a very impressive amount of time (it was definitely more than 15seconds long)

Dream On, Dreamer were the first of the next slew of bands whom I actually listen to. Their set was explosive and they definitely shocked everyone in the first few moments of starting their set. The screamer did not stand still at all in the set, but I was particularly drawn to how the bass player moved about. And he’s a decent vocalist as well. There were quite a number of kids in the crowd that seemed to be there for this band, and the screamer reacted to this pretty well, going down to the crowd a couple of times. Dream On, Dreamer gave a solid performance and all their songs were well performed. These guys continue to be one of the better live bands in the scene at the moment, and I’m excited to see them continue to get better and better.

The band I was most excited to see, Break Even, were up next and their performance blew my mind. It’s been so long since I’ve seen these guys that when I walked past the singer on my way to get my photo pass, I didn’t even recognise him! I probably would’ve freaked out on the inside while trying to play cool and talk to him if I’d known. Anyway, they had a fair share of fans in the crowd, just enough people that those fans probably felt like this was a show just for them. Break Even came on and opened with such great intensity, you could see the photographers scatter to try to not get in the way of the singer as he stomped his way into the stage. The songs flowed nicely and in between songs when speaking to the crowd, you couldn’t help but really like the singer. The set list was comprised mostly of songs from Break Even’s latest album The Bright Side and they translated very well live. Break Even’s set was a change from the first part of the morning, where everything was mostly fun and feel good. It’s not that their set was serious, but it was more intense and emotional, and you could see that in the passion of the fans getting into the performance. This was such a great show to get reacquainted with Break Even again and now I’m so stoked for their upcoming national tour.

The last of the bands playing today that I am familiar with was Behind Crimson Eyes. I saw them last month at Pushover and was extremely pleased with their set, and once again, it was a great set. The songs were mostly old songs, which kept most of the crowd very happy. Their performance was tight, but standing further back in the crowd this time, rather than right up near the stage in the photo pit, I felt like the songs were a little empty. I’d say that it’s mostly due to having only one guitarist. Behind Crimson Eyes aren’t bad as a four piece, I just think that their sound would be fuller as a five piece. Other than that, the performance was good. Everyone played well and their performance was tight.

I admit that when I went to Hungry Kids Of Hungary I was in a very judgmental mind frame. A friend of mine who has very similar musical taste to me had told me that they found this band horrible. But I don’t know what they were talking about because I thought they were amazing and I really enjoyed both their music and their performance, even though I’m not too big on the indie rock thing. I was very impressed and so too was the crowd. There was a huge change in sound, and kids, between the last few bands and the next few, including Hungry Kids of Hungary. The songs were solid and the band was tight, and they were very fun to watch. Even the photographers in the photo pit were dancing as they snapped away. I am definitely keeping my eyes peeled for when they come to Melbourne again.

I only caught a couple of songs from Last Dinosaurs and they were pretty average. They were heaps of fun and the crowd seemed to enjoy it, but I just think that they need to find their own sound. One of the songs sounded like The Strokes and the other like The Temper Trap, I just wanted to hear something that hadn’t been done already. But being billed this high on the lineup is a reflection that they’re on the right path and I just hope they can mesh the sounds of the bands that influence them with their own flare, to create their own sound.

It was cool to be seeing Calling All Cars again, and I enjoyed these guys a lot more than the last time I saw them (supporting The Getaway Plan on “The Shadows Tour” in 2008). Calling All Cars have just finished opening for ACDC on their recent national tour, and I’ve got to admit that I was pretty surprised that they were playing a free concert after an experience like that. But it’s good to know the fame hasn’t gotten to their heads. These guys play pretty much straight up rock songs. I’m not usually a fan of trios, I feel like there isn’t enough support with just three musicians especially in the rock genre, but this band is one of the few who pull it off. They’re a lot tighter than the last time I saw them and the songs are sounding really good. The singer interacts well with the crowd, but I don’t think they were having it. They didn’t seem to be overly stoked but there were your handful of people who were loving it.

The large crowd over at the Dance Stage caught my attention and I ventured over there to see Scientists of Modern Music playing. It was different to everything that I’d seen all day, and it was pure fun. Their tunes were of the over-synthesized electro pop and the synchronised dance moves and feel good lyrics just added to the party. I’m definitely glad I ventured over to the Dance Stage. I also noticed, and appreciated, that one guy was dressed from head to toe in white and the other in black. Pretty cool. The crowd was absolutely enjoying themselves and everybody was dancing and smiling and having a good time. I think everyone should listen to this band just because they’re so much fun and will make you happy.

Philadelphia Grand Jury drew a pretty large crowd and no wonder! They were absolutely brilliant! Another trio that I actually enjoyed, two in one day! What are the chances? Their performance gave a sense that they had a lot of experience as musicians. They were really tight, the songs were solid and for a band I’ve never heard before, I enjoyed them quite a lot. The really trippy thing that they did in their set was that instead of speaking between songs, everything had been pre-recorded and was just played back to the audience, so the first time it happened everyone was tripping out and trying to figure out who was speaking. I thought it was a pretty clever idea to keep the crowd on their toes. The singer had a very unique tonality to his voice, that suited the genre of music that they were playing, “indie punk soul” as described on their myspace, perfectly. They closed their set with a rendition of Jay Z’s “99 Problems” and the singer went into the middle of the crowd for a little vocal help. The cover was a great way to end the set and fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the night. This is a band that you should definitely see if you get the chance, I cannot wait to see them again.

The last, and arguable the biggest, act for the night was Bluejuice. After Big Day Out, everyone I know has been gushing non-stop about this band so I was pretty keen to see them. And they did not disappoint! These guys are extremely energetic on stage and they are also extremely entertaining, during and between songs. And despite the typically cold Melbourne weather, more and more layers of clothing kept coming off during their set. Their performance was very tight and everything sounded just right. They managed to move, jump, dance around and have a good time without sacrificing the quality of their performance. I was particularly impressed with the two vocalists and their use of harmonies as well as singing in unison to add to the texture. The crowd that was left were, without a doubt, psyched on these guys, and the band interacted well with the crowd which resulted in a good response when crowd participation was required on some songs. Everyone involved had an epic time and it was a great way to end a great day.

Another year gone, another successful day. The weather even managed to play nice, with very little rain and only getting cold near the end of the night. There was a little bit of something for everyone today, and I would love to see that diversity grow over the next few years. All the bands who played today did a great job and everyone probably went home with a new band they could start listening to. The exposure from these events is tremendously wonderful and my favourite thing about it is that some kid may have discovered their new favourite band, the next band to change their life today, and it could all be pinned on chance and luck. Congratulations must go the team that organised Sounds Loud, and I look forward to an even bigger and better festival next year.

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