THE Big Day Out’s 20th anniversary saw the Perth and final leg of the tour go in a noticeably smaller direction this year, minus east-coast headliners Hilltop Hoods and Kanye West along with a venue change to McCallum Park.
The day saw a huge reduction in punters, with more than one person commenting it felt like a ‘Small Day Out’ or a local show.
Bluejuice got an under-age dominated crowd going early afternoon with Ain’t Telling the Truth, old favourite Vitriol and recent hit Act Your Age, with fluoro face paint, arm bands, sunnies, shirts and even a fluoro yellow guitar.
While being relatively new to any form of metal, Parkway Drive defied my previous stereotypes, with the metal core surfers from Byron Bay putting on an engaging set, despite one of the guitarists recovering from sunstroke.
In the heaviest act of the day, fans lapped up new tracks Unrest and Deliver Me, whipped into a frenzy by roaring front man Winston McCall who got a circle pit going for Karma.
At the Guvera Skate Stage, The Brow Horn Orchestra performed a lively set of reggae-infused hip-hop beats punctuated by cheery trumpet tunes to a small crowd, while many watched from the shady edges.
Local MC Drapht had the Boiler Stage packed to the brim with enthusiastic fans enjoying his catchy hip-hop with Bali Party a definite favourite, with guest vocals from 1200 Technique’s NFA, along with Rapunzel and Jimmy Recard.
The afternoon slowed down tempo with Sydney five-piece Boy & Bear’s sweet and easy-listening folk tunes, with the whole crowd singing along to Fall At Your Feet and Feeding Line.
On the back of their recent Triple J Hottest 100 success, Fremantle indie-pop band San Cisco attracted a solid crowd to the smallest stage of the festival, with fans getting excited for Golden Revolver and popular recent tune Awkward.
Professional skater Tony ‘The Birdman’ Hawk tore up the Skate Ramp in the early evening, while Perth first-timers Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp drew a surprisingly small crowd, entertaining with a giant bird suit, fairy lights jacket and dance tunes Only This Moment, What Else is There and The Girl and the Robot.
UK rockers Kasabian were a popular act of the day drawing a huge crowd to the Main Stage with Tom Meighan’s airy vocals, opening with Days are Forgotten and a packed crowd singing along to Shoot the Runner and Re-Wired, closing with Fire.
However, the standout performance went to Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) who remixed and mashed everything from Metallica, to Kylie Minogue, Daft Punk to Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Adele, Jay-Z and Beyonce with the crowd going wild, jumping and waving glow sticks.
While others watched from footpaths and boats along the Swan River, he ended up shirtless and sweaty, dancing on top of the decks to a frenzied crowd showered in brightly coloured confetti, toilet paper and balloons.
Late evening saw Seattle headliners Soundgarden return to the stage in Perth for the first time since splitting in 1997, along with quirky stage visuals, and an impressive stage presence from Chris Cornell.
One of the original grunge rock bands - along with contemporaries Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam – had a bunch of dedicated fans enjoying Outshine, Rusty Cage and particular favourite Black Hole Sun.
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BIG DAY OUT
WHERE: McCallum Park, Victoria Park foreshore
WHEN: Sunday, February 5
REVIEWED BY: Ashleigh Davis
PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Marcus Whisson