Falls Day 2

Half the festival seemed to go a little too hard on the first night and this resulted in a sluggish start for Falls day two. Unfortunately we were among them. Unable to even look at the bar lines or think about alcohol we took this opportunity chill out and take in some local Australian acts, first on our agenda - Ball Park Music. Regrettably we only made it in time for their final number but it was by far their best track.

Dedicating the song to anyone who enjoys playing with themselves, BPM entertained the gathered horde with Sad Rude Future Dude.

I haven't had a friend in years, I only have sex with myself….

Those lyrics are just brilliantly funny.

This set was followed by an electric performance by Jinja Safari at the Grand Theatre. With instruments and mic stands entwined with lush green vines the stage was set to introduce us to these five, fresh faced and charismatic performers. The energy of their set was intoxicating and the audience soon became lost amongst the layers of pop infused afro-beat rhythms.

Back on the main stage, Middle East was experiencing some awkward technical difficulties. With long breaks between their textured harmonies people began to loose interest and opted to battle the hill as they made their way to get in a good position for Boy & Bear back in the Grand Theatre. And by the time the Sydney quintet entered the stage the tent was over flowing.

Delivering a solid set of both old and new material including Blood to Gold, the Storm and Rabbit Song, Boy & Bear were simply beautiful to watch. This performance only topped by their spine tingling cover of Crowded House’s Fall at Your Feet.

Remaining in the tent for The Jezabels the Grand Theatre was once again packed out, only this time the performance was not quite as note worthy. The Jezabels played their hits and the vocal ability of Hayley Mary stunning however the bands energy was lacking and did not manage to hold the audiences attention. 

Still in the Grand Theatre, punters were treated to the gut splitting antics of comedians Dave Thornton, Tommy Dassalo and The Bedroom philosopher.

They were hilarious, flooring the audience with comical songs, punchy one liners and jokes such as……

How many WolfMothers does it take to change a light bulb?

None, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin already changed it back in the 70’s

They had the tent chanting ‘Megan Turn It Down’ as you could hear Washington's indie pop set and The Bedroom Philosopher followed this up with Megan the Vegan, a comical parody about the lovely lass.

Less than enthralled by who ever was playing on main stage we took a gamble at the 4.40 mark and tried on a band we had never heard of before: Junip.

“Sounds like Jose Gonzalez”…. Holy Shit, it is Jose Gonzalez. From Gothenburg, Sweden, this three piece band is a stunningly melodic side project of the talented musician. With long instrumentals and layered musical textures, this group is a new found love.

With an album produced by Xavier de Rosnay (Justice) and Daft Punk’s sound sngineer, Peter Franco we expected big things from French duo, Jamaica. However their set was less dance and more pop/rock (with tracks even sounding more surf rock influence). Nothing wrong with that, simply not what we anticipated.

Back out in the sunshine our rug was sprawled, our wines were poured and nearing sun set this was the perfect time to be treated to the gentle boy, girl harmonies and beautiful lyrics of Angus and Julia Stone. The stage was decorated with hanging hot air balloons and their performance was as always, striking. Playing the usual crowd pleasers Big Jet Plane and And The Boys the graceful brother sister duo also treated us to a remarkable cover of You’re The One That I Want.

Earlier in the day we spotted Flavor Fav with entourage in tow exploring the festival, wandering the site wearing matching Public Enemy shirts, he and his posse were hard to miss. We hung around to see the first few tracks. Amused by the matching camo jumpsuits, semi choreographed dance routines and Flav’s Clock the rest of the performance did nothing for us. And judging by the masses heading back out to the campsite as we did, we were not alone in that though. 

Returning to the main stage as the Cuban Brothers were wrapping up a set (with lycra unitards and overly predominant junk) there was hardly a sole in sight. Temps dropped massively again over night and while I spent $45 on hand warmers and beanies Rowan whipped out a Hyperthermia blanket from her ‘Festival Survival Kit’ that her Nan gave her to survive the night. 

Having just finished their self titled fourth album, Interpol returned to our shores and put one hell of a performance on Thursday night at Falls Lorne. Barricades, Try It On, and Success all just as intensely powerful as the last as these New York City rockers delivered a performance was powerfully moving yet dark at the same time.

Finally we reached the psychedelic live show that the Klaxons are most well known for. Again playing tracks from both Myths of The Near Future and 2010 release: Surfing The Void their performance was a stand out and judging by the dancing mass moving as one, the entire audience agreed.