The southwest of WA is fast becoming the new frontier for touring acts and it’s not hard to see why. Promoters of all kinds of music, from rock to reggae are flocking to the southwest as demand for live music continuously outstrips supply.

New outfit, Foreshadows Productions, packed their trailer, grabbed their favourite tracks and a novelty rubber duck for: The Point Break Tour ’06. Taking in Dunsborough and Margaret River, the tour showcased talent from both Perth and the south west.

The venue for Friday night was the Three Bears pub in Dunsborough. On arrival at the event, the first thing that struck me was the amount of effort that had gone into preparing the venue. The lighting setup was top notch and it’s not hard to understand why this venue is known for having the best sound system in the region with well over $100k of equipment. A mention to the Three Bears crew who were very friendly and really knew how to make a city slicker feel welcome. A big thank you to you all.
Unfortunately for me, I ended up missing out on Philly and Mortal Realistik’s set. But having seen them play here in Perth on numerous occasions I know they would have piqued the interest of the trickling patrons through the doors in the early hours of the night.

Next in line to spin some tunes was one of Margaret River’s own Miles. He looked extremely relaxed and very amped to be up on the stage. I think Miles had it sussed when it came to his track selection as there was some tunes in there that I am sure even my mum would have heard. Needless to say his set tactic was drawing the crowd in closer.

By the time the Loose Screwz arrived on stage, I had noted that the venue was starting to fill out. There were quite a few people packed around the bar and pool tables. But as the boys started weaving their magic they were moving closer and closer to the dance floor. I don’t know whether it was the spinning rubber duck or J-Rads Xtreme energy but people were getting frisky. This was the first time I had seen them all together on stage and the boys were bringing it home, in more ways than one. Amongst the fray was George G., Foreshadows resident artist. I like to call him the Disco Ball hat boy. As usual, he was making some amazing art and lucky him, the ladies were loving it!

I don’t think the crowd had any idea what was coming next, but from what I saw there was a whole bunch of Ex Presidents on stage arcing up what would be one of the first rounds of mash ups for the night. All the boys ended up on stage back to back pumping out tune after tune and the dance floor was lapping it up.

The next thing I knew, it was house lights up. I was so astonished that the night had come to an end. But I was wrong. The crowd was screaming, and I mean screaming, one more one more! The guys on the stage were working this, they knew what the crowd wanted. After what seemed ages they dropped in Pendulums – Hold Your Colour, the crowd went nuts. But they still wanted more. Again the guys milked this for what all it’s worth and when they thought they crowd was going to get feral they busted out Painkiller. It was an electrifying night all round.

The next gig was at Settlers Tavern in Margaret River on the Saturday night. The venue itself is very open and the stage was set up so that you could see from almost all angles. I particularly liked the benches and table set up leading onto the dance floor, easy to stumble back and sit down to catch your breath. The only thing I had to mark them down on was their smoke machine. Granted if used in the correct way it can enhance the vibe of a show but this was like sitting next to a chain smoker in a closet. It made it extremely difficult at times to view the stage and the crowd, it affected the lighting set up and obstructed many action shots for the photographers.

Once again, Im not sure if the crowd knew what to expect in terms of music. I had to explain to a patron after asking him if I could take a photo of them for ITM what this was all about. I had one guy actually ask me if this was like the crazy frog type of music I nodded and said well it can’t be that bad as the crazy frog stayed number 1 for how many weeks? He shrugged and handed over his cover charge and walked in.

Foreshadows had deigned that this was to be a mash up night. I think it was a great way to end such an epic tour. The guys started taking turns on the decks and I noticed that it didn’t take as long as it did the previous night for people to start heading to the dance floor. All six DJs were on stage, all taking turns in using their tune selection to make the crowd move. Again, the Ex Presidents made an appearance. I loved this gag as much as the crowd. Thumbs up boys!

A few of the FS crew said that some of the people from the Three Bears gig had rocked up and told them that they enjoyed last nights gig so much they had to come down and get one more hit before they packed up and headed home, testimony to the impact Point Break had made on the south west.

I think all the DJs must have put a lot of thought and effort into what songs they were going to use as this is a vital part of attracting a crowd who haven’t had real exposure to break’s. Everyone’s stage presence was energetic and I believe that also helped make it such a great time, it was catching to the crowd and you could feel that happy vibe as you walked through the door. I was told by a few of the FS crew that some of the people from the Three Bears gig had rocked up and told them that they enjoyed last night so much they had to come down and get one more hit before they packed up and headed home.

All in all, it was a successful first attempt. I had the best time and I want to say that I am grateful that I was there to enjoy all of this with you. Much respect for Foreshadows Productions, I know how hard all of you worked to put this together. And judging from the response of the crowd you definitely made your mark in the south west and will be welcomed back again for your next tour with opened arms.