I blame it on Adam Freeland and the plethora of DJs that have followed suit over the last five years in contributing to the revival of Killing in the Name Of and subsequently Rage Against the Machine. Of course there’s a lot more to it than that, but one has to start somewhere when apportioning the blame. A band that was arguably at the peak of their passion-fuelled creativity when they last toured for the Big Day Out in 1996, it was a recently reformed Rage with not a new song to their name that has had tens of thousands (literally!) of Perthites salivating for the last six months since the announcement of them headlining BDO along with Arcade Fire, Bjork, LCD Soundsystem, UNKLE and more. And in a similar vein to Daft Punk’s recent tour, Internet chat boards and friends afar have been abuzz with tales of amazing far-flung performances.
Some complained of an increased bogan factor due to the headliners (one could well argue Billy Brag and Paul Kelly caused an increased old fart factor), but despite their heavy roots, my extensive personal polling over recent months had confirmed a far wider appeal for the socially driven rockers than the easy-to-blame bogan folk. There’s no questioning that RATM draw a loyal and passionate following. And while it’s been since 2000 that we last heard a new album from them, it seemed that firstly, there were a lot of fond memories from from earlier in their career and secondly, even more people that’ve gotten into the band since then and been longing for the day when they could see their idols play live. And for the most part, the band seemed to live up to expectations. If anything they seemed a little more relaxed and at ease on the big stage, while still maintaining the energy. For this reviewer, that was at the expense of performance intensity but post-gig polling conducted by myself suggested that most others begged to differ. So I dare say we need to brace ourselves for another five years of ‘cutting edge’ DJs continuing to drop RATM tracks in their sets.
Meanwhile directly behind the chaos of the main stage, BDO fave and perennial Oz visitor Carl Cox was providing a thumping alternative at the Boiler Room stage. Cox could be spotted earlier in the day rocking out side of stage to UNKLE or dressed up in cunning Hawaiian disguise for an unannounced set at Lilly World. But for his headlining performance he was deservedly given the main stage area at the Boiler Room (instead of the small corner stage afforded all other DJs while the live acts were setting up), with the up-for-it crowd seeming to lap up his larger than life onstage persona and unrelenting beats. However he too, like Krafty Kuts before him earlier in the evening, had his set stopped near the end by the minority dickhead factor of the crowd who thought it cool to climb atop the perimeter sea containers. If only there was a legal loophole to allow for an anti-dickhead clause on concert tickets. Something along the lines of “Dickhead behaviour will not be tolerated and WILL result in you being hung by your toe nails in the public arena, for those you’ve pissed off to throw cans of light beer at you at their will”. Ah, if only….
The Boiler Room seems to have settled into it’s new home in the elevated position behind the two main stages. Tucked away to avoid flow through traffic yet surprisingly able to hold a sizeable crowd (though yet to be truly tested for any BIG headliner). The line up for this years Boiler Room was arguably one of the most diverse and strongest yet with the likes of UNKLE, LCD Soundsystem, Dizzee Rascall, Krafty Kuts, Pnau and more.
There were only two real gripes. Firstly, the only access road to the Boiler Room was even more congested than normal due to the barriers of the newly located Lilly World stage causing a major bottle neck. Note to organisers – probably best not to fence off the area directly in front of the train entrance, especially when it is the only thoroughfare to and from the Boiler Room. Mid-afternoon pedestrian traffic was a NIGHTMARE. Second gripe – the Boiler Room bar (and others I hear) ran out of full strength beer by late afternoon. What’s the hell is with that?
BUT it must be said that this years Boiler Room produced the days two highlights for this reviewer, LCD Soundsystem and UNKLE. Delivering the penultimate set of the day, James Murphy’s beloved band opted for the more intimate arrangement of all musicians lined up across the front of stage. It saw drummer Pat Mahoney taking centre stage with his best mate and chatterbox frontman Murphy, and he was flawless in setting the thumping rhythms to the hour long set that largely took its material from 2007’s acclaimed Sound of Silver. It also included a few faves such as Daft Punk is Playing at My House thrown in for good measure. Murphy seemed every much the anti-rockstar in his casual swagger and attire, but full of fun in his onstage banter and demeanor. With a full band to support, including guests from Arcade Fire and other randoms at various stages, the often long and building tracks were the highlights as the various members worked off each other towards peak after peak.
Earlier in the evening James Lavelle seemed every bit the puppeteer from his centre rear of stage position at his control panel of technology. As his more conventional rock band played around him, Lavelle tweaked, tapped and even came out front to sing his way through a set that was dominated by songs from UNKLE’s most recent album War Stories, but also taking a few tracks from Never, Never, Land and the token Lonely Souls from Psyence Fiction. Tracks from War Stories not surprisingly translated best to the rock band format, while Lavelle’s decks and effects provided the transition for the tracks of more electronic origins, including a blistering finale of Eye for an Eye. For fans of the latter two UNKLE albums it was hard not to be impressed by the performance.
Wedged between UNKLE and LCD, and probably attracting more punters than both acts combined, was Krafty Kuts. From 80s influenced electro to old school funky hip hop and tear-out breakbeat, he lifted the tempo and got the crowd energized before half of them buggered off for RATM. You got the sense that Krafty would have much preferred to have been on the larger live stage rather than being relegated to the DJ corner, especially having to share the obscured view with Dynamite MC. But it didn’t stop the crowd seeming to love his scratchtastic performance. Except for the f$%&ing remix of the The Doors’ _The End_… It didn’t quite work.
But the day began at BDO 2008 for this reviewer with Dizzee Rascall’s early crowd puller in the mid-afternoon heat. Looking every bit the bling-crazed rapper on stage, his beats were fresh, his timing impeccable and his interaction with the crowd energetic and charming. From early single Jus’ a Rascal to recent single Flex, the day was off to a mighty good start. In mid 30 degrees heat it was no easy feat moving such a crowd and his ability to do so proved a fortuitous omen for the remainder of the day. Sets from Bexta (has she had her long service leave from BDO yet?), Pnau and Goodwill were missed in favour of getting a sample further afield of The Battles, Spoon, Billy Bragg, The Hilltop Hoods and Arcade Fire. By all reports Pnau’s recent resurgence seems to have continued into their live show, borrowing a strong sense of theatrics and fun from the likes of Sonic Animation and The Flaming Lips. Leaving those that saw them with stories of large colorful animals and big bouncy balls… Check out page three of ITM’s photo gallery of the day for a better idea.
As the dust settled and the last of the performers reminded us that it was the final night of what had been a “very special tour”, the weariness set in and the mission to get home took hold. Thankfully there were enough peace loving randoms who made for amusing conversation on the train ride home, much more enjoyable than the commute the following morning. All up a kick ass day, bring on 2009!
