Look, let’s face it. Sounds in the Grounds had a few niggling issues. Humongously large queues for the ATM (yes, just one in the entire two story venue), the sweet stench of vomit filling the air, poor sound on the downstairs stage, and a crowd that were perhaps more interested in what they were doing after the gig than what they were doing there. So it’s fortunate that all bands came locked and loaded with excellent performances as they did.
Manning Bar was mostly full, with people enticed by a line-up featuring some of the best emerging bands in the country and a sweet ticket price. Calculator crew and I entered to see Melbourne’s Children Collide on the upstairs stage really sweating it out. Although one of the smaller names performing, they had the crowd locked in. Handclaps, chants, you name it. Considering it was only 8:45pm and people weren’t proper drunk yet, it was an impressive sight. Their MySpace has gotten a few hits since.
However, we spent the majority of the night downstairs, in some sort of Van She love in. The drinks line got punished, the sound was noticeably poorer and the ATM line was a good 30-40 minute wait. But boy, Van She are pretty.
I’ve read a number of reviews that junked all three of the acts performing downstairs. Turns out they all impressed. Playing to a modest crowd, Lost Valentinos brought plenty of energy. I truly pitied the munted punter. It was already a sweatbox with the room only half full. Thundering drums, and some good moments were marred by terrible sound levels, which mashed the bass with the vocals. It didn’t sound so sweet. Despite this, the Valentinos were admirable in their attempts to get the crowd going, and it set a tone for the following acts.
Great! Let’s pit Bluejuice upstairs against Van She downstairs. Top idea! Due to festival scheduling suckery, we were forced to choose. Luckily the V were behind the time and allowed us to observe their rival in action for a little while. They’ve come a long way since I saw them at Sydney Funk and Soul four years ago. The legitimately packed crowd really ate up whatever was thrown at them. Vitriol was being sung in the toilets long after, although those downstairs wouldn’t know why.
It was a pretty tight squeeze down there. Once you were in the middle of that, you weren’t really going anywhere. And that was cool. However, I began the Van She set on the edge of the crowd where people were letting loose jumping on top of each other. Good times. They must have been from the Coast. The hordes of fans sang along, with Changes being a stand out. By the end of it I was somewhere near the front and couldn’t help but applaud. It wasn’t a commanding performance but their mix of cool and the genuine audience love ensured that it was satisfying.
Midnight Juggernauts closed things splendidly. The room was now at sauna temperature and it only got warmer. Being their first Sydney gig in ages, the Juggernauts really gave it everything. Hits like Into the Galaxy and Shadows got a massive reception, and save for the flat encore, this was the set of the night. From what I’ve read, British India upstairs were fantastic too.
Not a bad night. Bands gave it their all despite scheduling and sound problems. Fortunately I was with a crew that makes calculators fun. Realistically, either an earlier start or later finish was necessary, because despite the great line-up most could only see half the bands they wanted. It was still good value for money, but it could have been much better than it was.
