SYDNEY, Australia (Livid Festival) -
Oasis made a stunning Australian return before 20,000 at the Livid Festival in Sydney on Saturday (Oct. 19) with a performance that swept away any lingering notions of the band's admitted shortcomings on its 1998 tour.
For the first year in its history, the traditionally Brisbane-based event hit the road and took in Sydney and Melbourne. The diverse bill included deafening Scottish sonic terrorists Mogwai, the brass and guitar buzzsaw of Rocket from the Crypt ?- which struck a chord with a selection of Australian '70s punk tunes - the breathtaking John McLaughlin and Shakti, the guitar virtuosity of the John Butler Trio, and loveable local louts, Grinspoon.
Morrissey |
The event's setting provided some of the day's greatest moments.
Mercury Rev, surely the
Pink Floyd for the modern age, played at dusk as hundreds of flying foxes (bats) circled. The ragged electric violin-driven grace of the
Dirty Three, with a new song politely titled "Sister, Let the Fuckers Try and Follow This," also suited the coming night sky and approaching full moon.
Morrissey didn't need nature to aid and abet his near religious experience of a performance that included the Smiths' "Meat Is Murder" to his own "November Spawned a Monster." But there was nothing fragile about? And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, which after a blazing set utterly destroyed their gear with the drums singled out for special punishment. And there were few good vibes after New Zealand's great rock hope, the D4, was forced to bravely blast out with only one amp.
(I)NC |
Interestingly, one of the big buzz acts of the day, Sweden's (
International) Noise Conspiracy, for all of its revolutionary bluster, played like a great stadium rock band. Yet, they had a jab at the festival experience with a song called "Up for Sale."
But it was Oasis who really crowned the proceedings with a performance that unarguably demonstrated what all the fuss has been about all these years. On the huge stage and under an equally expansive lighting rig, they came on like highly polished Rock Gods. Liam Gallagher with his hands behind his back delivered both charisma and cool charm and had 20,000 sing every word of "Morning Glory" with him.
Meanwhile, brother Noel confirmed that
a) he's one hell of a guitarist and
b) he's up for taking on the vocal duties of his kid brother at a split second's notice thank you very much.
Their set closer, a roaring version of the Who's "My Generation" was the perfect brake pedal, and seemed strangely almost signatory.
