The Big O - Review

Having only started Uni midway through last year I hadn't (till this point in time) any experience with the much-talked about 'O Week'. Last year at Macquarie I'm pretty sure they were treated *cough* to Grinspoon and other local acts, but to hear that The Fratellis, The Music and more were coming down was enough to inspire me to get to the Manning Bar at Sydney Uni.

Walked straight in, went upstairs first to check out where the Cassette Kids would be playing and found the place nearly empty. Heading downstairs it was a pretty similar story and we weren't there that early. Got a nice position on the fence for when Bluejuice hit the stage. Last time I'd seen them was at Splendour and while they were entertaining they werent amazing. A new drummer was introduced before letting us know that 'pretty much' everything would be new today - and from what I can tell it was. These guys possess an energy you dont see in many bands these days, Jake Stone jumping all over the place, from the gate to the stage to the gate to the crowd, to crowdsurfing, to hanging from the ceiling upside down directly above me while STILL SINGING is remarkably impressive. The new songs seem to have a bit more emphasis on that Bluejuice groove that I dig so much and I look forward to seeing them again. The small venue certainly contains their energy better than a festival if you ask me.

After they finished it was a bit of a wait for The Fratellis which would normally induce a cigarette break and such but there was no way I was forfeiting my position on the front now. I've only seen Oasis and PUSA from the front and I was going to add to that list. After what seemed like forever, with constant soundchecks and obviously some minor technical issues they took the stage. While I'd say that the Fratellis arent the most physically extroverted band live they played a good energy set with better song choice than Splendour and you could tell they were enjoying themselves. Closing with 'Nuts from a hippy' and 'Baby Fratelli' was enough. Had the night ended there I would have left a happy man.

Given that I'm not the most massive fan of The Music I got myself off the front for their set so someone else could enjoy it. I've never hated the music or even disliked them but I did realise something the other night - they're boring. Yes, the live sound they have, every time I've seen them, is absolutely faultless. Yes they have a good feel and they have fun but I've come to the realisation that its all just one song. From the tempo (which is the same for every song live) to the key of the melody to the structure of each song, they are EXACTLY the same. You can sing the chorus to 'Strength In Numbers' over the chorus of 'The People' and vice versa. If you're wasted they're fun to dance to but I mean come on, its like they're not even trying anymore. They're good at what they do but by the end of their hour and twenty minutes I was starting to wonder what the Fratellis were doing and trying to remember where I parked.


And that was it. Three bands in the course of a night. They all played well despite my boredom at the end of the music. Will I be going back again - yes. The location is good, the crowd is not too massive and not quite drunk enough yet (well.. most of them) and it was fun. I didnt, however, get to catch ANY of the artists on the other stage (Ben Lee, Yves Klein Blue and the Cas-Kids) but I dont care. Let the semester begin