16th April 2009

BACK TO THE FESTIVAL 2

 

You pretty much couldn't have a bad time at Glen Waverley Festival.

From the explosive performances of five local bands, as well as The Statics and headliners Trial Kennedy, to the skate competition which saw kids of all ages battle it out in a contest of thrills and spills - Central Reserve was the place to be on Sunday the 29th of March. Did I mention it was free? Even from the 11AM start time, people came in masses to see what it was all about.

The day started out with the skate competition which put Monash's best skaters (and for the first time, BMX riders) head-to-head, and the outcome was amazing. Seemingly able to defy gravity at times, the skaters pulled out all the stops and threw down their best tricks to stun the crowd, which had grown from a medium-sized gathering to a huge sea of people as the day and competition progressed. Great prizes provided by Fist2Face awaited the winners, as well as the coveted first place trophies for each age group.

While the stage went through final set-up procedures and preparations, people were able to use the free jumping castle (courtesy of Mega Fun Jumping Castle Hire), get a temporary tattoo, paint on the large "community canvas" or recieve useful information and assistance in the Monash Youth + Family Services tent, or check out Fist2Face's stall - which had music, band clothing and merch, and even music magazines for sale. Food was also available in the form of a sausage sizzle, and a canteen which had light refreshments and cold drinks.

As the sun beat down a comfortable warmth on the reserve, opening band Nancy Hazard took to the stage and won the crowd instantly with their all-female grunge rock, an early highlight of the day. Following them was rising local band The Splendours, who unleashed their unique brand of vintage rock and roll, impressing the crowd and drawing comparisons to bands such as You Am I, and Jet.

After The Splendours, And I Swear It's The Last Time took to the stage in their first-ever live performance. One of the biggest highlights of the entire day, AISITLT blew the audience away instantly and delivered an amazing pop-rock set, with memorable songs that stay in your head for weeks. Set highlight "Cheer Up" was a song that really got the audience involved - some singing along to the chorus despite not completely knowing the words.

Having to follow AISITLT, Silver Stakes stepped up and hit hard with their heavy alt-rock music. Putting on a great performance, Silver Stakes even managed to evoke some headbanging in the front row. Alex Anonymous followed Silver Stakes and delivered a diverse set of alt-rock with melodic influences, bringing a style reminiscent of bands such as Tool, and Muse with them to the stage. Making an interesting use of synth in their songs to lend melody to heaviness, Alex Anonymous are definitely a band to watch in 2009.

With the local bands out of the way and after a short stage break, The Statics took to the stage and wasted no time in winning over the crowd with their music - straightforward, back to basics rock. Delivering a great set featuring cuts from their debut album and a few new tunes (including opening rocker "The Punchline"), The Statics fed off the response and played not only to the crowd, but to themselves, and had a lot of fun in their set. Despite a short absence from stage mid-set by frontman Gerard, who was feeling under the weather, he returned and soldiered on, giving it his all and showing his dedication to music.

Concluding their explosive set, The Statics thanked the crowd and left the stage. Another short stage break followed as gear was set up and quickly soundchecked. Headliners Trial Kennedy took to the stage and in a matter of minutes, demonstrated their musical talent and also showed that they're the nicest guys in the business. Having fun with their setlist, the band took the opportunity to debut some previously unplayed songs from their debut album New Manic Art, in the live environment. Standout tracks were the current single "Sunday Warning" and live favourite "Colour Day Tours". Bringing their set, and the event, to a close - Trial Kennedy farewelled the large crowd and thanked them for coming to see them play.

Overall, the day was great, and the weather was perfect. Bands put in 100% to entertain and thrill the audience, and the skate competition was amazing. Very special thank-you's must go to Mega Fun Jumping Castle Hire and Fist2Face for all of their hard work and sponsorship of the event. With so many things on offer for the community, the event was a success. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the Glen Waverley Festival, and promises to be the best festival in the history of the event.

Like I said, you pretty much couldn't have a bad time at Glen Waverley Festival.

- Matthew Armstrong