Day One

Once a year there comes a time and place where the fans of heavy music come together to enjoy in the festivities of an event that is organised specifically for them. Soundwave has had a bit of a rocky road this past year and with a new two day format, it was going to be very trying for all those in attendance especially with Melbourne’s temperature is in the high 30s for both days. But as the past has shown us, metal and punk fans are troopers and the scorching heat isn’t going to stop them seeing their favourite bands tear it up. Many people wait all year for this and nothing’s going to stop them now.

Whether it was the amusing cello metal of Apocalyptica, the flawless pop punk of The Wonder Years, or seeing the incredibly tight Conditions who have technically broken up but still chose to play Soundwave, there was no shortage of something for everyone to kickstart their first day.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the supergroup of Killer Be Killed. A band featuring members of Mastodon (Troy Sanders), Dillinger Escape Plan (Greg Puciato), Soulfly / Sepultura (Max Cavalera) and The Mars Volta (Dave Elitch), with a cast as good as that, there was no reason to doubt the brutality of their first ever live show that was happening right here at Melbourne Soundwave.

The band sounded truly amazing and ferocious smashing through tracks from their debut album. The crowd were in awe seeing these legends of the metal world combining their talents to create something so powerful and mindblowing that talk of their performance was still in the air on day two. These guys will have a healthy career with a show of this calibre.

Sweden’s stalwarts of the punk scene, Millencolin, followed and they proved once again that when you have a winning formula and brilliant songwriting, your band will have longevity and you can still deliver an impressive live show. Dishing out songs from their entire discography, they didn’t leave anyone disappointed and reinforced why they are at the forefront of their genre.

With Steve Souza back in the band, Exodus, gave every metalhead what they wanted with an ear crushing set of classic thrash metal that had all those in attendance doing The Toxic Waltz and left them wanting more as the crowd filled the oval as they waited for metal gods, Judas Priest. There was no doubt that the most anticipated band of the day for most were indeed Judas Priest. The legends of classic heavy metal had no Melbourne Sidewave so the fans flocked to the band deliver a set that featured tracks from throughout their 40 years as a band.

The band had obviously omitted tracks from the set that Vocalist Rob Halford’s voice just wouldn’t be able to deliver at the level the band is known for. Staying within their realms, Halford’s vocals have held up for the most part over the years yet sadly, songs like fan favourite ‘Painkiller’ were missing. New guitarist Richie Faulkner was welcomed with open arms as he tore it up through each song as though he’d been with the band since the early 70s.

For those who love their hard rock, Slash and Myles Kennedy are at the top. They are a winning combination with a partnership that just works and let’s face it, Myles Kennedy does Axl Rose better than Axl Rose ever did. A solid performance which saw fans enjoying the likes of Guns N Roses classics ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and finishing with ‘Paradise City’. Everyone loved it, and why wouldn’t you? There’s no need for a GNR reunion when you have a show a good as this that the people still love to see. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke…

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The eagerly awaited Smashing Pumpkins came on to a huge reception yet vocalist and only original member, Billy Corgan, unfortunately seemed bored and quite flat. Even when playing the hits, which were the obvious highlights, the excited crowd quickly stepped down their pace and it all just seemed like a paycheck for Corgan as opposed to the incredible live shows the band has been known for in the past. Sad and unfortunate for a band that gave so much yet tonight just wasn’t their night.

It has to be said that Fall Out Boy are great songwriters. Whether you love or hate the band, there is no denying that when it comes to anthemic rock songs, they are up there with the best of them. Each song had the fans singing along and the boys really know how to captivate their audience and give them the best show they can. A solid live band that earned their place as one of the headlining acts.

They have closed out Soundwave in the past so they were no strangers to closing it out again, Canada’s Fucked Up came on stage to a small yet appreciative audience. Opening with ‘Son The Father’, it wasn’t long before stage five was filling up as the curious punters who had never seen the band before couldn’t pull themselves away from the attractive chaos of a Fucked Up live show. There is no other band quite like them and their genuine love for what they do emanates from the stage, and the crowd for that matter, as singer Damian Abraham spends most of his time in the audience with the fans singing with everyone and having the time of his life. The last 40 minutes of the first day of Soundwave seemed to fly by as Fucked Up bid their farewells and the crowd were left speechless and in awe of the spectacle they just witnessed. The best band of the day? Without a doubt.

Day Two

Soundwave day two was going to be hard for everyone and it showed. Those who did Saturday to the fullest were showing signs of wear and tear today. Sunburnt, hungover and tiredness, it definitely showed amongst the fallen but thankfully they still got it together and braved the thankfully overcast day to do it all again and what better way to start the day than Melbourne’s very own King Parrot who weren’t prepared to let the day start with people tired and hungover and so a wall of death was on the cards with singer Matt Young joining in for extra antics.

These guys have taken off and rightly so as their explosive live shows combined with musical ability that is on par with any of their peers, shows that these guys have a lot of steam left in the motor as long as Young doesn’t die first in his very own wall of death that he created. How he survives his on and off stage antics, we will never know. The guy is super human with a deathwish. What a legend!

My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way thrilled those who enjoyed his solo efforts but if you were awaiting some MCR hits, you were sorely disappointed. Putting the past behind him, Way gave the audience tracks from his solo album and little else.

It’s been too many years since Minstry had graced our shores and the masses flocked to the oval of stage four to witness Al Jourgensen and his co-horts tear through a set of killer tracks before finishing with his most notable hits, N.W.O. and Just One Fix. Mixing visuals and an extremely loud volume, Ministry were leaving their mark and all those that witnessed wanting more.

Soundgarden rocked to a legion of fans who have stood by the band through thick and thin, the good and the bad. They have always stayed true to their Seattle roots and have a formula that still holds true and relevant over 20 years after the whole ‘grunge’ thing happened. After 90 minutes of classics, they left the stage to an abundance of cheers and guitar feedback.

Faith No More ended the main stage with a set full of classics and new songs opening with their record store day single Motherfucker, it was surprising to hear the huge hits such as Epic and From Out Of Nowhere so early in the band’s set. It was clear that these were the ones the crowd wanted most but they loved it all hanging on to every word from vocalist and multi-talented Mike Patton.

New Found Glory ended the day with an hour of hits and fun. There’s nothing dangerous or threatening with NFG, they’re just a fun band who enjoy what they do and have been able to do it for a long time now. Their songs are anthemic and the kids love it. Smashing through around 15 songs of good time jams they ended with their smash hit, My Friends Over You and it was a nice way to finish two solid days of music and antics.

Soundwave’s two day format was hard work but it can be done. The one day format seems to be preferred but the longer set times were most definitely appreciated. It’s impossible to see everything which seems to be the only drawback but that happens with any festival. Still, once again the country’s only metal, punk, rock festival delivered on all accounts and judging by the reactions as people left the showgrounds, nobody was disappointed. Let’s hope next year returns with a bigger and better line-up. Fingers crossed.

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