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The good, the bad and the downright ugly; Story by ONSIRI PRAVATTIYAGUL BKPOST0020040825e08p0001r OUTLOOK 1109 Words 25 August 2004 Bangkok Post O8 English (c) 2004 We'll give you a quick walk-through of various happenings at the two-day bash -- some more worthy of mention than others. The Darkness, who had a slot on the Marine stage, cancelled at the last minute, which was a big letdown for many as it was expected to be one of the most -- if not the most _ electrifying acts on the first day's bill. Sorry, Outlook is unable to relate the reason for the no-show since we can't read Japanese. In The Darkness's place the organisers substituted The Wildhearts. The Cribs started playing at 11:10am so many people missed what was expected to be one of the most energetic performances on the bill. But Razorlight proved that even if they'd been "up all night", they could still manage to pull it off, thereby wiping the grin from detractors' faces. Disco-rock outfit Bloc Party, whose debut album hasn't yet come out in Japan, gave a new meaning to "rock music you can dance to" with their detached, haunting vocals and heart-rate drumbeats. Electro first lady Dirty Ho stunned many with her one-woman, sex-referential pranks. Her stage presence was so strong that it made you wince with disgusted joy from time to time. Dirty Ho's take on sex, gender relations, and electro music may have come across as outrageous from time to time but it was done with such a straight face that you had to bow before this impossible-to-imitate deity of dirty deeds. She pranced around half-naked with two gigantic transsexuals and even dragged onto the stage a screen showing a pre-taped video of Iggy Pop doing his side of a duet of her Kick It. What more could you ask for? Appearing with Mad Professor, Lee "Scratch" Perry, that dub pioneer, prominent reggae figure and certified madman who hails from Jamaica, proved a bit too mind-boggling for some but put smiles on the faces of many of his admirers. Waves of nostalgia flooded the area when The Damned -- with a least one lookalike fan in the audience _ played on the Mountain stage simultaneously with the Go-Go's on the adjacent Rock stage. The Go-Go's appeared in assorted uniforms while Captain Sensible, guitarist/vocalist with The Damned, sported a costume worthy of Fred Flintstone and signature red beret. He sealed the deal by rolling up an item of underwear and flinging it into the crowd. But it was MC5 (D, K, T) who really kicked out the jam. You can hear the influences of this under-celebrated outfit -- via loud proto-punk _ on the best of the Detroit rock bands around today. It wasn't the original line-up _ only bassist Michael Davis (D), guitarist Wayne Kramer (K) and drummer Dennis Thompson (T) are still around _ nor the promotion for political causes that MC5 was once known for. Still, it was a joy to be there to hear a piece of greatness. Avril Lavigne packed the house -- or the stadium, to be more accurate _ with her weak chords, but relied too much on hype and the back-up band. Reports confirm that Green Day's still got what it takes after all these years, while Brides of Destruction looked as if they been time-warped in from the '80s Los Angeles rock scene. Fountains of Wayne had their ups and downs so Sweden's garage-rock poster boys, Mando Diao, won out in the end. The second day of Summer Sonic kicked off with Ima Robot whose short (30-minute) set should really have been extended to accommodate all the festival-goers thrilled at the screeching, ecstatic performance the band put on. NME-approved Kasabian attracted so much attention that many people couldn't get in to see them. To catch a glimpse of the action some fans were seen crawling around on the floor peering through gaps in a canvas screen. The combo didn't disappoint; it reminded us of Primal Scream at its most experimentally deranged. A word to the wise: keep your eyes peeled for Secret Machines. This fresh-faced Texan trio blew everyone away with their insane Krautrock, loathing lyrics and boundless energy -- they seemed to be feeding off one another relentlessly. The Faint picked up the pace with their brand of disco funk, complete with crazy visual antics. Hailing from Omaha in the US state of Nebraska, this outfit gave one of the most enjoyable shows of the entire festival. Tokyo's Boom Boom Satellites followed their lead with, once again, some fans unable to get close because of the crush. The Ordinary Boys, Noel Gallagher's favourite new band, were much too ordinary in person; they sounded a lot more likeable on their record. The same goes for The Hives; an insulting remark directed at a Japanese person in the crowd was too much to handle. On the Rock stage, the decibel level went up so high as to make the inflicting of permanent damage on eardrums a distinct possibility. A trio of skinny-waisted brothers who go under the name Living Things ended their set by encouraging the audience to chant "f*** Bush, f*** Bush" and then proceeded to set fire to a picture of the US president. Zebrahead was one of the more anticipated acts -- or so it would seem judging from the crowd's reaction. N*E*R*D didn't quite deliver; they could have done a lot better in the opinion of another scribe present. Hands down, though, to the Beastie Boys, who got the crowd going even without help from the Yeti. The Music, seen wandering around the Fuji Rock Festival the previous week, finally got to hold their own court at Summer Sonic and let everybody know that there is actually something to look forward to in Brit rock. But none of these well-rounded acts were able to match the majesty of Sketch Show. While no longer spring chickens, former Yellow Magic Orchestra members Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi gave a Zen-like performance that stunned many listeners into silence, the sort of silence that leaves you overwhelmed, choked with unshed tears. Their weapon of choice is electronic music but Sketch Show transcended all the boundaries that that genre dictates. It was music not for the ears but for the soul. Hosono and Takahashi sometimes perform with Ryuichi Sakamoto and sound savant Cornelius, but that day needed no assistance whatsoever in moving their audience deeply. Definitely, the highlight of the Summer Sonic highlights. |
