It’s early Sunday afternoon, I scamper to get myself organised and prepared for the musical delights that will be served to me and the thousands of other punters lucky enough to get a ticket to By the C (Zaccaria Concerts and Touring), an institution that has been providing West Australians with amazing artists for the last few years, each year getting better and better (this year no exception). The line-up is fit for royalty – 46 Brigade, Sneaky Sound System, Eskimo Joe, Birds of Tokyo and Icehouse.
As you enter Whitford Nodes Park the noises, the aromas and the visuals hit you like a seagull hitting an exposed chip at the beach – sharp, purposeful and distinct. This venue feels like it was created for such an event, showcasing just how inspiring the stunning Western Australian coastline truly is… from carnival rides, food trucks to beverage stands and everything in between the By the C event organisers have filled in all the blanks for a memorable day – the last thing was the music and that was about to be delivered!
Open The Gates…The fans file in hurriedly but politely, eager to pick their piece of real estate with camping chairs under their arms, looking for the best vantage points to capture all the acts on show. The punters knew the importance of getting settled as there was no time to spare, 46 Brigade were ready roll just 30 minutes after the gates opened.
Drafted in at the last minute, the lads from 46 are no strangers to playing large crowds, having played at the hallowed turf of Subiaco Oval in front of 35,000+ supporters and more recently for 1927 and The Superjesus as a support; so this gig was like a second home to them. You could tell that no warm-up was required, their goal was simple – to get the crowd moving. Whether it was getting the people to ‘Raise Your Hands’ (a cracking song of theirs) or simply even to get them out of their chairs, the Brigade was about to get a few more thousand new fans. Lead vocalist Craig Ballantyne engaged the crowd, spoke to them like they were family and brought them on the 46 Brigade journey. It was a pleasure seeing so many people enjoy their music especially, when that music is from right here in WA (very proud moment) – executed to perfection, a slick lyrical story told from start to finish that everyone enjoyed. Love your work lads… and I was not alone – your rock / pop was just what was needed to kick it all off.
It had been a while since I had seen Sneaky Sound System, sometimes you forget just how many songs that these champions (Connie and Angus) have created and cultivated over their 20+ year career. I was curious as to how their genre of Electronic Dance music was going to convey to the crowd with this already laden rock / pop line-up. Music in its purest form is so unbiased, everyone’s tastes are different and have no constraints, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was like a switch was flicked, the crowd clicked it up a notch and went into full dance mode. Mothers, grandads, brothers, aunties and small children were dancing as if no one was watching, enjoying the freedoms of emotive music, allowing them to relive their youth in some instances even create some. The duo fed off the energy of the fans, drip feeding them with hit after hit just to see how far they could push their cardio. The pinnacle of the performance for me was their hit ‘UFO’ closely followed by ‘I Love It’, the momentum had been raised and ever one thanked them for it.
Next cab of the rank was Eskimo Joe (another amazing WA based product) – one of their trade mark entrances is to the ‘Imperial March’ from ‘Star Wars’. This entrance always gets the attention of everyone, it acts as a conversational stopper and starter all in the same sentence which is an extremely clever tactic used by these rock n’ roll veterans. So many chart toppers in their arsenal it was going to be hard for them to squeeze them all into one set….. but they were going to give it a red hot go! Good old fashion rock n’ roll at its finest was put on by the ARIA award winning group and no one was spared. You can see why this group have had (and will continue to have) so much success, their style, the way they captivate, their personas are all surgically crafted. I have always been a massive fan of the Joes and the dedication they give to the craft, it reflects in their music and just how they were received at By The C. Everyone loved them, highlight for me was definitely ‘Black Finger Nails Red Wine” and the few thousand back up singers joining in.
Such a melodic high was created it seemed that we (the punters) needed a reprieve……. This was not going to be the case – Birds of Tokyo were not going allowing it! The tempo/intensity was matched straight out of the gate, as someone who was photographing and thankfully not dancing I stood half a chance of not dying of exhaustion. The only saving grace was that the light was fading and it gave me a chance to hide, being out of breathe in the cover of night lol…. Not exactly a bad problem to have if you were dancing but it is hard not to dance when the music is this damn GOOD! It was great to see so many people being so care-free living in the moment of beautiful music, it felt to me like everyone just let loose probably more so on stage when Glenn Sarangapany decided to jump off the drum kit mid flight rocking a guitar slide…. That is something I will never forget. For me I sang my heart out to ‘Lanterns’ and ‘Good Lord’, they both have a special place in my heart and proved to be crowd favourites as they sang along.
We were all aware that Iva Davies had been ill, little had been spoken but we all knew it was something serious as it had rescheduled By The C the previous week before. I was hopeful that this would not affect the Icehouse experience and that Iva had not been rushed back for the sake of the fans – a person’s health is the most important thing. Launching into their stellar performance of ‘Icehouse’, I knew straight away that this was not the case – Iva was back to his usual BEST… he gave us his account of events leading up to his illness, speaking candidly about his hospital visit and praising the medical staff for his speedy recovery, whilst joking about the ordeal the rest of the band chimed in with healthy comedic banter.
At one point in the set I closed my eyes and just listened to the music, I mean really listened… I have a few albums of their back catalogue in my possession and I regularly listen, it was joyful experience to listen to it live when it almost sounds identically the same to my collection. So many high points of their performance, heaps of highlights for me ‘Electric Blue’, ‘Hey Little Girl’, ‘Crazy’, ‘Love in Motion’, ‘Great Southern Land’ and the electric duet with Kav Temperley (from Eskimo Joe) ‘We Can Get Together’.
All up it was a talent top heavy event, so many people enjoyed the music – fans made memories with family members and friends. The line-up was carefully crafted to create the most enthusiasm a human being could endure. ‘By The C’, you once again delivered happiness to those that needed it the ,most and in the form of incredible music… well done, I look forward to covering the next one!
Many thanks to Zaccaria Concerts & Touring and By The C for the media access.
GALLERY
46 BRIGADE
SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM
ESKIMO JOE
BIRDS OF TOKYO
ICEHOUSE
