Music fans of Australia went into a bit of a frenzy earlier this year when rumours began of a new festival by the name of Harvest, that was supposedly being organised by AJ Maddah, he of Soundwave fame (and also infamous for the utter debacle that was Soundwave Revolution). Though at that point there was nothing set in stone and nobody was really getting their hopes up, the rumours suggested that artists playing at the festival may include the likes of Portishead, Mogwai, Aphex Twin and The Flaming Lips. But in July, all doubts were erased when the official first announcement hit, and yes, at the top of the lineup were a band coming to Australia for the first time in 14 years, the one and only Portishead - with an impressive array of other internationals including The Flaming Lips, The National, Mogwai, Bright Eyes and many more! Billed as a "Civilised Gathering", Harvest set out from the start to be an alternative to the mainstream festivals in this country, and despite a few teething problems, by most accounts it was a very successful first year for the event!
One of the first bands on the main stage of the event - named "The Great Lawn" - were the irrepressibly funky Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Last in the country less than twelve months ago for the Meredith Music Festival, this is a band whose name really says it all - eight brothers and another unrelated who play addictive music centred on brass instruments. Though punters were still arriving and settling in, and weren't really ready to make their way right down the front, plenty of festival earlybirds were clearly enjoying the sounds of this Chicago group, as they should with a band who sound this great. The band were doing their best to get the crowd involved too, at one point engaging in that tried-and-true routine of seeing which side of the crowd was the loudest.
(Hypnotic Brass Ensemble score 8/10)
Over on the Windmill Stage, Oxford quartet This Town Needs Guns were treating a respectable-sized crowd to a solid selection of their math-rock/indie numbers, including plenty of favourites from the band's debut album Animals. Many had enjoyed their performances earlier in the year at the Soundwave Festival, and evidently AJ Maddah had, given that he asked them back for Harvest. Since those performances, the band have undergone a bit of a lineup change, with Pennines' Henry Tremain replacing former vocalist/guitarist Stuart Smith, who has left the band due to the birth of his child. Tremain joked that he had been to so many of the band's gigs as a fan, and had to remind himself not to clap after every song. He certainly gave the crowd many reasons to clap, fitting in very well in the band with a similar vocal style to his predecssor and doing the band's older material justice, and also proving himself quite handy on the guitar with a few songs. However, it was bassist Jamie Cooper that took care of most of the crowd interaction, seeming genuinely humbled by the response his band received but definitely appreciative of it. On the surface of it, This Town Needs Guns' music seems a little bit complex what with all that guitar noodling going on, but there's an underlying pop sensibilty to them that the punters really enjoyed on this particular occasion.
(This Town Needs Guns score 9/10)
Back on the Great Lawn, funk was once again the flavour of the afternoon with legendary act The Family Stone taking to the stage and delighting all in attendance. Despite the notable absence of the group's frontman Sly, the current incarnation of the band boasts a surprising amount of original members, something that they were keen to remind us about several times during the set. Even though there were probably a few in the crowd who couldn't put a song to the band name, there were many looks of recognition and possibly even a few exclamations of "OH! THIS SONG!" as the band worked their way through a selection of timeless material such as Everday People and Family Affair. God knows how Maddah managed to book these guys, but it was certainly an amazing performance from a group that showed no signs of their age!
(The Family Stone score 7/10)
It was then time for a band from a bit closer to home, as Sydney-based electronic experimentalists PVT wowed a packed-out tent at the Big Red Tractor Stage. As they got things going with the title track from last year's very successful Church With No Magic album, the crowd came alive, doing their best to pull off some dance moves despite the glitchy and unpredictable nature of PVT's music! After a surprisingly lacklustre performance at the Corner Hotel last year to launch the album, PVT seemed really in their element today. The trio, made up of Richard Pike on just about EVERYHING (guitar, bass, keys and vocals), his brother Laurence on drums (an absolute force to behold), and Dave Miller on laptop, synths and whatever other electronic gadgets took his fancy, really delivered a standout performance on the day. A selection of Church With No Magic favourites were interspersed with a pair of brand new songs, and even some from their second album O Soundtrack My Heart for the diehard (Pivot?) fans in the audience, with the appropriately-named Didn't I Furious sounding absolutely massive as delivered through a festival sound system, and O Soundtrack My Heart chilling things out a bit toward the end of the set. The crowd's enthusiasm didn't fall at all during the intense 45-minute set by the band; again, perhaps it was the sound system in the tent, perhaps it was the "festival atmosphere", but things just seemed to really go PVT's way on this occasion.
(PVT score 9/10)
It was back to the Great Lawn for the inimitable TV on the Radio. They have long been regarded by many as a band that performs at their absolute best every time, whether it be in the studio while making their excellent albums, or on a live stage as they were today. A highly anticipated act for many on the day, they showcased plenty of new material from their latest release Nine Types of Light as well as dipping into their much-loved back catalogue for fan favourite such as Red Dress, Golden Age and Staring at the Sun. The only complaint heard about their set was that the mix was a bit noisy in places, but overall, this band have a pretty high reputation to uphold when it comes to delivering a good show, and on this occasion, they managed to do so with great success. The set concluded with their arguable "signature song" Wolf Like Me, and although the audience had obviously already been enjoying themselves up until that point, that particular song as a closer really drove it home!
(TV on the Radio score 8.5/10)
The Great Lawn was rapidly filling up at this point, understandable due to the exceptional talent of the acts to come, and to prove the point, it was Conor Oberst and his highly-praised Bright Eyes that were next up on the stage. With such a vast discography, it was always going to be interesting to see how they'd fare with the hour set they were given, but they certainly managed to cover most facets of their career, from 2000's Fevers and Mirrors to their latest release, The People's Key. Oberst showed the crowd he was no slouch on stage, as he switched between guitar and keyboards with great ease, and looked to be having the time of his life the whole set. He even delivered a couple of songs by himself on just acoustic guitar and vocals, which was a nice way of balancing out the set when juxtaposed with the full-band Bright Eyes tracks.
(Bright Eyes score 8/10)
SETLIST:
Old Soul Song (For the New World Order)
Four Winds
Arc of Time (Time Code)
Lover I Don't Have to Love
Jejune Stars
Lua
The Calendar Hung Itself...
Shell Games
Another Travellin' Song
I Believe in Symmetry
Road to Joy
A little later on the Windmill Stage, Scottish post-rock heroes Mogwai drew a full crowd to witness their impressive combination of extreme dynamics, melody and at times, pure fucking noise! Again, an hour set was probably a little short for a band who have been around for quite a while, and who are known for often making some pretty lengthy songs. However, they managed to please all in attendance, balancing out material from this year's brilliantly-titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will with a decent selection of past material, even including rarity Ithica 27 Ø 9 from the Ten Rapid compilation. With the aid of a white sheet hung from the stage, the set was complemented nicely by a series of visuals, with geometric shapes and city skylines seeming quite appropriate for their music; however, it wasn't completely dark yet which meant that this probably wasn't as effective as it could've been. It's fair to say that a lot of post-rock bands don't seem all that energetic onstage, and play with focus and concentration rather than attempting to put on "a show". Though for the most part, this seemed to fit Mogwai's approach to live performance, on the right-hand side of the stage Stuart Braithwaite was positively animated, jumping around during the heavier moments of the songs, and thanking the audience heartily between songs, all with a big smile on his face. Given that it was getting very close to a certain headlining performance on the Great Lawn stage, people started to drift off toward the end of their set, but those who stayed around were rewarded with the penultimate performance of the classic Mogwai Fear Satan, delivered with all the intensity and sonic fury of the studio version that was released fourteen years ago! Time flies. At its conclusion, once again Braithwaite thanked the audience for sticking around, before they closed with Mexican Grand Prix and the few stragglers headed over to the Great Lawn.
SETLIST
White Noise
Ithica 27 Ø 9
I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead
Rano Pano
Auto Rock
How to be a Werewolf
Hunted by a Freak
Mogwai Fear Satan
Mexican Grand Prix
Though nobody would dare to say that the rest of the lineup had been lacking in quality so far, the real talk of this festival was THE headlining act that was apparently the whole reason the festival was launched in the first place. A band with enormous critical acclaim, who only just re-entered the consciousness of the music world a few years ago after taking a full eleven years of silence between the release of their second and third albums. And tonight, for the first time in fourteen years, Australian audiences were treated to a performance that lived up to all expectations. When the lights went down on the main stage and the video screens flickered into life, the usual applause that happens during the beginning of a concert seemed a little subdued, as the crowd held their collective breath for the great moment to come. Static and abstract imagery crawled across the screens for a few seconds, until it was finally replaced with a very familiar symbol - a big bold letter "P". And then, it began. As the musicians involved with this band's live incarnation - the orginal three members, plus three extras to handle various live tasks - made their way onto the stage, a familiar voice reciting a saying in Brazilian-Portuguese came over the PA, and Portishead began their set with the opening track from 2008's Third, Silence.
The second the incomparable Beth Gibbons stepped up to the microphone, the crowd couldn't contain themselves any longer, almost drowning her out with deafening cheers. But they quickly lapsed back into reverential silence, which continue almost throughout the entirety of the set. Appreciation was shown at the right moments - usually at beginning of songs, such as right after Silence when the familiar eerie theremin intro to Mysterons began - but it was amazing to see how just respectful and appreciative the crowd were. If someone dared to break the mood by talking to his or her friend, they were quickly chastised by other people, something you don't often see at a gig! But, this was fucking Portishead, and so such a level of respect was demanded. The band made up for lost time and really didn't fail to deliver a set high on atmosphere and sonic intensity. Of course, the only way the Bristolians could have delivered a setlist to please everybody would be to play everything they've ever recorded, but of course that wasn't possible. So instead, they opted for a healthy selection of crowd favourites, mostly taken from their groundbreaking 1994 album Dummy, and the aforementioned comeback release Third; unfortunately the band's self-titled second album only got two tracks represented in the set, the stunning Over and Cowboys.
As one would expect, the band didn't really stuff around on stage with any theatrics or over-performing, but simply played their parts and let the music do the talking. With that said, there was really no shortage of things to look out, as the band were accompanied by some stunning visual material, in addition to heavily-effected live footage of themselves performing. The imagery used was abstract, surreal, and at times downright intense, such as during Machine Gun when Tony Abbott appeared with bright red laser beams for eyes! Spontaneous appreciative cheering from the crowd showed that they certainly appreciated this "local" flavour for Portishead's appearance. Machine Gun was definitely an overall highlight in a set that really highlighted the sonic difference between today's Portishead and the band who recorded Dummy all those years ago. From the chilled-out ambience of songs like Sour Times and Glory Box (the latter of which saw the crowd break their vow of silence and join in with their best voices), to the jarring intensity of the likes of Magic Doors and Threads, this is a band with quite a dynamic range. Threads was the last song of the main set, but the entire crowd waited patiently for an encore, and it came in the form of the haunting Roads, and an upbeat conclusion with We Carry On. During the song's climax, Gibbons climbed off the stage and ran along the barrier to high-five and embrace the adoring fans. As the song finally ended, it was clear that it was the end of their set completely, and finally, she spoke, thanking everyone for coming and finishing with "We love Australia!", to an appropriate reaction.
SETLIST
Silence
Mysterons
The Rip
Sour Times
Magic Doors
Wandering Star
Machine Gun
Over
Glory Box
Chase the Tear
Cowboys
Threads
----Encore----
Roads
We Carry On
Over on the Windmill Stage, things were about to get downright freaky, as a naked woman appeared on a semi-circular video screen and began spreading her legs. A strategically-placed door began opening sporadically, with members of the upcoming band making their way out one by one, until finally, a giant bubble was inflated and the man inside it launched himself into a rapturous crowd as his bandmates struck up a cover of Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf - and so began the closing performance of the night, and who else would it be but The Flaming Lips. Pushed for time due to Portishead's insistence on absolute silence on other stages during their set, one got the sense that this wasn't exactly the greatest way to enjoy everything that the Flips could potentially offer, and at the end of a festival day, the energy was dipping considerably. "Come on, come on fuckers!" encouraged Wayne Coyne (who it must be mentioned, had a camera on the end of his microphone stand which allowed for some very extreme close-ups!). "I know it's the end of the festival, but by anybody's standards, it's still really fucking early on a Saturday night!" Despite their time restrictions only allowing seven songs to be played, Coyne and his friends still did their best to make sure everyone left on a high note, getting everyone involved with some fanastically fun singalongs to She Don't Use Jelly, The Yeah Yeah Song, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and of course, the closing Do You Realize?? All this was of course accompanied by the usual Flips theatrics, including giant balloons, confetti and streamers floating out into the delighted audience, while onstage, colourful psychedelic visuals played out on the band's trademark video screen, and some extra costumed bodies danced the night away. Overall, it was still quite an enjoyable performance, but definitely not quite the uplifting extravaganza that many were hoping for. Nevertheless, everyone seemed to be smiling as they slowly made their way out of what seemed to be a very successful first edition of Harvest! Here's to next year!
SETLIST:
Sweet Leaf (Black Sabbath cover)
Worm Mountain
She Don't Use Jelly
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
Is David Bowie Dying?
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
Do You Realize??
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