- Although I would have liked to have seen the young Melbournian upstart DJ/producer Miami Horror at the Good Vibrations Festival, the three hour wait until the next "decent" act was too much of a deterrent. Unfortunately, that story—one of a poorly designed schedule that saw most of the headlining acts overlap in the final two hours of the festival—was one of the reasons that this event was such a disappointment.
The schedule was the reason that we decided to roll in at 7 PM—an arrival that was greeted by an already-massive crowd at the main stage gathered to see Sydney-based duo, The Presets. Although renowned as a sloppy festival act, better suited to a more intimate setting, I found their set (on the whole) tight and Julian Hamilton's voice held up well into the vast and expansive crowd. The recent praise and recognition earned by Apocolypso was clearly evidenced by the crown interaction. There were frenetic sing-alongs to "My People" and "This Boy's in Love," but the intensity of the set died at the final post when—having played all their aces—the duo ended with the downbeat (and seemingly not-so-popular) "Anywhere."
Good Vibrations Melbourne photo credit: Scott Sanders
Deadmau5, instead, was the highlight of the evening. From my vantage point, at least, the Canadian producer was nothing short of brilliant and it's not difficult to see how he managed to be the most downloaded artist on Beatport in 2008. Tracks like "Faxing Berlin," "Slip" and "Ghosts and Stuff" were well-executed and dropped in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, due to the squashed timetable I was unable to see his whole set and missed out on hearing "My Friend," if he played it at all, but was still able to catch a version of Funkagenda's "What the Fuck?"
In fact, the only gripe that I have with Deadmau5's set is with the event organisers. The tiny dance tent which housed only a tiny proportion of the crowd meant that most of the audience had to deal with obstructed views—a shame considering Deadmau5's act is just as much about the visuals as it is the music, what with his famous mouse head silhouetted against crazy computer graphics. And let's not even bother talking about what that meant for the sound quality.
Good Vibrations Melbourne photo credit: Scott Sanders
Reluctantly leaving before the end of Deadmau5's set, I trudged through the masses of people and dust (a pitfall of Heirisson Island) toward the main stage for Fatboy Slim. Having missed the beginning of the set which apparently consisted of a rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's "Pure Imagination" followed by "Right Here Right Now," I arrived to hear The White Stripes' famed "Seven Nation Army" riff mixed with some Pete Tong-style progressive house.
I immediately wondered whether leaving Deadmau5 had been a mistake, considering I might be stuck listening to the same tracks and mash-ups Fatboy has been playing for most of this decade. (It's fine in an intimate club setting, but not as a headlining act in an overcrowded dusty paddock.) It only got worse from there, with House of Pain's "Jump Around and Deelite's "Groove Is in the Heart" acting as his cheap and lazy party starters. Some lowlights of the set: David Byrne's "Lazy" and a mash-up of "Rockafella Skank" and the Rolling Stones' "No Satisfaction." I will never understand Fatboy Slim's preoccupation with making incompatible mash-ups of his own tunes—songs that stand up well on their own.
Good Vibrations Melbourne photo credit: Scott Sanders
Despite the predominately mediocre set, Fatboy did play some gems like Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go." And the synchronised video to Dan Le Sac's "Thou Shalt Always Kill"—although probably prerecorded—was quite fun. The set's highlight, though, was undoubtedly the video, lights and lasers—one of the craziest I've seen since The Chemical Brothers.
All in all, Perth's Good Vibrations was poorly designed. The schedule was top-heavy and overlapped, the tent positioning caused sounds from different areas to overlap and the crowd was excessive—making it often impossible to see, hear or get around. With better planning, there's no reason that these things can't be fixed for next year, but I recommend taking a look at the set times before purchasing your ticket.