Big Day Out Review 2006 - Part II

Soulwax
Before I went to the BDO I downloaded a few CDs by the touring artists to check out what they were touring. Because God knows no one had ever heard of half these shit bands before. However one band I decided not to check out, yet still attend, was Soulwax. The only experience I’d had with Soulwax was through their interesting remixes of tracks such as "Six Days", "Robot Rock" and "Dare". But they wouldn’t be remixing on stage; they’d be playing their own music! I would definitely check this out then.
I don’t remember any of Soulwax and I still have never heard a single song by them.
13 Photos, 1 Cowboy Hat and I think the only part of that concert I remember is actually going to the boiler room bar and buying 2 more drinks/5

Shihad + Hilltop Hoods + The Go! Team???
This is obviously where it starts to get a little blurry, but I remember walking towards the Converse Essential Stage with most everyone else to go see Shihad. The thing about going to see Shihad at the Big Day Out was I’d already seen Shihad last year. I saw them at the Flinders Tavern and my ticket only cost $10! Not only that, but the beer was a lot cheaper there as well. So, in protest I decided that I wouldn’t listen to Shihad at a giant music festival and similarly I also decided I would boycott digesting what I'd been drinking as well.
It kind of went like that. I left Shihad, walked past the Silent Disco and had a quiet sit for a moment while I'm pretty sure Hilltop Hoods were playing in the background. It was beginning to dawn on me that I was altogether fucked. I figured I would be alright if I just sat around for a long time... but at what cost? I'd barely even seen the bands I’d come here for. Well, band - I was at one stage referring to the Big Day Out as 'Franz Ferdinand with many national and international supporting acts'.
I decided to make a noble sacrifice and vomit the contents of my stomach in order to hopefully enjoy the rest of the day. This was actually a voluntary decision, one I spent much time sitting on a toilet considering before finally planting myself on my knees and using my fingers to discover parts of your throat that, seriously, you just vomit. It was kinda wicked.
I walked out of the cubicle and my head was a little clearer. Just in time to catch the start of MIA so apart from Soulwax it seemed I hadn’t missed much. However checking my camera revealed me watching a band on the Green Stage after Soulwax and I thought that Shihad had played on the Converse Stage? Surely my memory wasn't that bad! Turns out it was worse, and I'd been at 'The Go! Team' for at least two minutes in which time I took four photos. It might even have been my idea to see them because they seemed like a better option than Shihad for prestigious reasons. Oh well...
Multiple Jack & Cokes/My Mouth

M.I.A.
Aside from Franz Ferdinand, the other main attraction for the BDO was M.I.A. This chick is truly wicked and I’d been totally digging her album for the past two months. Along the way from my lunch to the Boiler Room I bumped into Sam again (as well as a further eight idiots who felt the need to discuss the Western Bulldogs with me ignoring the fact that I was practically incapacitated). I told Sam we should go see M.I.A. and then I got there and it was just so good. I had to force my way to the front to take some photos and once I was there I couldn’t leave. First of all she has mad producers working on her tunes and they were banging. Secondly she actually sings about things that, after you Google the lyrics and read about them are important and stuff; not only catchy, but also deep and with a true personal voice behind them. I really enjoyed M.I.A. and it was almost euphoric. This was pretty much because I was basically still off my tits, but whatev. I actually cried a little during 'Sunshowers' because I was a little overwhelmed by the happy energy that this girl was bouncing out whilst singing about her family tragedy. Also, yeah, off my tits…
5/5