Written by: Marlena Katene
Photos by: Simone Gorman-Clark >> SEE PHOTOS

Saturday 27th April @ Broadwater Parklands - Southport, QLD

Definition of Pandemonium

— “A situation in which a crowd of people act in a wild or uncontrolled way because they are afraid, excited, or confused”.

As we headed into the Broadwater Parklands on a hot autumn Saturday afternoon, I automatically felt a buzz of excitement in the air.  I entered the venue and saw a sea of people in black T shirts, flannel shirts and even the odd person dolled up with make-up to rival the headline act ALICE COOPER. It is only 1.30pm, the gates are barely opened, and it is not the coolest of days… so I know the state of that make up may be different later in the night. As I made my way to the front of the stage it was clear people were prepping for the night ahead. When you see a guy in shorts and shirt with Fruit Loops all over it trying to balance a few Jack Daniel’s when his phone rings…. Well one must just laugh. Young and old we were all here for the opportunity to experience a great afternoon. We didn't have to wait for long until the show to start.

Local act THE SILENCIO got the show started with several familiar fans enjoying some familiar tunes. As the crowd began multiplying by the minute, COSMIC PSYCHOS jumped on stage dressed to impress with their best bonds blue singlets and work boots. They kicked off with Aussie Pub Rock classic ‘Nice Day to Go to The Pub’. The heads began to bang and I was showered with spray from enthusiastic singing as I witnessed the first of many Great Northern beers being spilled. I knew we were in for a great night and the afternoon had barely kicked off.

Up next was one of my favourite semi local bands WOLFMOTHER. It always excites me to see front-man Andrew Stockdale pick up that guitar and shred like no other. There were a German couple that were in front of our group that spoke broken English, but by God when songs like ‘Woman' and 'Joker and the Thief' were played they knew every word and sang as good as the rest of us. After that set I had planned to use as an opportunity to feed up for the night ahead, but I didn’t want to lose my prime spot, so I sent my mate to go get some food for me. I wasn’t losing this spot as this is where I knew I needed to be to truly experience more Pandemonium.

Up next WHEATUS…. What intrigued me was all 6 members of this band were also part of the roadie crew. As soon as WOLFMOTHER exited the stage, they sprang into action and set up much of their stage themselves. Despite forming in 1995 not too many people in the audience acknowledging their roadie abilities until one clear fan expressed his pleasure and yelled out “Hey Brendon I F*CKING love you dude”. His fandom was acknowledged with him taking the time from plugging in guitars to have a chat before the set started. Introducing himself to the crowd, lead singer Brendon Brown announced “Gold Coast do you know you has the prettiest city in Australia?” His affinity to our country was clear and throughout their set he reminisced about his previous times in Australia. Stories of how last time he came to Australia he had Pneumonia and slept for 20 hours before waking up all good to go. Or another where he left for a tour of Australia after getting engaged in New York, and then he wasn’t engaged when he got home. Or the one about filming the video clip for “Leroy” in Melbourne. Explaining the bands ongoing love affair with Australia, he affirmed that “We first bought our music to Australia and you guys were the first to run with it”. The band performed many of their hits such as ‘Lemonade’, ‘Valentine. Hey’, ‘Mr. Brown’ and ‘Teenage Dirt Bag’.  

As the Sun began to set the crowd began to surge forward as THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS were up next. I used this opportunity for a bathroom break but managed to see a little of the set towards the end. Unfamiliar with their act I could appreciate the 5-piece band and their tunes which reminded me of David Bowie Albums my flatmate used to play back in the day.  Compared to the previous sets it was a little more subdued and chill, which was probably a good thing for what was in store.

As early arrivals we only had two people between us and the barrier, and both these people were here for BLONDIE. Their hours of persistence were about to pay off. Dressed in a two-piece yellow suit, BLONDIE commanded the audience the second she walked on asking the audience “Hello where are you from? I heard this place is called Surfer’s Paradise and it seems like paradise to me!”. Immediately she broke into her hits ‘X Offender’, ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ and ‘One way or Another’ where every audience member unsurprisingly became backing singers for this icon of the music scene. Despite her age BLONDIE moved freely around the stage and it was evident the many years of experience she has had. After performing ‘Call Me’ she removed her jacket and requested a fan be turned on “Jimmy can you come here and turn on the fan?” when he complied, she joked; “And by fans, I mean you lot. It is getting so hot in here!” This was followed by her hits such as ‘Atomic’, ‘Rapture’, ‘The Tide is High’, ‘Marie’, ‘Heart of Glass’ and more.

Acknowledging her Australian fan base BLONDIE stated, “The reason I am here is because of you, thank you so much for accepting us for all these years”. The fans in the audience were mainly of the older generation but beside me for this set were a group of 19-year-old girls from Brisbane that were literally singing every word to every song. This intrigued me as they were dancing and singing louder and with more enthusiasm as the ardent fans waiting on barrier! When questioning how they knew her work they proudly stated all their parents played them on repeat as children and they love her. Love her so much that over last week and a bit they have been pulling out the LPs and brushing up on the songs they grew up with. It was evident that BLONDIE not restricted to any age demographic.  This set was truly a surprise to me and re-affirmed that good music lives for ever.

The night was not over yet as ALICE COOPER was to round off this evening and for full disclosure, I have never been to a show of his before and was quite unsure what to expect. My curiosity grew as the stage was being set up with the props and I soon realised that an ALICE COOPER show is not just a show, but a theatrical production. Introducing ALICE to the stage were two Plague Doctors ringing bells. Kick starting his set with ‘Lock Me Up’, ‘Welcome to the Show’ and ‘No more Mr. Nice Guy’. I now began to comprehend why some performers have a had such a long career and can still command a reactive audience. For the next hour the crowd experienced straight jackets, guillotines, swords, snakes and more. Many hits performed included ‘Hey Stoopid’, ‘Department of Youth’, ‘Feed My Frankenstein’ and ‘Poison’.  

Another highlight of the evening was the talented band and the ever talented NITA STAUSS. This was most evident when ‘Black Widow Jam’ was performed allowing the band to take centre stage. Throughout the evening I was surprised how many COOPER songs I was familiar with, but I was happy the encore was ‘Schools out for Summer’ – with a ‘Brick in the Wall’ inclusion.

A great event was held today. Pandemonium was sold to us, and Pandemonium was delivered by wild performers and an excited crowd.

Photos by: Simone Gorman-Clark
Click below to view the FULL GALLERY