SPRING LOADED - Brisbane
Is That a Spring in Your Step, or are You Just Freezing?
Written by: Tom Wilson - Sense Music Media
You couldn’t pick a better spot for it. Rolling green slopes, sparkling ocean, dolphins on the horizon, and a towering white Ferris wheel right on the water. We’re lucky to be here, and today’s MC, Lindsay McDougall of FRENZAL RHOMB, starts things off with a passionate acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land beneath our feet. COVID has already made its mark on the festival, leading to a massive line-up reshuffle. REGURGITATOR, THE MEANIES, MAGIC DIRT and THE FAUVES haven’t made it due to border closures, but the organisers have pulled off an impressive recovery, enlisting rock veterans YOU AM I, TUMBLEWEED, TEX PERKINS and THE SUPERJESUS at extremely short notice. Kicking things off are CALIGULA, and the dreamy synths and throbbing groove of I See You drift up the hill as punters begin to stream in. The law has been laid down early. There are giant signs saying “NO MOSHING”. The message is clear. But will it be listened to?
Pictured: Sean Fonti + Ashley Rothschild - CALIGULA
Photographer: Trace McLean
It’s 2:45pm. My friend Chris has raised his forearm in front of my face. “Do you see that?” He asks. He’s talking about his goosebumps. “That’s not from the cold.” Onstage, SCREAMFEEDER have just brought Dart to a close – Kellie Lloyd’s Rickenbacker bass still ringing in the air – and the memories it brings back are vivid. Spring Loaded isn’t just an exercise in nostalgia, no matter how many grey hairs we all have now. What made these bands great in the 90s is still true today. The crowd in front of the stage starts to swell, drawn in by the Brissie rockers’ pulsating indie rock. The sun in shining, and the vibe is warm.
Pictured: Tim Steward - SCREAMFEEDER
Photographer: Trace McLean
Next up is the fuzzed-out stoner rock of TUMBLEWEED, and for the first time today I’m really grateful I remembered my earplugs. Purveyors of psychedelic rock and facial hair, you can’t help but be entranced as they bow their heads and worship at the altar of The Riff. “Perfection is for wimps,” quips their singer. Who needs perfection when you’ve got rock ‘n’ roll?
Pictured: Paul Hausmeister + Richard Lewis - TUMBLEWEED
Photographer: Trace McLean
It takes a lot to keep FRENZAL RHOMB down. Drummer stuck in Melbourne? No worries – here are two great fill-ins. Bassist with a busted leg? Let’s get him a chair to play on, Dave Grohl-style. Jay’s fly is undone? Shush, don’t tell him. Mummy Doesn’t Know that You’re a Nazi and Mum Changed the Locks are hyperactive jams, and the crowd does well not to break out in a full-blown mosh. Lindsay offers tributes to the bands who had to pull out because of the restrictions, busting out 10% Weird by THE MEANIES and showing similar love to MAGIC DIRT and THE FAUVES.
Pictured: Jason Whalley - FRENZAL RHOMB
Photographer: Trace McLean
Uh-oh. Jay’s just realised his fly’s been down the whole time. “Thanks for telling me, Queensland!” They sign off with the seminal Punch in the Face, and there are shit-eating grins all around.
I have a six-year-old daughter, and when she grows up, I hope she has musical role models like Sarah McLeod, singer-guitarist for THE SUPERJESUS. Effortlessly commanding the crowd, their cover of Kylie Minogue’s Confide in Me turns the ethereal original into a thundering arena rock banger – McLeod perching herself atop the drum riser. Secret Agent Men is a smooth tale of espionage, and they turn their signature hit Gravity into an enormous singalong – McLeod dividing the crowd like Moses and playing them off each other. At one point walking along the crowd barrier while playing – and posing for selfies with the audience, again, while playing – there are some people who just make it look easy. Even when they stuff up – like guitarist Jason Slack trying to toss guitar picks to the crowd and falling short every single time – they make it entertaining. An amazing set.
Pictured: Paul Berryman, Sarah McLeod + Stuart Rudd - THE SUPERJESUS
Photographer: Trace McLean
My first job was as a music journalist from ’05 to ’08, and I vividly remember being nervous the first time I interviewed TEX PERKINS. Famously quick-witted, I hold him in the same esteem as artists like Nick Cave – supremely talented and effortlessly cool. Tonight, he is joined onstage with his band, THE SAVIOURS. “Here’s a SOUNDGARDEN song that JOHNNY CASH stole,” he says, breaking out a rollicking cover-of-a-cover of Rusty Cage. The wind has picked up, and it feels like the already brisk weather has dropped another ten degrees. At this point, it’s hard to tell who is dancing to the music and who is moving just to keep the blood going, but the vibe onstage is one of warmth and unity, as Perkins draws from his solo material and his work with BEASTS OF BOURBON. If there ever was a man famous for doing whatever the hell he wants, it’s him, and tonight he takes us on a journey from dark country to soulful rock.
Pictured: Tex Perkins - TEX PERKINS
Photographer: Trace McLean
The one downside of the ruthlessly efficient road crew and the spacious grounds is that the turnaround between bands doesn’t leave much time to get a feed (particularly when you’re trying to catch all of them to write a review). It’s with my sincerest apologies to YOU AM I that I was not in the position to catch most of their set. However, I will say this; as a frontman, you never know quite what you’re going to get when Tim Rogers comes onstage. Tonight, he’s opted for white face paint a la The Crow, and he’s swigging white wine from the bottle. Constantly making mention of the time, he seems anxious that they’re not going to have time to give the fans the set they deserve. After all these years, the fact that he still cares so much speaks volumes.
Pictured: Tim Rogers + Andy Kent - YOU AM I
Photographer: Trace McLean
GRINSPOON waste absolutely no time tonight, opening with Dead Cat x3 and Lost Control. Phil Jamieson is a sight to behold tonight, clad in high-waisted stripey pants, a suit jacket and bug-eyed yellow novelty sunglasses. Part circus clown, part snake-hipped rock star, he is clearly having a fantastic time tonight. Two songs in, Phil brings the show to a halt, as he notices an incident with a punter. “Are you OK?” he asks, turning from cocky rockstar to concerned dad in a heartbeat. The situation is resolved, and the lads push on – Phil busting out the megaphone for American Party Bomb – but then the shit really hits the fan. One side of the D-Barrier is shoved over by members of the crowd, and the 400-capacity front-of-stage area is swamped with people. The mood is euphoric and rebellious, and it’s not long before the band leave stage and Lindsay has the unenvious task of playing disciplinarian. Eventually, most of the gate-crashers are convinced to disperse, and the show can go on. “This song goes out to all the people in the back … and all the people in the front … and the New South Wales rugby side.” They launch into Champion, and Phil blows kisses at the Maroons fans booing in the crowd. The cheeky sod.
Pictured: Phil Jamieson + Pat Davern - GRINSPOON
Photographer: Trace McLean
With More Than You Are, they storm to the finish line, and cannons fire clouds of red confetti over the crowd. Tonight, GRINSPOON are in their best form since the first time I saw them in 2002, and this performance is the perfect way to close an incredible day. Spring Loaded 2021 has come to a glorious finish. As the crowds disperse, I remember something Lindsay had said about people taking some litter with them when they leave, so I grabbed a rubbish bag off a staff member and picked up my bodyweight in cans. It seemed like the least I could do for such a beautiful venue.
Pictured: Trace McLean + Tom Wilson @ SPRING LOADED FESTIVAL - Brisbane
Venue: Sandstone Point Hotel - Bribie Island, QLD
Sincerest thanks to the organisers for putting this on. A truly amazing (if slightly nippy) day.
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