Sunset Sounds: Day 2

Many had been more impressed by the lineup for day two of Sunset Sounds. On face value, day two had more popular international acts, but I don’t think it was any more hugely superior to day one (which was quite good).

I arrived in time to see the start of locals Hungry Kids of Hungary, who were, once again, playing their great brand of 60s inspired indie rock. This band, in combination with a soothing mild ale, were a great way to kick off what was an incredible night.

I was very impressed by multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird's 2009 record “Noble Beast” and his inclusion on the bill was one of the main reasons for me going to Sunset Sounds. Turns out, I was not disappointed. While arguably it took a while for Mr Bird to get into the swing of things, by the time 'Anonanimal' gets introduced, we’re beginning to see the real musical genious behind Andrew Bird. Truthfully, he is a phenomenal musician.

I managed to catched melbournians Oh Mercy, whose debut album was a great little release. Despite the smallish crowd, I found their set enjoyable. While perhaps Alexander Gow needs to improve his crowd banter, their breezy pop music is perfect for the late afternoon heat. 'Seemed Like a Good Idea' and 'Get You Back' are highlights.

Wandering around the grounds, I heard Lisa Mitchell play a dire cover of Dire Strait’s “Romeo and Juliet”. I watched perhaps three songs of Yves Klien Blue’s set at the hibiscus stage and before the urge for nausea nearly overcame me. Look, I'm sorry, but I just cannot get anything from this band. When one song is described as being about “really good sex”, I decided I’d had enough.

While I could write a thesis on the Grizzly Bear set, I have to say it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. This is truly a special band. Excuse the melodrama, but this set induced some raging reflective emotions that have rarely appeared within my conscious during live music. I can’t describe it any better than this – it was overwhelmingly brilliant.

So I head over to Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Despite my dislike of the band and their songs (apart from the quite good A-Trak remix of “Heads Will Roll”), I decide to give them another chance. Perhaps it was a bit premature. Apart from the last ten minutes of the set, I didn’t enjoy any of it. Their music seems derivative, tired and is more about posteuring than anything artistic. Of course, coming from Grizzly Bear half hour before, anything was going to look poor by comparison.

Well, in summation, Sunset Sounds was fairly good. The highlights were Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, and Dappled Cities.

Of course, that’s just what I think. What did you think?