ATP 2009

ATP, ATP, ATP, it almost sounds like the name of a bank or an insurance mob rather than one rather rocking festival. Last Thursday saw the first Australian All Tomorrow’s Parties roll down to the Riverstage for one jaw dropping afternoon. I missed the first set by James Blood Ulmer but from what I heard of the last couple of songs it would have been great to see it.

The Necks
The first act that I saw the saw the complete set for was The Necks. I very much appreciated their music but it was a bit weird listening to at an improv set of one song at 3:30 in the afternoon! It was quite funny as since The Necks only played one song, the security was a bit unsure as to when we should leave the pit.

Robert Forster
Mr Forster was next and oh sigh, that was an incredible set. The highlight song for me was for sure Surfing Magazines, a song from The Go-Betweens era, that was just magical. At the end of the set, Robert pulled a few beers off stage and tried to give them to people in the front row, security went nooooooo, you can’t give the punters glass bottles and poured the beer into cups for the punters. Thought that was a really nice move by him.

Spiritualized
I had never heard of Spiritualized before and I actually really enjoyed the set. Will keep an ear our for them in the future for sure.

The Saints
This set was so cool but also really disappointing. I mean man, it’s The Saints. This is Brisbane in 2009 and I’m meters away from The Saints taking photos. If I hadn’t been so hyped up about the set I would have loved it but and a really big but is the fact that they didn’t deliver what they said they were going to do. All the press leading up to the event had said the following

“The most important Australian album ever made”. – Nick Cave on The Saints (I’m) Stranded.

Released in April 1977, The Saints (I’m) Stranded regularly appears in any poll nominating Australia’s greatest ever albums. To celebrate this fact – along with their inclusion in the inaugural Australian All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival series – The Saints (including original members Chris Bailey, Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay as well as long time Saint Archie Larizza on bass) have graciously agreed to recreate the album (all 32 minutes of white noise, punk snarl and songwriting smarts) in its entirety – via two very special Don’t Look Back performances.

The poster for the event has in big, big big type (I’m) Stranded, The Saints. I can’t begin to describe my disenchantment when in Brisbane, their home town, the town where this band that gets billed for changing the music scene does not play their number one hit which got them all the attention. They didn’t even play all the other songs off the album but an assorted mix of their songs through the years. Days later, I still feel my stomach fall when I think about the gig.

Their were highlights and they would have to include the fact that Chris Bailey walked onto stage with a smoke in hand and smoked/drank through the set. Rock on.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
As the curators of ATP 09 Australia, Nick Cave and co took to the River Stage last for a set that contained a wide range of songs, many from the recent Dig, Lazarus Dig! album. Photographing Nick Cave was interesting, we were limited to one song (no surprise there) but we were also required to stay low, very low and to limit our movement. This meant that we basically spent the song sitting on the inbuilt seats on the crowd barrier and trying to shuffle round to get other photos. Still it was pretty darn cool seeing Nick Cave.

My highlight for the night was by far Robert Forster and The Saints (though I am still pretty ticked off at The Saints for not playing (I’m) Stranded, even though a) it was advertised in big type on all the promo material and b) dude, the song is like a Brisbane anthem, how could you not play it to a Brisbane crowd?

See the rest of the photos here – ATP 09 gallery