Live Review: Brisbane Festival Closing Party

For almost three weeks now, Brisbane has been coloured hot pink and taken over by nearly every discipline of the arts as part of Brisbane Festival 2018. Tonight, the city’s annual fireworks extravaganza and deafening showcase of RAAF aircraft comes with a closing party for the ages at Brisbane’s beloved Riverstage, headlined by none other than hometown heroes Violent Soho.

Following sets from locals WAAX and Last Dinosaurs (DJ), Perth group Methyl Ethel take to the amphitheatre stage as a typical pre-summer thunderstorm threatens to put a severe dampener on Brisbane Festival’s grand music finale. Thankfully, the sea of ponchos warns off any tropical downpour as the quintet’s appealing psychedelic soundscapes of Groundswell and Twilight Driving (unfortunately minus the saxophone solo) steadily pull punters from their comfy spots on the hill down into the mosh.

A playful rendition of Ubu sees dozens atop shoulders and others jokingly ‘air-cutting’ the hair of their nearest friend as a slow-burning synthesiser steadily takes over the mix and rattles rib cages. A foreboding, ambient soundscape then dramatically makes way for the shimmering synths of Drink Wine, ensuring a fun and danceable conclusion to the mid-afternoon set.

Between sets, the RAAF Roulettes and an EA-18G Growler fly low and acrobatic routes in the skies above the stage, loudly reminding music lovers that isn’t a regular Riverstage event. With all the action in the skies, and a strong number of punters sporting their best Violent Soho shirts and custom-made jackets, it’s an accidental buzzkill when accomplished vocal powerhouse Meg Mac takes to the stage as the sun sets.

Encouraged by a modest grouping of adoring fans, Mac dives into Cages and Grace Gold and immediately turns any heads not already facing the stage with her impressive vocal range. Every Lie and Didn’t Wanna Get So Low But I Had To showcase Mac’s gorgeous harmonies with her sister and backing vocalist ‘Hannah Mac’, while Maybe It’s My First Time and Never Be see Mac stalk and command every inch of the stage. But, while her cover of Tame Impala’s Let It Happen is great in its own right, the set just doesn’t have the energy many are now craving ahead of the 11 tonnes of fireworks set to ignite on the river just metres away before a set from Brisbane’s loudest rock export.

Excitement grows as the Growler makes one final fly-over before Triple M’s live broadcast of Riverfire finally booms across the PA and fireworks explode above our heads. While the soundtrack to this year’s fireworks display is lacklustre - featuring theme songs from blockbuster movies and cliche rock tunes - it’s a special experience seeing the sky filled with ever-changing colour for 20 minutes before thousands begin chanting, “Soho! Soho!”

The crowd erupt almost as loud as the Growler when Violent Soho stroll on stage. “Are you ready to party, Brisbane!?” guitarist James Tidswell chuckles, before In The Aisle and frontman Luke Boerdam’s signature “YEAAAAAH” charge across the amphitheatre. The mosh responds instantly, and it doesn’t take much longer for bassist Luke Henery to whip out his windmill hair.

A WACO one-two of Viceroy and Blanket evoke the set’s first singalongs, which see Boerdam step away from the microphone and add layers of vicious power chords and refrains while the thousands in the Riverstage dutifully sing his lines. Tidswell dedicates Neighbour Neighbour to anyone listening along in the Kangaroo Point apartments across the river before the band crank their amps and Boerdam’s piercing punk vocals up to 11. The grungy rendition is eagerly lapped up by the hungry moshers, and Tidswell seemingly finds an extra distortion pedal to stomp on for each chorus.

So Sentimental is another all-in singalong, and How To Taste is punctuated with guttural screams of “SHE SAAAID” from Boerdam as a wheelie bin is picked up and surfed across the mosh pit. A quick beer break allows the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Henery before smoke machines cover the amphitheatre for raw and passionate renditions of Like Soda and Saramona Said.

Tidswell next dedicates Love Is A Heavy Word and Jesus Stole My Girlfriend to anyone who saw the band perform at popular punk and hardcore haunt Fat Louie's. The pair of tracks from their debut album are packed full of grungy teenage angst, and the four-guitar stacks on stage sound on the verge of breaking up under Tidswell and Boerdam's demands for more distortion. It’s raw, dirty, and damn good fun.

As if watching Violent Soho at the amphitheatre after Riverfire couldn’t get any more ‘Euphoric Queensland’, Bernard Fanning of Powderfinger joins the quartet on stage for These Days. Even though Boerdam struggles to harmonise with Fanning between OK Catherdral-esque guitar work, it’s an unforgettable cover and a moment of absolute peak #euphoricqld.

Dope Calypso and Covered In Chrome round out the set with more thunderous guitar work and singalongs, but most are disappointed when the quartet don’t emerge for an encore. Violent Soho headlining the closing party is an absolutely fitting end for this year’s Brisbane Festival, however, the lack of any new music and no encore leaves somewhat of a bittersweet taste as the crowd sings DJ Otzi’s Hey Baby (Uhh, Ahh) while they file out of the inner city amphitheatre.