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A One Night Stand Worth Remembering
Over the weekend, the tiny town of Dalby braced itself for what was to be the largest (and arguably most memorable) One Night Stand concert to date. In spite of Saturday’s ominous weather forecast, over 15,000 music fans travelled from far and wide to witness some of Australia’s biggest acts, including Matt Corby, 360 and The Temper Trap.
“This is not The Little Mermaid – we cannot perform under the sea”.
Triple J Unearthed winners Mace and The Motor were awarded the honour of opening the concert – undoubtedly the gig of a lifetime for a small-town band used to working the local pub circuit. Their rocking, bluesy twang ripped through the showgrounds on the very first song, hitting punters square in the face. Judging by their killer set and the number of new fans they gained as a result, this is only the beginning for band members Luke Anderson (bass), Mark Garland (drums) and Mace McGregor (guitar/lead vocals).
Triple J presenters Tom and Alex, introduced the next act as ‘a blue-eyed dream boat, with the voice of an angel and the face of a sex god.’ Matt Corby, undeterred by the thousands of wild and desperate screams from his fans, walked on stage to deliver a set that would not disappoint. As he graced the stage, marriage proposals soared from all corners of the crowd, particularly from the swooning girls in the front row who enthusiastically dubbed him both ‘sex panther’ and ‘lyrical genius’.
Joined on stage by his usual entourage, plus talented keyboardist Bree Tranter from Townsville band The Middle East, Corby began with a soulful, multi-layered instrumental that set the tone for the rest of the set. This was followed by a haunting rendition of ‘Kings, Queens, Beggars & Thieves’ and ‘Souls a Fire’, before the band whipped out a brand new tune, which Corby only finished 20 minutes prior. Fans went mad for each and every song, but ‘Brother’ was obviously what they’d been waiting for. The 15,000-strong crowd belted out the song’s bracing chorus so enthusiastically that fans in the raging, muddy mosh pit had to be rescued by security guards. Enough said.
Following Corby’s captivating performance were Victorian sweethearts Stonefield with their own blistering set. The four rock-obsessed Findlay sisters first graced the ONS stage back in 2010 after winning the Unearthed High competition that year. Since then they’ve been nominated for a J Award, made Triple J’s Hottest 100, released several hit songs and have even conquered the renowned Glastonbury Festival in the UK.
Vulture had the chance to catch up with eldest sisters Amy (drums/lead vocals) and Hannah (guitar) before the show, as they shared tales of humble beginnings and dream gigs (Fuji Rock, O2 Arena and Woodstock to name a few). Despite all their recent success and hopes for the future, the girls are grateful every time they get a chance to play. Amy’s words seem to echo the attitude of the whole group: “It doesn’t really matter how many people we’re playing to; I feel like we’ve made it already because we’re doing what we love”.
Though the sisters seem down to earth and even-tempered in person, their ballsy, rock-goddess alter egos take over once on stage with instruments in their hands. Big hits ‘Foreign Lover’, ‘Black Water Rising’ and ‘Bad Reality’ all went down a treat, as did their own gutsy rendition of Steppenwolf’s ‘Magic Carpet Ride’. The girls pounded out their last song ‘Through the Clover’ in true Zeppelin style, leaving the crowd hungry for more.
By the time the much-anticipated 360 was due to appear, the rain was bucketing down. The already muddy showgrounds became a giant, swampy mess with punters ankle-deep in mud, water and who knows what else. But the sea of poncho-clad people didn’t seem to mind too much once the all-Aussie rapper hit the stage. They roared and rapped along with 360 (and singer Gossling) as they performed ‘Killer’, and Big Boi’s ‘Shutterbug’. No chance now of taming the multitudes, who seemed to sway en masse with every deafening boom from the speakers. But after only 25 minutes, 360’s set was cut short due to heavy rain and difficulties with the sound equipment. Ironically, the last thing he rapped was “Mother Nature, I fuckin’ hate ya”.
With the discovery of water in the subs, safety-conscious ONS organisers were forced to cancel the rest of the event, unfortunately before headliners The Temper Trap had played a single chord. The band were hugely disappointed, as were their fans – some of whom actually threw cups and booed the band off the stage as they apologised for circumstances out of their control.
Triple J presenters, wrapping up on live radio after the show, explained the decision in words everyone could understand: “This is not The Little Mermaid – we cannot perform under the sea”. Thanks for clearing that up.
Despite the bitter end to a sweet, sweet day, it’s unlikely you’ll find anyone who’ll want to forget this One Night Stand in a hurry.
Tagged 360, Big Boi, Bree Tranter, Dalby, Fuji Rock, Glastonbury Festival, Gossling, J Award, Luke Anderson, Mace and the Motor, Mace McGregor, Mark Garland, Matt Corby, O2 Arena, One Night Stand, Steppenwolf, Stonefield, The Middle East, the Temper Trap, Tom and Alex, triple j, triple j unearthed, Triple J’s Hottest 100, Unearthed High, Vulture, Woodstock, Zeppelin
It was a really great night! being right up the front of the mosh pit was the best! even though i was covered in mud and could barely move. My shoes are wrecked, my tights are wrecked, i have a cold. But it was all worth it!!! Temper Trap not playing was a let down but listening to them live at the Sydney 2010 concert that was played on Triple J was nearly as good!