Stonefest brings tricks and treats for Halloween

Kristyn Comino

16 November: Stonefest was back with a vengeance for 2009, with a new one-day format, another killer line-up and even a few circus performers thrown in the mix, no punter went home disappointed. Even the weather performed well for the Halloween event, with the predicted thunder storms failing to show up and haunt the day.

The Stonefest crowd rocking out to Birds of Tokyo

Amongst those gracing the stage this year for the University of Canberra festival were The Living End, Birds of Tokyo, Josh Pyke, Frenzal Rhomb, Urthboy and many more. You couldn’t complain about any of the acts, but there were a few highlights (including that guy wandering around dressed as a banana, although he wasn’t part of the line-up unfortunately).

It was good to see Stonefest organisers show their support for new music, with Canberra locals and Catapult competitions winners Super Best Friends proving they deserved to win their prize of a spot on the bill. By the time fellow Canberrans Hancock Basement had hit the stage the crowd was truly flowing in.

Art vs. Science got the mob on their feet with most doing a good job of pretending they knew the French lyrics to their hit ‘Parlez-Vous Francais’. Jim Finn from the band could even be seen in the crowd amongst the punters soaking up the acts that followed; complete with an entourage of female fans dressed as the French mimes from the film clip for the song.

British India played a solid set that appeared to win them some new fans; one girl could be heard exclaiming she was definitely going to download them when she got home - which must count for something. Children Collide gave an equally rocking performance, setting the standard for the other acts that would take the stage later in the day. One of these was Big Day Out regulars Birds of Tokyo, who never fail to impress and made Stonefest no exception. ‘Wild Eyed Boy’ is a guaranteed crowd pleaser and they delivered it in style along with the rest of their set.

If you managed to bribe, lie or simply push your way up to the front of the mosh pit for Frenzal Rhomb you would have seen how dedicated their fans are. One was even determined to give bass player Lindsay McDougall advice on his clothing. “Untuck your shirt Lindsay!” he yelled continuously. Lindsay (aka the Doctor from Triple J) was too busy putting on a show to hear this advice; including when he stapled the bands set list to someone’s chest. Their infamous frontman Jason ‘Jay’ Whalley didn’t miss out on the action either, at one point standing on one of the circus performers as she lay on broken glass. 

But it was headliners The Living End that truly impressed. The crowd were so frenzied while they performed that they knocked down the front barrier, a feat that appeared to impress lead singer Chris Cheney as he announced their achievement to the rest of the masses. The band showered Stonefest with a stellar collection of their hits, even pulling out the legendary ‘Prisoner of Society’ that shot them to fame over a decade ago.

So if you couldn’t get to Stonefest this year you’ve probably gathered that you missed out. If 2009 is anything to go by it’s going to be hard to top the performers and energy of this year, but something tells us the University will outdo themselves again in 2010. Make sure you take the whole of October off next year to prepare!