This Is Not A Photo Opportunity

Mudhoney + feedtime + Gravel Samwidge @ The Zoo, 18-01-2014

Once again it’s very slim pickings for music festival sideshows in Brisbane in 2014. I think the Mudhoney show at The Zoo, the night before the festival starts its Australian dates at its new Gold Coast location, might be the only Big Day Out sideshow in town this year.

Knowing that there’s a long day ahead in the morning, and an early start, the last thing I want from a show the night before is a late night but Mudhoney manage this by playing a set that doesn’t start until 10:30pm and isn’t scheduled to end until 12:15am. Given the time to walk back to the car, drive back home and get to sleep (which is always difficult after a gig anyway), a 12:15am end time essentially means not getting to bed until after 1am. At that time, the thought of a 7:30am alarm call isn’t very inviting even without the addition of a day walking more than 10km with a 10kg camera bag in the 30+ degrees heat of the Gold Coast. In the end I think the band finish a bit early than advertised but it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference the next morning.

It’s only been a couple of years since Mudhoney were last out here, also playing a show at The Zoo. Tonight’s setlist is almost identical to the last time give or take a few songs from their latest album. The photos are almost identical as well, although I did make more of an effort to get more of Steve Turner this time around.

It always makes me a bit sad when big international acts play to a less than sold out Zoo, especially when there’s an endless stream of latest triple j darlings who have no problems selling out multiple nights at the venue. It’s an odd mix in tonight, mostly the usual 40+ guys who have the band’s history firmly entrenched in their own personal histories, like a lot of the shows I go to. The oddest sight is the group of guys who look like they’re in their early 20s and who position themselves at the front against the stage for the headliners within seconds of support band feedtime finishing. One of the group is wearing a bandana and aviator sunglasses and doesn’t take off his sunglasses for the whole gig, although he starts to get aggravated with the mosh of 40 year olds going on behind him. It’s a shame he wasn’t at the recent Future Of The Left show, I’m sure Falco would have had something to say about his appearance.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2014 at 12:22 pm. It is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2014, Brisbane, Dan Peters, feedtime, Gravel Samwidge, Guy Maddison, Mark Arm, Mudhoney, Steve Turner, The Zoo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.