Big Day Out (BDO) 2012

When we bought our tickets to the 2012 BDO back in October last year, on a day that was unseasonably warm and with no threat of rain or storms, we were well on board. We planned our day and we booked our hotel - being middle-aged and lazy, we no longer do trains home after a big day out at Homebush but choose to stay in the luxury that is the Pullman Hotel, some 10kms from home instead. However, as the day got closer and the weather forecasts predicted doom and gloom, we got more and more concerned. So it was a huge surprise that the Australia Day 2012 dawned bright and shiny! And what's more, the weather gods really went all out for the whole day. Not one shower and some pretty intense sunshine too. Bingo.

It was by far the best BDO I have been too. Unlike previous years, we spent most of our day in the main arena, switching spots on the grass or in the stand to get the best vantage point depending on what stage was being used and how hot the sun was. I loved The Jezebels, my definite priority for the BDO and the first band we headed off to see. Eady loved the Hilltop Hoods and just like two years ago, they whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. Living End, although not a band that we would list in our top 10 favourites, were the consumate performers and everyone went kinda crazy watching them which made it a lot of fun. Kanye West was very good as expected (we saw him a couple of times before when he supported U2 in Australia) but the show was a bit self-indulgent and more suited to a concert then a festival. Note to Kanye, the kiddies just want to sing and dance, not watch theatrics and fireworks. Kasabian were definitely the highlight of the day although a shout out to Noel Gallagher too. We only caught the last half of his show due to bloody Kanye's melodramatics but what we did see was very cool and very much like what we expected Noel to be like.

After our night in the hotel, there was no time to lounge around in our king-size bed. We had a 6.30am wake-up to ensure that we could get to work on time. Aaaargh, the things we responsible adults have to do to fund our social lives...

Gourmet and Grit

Eady has been keen to try a Mexican restaurant recommended to him by a work colleague for weeks called El Barrio in Bayswater Road, Kings Cross. So when I booked tickets to see "The Boys" at a theatre just down the road after completely forgetting my vow to avoid any travel that involved a trip over the Harbour Bridge over the two weekends that works were being carried out, we decided to give El Barrio a go. We headed there for a "kiddie-timed" dinner at 6pm so that we could make the theatre by 7pm. As the food can be ordered in the style of tapas, this wasn't a problem at all and the staff were fabulous about ensuring we would be able to finish in time. Everything was handmade: from the guacamole to the pulled pork on corn chips to the 3 different flavours of tacos we ate - crumbed flat head (heaven in our collective mouths!), frejoles and chicken. The margaritas were sensational too. Eady managed to down two in the hour we were there and even finished off mine whilst giving blessing for the fact he married such a light-weight in the alcohol consumption stakes. The style of the decor was really lovely too and had me thinking about adding concrete floors and exposed brick walls to our list of renovation musts for our townhouse...

After dinner, it was off to the Griffin Theatre where "The Boys" was being staged. I have seen the movie by the same name a number of times (gritty Australian drama being my  most favourite movie genre), which was taken from the original stage production that debuted in Sydney some 20 years ago. It is loosely based on what became known in the media at the time as "The Anita Cobby Killing", a horrific and sadistic murder committed against a young female nurse by a group of 3 brothers. The play was set in the backyard of the house in which the brothers lived and the scenes alternated between pre and post-crime. It reflected on the build-up to the crime and the misogynistic views the brothers had not only towards the women in their lives but the female race in general. It touched on class themes, family loyalty at all costs, feelings of inferiority the brothers had as well as the effect prison can have on someone and the question of rehabilitation within the prison system. It also highlighted not only the acceptance by the women in the lives of the brothers of their faults but the resignation they felt in that the attitudes and behaviour displayed were just part of being a man "It's the thing you see all the time, on street corners and outside pubs...it's a kind of energy and it's full of nothing but evil".  It was quite harrowing to watch at times, particularly in the second half and I was not the only person grappling with the sheer hatred displayed towards women by the three main characters. Despite the challenging themes, Eady and I both thought the production was brilliant and were really pleased to be able to see such a riveting Australian production. 

Culture Vultures Tour 2012 - J Mascis

We decided to start our cultural new year off with a shout-out to our glory days - the 90s where we had no responsibilities other then getting to a uni lecture on time, with bonus points if that happened after no sleep the night before. The first event of 2012 saw us off to enjoy the music of J Mascis, the founder and frontman of Dinosaur Junior, in the Spielgeltent in Hyde Park where he was playing as part of the Sydney Festival 2012. Eady somehow managed to snaffle some tickets when they were first released and was giddy with excitement as the last time he had seen J was at one of the first Big Day Outs back in the early 90s, definitely a long time between drinks in anyone's pub! But 20 years seemed to have passed in a blur for most of us there, J included - Eady and I love a concert but love an early finish even more especially now that age and work commitments have wearied us. So the 7pm kick off was brilliant! Luckily it was only the start of the brilliance of the night as J was amazing. His voice has matured so much and is so deep and resonating. Without the backing of his band, the acoustic show definitely had a Country-meets-California vibe about it, even with the old Dinosaur Junior songs he played.

As for the Speigeltent, it was our first experience of this temporary venue and I have to say it was pretty amazing. The interior is like an old-fashioned circus tent with lead-light windows and a giant chandelier dangling from the Big Top. There are chairs in front of the teeny stage at one end, booths around the sides of the tent with a standing section near the entrance. It feels as if the venue only holds a handful of people and there is not one bad seat in the house, even the standing room offers fabulous views. Despite a big queue, we got ourselves 3rd row seats (after declining front row) and just chilled with some wine for the duration of the show. This really is concert-going for the old and weary!