Reviewed on Friday January 16 (photo by Ashley Mar)
What does a typical triple j listener really look like? It’s hard to know from radio surveys alone, and scrolling through the Matt And Alex Facebook page can only tell so much. Sure, the station has captured the 18-to-35s demographic of left-leaning and gig-going Australian youth from the inner city to suburbia and beyond. But on the evidence of its 40th anniversary birthday bash, triple j’s appeal actually stretches much further.
Turning out at the party is everyone from hip hop kids to old-school rock’n’rollers and even a few baby boomers. Hell, Tim Rogers is here too – as is Peter Garrett, who says a few words then disappears offstage without singing a note. It’s one of the few disappointments in a day-long celebration of contemporary Australian music and the radio station that, if you believe the musicians themselves, makes it all possible.
There’s nary a shirtless knobhead in sight asBall Park Musicopen proceedings on a bright summer’s afternoon, easing into their set with the rambling ‘Surrender’ before introducing one of the many, many (read: many) special guests for the day:Dave Faulkner, who does his Hoodoo Gurus hit ‘Like Wow – Wipeout’ for a few confused teenagers. Later,the likes ofBriggs,Gotye,Sarah Blasko(withPaul Dempsey) andTkay Maidzawill play brief changeover sets between the main acts. Warm and fuzzy feelings abound.
The cameos aren’t confined to the breaks between bands, asBernard FanningandTom IansekcrashVance Joy‘s set to cover Australian Crawl’s ‘Reckless’, whileYou Am I‘s self-styled rock’n’roll icon Rogers welcomes onAdalita, Joelisticsand Courtney Barnett to do most of his singing for him. But while there are bands that do the hard yards to eventually nestle into a home on triple j, like Rogers’ crew, there are those that use the station as a launching pad for international success.The Preaturesmay well end up one of them – the bigger the crowd they play for, the more it’s clear they have every right to be massive for years and years to come.
Speaking of these triple j springboard acts, will we ever hear again from Silverchair? Perhaps, perhaps not, butDaniel Johnsis here for a rather bizarre piano rendition of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ with harp accompaniment. Anxious looks are exchanged between crowd members as the cover drags on, but it’s nice to see him again.
The Cat Empirearrive onstage as the sun drops behind the Sydney skyline, and they’re as consistent as ever – a true party band suited to the occasion. Next,The Presetstake advantage of the cover of night with an evocative light show. It can be hard to deal with a banger at six o’clock in the morning as the triple j all-genres-are-equal charter takes over after the news bulletin, but with 25,000 others here in The Domain it really is time to move those feet.Hermitude,Megan WashingtonandDZ Deathrays are on hand to do just that.
Headlining duties go to a band that’s been as much responsible for pioneering Aussie hip hop as the Js themselves:Hilltop Hoods. By this point, special guest fatigue has set in, so it’s refreshing that Suffa, Pressure and co. simply motor through their radio hits – ‘Chase That Feeling’ and ‘I Love It’ alongside newer material. But the communal fun ain’t over yet, asIllywalks on for a verse during “the most unfortunately named song of 2014”, ‘Cosby Sweater’.Horrorshowfollow, thenDrapht,Seth Sentry,Maidza again andThundamentals. Out the back somewhere isRemi, too. If this is what triple j’s midlife crisis looks like at 40, we’re looking forward to the half century.
