Review by Bill Whiting
Photos by Bernice Whiting
New York based band Alberta Cross took to the Bunbury main stage on day two, and treated the early arrivals to a molten hot set full of blues and rock. Petter Ericson Stakee’s otherworldly vocals and searing guitar runs lit up the hot afternoon as Alberta Cross previewed material from their new long player, Songs of Patience. Their version of “The Thief & The Heartbreaker” proved to be one of the best songs onstage during the afternoon. Brooklyn, New York’s Black Taxi took over one of the side stages with their bruising take on punk and dance workouts, drawing heavily from their albums, We Don’t Know Any Better and Things of That Nature. Ezra Huleatt and Bill Mayo shared vocal duties while Krisana Soponpong on bass and Jason Holmes on drums integrated the Black Taxi vibration with wickedly propulsive grooves. Oxford, England’s A Silent Film wowed the main stage crowd with a Coldplay like run through their top selling records, Sand and Snow and The City That Sleeps. Lead singer Robert Stevenson’s natural charisma led to a close and visceral bond with the denizens on the Bunbury lawn, and A Silent Film turned out to be a highly talked about buzz band at the festival. London, England’s Graffiti 6 took some time to get their sound right before they harmonized beautifully on tunes from their winning disc, Colours. Of particular notice was lead singer Jamie Scott and guitarist TommyD, the fronting duo that gave the ensemble a distinctive street corner vocal group edge. Atlanta, Georgia’s Manchester Orchestra powered around an ear splitting grunge set that got heavier as time progressed. Bunbury’s patrons enjoyed every moment of their compositions from 2009’s Means Everything to Nothing and 2011’s Simple Math. And, the louder they played, the more intense the distortion and reverberations bounced across the river. Bunbury day two headliner Weezer put on a performance full of alternative hits and carefully chosen covers. Lead vocal and guitarist Rivers Cuomo’s dramatic vocal attack and shimmering solos were punctuated by Patrick Wilson’s staccato bursts on drums and Scott Shriner’s booming bass lines. Weezer was a perfect act to close out a fantastic second day at Bunbury, and the massive throng leaving the grounds seemed very excited about Sunday’s diverse lineup.
Weezer July 14, 2012 Bunbury Music Festival Setlist: Troublemaker-Undone The Sweater Song-Put Me Back Together-Tired of Sex-Hash Pipe-Island in the Sun-My Name is Jonas-Pork and Beans-Longtime Sunshine-Dope Nose-(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To-Surf Wax America-El Scorcho-Buddy Holly-We Are All on Drugs-Keep Fishin’-Say It Ain’t So-Perfect Situation-The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On a Shaker Hymn) Encore: Talk Dirty to Me-Beverly Hills
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