Another rainy, cool afternoon in Melbourne saw punters flock to AC/DC Lane to witness, among other things, the reformed Died Pretty some 25 years after their inception, (they had a six year break and reformed three years ago), and Jesse Hughes with his interesting girlfriend Tuesday Cross. A few would say that the line-up this year was somewhat hit and miss, however ticket sales would show that the crowd was almost as large as last year when Rose Tattoo were featured. At times it was tough to move from location to location as people packed tightly around the stage (most probably to keep warm and dry).
There were many things that I enjoyed about this gig. As usual it was held in AC/DC Lane; the cobbled, graffiti adorned lane that is so typically Melbourne. As always the punters were an eclectic bunch. There were youngsters experiencing the excitement of Cherry Rock for the first time, as well as folk who were born long before any of these bands were a twinkle in their founder’s eye. It was great to see that the organisers saw fit to hold the whole event on one stage this year. Those of us who wanted to have a short respite from the standing and crowding could go into the Cherry for a drink and a sit down while we waited for the next band to start. The bands themselves rose to the occasion and seemed to give ‘it’ that little bit more, and the happy vibe that all this created was really quite ‘feel good’.
By the same token there were a couple of things that I didn’t enjoy about the day, but they were more on a personal level than from a whole crowd perspective. The male toilets in the Cherry couldn’t cope with demand so the whole back section of the bar smelled of ‘boy pee’. There weren’t as many bands playing as there were last year, (probably because only one stage was being used), and there was an obvious lack of entertainment at some points during the evening, even though we had an opportunity to chat with friends. It would have been very quiet at these times if you were a lone punter. Despite these small negative observations, the people around me seemed oblivious to anything that could have shaken their fun.
I particularly wanted to see Jesse Hughes, Electric Mary and Six Ft. Hick. Last Friday I saw Eagles of Death Metal, and they rocked the house. This gig was different but it was obvious that Hughes reveres the Cherry and has good memories of past visits. He played material that was very different to the stuff he plays in E.O.D.M., but which, he says, gives him a kind of legitimacy and respect. Electric Mary has been a favourite band of mine for a while. They hail from my hometown of Melbourne, which is already a mark in their favour. Described by some as being an indie or alternative rock outfit, and by others as being simply ‘rock’ musicians, their music lends itself well to the live arena because there is no wank. They sounded great in the laneway with their loud rock riffs bouncing off the walls.
Six Ft. Hick are legends. They’ve ‘made it’ on the live scene, probably despite coming from ‘Shitsville’ in Queensland, (that’s their description, not mine). My friends were very busy lusting after Ben’s body, which looks like it’s been having a jolly good workout on the farm. By this time the punters were very much in the party mood but only ¾ inebriated. They were sober enough to voice their ignorance of who exactly Barrence Whitfield and the Savages were. I haven’t worked out exactly how they fit into the Cherry Rock picture, sounding very much like Shakin’ Stevens on ‘gear’.
At this point I went inside for a break before Died Pretty did their thing. I honestly couldn’t remember what their hits were until I heard this gig, and all the memories of taping tinny sounding songs from the radio came flooding back. I have never liked Ron Peno’s voice being, to my ears, almost atonal, but I do love their song lyrics and almost swooned when “The Love Song” rang out into the darkness. For this brief review there are too many bands to mention, but they all played their part to make Cherry Rock 2011 memorable. What was probably my most enduring memory? People dancing in the rain and staying put despite the inclement weather, which shows a true spirit of fun and dedication to the music.