The Splendour in the Grass line-up this year was outstanding, but I opted not to go, choosing the comfort of smaller sideshows to a festival crowd. Unfortunately, such a stellar collection of bands meant inevitable clashes when they all rolled back into Sydney, so I missed quite a few bands this time around. I did, however, manage to catch a handful of shows.

My schedule went something like this.

July 28: Foals
July 29: Band of Horses
July 31: Midlake
August 2: Jonsi
August 3: Ash and We Are Scientists
August 4: Broken Social Scene

Highlights? Hands down, Jonsi. His album is good, but the songs took on a whole new life when performed live. The Enmore was pretty packed out for his concert and the front row was filled with shrieking girls (and boys). He looked sort of otherworldly up there, with long tendrils hanging off his shirt – think a makeshift Mighty Boosh outfit. When he came back on for the encore wearing a feathered American Indian headdress everyone went nuts.

The Ash and We Are Scientists gig was also a really great show to watch. First, Ash just took me back to my high school years; then WaS amused me no end with their banter between songs. Nothing could top all band members on stage playing Only In Dreams though.

Now that their debut album Bliss Release is out, I’m predicting big things for Cloud Control. I’ve been listening to the record for the past couple of weeks, since I had the lucky pleasure of reviewing it, and it is a superb record.

Armed with my Lumix camera, I headed off to catch the brilliant Massive Attack on their second night at the Sydney Opera House.

Performance-wise, they were solid and an engaging live act. This could have been helped along by the incredible backdrop, which was basically LED panels showing changing graphics and light shows throughout the gig. Awesome stuff – is there any way I can get something similar installed in my living room? But I digress. It was an impressive show (despite the rude people who spoke in loud obnoxious voices throughout – yes, you off to the side about four rows from the front, I’m talking to you) and most of their big tracks were pulled out, including a very stripped back and hushed ‘Teardrop’; ‘Unfinished Symphony’ sounded incredible, especially when guest vocalist Deborah Miller hit THAT high note in the first verse. Lovely stuff.

They finished with ‘Karmacoma’ in the encore, but not before they did this rousingly good rendition of a new song, Atlas Air. Here’s a YouTube clip of it, which also shows you how good the lights were. Watch till the end – the song really kicks in a few minutes in.

I shot and reviewed this gig for yourGigs.

Few dance acts have enjoyed as much longevity as The Prodigy, and their years of experience was evident when they hit Sydney ahead of their headlining performance at Future Music Festival.

As the clock ticked past the advertised start time, the antsy crowd gave an unappreciative (and unnecessary) “Boo!” to the warm-up DJ. Chants of “Prodigy! Prodigy!” could be heard throughout the venue before the band finally took to the stage, 15 minutes late, amid an onslaught of flashing lights and the opening break-beats of ‘World’s on Fire’.

This concert was definitely not for the faint-hearted. The relentless energy of the two frontmen – the dual-mohawk-bearing Keith Flint and the intense MC Maxim Reality – spurred the crowd on in a no-pausing-for-air set that spanned their entire catalogue. Like their peers The Chemical Brothers or Pendulum, The Prodigy has always attracted an eclectic fanbase, and everything from fluffy raver boots to flannie shirts could be seen tonight. This was pure rock ‘n’ rave at its finest.

The energy in the Hordern was palpable as the band tore through some of their biggest tracks (‘Poison’, ‘Firestarter’); the more sedate punters in the stands gave even the sweaty mass on the dance floor a run for their money when the familiar choppy riff of ‘Voodoo People’ kicked in.

Despite their command over the crowd, at least half of the audience managed to completely miss Maxim’s repeated requests for everyone to “get down” in the breakdown to ‘Smack My Bitch Up’, prompting him to shout an exasperated, final “I said, get the f*** down!”. The remainder of the crowd managed to quickly sink down just before the song kicked back in. The house lights soared for a split second as a sea of hands were raised in the air in one of the most impressive moments in the set.

Few live acts could muster as much wall-to-wall enthusiasm like The Prodigy. Post-encore, the amped-up audience poured out of the venue with the final strains of the massive …Jilted Generation hit ‘Their Law’ ringing in their ears, and the knowledge that they witnessed another incredible performance from one of the world’s biggest and best dance acts. Bring on Future Music Festival.

Thomas Mars could not resist the front row of adoring girl fans – so much so that he launched himself into the pit (quietly nudging me off to the side as he came through) and into their adoring arms within the first couple of songs.

Perhaps its that sexy French charm (and my immunity to it now), but the rest of the audience seemed to be much more into this concert than I. Not to say it was bad, of course. Phoenix have a knack for writing some really catchy, melodic songs and its always good to hear them live. This was a fun gig and fun shoot nevertheless.