Silver Apples Turbine hall All Tomorrow Parties sydney

I feared the worst, arriving at circular key for my scheduled 12.50am ferry, the queue looped seemingly half way around sydney, dark memories of the queue fest that was atp 2006 when seemingly more time was spent queuing for bands than watching them. It wasn’t to be, a ferry docked, the queue moved fast as people packed into the tardis like vessel, then off we sailed past the opera house, under the harbour bridge and on to Cockatoo island, all fears unfounded.

Cockatoo Island, this former prison island / shipyard, think alcatraz with industrial relics, a stunning setting for this 1 day 4 stage event. Afrirampo kick started everyones day, within minutes they had the bemused audience chanting “we want to have a party at Nick Caves house in Melbourne…with his family” The sets highlight had to be the final song, a song alledgedly written with pigmies, played out in the middle of the crowd with just a floor tom and vocal mic for accompaniment. Up on the Barracks stage Michael Gira sounded his brutal uncompromising best hammering out acoustic swans and Angels of Light tunes up on the windswept stage, his gutteral unaccompanied vocals perfectly echoing around the sandstone walls, really memorable.

Other highlights of the day included Jason Pierce of Spiritualized beautiful segue from waltzing matilda played on a wind up music box into ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space. Passengers of Shit, from the Blue Mountains (who records on his own perfectly monikered shitwank record label) not so much as playing, but assaulting with his, and these are his words not mine, hardcore gabba / trendy fuckwit breakcore tamborine core type dance sounds. Nick cave and the bad seeds tearing the heart out of each every track, songs delivered as a pieces of micro theatre, with warren ellis creating impossible sounds from a violin a big amp and a vast array of stomp boxes. Silver apples filling the cavenous turbine hall with his drones, hums and electronic rhythms to bring the evening to a perfect close.

All that was left was a boat trip under the stars to the bright lights of sydneys centre. The essential way to leave behind a special festival. slideshow here if your bored

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