so i went to the big day out last sunday.
i don't really like music festivals. i don't like being around people all that much to start with, let alone massive crowds.. and the douchebags come in droves for festivals. but hey, the lineup was good this year, and it turned out to be pretty awesome. some of the highlights for me..

josh pyke
i've been wanting to see josh pyke for a while. he's become one of my favourite singer/songwriters over the past year, with his profoundly likeable and somewhat quirky style. i just love the way his lyrics have this really poetic, anecdotal rhythm that just roll off his tongue. he played a great set, but i'd really like to see him again at a longer solo gig, and definately in a smaller, more intimite indoor setting.. he's better suited for that.

arcade fire
i know these guys are pretty big, and critically acclaimed by just about everyone, but i wasn't really aware of them until a couple of months ago. but in those couple of months, i've listened to their neon bible album inside out.. easily one of the best albums of 2007. so given all that, i was pretty pumped to see them live. not only did they not disappoint, but they just about stole the show. they had such an incredibly rich sound, and an amazing energy coming off the stage. plus they're the first band i've seen to actually use the stage itself as percussion.

björk
ah, the big one. björk is pretty much the reason why i bought a ticket in the first place. she gave us a couple of scares, first with dishing out some psycho on a photographer in new zealand, then by nearly busting her vocal chords in sydney. but she made it, she played, and she kicked major ass. the entire set was pretty phenomenal, but the climax was when she put on clown shoes to stomp through declare independence as confetti exploded onto us. awesome. it was also really cool how there were lcd screens set up that showed you all the crazy gizmos that the djs were using. worth every cent!

sarah blasko
probably the most disappointing thing about the day was having to miss out on sarah blasko's set, since she was on while björk was playing. that, and missing out on spoon to get a good spot for arcade fire. but anyway, i still got to catch the last few songs, and she was amazing as ever. i've been to one of her shows before, but i like her a lot more now than i did back then, so it was a shame to miss most of it. nevertheless, i adore her music and her incredible voice. i think i read it described as 'haunting' once.. that's a pretty good description.. just beautiful.