Typhoon Isa hits Summer Sonic

I got an early start on Sunday morning to get to Osaka by early morning. I wanted to leave as soon as possible because I knew it would take around 3 hours (and that's if I didn't get lost along the way). Sleep? Pfft who needs sleep. Besides, I thought I'd have plenty of time for sleep on the train. Little did I know...


Even at 7am the trains to Kyoto/Osaka were packed. I figured it would die off as we headed out. But that was just deluded optumism. So I spent the entire time making like a cow and sleeping while standing.


Every time I opened my eyes to check I was still going in the right direction, I'd look out the window and the landscape would just get more beautiful. The mountains in Gifu took my breath away. And the greens of the land were indescribable. They're almost a lurid green. If someone had painted that landscape I would have said they'd exaggerated the colour. Nothing can be that green. But seeing is truly believing.I also saw a pine forest. These bare-to-the-midriff pines look like the Japanese cousins of the Ents: magical yet spindly, tall and revelling in their half-nakedness in the summer heat. It was like Japanese watercolour come to life.


Of course at that time the train was too packed for me to turn to get a better look let alone get my camera out of my bag.I had to transfer twice on the way and this was where I thought I'd get horribly lost and end up in Narnia (which wouldn't have been too bad but I really wanted to go to Summer Sonic). But I just went with the tide of people and read the signs every now again. And 3 hours later I was in Osaka. Woo hoo, I didn't get lost.


I booked a hotel close to Namba (the exciting part of Osaka). It was really close to the Shinimamiya station and cheaper than a youth hostel. Thank god they provided a pictorial guide on how to get there otherwise I would never have found it. For $15, I got my own teeny room (about a 1.5m squared), with a fan and tv.


The landlord was so nice. I spoke to him in broken Japanese and he replied in broken English. He gave me a really good map of Osaka and pointed out all the highlights around the area. I was really glad to have a place to dump my stuff. I totally over-packed my great second-hand backpack of wonder. I think I was channelling Maddy's 'what if' vibe as I packed. But I didn't bring any candles. Needless to say, I don't think I'd make a good backpacker.



When I got to Sakurajima for the festival the station was bursting with people. I thought I'd be waiting all day to get the shuttle bus to the festival. But of course they were so well organised and had so many shuttle buses we all just drifted straight on. When we got to the festival site, I collected my wristband, festival map and complimentary mints. I was so chuffed that I was finally there.



Summer Sonic (SS) is 5 times bigger than QMF. I'd written up my timetable of artists to see based on the QMF system: i.e if something sounds interesting í'll check it out. If they're not that great I can bail and head for another tent. With SS it took about 10 mins to get between stages - at a fast walk, so that system didn't work out quite as well as it does at QMF.





The first band I checked out were Beat Union. A British soft punk, pop-rock band. You know the type: they wear their tattoos like sleeves then rock out to love songs. They were fun to kick everything off with. As I was dancing along I realised that I was going to fry under the baking sun. Most of the stages are outdoor. I'd totally taken the tents of QMF for granted.


Then I meandered over to check out OneRepublic. You know how at festivals, you go along to some bands just for the sake of filling time, but then they surprise you with how fantastic they are. Onerepublic was the first band of the day to do that. I initially thought they would be too mainstream pop for my tastes but they actually sound more indie live. I take my hat off to any band that can rock the cello and the piano like they did.


The fest was very heat management friendly.There were plenty of giant fans connected to mist sprayers, staff that would spray the crowd with giant hoses and drink taps too. There were so many guys stripped to their shorts, most were either a gentle puce or the colour of a freshly roasted turkey. Then you had the other extreme of some people wearing beanies elbow high gloves and thick, long denim overalls. Maybe they thought if they convinced their bodies it was winter, they wouldn't get hot.

After OneRepublic I decided to check out a Japanese band called Caravan, but it was too hot at the Park stage. Plus one of the staff told me I wasn't allowed to take photos. Initially I thought it was just for that stage/band. Then I realised we weren't supposed to be taking any photos of any of the artists. I scoff with derision!


Then I went to the sonic stage which was an indoor (airconditioned) venue. There were a lot of people napping in the foyer, smart people. Cajun dance party weren't nearly as cool as they sounded on their myspace page so after a couple of songs I faced the heat again and went to see Old Man River.


I'm so glad I did. He would be a perfect candidate for QMF. He just gives off that happy, chillaxed vibe we get at Queenscliff. And there's a chick in his band who rocks on this massive sitar. It was pretty pyschedelic. He sang 'La' for his last track and invited some people on stage to sing along. I totally would have been there but I was wearing a dress and I just didn't scramble over the barriers fast enough.

One of the things I love about music festivals is how strangers can bond over good music. While I was sitting, waiting for Death Cab for Cutie I started chatting to a guy called Jeff. He was surprised when I started speaking English because he'd thought I was Japanese. We had a really nice chat. He was in japan for a holiday and had come to Osaka specifically to see Death Cab who are from Seattle like him. He even showed me pictures of his hike up Mount Fuji. The view looked outstanding. It looked like he was on a plane.



Death cab were beautiful live. It makes so much of a difference to see and hear them live. Sigh...After Death Cab, Jeff wanted to see a band called the Lost Prophets but I knew I couldn't miss the Verve so we split up and decided to meet up again for the Prodigy. The Verve were so fantastic, even if Richard Ashcroft is the biggest tosser. During the performance he smashed a perfectly good guitar. I hate it when they do that. Waste of a (no doubt fantastic) instrument. Then halfway through he went off to get a ciggie and smoked through a couple songs. Umm...alrighty then. But tosser behaviour aside it was a brilliant show. They played all the golden favourites and a couple of new ones. Apparently they have a forthcoming album. I didn't even realise the Verve were still together until I saw them on the bill for SS. I danced along to Drugs Don't Work as the sun set in an explosion of colours. Then I went absolutely insane when they wrapped it all up with Bittersweet Symphony. Oh it made my day.



After the Verve I made for Hot Chip (over and over and over again, like a monkey with a miniature cymbal). They were another band that surprised with how much I enjoyed them live. Another thing I loved about SS was that the crowds don't squish like the crowds in Australia. If you're dancing they'll give you space, especially if you're dancing around other foreigners. Hot Chip were so much fun. I literally got picked up by a random British guy. He was tall and lanky so I snuck in front of him. I noticed him joking with his friends about how tiny I was and how he could just pick me up. I told him he could if he really wanted to. I love surprising people by speaking to them in English. But he got over his initial surprise and decided he wanted to, so he picked me up.


While I was dancing, he asked me where I was from and complimented me on my dancing. Thank you very much, random. Some other Japanese guy complimented me on my dancing too. It's nice to know I've still got it. ;0)

Hot Chip finished their set by doing a gorgeous version of Nothing Compares. It was so unexpected but beautiful.


After that I ran for the Prodigy. Man they've gotten old. And that makes me feel old. I remember listening to them in high school. The Sex Pistols played SS too but I didn't feel a burning need to see them. I swear all these bands came out of retirement just for SS. Met up with Jeff again and we danced our little feet off (okay, my little feet. His feet were normal sized). The sun had well and truly set at this stage and the stars had come out to play. It sounds romantic doesn't it? Dancing under the stars...to the Prodigy. Uh...maybe not.


Then Pendulum time came and I said my farewells to Jeff. I always said that if I ever got the chance to see Pendulum I would have to take it. And now I know precisely why I was always plagued by this conviction. They were mind-blowingly fantastic. I tore up that dance floor. They played a lot of stuff from 'Hold your colour' still my favourite album of theirs. he set went by far too quickly and they didn't do an encore. Actually none of the bands at the fest did encores. But come on, Pendulum, you were the last act for the night was it really so much to ask for another hour...or maybe five.


After Pendulum everyone rushed for the shuttle buses (in the orderly fashion that rule the Japanese of course) so I followed the tide. As I was heading that way, i walked into some guy so we both apologised simultaneously. He thought I was Japanese so he said 'sumimasen'. I took him for a foreigner, so I said sorry. Again, he was surprised by my english. I was surprised (pleasantly) by his cute french accent. I noticed he was with a Japanese guy so he knew what was going on. So I asked French dude if I was going in the right direction. Better safe than sorry (Isa protests innocently).


I really did want to make sure I was getting on the right bus. Getting to hear his cute French accent was an added bonus. So I chatted to Thomas from Briton (Northern France) while we made our way back to the station. We compared notes on the festival. We also got a free walk-through tour of Universal Studios on our way to the station. So now I can say I've been to Universal Studio. Unfortunately we got separated in the crush at the station.


By the time I got back to my hotel, I felt like an A-class festival feral. I was covered in a mixture of dirt and dried sweat (most of it my own but certainly not all of it), my feet were black and my hair felt like one big dreadlock. I was too boned to shower by that time. Not that it would have made a difference since the shower room closed at 10pm anyway. I fell onto my futon with a feeling of enormous satisfaction. I'd made it to Osaka, found my hotel, danced all day and chatted to some randoms: all on my lonesome. It made me feel all proud and accomplished.