The nostalgia was flowing fast and furious over the ANZAC long weekend, as Brisbane hosted the inaugural Uncaged Festival; a celebration of Australian rock spanning the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.
First, let’s address the obvious. What was planned as an outdoor dual-stage event was scaled back at the eleventh hour to a single stage, clash-free indoor concert. The change was touted as being due to unforeseen circumstances, but to those in attendance it was pretty clear that dwindling ticket sales were more than likely responsible for this last minute format change. On the upside, the chance of rain no longer posed an issue, and the classic problem of timetable clashes was eliminated in turn. The main downside to this was that set times were reduced, and local bands were culled from the lineup.
Let’s put those minor detractors aside for a minute and talk about what a phenomenal event this turned out to be. Sure, ticket sales might have been lower than predicted, but those that were in attendance were treated to a stellar selection of home grown talent, many of whom were just as excited to be there as their fans.
The Meanies, Hard Ons, and The Getaway Plan all put in 100% to warm up the crowd, and 28 Days provided comic relief as they joked humbly about the fact that their last album release was more than 20 years ago; “the thing about getting old is, you really refine your craft as a songwriter. Also, nobody gives a fuck anymore!”
In true festival fashion, crowds and performances were light-on until mid afternoon which saw an extreme uptick in quality, energy, and interaction. A stellar set from Bodyjar kicked off the second half of the day with a huge energy that will be familiar to anyone who have seen these guys live, as they always bring the goods.
The undeniable highlight of the day was Magic Dirt; festival regulars over the past three decades fronted by the unrivalled queen of Australian rock, Adalita. This set alone was worth the ticket price, and fans were certainly not disappointed.
Throughout the remainder of the evening, we were treated to some intense displays of musicianship from Killing Heidi, Twelve Foot Ninja, Shihad, You Am I, and Headliners Wolfmother with a limping Andrew Stockdale still managing to deliver a noteworthy performance. We also need to make a special shout out to the iconic Tex Perkins, who treated fans to a raw display of power alongside the Fat Rubber Band.
Uncaged Festival brought us a refreshing mix of straight up rock and roll, and is just what we’ve been missing in Australia. While post-covid attendance numbers are still building, let’s hope the organisers push through and return in 2023 with an equally outstanding lineup.
