In its 14 or so years the Big Day Out in Sydney has become an Australia Day institution. And from interviewing loads of bands, it’s turned into a high point on the international touring band schedule too. Seeing the Teenage Fanclub, Violent Femmes, Tricky, Elastica, Ministry, Primal Scream, Aphex Twin and so many others was a highlight of my end of high school/early uni days.
It’s been a while since I last went to a BDO, the last one was at the showgrounds in the city. Since then it’s moved out to Homebush and mirroring that move out to the suburbs, it’s moved a long way in ethos too. Courting a mainstream audience that while inevitable with so many festivals falling by the wayside makes the festival less interesting to me. That move to the metaphorical and literal ‘burbs is also probably behind the issue that’s been bothering me since the last BDO in January this year.
(picture from the Sydney Morning Herald)
In his BDO review, Nick Gunn at Pop Matters said there was an “An issue that had troubled me throughout the day. A considerable portion of the attendees had worn the Australian flag draped on them like a cape. Since the event is traditionally held in Sydney on Australia Day, this might not have been such an issue, but in the wake of the xenophobic Cronulla riots, where many participants were similarly attired, the gesture raises some questions.”
My brother, who played the festival with his band, said a lot of punters went dressed in Aussie flag clothing and even draped in entire flags. That sounds awful – last refuge of the scoundrel and all that, especially in light of the Cronulla race riot last year – but even worse, meatheads wandered around asking people to kiss the sweaty flag they were wrapped in, and beat up those who refused.
I caught last night’s recording of the new Chaser show War Against Everything (it screens tonight) and it makes an explicit link between 20-somethings getting dolled up in the Aussie flag and Pauline Hanson doing the same many years ago.
I think it’s amazing that there wasn’t more of an outcry or even write-ups in music media, is everyone so worried about offending these whitebread ‘alternative music’ fans?
It was a massive issue for all of us as well.
At the end of the day, I was walking along with Mewz and Pornstylus, and we were discussing this very issue – reports for an member of the Sleater-Kinney message board are that someone draped in a town was standing behind her at MIA yelling “FUCK OFF DARKIE” on loop untill she (the sk board member) elbowed the guy in the stomach harder than she ever had attacked someone before… To the guy that was in the line for the ATM bragging to his mate about “Being there at the ‘nulla”, mullet, flag thongs and wife beater completing his incredibly popular look of todays alternative youth…
We were all scared and intimidated by the sight of the flag that day, which is a really odd sensation when its coming of the official symbol of your own nation…
And we couldnt work out whether it was our intellectual snobbery, middle class upbringing that made us scared of these boorish bogans draped in the flag, or whether we should *actually* be worried…
Its still odd.
My goth friends reported that this year they diddnt cop as much grief as they normally do, however.
Comment by Alistair — February 17, 2006 @ 1:19 pm
Somehow I’m not surprised.
Even back in the early 90s at the beginning of the Big Day Out, there has been broad diversity of youngsters at it. I don’t think the move to Homebush really has anything to do with it, more that as the scale of the event has got bigger, it has just become a bit more representative of Sydney as a whole.
And Sydney has changed. There has been an underlying xenophobia here for years. Living in Sydney has got very competitive and in competitive times people will use anything to put their ‘competition’ down. Unemployment and underemployment especially amongst young men is out of control. Education is unevenly distributed especially since the flight to private schools and the ‘choose any public school’ shift at a state level.
Howard’s politics have fed this competitiveness and centred the blame squarely on those who are ‘others’.
Conservative is the new radical.
There are some disturbing photos and great commentary over at Well Futile that capture the vibe.
Comment by Snarl — February 17, 2006 @ 1:50 pm
Wow, I had no idea it was that bad at the Sydney Big Day Out. I’m really glad nothing like this was going on down in Perth. It’s good to know our town has something going for it.
Comment by Sam — February 17, 2006 @ 2:06 pm
http://www.metamute.org/en/Under-the-Beach-the-Barbed-Wire
Comment by jen — February 19, 2006 @ 8:32 pm
yep there was definately an eerie feel about the day although i’d say the vast majority weren’t of the ‘cronulla pride’ variety…i’m pretty sure one of the alcohol sponsors were giving out flags as some sort of promo…poor form really but the youngens embraced it…i think that’s the weirdest part for me, i don’t know how anyone..esp young people can identify with that flag.
there sure were a lot of bogan idiots but its been like that for a while now…doubt it has anything to do with the move to homebush… homebake is much the same now.
Comment by rich — February 20, 2006 @ 5:53 am