Review: Surprises aplenty at phenomenal Arcadia Perth

I have to admit the thought of going to an outdoor music festival in 36 degrees heat was making me rethink my ticket purchase. I’m so pleased I didn’t, what a phenomenal night in so many ways.

© The Ponder Room

Much had been written about the 15 metre tall spider that’d taken over Elizabeth Quay. Fifty tonnes of repurposed ex-military and other equipment she’s a beauty that’s for sure, and that’s without seeing her breathing fire, spitting laser beams or jumping up and down underneath her belly.

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Events at Elizabeth Quay are still fairly new to me which means they come with a good deal of pondering about the logistics of getting there. For starters there’s the various transport options available nowadays. I could bus it and hope I don’t end the night sitting alone at a St George’s Terrace bus stop around midnight. Or rely on taxis and be prepared to wait at a cab rank with aching feet for at least an hour. Perhaps I should book into a nearby hotel, something that was not possible on Friday night as everything down that end of town was booked out. Or maybe I should just drive and hope to snag a carpark, or walk … who am I kidding.

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As usual, my preparations included a reconnaissance a few days before the event which took a surprising turn when I got to see part of the Arcadia dress rehearsal. That was all it took, I was not going to miss this.

When the day came and the mercury soured I decided to miss the first two acts, Boneflip and Kovaxx as I wasn’t sure of the shade situation inside the Quay. I’d finally decided to drive and a quick call to the City of Perth had me downloading a free City of Perth parking App. This free App tells you how many car parks are left at each venue, it’s brilliant. App in hand, okay on the passenger seat, I took off for the Perth Convention Centre Car Park. It being 6pm on a Friday night the carpark was surprisingly empty as most of the city workers had cleared out. A quick walked across the road and I was outside the Quay at 6.15pm just in time for the end of Loston’s set.

The thought of long entry queues at the entrance was another reason I nearly didn’t go, but surprise we all simply walked in, and through the bank of bag checks, easy, no waiting at all. Shortly after arriving it was time for Yallor Keeninyarra, who performed a world first, the Wadjuk spider dance which hadn’t been performed in its traditional form in the public since 1901.

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Then the DJ’s, including Black and Blunt, entered the spiders belly and it was game on with everyone jumping up and down on the dance floor under the spider, as her eyes (spy plane afterburners) searched the crowd.

© The Ponder Room

After much dancing it was time for a break and people headed for the food trucks. I couldn’t go past the Kiwi Foods van (naturally) and opted for three sliders – pumpkin, smoked salmon and whitebait fritter. Great value and super tasty. Later an equally delicious watermelon ice block did the trick to both cool me down and provide some much needed liquid. In both instances I was surprise at how small the queues were and how quickly they moved.

© The Ponder Room

© The Ponder Room

Then the big show the Arcadia Landing. I usually hang out the back at these kinds of events but not this time. The 360 degree stage meant I soon found myself up near the front right hand side, standing next to the girl with her finger on the button, literally.

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The show was about the spider landing on earth from outer space and assessing whether it was a friendly environment. It certainly was. But then half a dozen creatures descended from the spiders top legs (made of military helicopter tails and log grabber cranes). When a couple of audience members jumped up they were quickly captured, as only spiders can, by spinning a web around them . The last we saw they were disappearing into the spiders belly, never to be seen again.

© The Ponder Room

The Lords of Lightning arrived dressed in chainmail. The two men climbed onto podiums and hurled electricity at each other. Watching the lightning streaks crackled off the top of their heads was something I will never forget. It was brilliant to be able to watch them perform three times throughout the night. (see upcoming post for more photos)

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DJ’s Lestfield and Shy FX, both from the UK, saw out the evening which closed on time at 11pm.

© The Ponder Room

As I sat watching the show before me I pondered …

1. The whole night played out in such a fantastic friendly happy atmosphere. From the courteous staff to the punters who stopped by for a chat, it was reminiscent of the Sydney Olympics atmosphere. There was the group of UK tourists who told me about their Glastonbury experiences, a young tattooed French couple who were incredulous about my positive response, when they’d asked me if I liked ‘this kind of music’, and the Irishman on the dancefloor and then again on the way out, who tapped me on the shoulder and told me ‘next time you’ll have to take your shoes off, dancing barefoot on the grass with the moon overhead’. I wondered about all the tourists who happened to be in town, what would they think of Perth? One things for sure the word ‘dullsville’ would not be top of mind tonight.
2. At the end of the event it was surprising to see the space look as clean as when the evening started, but I guess I should’ve expected this given the organisers commitment to repurposing.
3. When the flame jets went off I could feel the intense heat on my face and can only imagine how hot it must have been inside the spiders belly, sitting in the drivers seat on the mechanical arm or dangling upside down from the spiders legs.
4. I can only give an immense thanks to all the builders, engineers, make up artists, costume designers, organisers, musicians and performers.
5. A big thank you also to the Perth Fun Police for perhaps turning a blind eye for once and allowing the show in Perth.
6. Such a beautiful night it also showcased Elizabeth Quay to perfection as the sun went down. When not watching the spider’s ever changing colours, you could turn around and watch the sky turn from orange to navy then black. A stunning night and one I hope you got to too.