A Day On The Green’s Almighty Monster Line-up

A Day On The Green has been making its rounds over the recent months with yet another impressive bill of acts, but boy oh boy did it deliver us an absolute doozy with its instalment at Mt Duneed Estate on Sunday 11 March.
Coined the ‘Almighty Monster Line-up’, A Day On The Green presented to us a concoction of iconic indie rock anthems straight out of the ‘90s, with acts The Fauves, Tumbleweed, The Lemonheads, Veruca Salt, Spiderbait and – drum roll, please – The Living End.
As a ‘90s baby myself, I perhaps wasn’t at my prime to fully enjoy and appreciate these acts in their heyday. Although, I will argue that I have an even greater appreciation for them now, having grown up listening to them. I mean, who doesn’t hold the track list of songs played on family road trips as a young child close to their heart?
As I recalled fond memories growing up, with many of the tracks I was about to experience live acting as the soundtrack of my childhood and adolescence, I took a moment to thank whatever higher-being there may be, for blessing me with parents who had (and still have) such rockin’ taste in music. After all, where else would I have sourced the wise message of ‘I’m a brat and I know everything and I talk back,’ other than from The Living End’s Prisoner Of Society (kindly introduced to me by my parents)? That one sure came in handy when applied in every act of defiance growing up… Cheers guys!
And there I was, transported back to the booster seat in the back of our family car in 1998, on yet another road trip – except this one was a lot louder, involved booze and it was last weekend.
With The Fauves kicking the afternoon off, the tone for what was to come was set with their witty lyrics and melodic pop-rock. The crowd now steadily rolling in, they were followed by Tumbleweed. You remember when they won the prestigious support slot on Nirvana’s only Australian tour, right? Having personified stoner rock in the ‘90s, they took to the stage with their signature thundering riffs.

Up next was ‘90s rock royalty, The Lemonheads, who brought with them their melodic masterpieces. With the crowd left basking in their energy, Veruca Salt would follow only to up the ante. After breaking up in 1998, the original line-up (comprising of Nina Gordon, Louise Post, Jim Shapiro and Steve Lack) who re-formed in 2013, were warmly welcomed to the stage and brought with them not only signature hits, but new content also, from their fifth and most recent studio album.
As Spiderbait hit the stage (and I simultaneously began to try and secure my place front and centre), I swear you could almost smell the nostalgia in the air. What can only be described as Kram’s, Janet’s and Whitt’s musical alchemy, is truly an awe-inspiring thing. And hearing Black Betty, especially performed live, will never get old.

Having made it front and center to see one of my top three bucket list bands to see live, boy, did the crowd roar and heave when The Living End graced us with their presence. The crowd’s energy had now reached its peak and I’d like to take a moment to apologise to the girl in front of me who I went on to unintentionally grind against for the remainder of the night…
The Living End have well and truly earnt their standing as one of the most captivating bands in Australian rock history and it was an absolute privilege to experience singalong anthems such as the likes of All Torn Down, West End Riot and Pictures In The Mirror – just to name a few – performed live.
Unfortunately the night came to an end and I had to return from my mid-‘90s daze, but it will surely go down as one of the best line-ups I’ve experienced to date. You can’t go past a good hit right in the nostalgia.
Where: Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong
When: Sunday 11 March
Reviewed by Helena Metzke
Images by Opus Imagery