As the stage high crowd rolled up before the doors opened, I must say I was worried at what I had gotten myself in for. Tight black jeans and more than a handful of lopsided fringes, not really being my favourite of the modern trends. I was however quickly persuaded that these boys meant business, the opening act, Empty State, opening with ‘Get in the Way of You’.
From the first riff it was evident I was in for a good show with drummer Jesse Brown holding a tight beat. This form continued throughout the next couple of tracks, with lead Craig Cherrington showing off his performance flare. ‘Wake Up Johnny’ a highlight from the show, the band exhibiting a musical cohesion rare within such a young group of musicians. The lyrics of Cherrington a representation of a political awareness throughout the crowd and this was complimented by a solid performance by guitarist Adrian Hoffman. Closing with light-hearted track, ‘Sunday’, the perfect outro for a strong first act.
After a short break in play Short Fuse hit the stage with a new track ‘Hey Girl’, guitarist Brad Hall showing the crowd where they got their name from. This however was just a warm up for the young performer, captivating the girls with his speaker leaning skills. Aside from killer riffs, drummer Matt Dzodzos was a stand out in their rendition of the White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’, who appeared to be battling an ankle injury. Their vocalist also proved to be no slouch, with an emotion filled performance throughout that enthralled audiences from start to finish audiences.
The Upton Pilots then hit the stage with a blend of retro rock and garage pop, touted as some of the most promising music on the Freo indie rock scene, doing little to disappoint. The second track ‘I Love Her too Much’ a highlight with the bass skills of Jamie Canny and accessible lyrics of lead man Wesley Fuller. The drum skills of Liam Young shone through in ‘She’s breaking Like a Doll’, complimented by the catchy guitar skills of Jesse Milianku. ‘Bus Stop’ was a personal favourite, the light hearted tune equally received by the crowd. Rounding off the performance was ‘I Can’t Explain’ leaving the crowd wanting more as the stage was set for headliners, The Cartridges.
The Cartridges delivered a fun and energetic set, combining the best of old and new tracks. Opening with an old favourite ‘Head Around Her’, vocalist Timothy Nelson revealing he was all but prepared. Despite this they managed to pull off a fantastic performance rolling off ‘Letting Me Down’ and ‘I Might Decide’ in succession, held together by drummer Peter Forgus. Nelson’s lyrical skills enchanted crowds with ‘Inside Out’, a personal favourite. Bassist Ben Hopwood closed out the gig with a fantastic performance in ‘Finding Time’ together with the energetic guitar skills of Nelson, leaving the stage on a high.
Set List:
Empty State
Short Fuse
The Upton Pilots
The Cartridges
Woodford Folk Festival 2008 
Michael Franti and Spearhead
One World Music
