V Festival, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds

Having first burst onto these shores last year, V Fest kicks itself into life once more, only this time, happily, fans are treated to the complete line-up rather than two ‘best of’ days. Local electro act Cut Copy take to the stage, amidst huge applause. Bobbing his head, singer Dan Whitford delivers haunting vocals, while the trio thrill the crowd with a splendid rendition of ‘Light & Music’.

Fuzzy guitar-pop pioneers The Jesus and Mary Chain swagger onto the stage, as the crowd cheers. ‘How are you?’ asks singer Jim Reid. ‘We’re the Jesus & Mary Chain’. Delivering a plaintive drawl amidst churning guitars on the dizzy heights of such hits as ‘Head On’, Jim cuts a lithe figure on stage, as he casually leans toward the microphone, still the epitome of effortless cool. Queens Of The Stone Age then arrive on stage, launching into a cacophony of manic drums and ferocious guitars. ‘How’s my favourite Australian city doing?’ singer Josh Homme asks, to frenzied cheers, before pummelling the venue with a thunderous version of ‘Burn The Witch’.

With the 80s revival in full swing, Duran Duran emerge like triumphant pop royalty, quickly launching into ‘(Reach Up For The) Sunrise’. ‘Hello, Melbourne’, exclaims a rather debonair Le Bon, Simon Le Bon. Delivering an impassioned version of ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’, the band elicits rapturous chants of ‘doo-doo-doo’, from a love-struck audience. Indeed, much of the crowd are undoubtedly re-living the 80s, with perhaps some ‘visiting’ the 80s for the first time, like they’re travelling in a pop Tardis. The shimmering synths of their debut hit ‘Planet Earth’, have the crowd dancing and singing along. Amidst flashing multicoloured neon lights, Simon struts around like a peacock, clearly basking in the adoration from the crowd. Certainly, he even indulges in frequent hip gyrations, eliciting screams from the predominately female contingent in the front rows. As the ‘na-na-na-nah’ refrains of ‘The Reflex’ emanate from the stage, the band instantly converts the venue into a thrilling re-enactment of the track’s film clip, complete with flashing lights, funky guitars and thunderous drums. Soon after a heart-felt rendition of the ballad ‘Save A Prayer’, Simon asks, ‘Would anyone like to Bond?’ to a rousing response, before the stark orchestral grooves of the James Bond theme song ‘View To A Kill’ ring out. Simon then urges fans to get their ‘dancing shoes on’ before the band launches into the funk grooves and saxophone stylings of ‘Notorious’.

A definite highlight of the festival, the funky guitars of ‘Girls On Film’ emanate through the venue, creating sheer pandemonium. As the crowd urges on bassist extraordinaire John Taylor with chants of, ‘Play that funky bass, John!’ he demonstrates his virtuoso skills while occasionally flashing a winning smile, which elicits more screams. ‘We are Duran Duran,’ says Simon. ‘We are a party band!’ as the extended track erupts into funk-filled mayhem and the crowd goes nuts. And with that, they leave the stage, amidst desperate pleas for more. Thankfully, they return with the lilting guitars of ‘Ordinary World’, before their rocking cover of Grandmaster Flash’s ‘White Lines’ and a majestic version of ‘Wild Boys’. They close with the familiar frenetic bass-lines and soaring synths of the ultimate ode to 80s excess ‘Rio’, driving fans into a delirious frenzy as they sing along in unison. Absolute magic.

Smashing Pumpkins launch into their angst-ridden hits such as the metallic ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ and ‘Cherub Rock’. Singer Billy Corgan even delivers a Jimi Hendrix-style version of ‘Star Spangled Banner’, complete with guitar wailing and distorted feedback, eerily simulating the sounds of technological warfare. He then wanders about the stage, dressed in a silver foil-like skirt, musing over the international significance of Men At Work’s anthem ‘Down Under’. Meanwhile, The Presets bring the house down in the Other Stage area. Bathed in flashing strobe lights, the Sydney duo deliver pulsating beats, pumping bass-lines and electronic bleeps. Launching into driving electro hits like ‘My People’ and ‘I Go Hard, I Go Home’, they generate an enraptured response. Indeed, as the deafening roar of the crowd envelopes the venue, the pair close the festival in spectacular fashion.