Its the beginning of the weekend and Dark Mofo is well into the swing of affairs. Having established bearings around the town of Hobart following a night of Dark Faux Mo, half price chicken wings and some weird kirks soft drink called 'Fruita' fill the belly before an evening of further brutality.

The town is littered with art installations and are welcome distractions before the main events. One of the most obvious is Rafael Lozano-Hermmer's Articulated Intersect a series of large aircraft spotlights scattered around the Hobart docks, of which, are controllable by the public. Waking up on the otherside of town isn't too bad with these bad boys in play as through all hours of the night people swarm to have a crack and you know at any time someone is partying, which I doubt was the purpose behind them but meh. Prolific Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen's - Washing River 2014 is well, basically a bit of wank. Ten cubic metres of frozen, polluted river water sits by the docks and invites people to come 'wash away the dirt' from these frozen blocks of ice using mops and other assorted items of kitchen tat. It is all a pointless endeavour really and is perhaps far too over hyped in comparison to the wide variety of installations on offer at the festival.

Night time falls on what is perhaps the most anticipated event of the festival. Sunn O))) have bought down all the stops and are taking over the Odeon with an all star cast of doom alumni. Veil of Darkness kick things off and it is debatably the most experimental offering on tonight’s bill and is a welcome introduction to the night ahead. Dylan Carlsson known to some as the guy that lent Kurt Cobain that shotgun and better known for his pioneering work with Earth follow and while his band are technically proficient do fall a little short of expectations. The sound on offer is a continuation of the musical direction the band took with the Angel of Darkness series and the whole thing feels a little too safe and more filler knowing what is about to follow and when Carlsson opens his mouth to thank the crowd at the end of the set if you have heard the man speak before it is a little weird considering the gravity of the groups music.

Then the lights begin to dim and fog machines - even before the amplifiers are on stage - are on full blast. There is a weird atmosphere of anticipation mixed with caution as the band set up and people begin already scouring the venue for the best point of view/hearing and pack their ears with complimentary ear plugs. A few days before the performance a warning email was sent out to ticket holders warning of tonight’s volume level and it was with good reason as Sunn O))) are without a doubt the loudest band on the planet. The set begins with a collage of noise courtesy of the groups two guitarists and off the bat the volume level and the production behind it are simply other worldly. Time and what songs (if any at all) the actual group are playing are hard to gauge as it feels as it feels as if you are in some kind of Count of Monte Cristo like prison, but of marvel and awe of the punishment being delivered. Things are persistently kicked up a notch throughout the set. Vocalist Attila Csihar and the groups synth player performing minus the guitars may not seem like much of an audio logical challenge but the two alone are debatably the loudest portion of the evening as deeeeeeeeeppppp! sub bass and Csihar's almost Mongolian throat singing are ear piercing and sees me wearing ear plugs for the first time in my life (yep, not punk anymore). It is hard to describe this performance as nothing but sensory as everything that wasn't nailed down moved and rumbled around the venue and as it progresses it becomes hard to keep your eyes open and look at the spectacle on stage as piercing noise becomes slightly meditative and almost pleasurable. Either way, this group are simply a must see experience for anyone inclined to the style of music or anyone not as simply a test of strength.

***Note - The only weird non authentic part of the set was when Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson leave the stage in their robes walking like alter boys and don't forget to take their rather large bottles of wine with them. Even a little weirder when they bring them back.

Outside the Odeon in amongst the Sunn talk is talk of what else is on and The Brisbane Hotel is the hot spot to go as some of Tasmania's finest and some out of town guests take over as part of Grimoire. Getting lost on the way to the venue didn't help but fortunately the Brisbane is still pumping. I arrive in time to see Sydney's Rainbow Chan (Don't hate me Hobart!) and the place is packed to the brim. Her set is quite appreciated by the audience as she bounds through easy and hard listening electronica to the point where she is humbly invited back onstage. A solid set all round but headlining material perhaps not considering the rest of the bill. The rest of Grimoire becomes a bit of a blur getting lost in a sea of corridors upstairs at the Brisbane where a series of almost backpacker like rooms are converted into art installations and a damn good pitch black rave room. Then the rest is apparently, I dunno.

The next day my previous day's chicken wings had congealed with fat in a food imitating my liver kind of way. But, after a quick buzz in the microwave both are good to go again for the festival's Saturday night.

The sold out Afterlife is pulling out all the stops with an insanely strong line up of Australian based talent in tow. Which also happens to be slightly a curse when wanting to see said talent as set times are undeservedly short (Headliners Total Control are scheduled a mere 25min). In addition, the start time of the event itself is also a mixed piece of information as internet sources report different start times of which happened to be earlier than expected as discoverable upon entry. Another moment of hell is the bar lines, of which, were hell, let me state that again, hell! Talks of people being in line for upwards of 45 minutes simply equal the insane. My one and only trip to the bar considerably later in the evening equalled at least a 25min wait and me handing over an insane amount of money to buy as many drinks as I can hold in order not to go through that HELL again. Hell!

In saying that… Damn everything on offer here is simply amazing, even the one 808 rumble I got to hear from HTRK almost made up for the events short comings. While stuck in a bar line… Nun are a hot ticket in the upstairs band/bar room and while personally I am not a fan of their astonishingly average over-hyped, beer coaster worthy album, live they are not too bad in this setting and this setting only (a week earlier at the Bendigo Hotel I have experienced more entertaining bowel obstructions). The equipment the group have sound great and with so many people in the room not being able to see Alice Glass or whoever it is they got singing aids the performance exponentially. Then downstairs another personal distaste taking the stage Kirin J. Callinan even feels a lot less douchey than normal as he makes his way through his own over-hyped frisbee Embracism. When he abandons the theatrics that only impress 15 year old boys and ageing Marilyn Manson fans it turns out he can actually play some enjoyable 'music'.

Then comes the main event (at the appropriate time of 9:35…), Total Control, the band that rarely plays live outside of Melbourne are well and truly the drawcard tonight which happens to be on the eve of the release of their follow up record. The band have been known in the past to struggle to recreate certain atmospheres they achieved on records live and tonights set feels like they are aware of that with almost all electronic elements being ditched or songs completely avoided in order not for the point to be bought up. At the same time though, what we do get is still fucking brilliant! It is a surpassing equal mix of the old and the new with short-fire bursts like 'No Bibs' and 'Retiree' slotting in perfectly with slobbery pop of 'Systematic Fuck'. The production behind the performance also feels naturally appropriate for the band and sends out a strange aura that 'Hey, these guys have made it with this rock band thing' and it is a strangely weird thing to see from a simple band that came from underground Melbourne. The new tracks do reign hold of the set highlights as thumping 'Two Less Jacks' has the audience enthralled despite the fact the majority haven't even heard the track before tonight. Closer 'Black Spring' ends so powerfully that you know that it is instant classic material and that Totes Control are one of the best bands in the country today.

In the Praise of Darkness with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra with accompanying guests was quite good despite having to watch the monitor in the hotel lobby as a result of a strict lockout rule. I left shortly into the performance as the sound was terrible and I couldnt find a remote to turn the television up. Fortunately, Dark Faux Mo is back again for a second outing tonight and things are drastically different from the first as the band aspect is largely ditched in favour of simple partying and what a party it is. I never thought I'd line up for a DJ playing on a bit of corrugated iron at the bottom of a stairwell but it was worth it as was the room where a man played black metal guitar in between sitting down and watching television. Everything seems to just happen and a welcome no rules style atmosphere is damn welcome in a day and age where in venues all you seem to get is red tape everywhere. Again this blurs out and the last thing I remember was pouring cognac into my hair behind the DJ on the main stage with about thirty other shirtless people storming the stage as well. So, to traditionally review Dark Faux Mo edition two I will just say that it is good and I whole heartedly recommend it.

Nobody sleeps anymore really do they? people get up for work at 5am after staying up watching boring television everyday of the week. So, I stayed up waiting at bay for the fabled Winter Solstice Swim. For those that don't know, the Dark Mofo Winter Solstice Swim had rough beginnings last year as it was first attempted but it still went down official or not and what goes on you ask? Basically it is a completely naked swim at sunrise (Tas time 7:52am) in the Sandy Bay beach about 15mins out from the Hobart CBD. This year the event is fully supervised and regulated as some 700 odd registrations file down to the beach. Yes as you'd expect its tits n' ass, wieners and fannies, young and a surprisingly large amount of old. Rules are explained life guards, police and ambulance scatter the beach and onlookers unceremoniously chuckle away. I'm assigned #529 and get in amongst a crowd and in doing so, separated from my friend (didn't want to see his bits any way). We are then husseled into a room of heaters and towels, I run into people from Faux Mo and with a simple towel covering my bits its not that much different from the last time we met. Back on the beach things fill up quick and not really focussing on what is going on a flare goes off and then it is towels off into the icy waters. It is initially cold but then it actually becomes quite pleasant (Hello hypothermia!) as I swim out to the buoys positioned about 20m out from land with a handful of surviving others. After about 5 odd minutes it is myself and only a handful of others in the ocean and it becomes a bit of a shame when it comes time to leave. Two things that happen as a result of this swim that need to be discussed - 1. Walking outside of the ocean your feet hurt the most as it feels as if you are walking on a air bubble beneath your feet. 2. The parts that would seem most effected by undertaking this act (one being unisex and the other I can only speak from a male perspective) surprisingly hurt almost to the point of agony. But overall, the swim… it's pretty cool.

Sleeping expectedly late sees one final treat for the festival a rumoured show earlier in the week comes into fruition and NO it is not Coldplay. Back over at the Brisbane Hotel, a festival supergroup are doing a performance of sorts. Mirage is the collaborative guise of Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O)))), Atilla Csihar (Mayhem/Sunn O)))), Sin Nanna (Veil of Darkness) and Marco Fusinato. The results are quite similar to Sunn’s performance and are notably loud despite featuring a quarter of Sunn’s amp stacks. Things in the early phases are a bit messy being an improvisational piece made up of many personalities, at times, they tend to play over one another. This however is quickly dismayed by the end as things really come to lock in in the final sections. Atilla Csihar also performs solo and under a backdrop of curtains and manipulating light effects coupled with face paint it is a really dark journey as he loops his amazing voice into a weird trance based performance which is a good alternative to those unfortunate enough to have deep enough pockets for Diamanda Galas. The night is then taken out to the sounds of chiptune DJ’s in the other room seemingly having the time of their lifes and on that odd note the festival has come to a conclusion.

Despite all of its shortcomings, Dark Mofo only in its second year, is one of the most intriguing and experience based festivals in the country. There are just so many things that are done right here and even if you are not into the music program there are so many alternatives. This festival quite easily has the potential to rise up and become the best festival in the country and to the many that attended this year, it could have already achieved that goal. Encore!

Image retrieved from abc.net.au

Resvisit 'Part One' Here