Parachute Music Festival 2010 saw 100+ bands approach the stages playing to multitudes of people. Read live reviews below of Coup De Main's favourite bands...

SWITCHFOOT

One of the highlights of Parachute 2010 had to be Switchfoot.  The crowd, which totally enveloped Main Stage, was encapsulated by their sense of rhythm and stage presence. Their set seemed to be predominantly old songs, with surprisingly few songs from 'Hello Hurricane', their latest album – perhaps this may be due to the 5^th members’ absence. (Jerome Fontmillas did not play due to his new born baby, not that you could tell, as his cousin Ji replaced him for the set.) The best song of the night, for me, had to be 'Mess of Me' a song from 'Hello Hurricane', with a scintillating guitar riff throughout and a tight drumbeat, topped off with extraordinary stage lighting.

See video of 'This is Your Life' below...

On a disappointing note, the video quality and reliability of the big screens were very average; along with an obvious add of delay on Foreman’s voice.  No matter how good the band is, without a good P.A. & Audio system, the overall act will suffer. However, all in all Switchfoot entertained the crowd like never before, stepping it up on their previous Parachute performances.

RUBY FROST

The beautiful Ruby Frost played on Sunday night to a packed out White Elephant stage; perhaps some of her audience came to escape the torrential downpour, however they undoubtedly left pleasantly surprised! Her catchy riffs accompanied by groovy bass lines and heavy keys made for an all around attention grabbing musical experience. Her sound has made such progress over the past year, particularly moving away from the acoustic singer songwriter genre, experimenting with more electronic synth sounds and backing tracks which definitely suit her quirky voice. Ruby Frost is most assuredly one to keep an eye on in the future!

www.myspace.com/rubyfrost

ADDISON

Despite being scheduled to play at the same time as headliners Switchfoot, Addison played an emotional final show to a full audience at the Deluxe stage. After spending the last 18 months based in Melbourne, the band had decided to come back to NZ and go their separate ways after playing a final show at the Parachute Festival. And what an amazing show it was! The band was impeccably tight, mastering complicated rhythms seamlessly. They also had great energy and crowd interaction, most notably with the heartfelt thanks for support given over the years, expressed before the final song. Addison will definitely be missed and congratulations on such a successful last show.

UNDEROATH

Underoath, on their third visit to New Zealand played the final slot at Mainstage on Saturday night. They played an enjoyable set of songs mostly from the latest album “Lost in the Sound of Separation” mixed with a few older songs, most notably 'Its dangerous business walking out your front door' to the great delight of the crowd. The band seemed to enjoy playing to a crowd so receptive to their music – despite the steady stream of more “conservative” music lovers seen to trickle out during the set! It was a pity the sound became muffled towards the stands because the complex guitar interactions were quite outstanding when audible, a shame that some people missed out on that. Underoath played a great set filled with energy and fun whilst maintaining the exceptional level of musicianship demonstrated. A stellar performance!

LEELAND

Leeland had all the right moves. You could tell they knew what made New Zealanders tick as they ripped off their t–shirts and revealed a black jersey, embellished by a silver fern; an All Black jersey. Finally, Americans that knew the difference between New Zealand and Australia! Fashion statements aside, their music was outstanding, with a dominant stage presence and a tight set played. Evading the rain for most of the set, notable songs were 'Count Me In' and 'Tears of the Saints', with lead singer Leeland Mooring given an inspiration talk, referring to Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Which moved both the devout Christians and the agnostics in the crowd. Leeland removed any doubt to whether Parachute was Christian or agnostic whilst also playing outstanding music, raising the bar for any subsequent bands.

HILLSONG UNITED

You might think rain would deter people from seeing Hillsong United, but not at Parachute’s Main Stage, which was filled despite heavy rain & thunder. Following on from Leeland is no easy task, but Hillsong did amazingly well. Performing both old and new songs, including my favourites: 'Mighty to Save' and 'Yours Forever'.  Joel Houston gave a small but inspirational talk on his past midway through the set as the rain continued to fall. Christians and Non-Christians alike shared the night with amazing music and inspirational moments, as Hillsong United made a raining Sunday night, a beautiful night to remember.

All photos courtesy of Parachute Music.

www.parachutemusic.com