Anyone For Some Abba?
Serj Tankian is a man on a mission, a mission to make every festival goer actually think seriously for a few minutes as he preaches about the state of the world and how Bush isn’t to blame but us for letting him have control. Sure, he may have a point, but come on there’s a time and a place, half the people here are too young to vote and the other half are so intoxicated that Kermit The Frog could be in control for all they know and care.
Thankfully though there’s more to the guy in top hat and tails then preaching and as the System Of A Down man takes time in between the ranting to sing, you can’t help but fall victim to his engaging vocal range and intricate piano playing. Bounding onto the stage like a overexcited kid in a sweet shop, Tankian bounces and skips everywhere as ‘Empty Walls’ is unleashed with a ferocious fury matched only by his manic theatrics. Perhaps the best dressed performer on site today, the top hatted Tankian’s ‘Baby’ bristles with a raw energy that is only pushed aside by the empowering pomp of ‘Sky Is Over’ as he struts around the stage, commanding everyone’s attention and fully gaining it.
As the falsettos and weirdly engaging behaviour unravel, Tankian’s animated behaviour becomes compelling as he declares his new favourite word is ‘cockwaffle’ before asking if anyone likes Abba? With a roar of approval spurting from the crowd, Tankian delves into a cover of ‘Money Money Money’ complete with signature eccentricity that transforms the track before his own ‘New Money’ weaves its way through leaving only ‘The Unthinking Majority’ to bring the politically charged set to an end.
Part political preacher, part insane showman, Tankian engages all and guarantees that his show is nothing if not eventful.