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Left off the list for this year’s Big Day Out tour, 6,000 Brisbanites battled with the heat to be part of their own twelve-hour music festival, Livid ’92, staged at Davies Park in mid-December. Amid the exhibitions, the performance art, the stalls, and the markets, 20 local and international acts provided the rock & roll score to the day’s festivities. The day started with some high-energy output from the likes of The Welcome Mat, Def FX, Smudge, Caligula, and You Am I. By mid-afternoon, The Cruel Sea and Died Pretty were calling the shots on the main stage with Ron Peno injecting some sex into the day’s activities by stripping down to the waist and gyrating seductively around the rostrum. From the full-frontal attack of Superchunk – more gyrations, more spinning – it was into the country twang of Michelle Shocked; the performer intent on turning the whole thing into the world’s biggest square dance. All were happy to take part. Tumbleweed put a stop to any such antics, turning the focus of the day back to the heavy and the dark. Guitar atmospheres were supplied by Lush, putting on show the outdoor festival experience they gained through the European summer circuit and the Lollapalooza tour.