Review: Craig Eriksson and Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne
Day 3 of Bluesfest saw the largest crowd so far and the showgrounds were absolutely chockers, full of music lovers of all ages and the weather could not have been scripted better.
We kick started our day at Mojo seeing 19-TWENTY. We were surprised just how packed the tent was so early but once you see 19-Twenty live you quickly understand the reason why. They are amazing, so much fun and had the crowd bopping away from the get go with their blend of blues, roots and hillbilly tunes. They are a tight group with strong lead vocals and great backing harmonies. Their fast and driving rhythm section with upright bass creates foot stomping mayhem, especially when the bassist stands on his instrument and swings it around in the air. They’re just having a ball onstage which the crowd lapped up. They mixed short bits of cover versions into their songs getting the crowd singing along to songs like You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) and Cotton-Eyed Joe. The crowd loved them and the lead singer Kane said “music is the best therapy”.
It was then over to Crossroads to see Australian soul singer WILSN. What a strong commanding voice! There are echoes of Amy Winehouse when Wilsn sings in her low register, then Aretha Franklin when she sings in her high register. Wilsn sings so effortlessly and is a powerhouse vocalist. Her music is a mix of soul, R&B, Motown and her set was stunning.
We battled the large crowds across to the other end of the showgrounds to Jambalaya to see Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist KIM CHURCHILL. Churchill opened his show as a one-man band playing harmonica, guitar, foot drum (bass drum says: It’s Lovely To Have You Here) and he has a tambourine on his other foot. Midway during the set he invited other muso friends on stage which included two saxophone players creating a fuller sound. Mixing it up during his set with the band worked well and Pat from the Pierce Brothers joined Kim on stage to play drums for Window to the Sky. Sounded incredible!
Over to Delta to see Melbourne 6-piece band SWEET TALK who play a combination of alt country blues, gospel and soul with improvised jams providing a vintage blend to their smooth grooves. Each band member sings and their vocal harmonies are very impressive.
BJ THE CHICAGO KID is an American singer, songwriter, R&B, soul rapper and more. The Grammy-nominated artist has racked up some amazing credits including an appearance on Stevie Wonder’s album “A Time To Love” in 2005, a collaboration with Kanye West “Impossible”, the end credits song for Mission: Impossible III and recordings with Kendrick Lamar, and Chance The Rapper. BJ has an awesome voice which echoed sounds of Al Green. BJ is accompanied by a drummer and a DJ who mixes a fusion of soulful grooves and improvisations. Very smooth! AM spoke to BJ pre tour. READ IT HERE
A crowd favourite was RY X who is a local lad from Woodford Island in Far-North Coast of NSW, Australia. RY X is a singer-songwriter who played in the Crossroads tent and was a pleasant surprise and drew me in. He said he grew up coming to this festival and it’s such an honour to be playing at Bluesfest today. RY X has a pearly, androgynous tenor and his music is synth driven with RY X playing guitar interludes and riffs. His music is layered with many shades, colours, textures and repeated motives creating a dreamy, atmospheric, meditational trance atmosphere and a bit of techno dance. It was a bit trippy and took me on a musical journey.
XAVIER RUDD played at Crossroads and had a massive crowd. Xavier comes on stage and just does his thing, no frills or pizzaz, just his pure, heart and soul energy that is so connected to land and spirit. It felt like a personal call to love and live more deeply connected, to feel the pulse of life in nature, to honour the spirit of life. There were bird calls and other sounds of nature mixed into his music. Xavier moved effortlessly between instruments, beating out the drums whilst playing didgeridoo, accompanying himself on guitar. Using looping techniques and playing slide guitar in several songs. Xavier was joined on stage by female drummer and multi-instrumentalist Lisa Purmodh on keys, bass and drums. His music blends reggae, folk and blues with indigenous music. At the end of his set he was joined on stage by some indigenous men and boys. A young blonde boy stood out and it was Xavier’s son. It was a very special show and was a celebration of our First Nations people.
Raced across to Mojo to see American guitarist and singer GARY CLARK JR. I’ve been wanting to see him for years! He had the crowd pumping from the get go with his unique fusion of blues, rock, soul and R&B. His music felt earthy, rich and raw with soulful, gritty and emotive vocals adding a rich layer of emotion to his music. Clark is an incredible guitarist and played several blistering guitar solos captivating the audience. His band had three gospel backing vocalist, keyboardist, drums and guitarists.
Headed back to Crossroads to see VANCE JOY and couldn’t get anywhere near the tent due to the masses. Biggest crowd I’ve come across yet and I ended up watching the show from the VIP tent. The show was fantastic and Vance is so laid back and relaxed on stage. He played his signature ukulele on many songs such as Riptide, Mess Is Mine, I’m With You, Lay It On Me, Saturday Sun, Fire and the Flood and Georgia. Vance made his way to the centre of Crossroads to a B stage perform a duet with Kasey Chambers. They sang a cover of Cheryl Crow’s ‘If It Makes You Happy’. Vance even did a cover of KISS ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ which was a surprise but sounded great with his trumpeter and saxophonist giving the song a unique sound. The overall set had a feel-good vibe which was noticeably infectious amongst the crowd with everyone looking so joyful as they sang and danced along.
While Cat Empire did their high energy thing at Mojo to a packed house, we ducked into Delta to catch MARC BROUSSARD again. As Marc took to the stage, the crowd was quite small but as the acts in the main tents finished, his audience expanded and by the end of the set had a very healthy crowd in his grasp. Sydney based keyboard wiz Clayton Doley did another amazing job assisting Marc with his quality blues and roots set.
We battled the crowd inside Crossroads and miraculously got down the front for iconic headliners CROWDED HOUSE. It was clear that this amazing band has a huge and eclectic fanbase as literally everyone in the huge crowd came together and sang word for word at the top of their lungs (us included) all their big hits such as Mean To Me, Fall At Your Feet, Pineapple Head, Four Seasons In One Day, Weather With You, Something So Strong, Don’t Dream It’s Over and Better Be Home Soon. Neil Finn stripped back a few songs with just him playing acoustic guitar, showcasing his incredible vocals and musicianship. Finn had the 10,000 strong choir sing along and in the palms of his hands. It was a total feeling of euphoria! The crowd was thrilled when they played Split Enz ‘I Got You’ in the encore along with a cover of Talking Heads ‘Road To Nowhere.’ Crowded House played for an extra half hour, performing a 2-hour, 18-song, magnificent show.
Special moments like this have already made this Bluesfest experience something that we will all remember and cherish for the rest of our lives.
Day 4 is starting in a few hours and I’m looking forward to see – Rag’n’Bone Man, John Butler, Kasey Chambers, Hussy Hicks, Lachy Doley Group and Here Come The Mummies.
Let the Good Times Roll
