Live Review: What Happened At Bluesfest Day Three
All the action from day three!
The thing about Bluesfest you have to remember is that this is a marathon not a sprint. Our bodies might be aching in places we didn’t know existed, but by lunch the rain clouds have dissipated (aside from a few light sprinklings) and we’re feeling surprisingly fresh and ready for another day in among the action. It's all about taking a moment to relax and unwind now - we aren't trying to peak early here.
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Starting with RocKwiz Live, when we see the JAMBALAYA tent overflowing with people we have to question SBS’ decision to cancel the show - just give the people what they want! Brian Nankervis knows this is the perfect place to “put a smile on your dial, a pep in your step” and Julia Zemiro is up there cracking jokes about banks ripping us off and the upcoming election: “See you ScoMo - you’ll be gone for sure.” Epic. The audience panel member who quips the adjective to describe Angus & Julia Stone’s jet plane is boring rather than big, gets a huge collective chuckle and the guest appearances from Casey Donovan, Ian Moss, The Superjesus’ Sarah McLeod and Vika & Linda Bull all add flavour to the proceedings, there are some great musical moments. It’s a brilliant watch and a perfect match for Bluesfest.
Then it's time for the musical equivalent of rain clouds clearing, Little Georgia. A duo from Sydney's northern beaches who look genuinely stoked to be on the Bluesfest stage, the love is mutual with a grand singalong for Oh California. There is no doubt that Little Georgia will return to the stage next year hopefully much later in the day.
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Vintage Trouble erupt at MOJO, lead singer Ty Taylor orchestrating the rhythm centre stage. The buzz word here is energy. The four-piece are raw and welcoming and the sweat dripping off Taylor’s head, saturating his shirt is testament to his killer dance moves. The best moment happens during Run Baby Run though, as he crowd surfs from the middle of the tent back to the stage. We question the strength of some audience members at one point, Taylor is close to eating shit but he turns it into a headstand and recovers. “What the fuck is happening?” he giggles finally back in one piece.
Allen Stone might be the trendiest looking artist at Bluesfest, part hypebeast, part used-car salesman. While his appearance may be more suited to Splendour In The Grass, his voice is 100% Bluesfest. The award for most surprising set goes to him without a doubt. There's a good split of the curious and the die-hard in the crowd and we hear a collective “wow” when he opens his mouth for the first time. Brown Eyed Lover is the finale that solidifies the love across the dancefloor, with phones in the air and a sea of memories made for the lucky few that see his set.
If you’ve never caught guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel, make sure he’s on your list. As the camp chairs come out, the man is the perfect soundtrack for an afternoon of blissed-out finger picking. Consider us impressed.
With Shania Twain out of town, Larkin Poe step into her boots with ease. The duo deliver some cosy blues-rock with a bit more grit than most bands today, not that we are complaining. Their energy on stage rivals The Marcus King Band days before, with the duo trading guitar licks and running across the stage as if we are watching Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.
Colin Hay is one of the many Bob Dylan-esque songwriters on the lineup who delivers on making the audience's jaws drop immediately. His voice and songwriting ability are on another level. Hays' ability to make Men At Work covers not sound cringey is truly something to behold; Down Under is made to sound like a depressing yet uplifting tale of two lifetimes ago.
The rain threatens to put a dampener on proceedings and we cram into the JAMABALAYA tent for Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project. A set with everlasting power for all ages, as the iconic Treaty closes proceedings, it's a poignant reminder that nearly 30 years on, this is still an unresolved issue.
Kasey Chambers is a Bluesfest staple and for good reason. Continuing to pump out a phenomenal body of work, which spreads between almost every genre covered at Bluesfest, punters are in a flexing contest over just how many times they have seen Chambers before. Early set highlight of huge hit Not Pretty Enough absolutely shatters us, but a surprise Hank Williams cover of Ramblin' Man blows our mind. Not everyone can do justice to a legend like Williams but Chambers voice just happens to be one of the most versatile in the Bluesfest line-up, so she crushes the cover without breaking a sweat. A huge festival highlight as the night comes into full swing.
We don't need to tell you about a Baker Boy live set right? You know he's going to bring it and tonight at Bluesfest is no different. Fresh from a guest appearance with Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project, it's just so damn fun. His final show of three at the fest, the energy on stage reverberates around the tent and we try out our best dance moves. Baker Boy has this routine down pat - we can't wait to watch his star continue to ascend.
There's a moment during Flogging Molly's set (who close the JAMBALAYA) where a majority of punters on the outskirts of the tent have elbows locked and are spinning around each other, beers sloshing everywhere. It's how a Flogging Molly show should be spent; arms around your best mates, singing Drunken Lullabies. We mentally book plane tickets to Ireland for more Celtic-punk mayhem.
At this point in the night, it's obvious a good chunk of punters have opted to take an early mark. Regardless, a crowd still gathers for the star power of Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals. Especially when word spreads that Jack Johnson will be making an appearance during the set. Opening with the fuzzy swing of Pink Balloon, the band then jam their way through a cavalcade of both Harper's solo work and the bluesy goodness of the band's originals. The set takes a very obvious dive into the slower moody tracks in the bands discography as they prepare for the king of relaxation to join them on stage. Ending with 420 tribute of Burn One Down, we aren't quite sure if all the oldies appreciated the reference but Harper sure had a huge smile on his face.
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