Live Review: Nahko & Medicine For The People, Kahl Wallis, Jordan McRobbie

Back Down Under for a string of sideshows for this year's annual Bluesfest, Nahko & Medicine For The People headed to Fremantle's Railway Hotel to showcase their latest album HOKA, as part of a night dedicated to alternative folk music filled with powerful messages of connection, compassion and love for our planet and each other.

Opening the night, Fremantle-born Jordan McRobbie had a chance to deliver his acoustic set with great precision and clarity while punters arrived, found their spots, drank beers and chatted with anticipation for the sets to come.

As the night unfolded, the audience were treated to an intimate session from The Medics lead singer, Kahl Wallis. With his solo project, Wallis' folk music bridged stories of his Indigenous heritage with personal views on life and how the world could be - a perfect way to prep the audience for the headline act.

After some anxious waiting and sound checks Nahko & Medicine For The People — Nahko Bear and his five-piece band — glided onto the stage and delighted the crowd, setting out their intentions for a positive, powerful show. Opener Directions was an instant example of how artists can pour their hearts and souls out from the stage, emanating passion, compelling the audience and drawing them into a spiritual quest before seamlessly moving into other tracks such as San Quentin.

The breaks came through with some crowd interaction as the frontman nervously rambled on with some backstories to the songs, revealing his more vulnerable side. However, he then slipped back into his comfort zone and powered through a beautiful unreleased tune Dear Brother, leaving notes of compassion.

Violin player Tim Snider timidly moved from his spot at the back of the stage to take the limelight for his enchanting solo intro to Great Spirit. Beginning pizzicato, Snider looped the plucked sounds, raised his bow high and began to play, merging the composition into a beautiful, ethereal performance. The music transcended, weaving a collection of notes through the air to our hearts as looks of pure bliss on faces faced the stage.

It wasn't just Snider, either, each artist was given their time to shine throughout the night. Flugelhorn player Max Ribner peaked the energy, causing the crowd to dance around to his upbeat sound, and Chase Makai had the audience chuckling with his story about first meeting Nahko Bear in Hawaii. Nahko Bear himself had many solo moments, which channelled wisdom and strength and reverberated love and healing from the music to his tribe.

Whether it was the old favourites, new songs such as Love Letters To God and Tus Pies (Your Feet), unreleased tracks or even the fun medley of tracks from Bieber, TLC and Bob Marley (to name a few), Nahko Bear's vocals ranged from whimsical to powerful, hip-hop rhymes and quick-lipped sections flowing back using his soaring voice.

The shows Nahko & Medicine For The People put on are all about heart and, joining with the collective consciousness of their fans, they completely delivered.