Live Review: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, CW Stoneking, Fraser A Gorman, Sugar Fed Leopards, Cadillac Drifters

Wandering through the gates we can hear rockabilly three-piece Cadillac Drifters' first set (of three) coming from Pirates Tavern and Sea Shepherd's SS Steve Irwin is docked on the right, looking ready to take a bite out of unwary eco-criminals.

Over at the side stage — past ever-delicious Beatbox Kitchen — Sugar Fed Leopards are getting set up. We spy CW Stoneking in the milling crowd (he's hard to miss in those signature whites), and shortly after we catch a glimpse of Nathaniel Rateliff good-naturedly posing for a few fan snaps. SFL kick off in characteristically glittery attire. You could hang yourself from Kat Karvess' basslines they're so funky thick. Steph Brett, Louise Terry and Carrie Webster nail doo-wop-y disco/soul harmonies, complete with synchronised dance moves that would melt Reverend Mother Maggie Smith's heart, quick smart. They finish by doing The Boogaloo and we learn a few choice new dance moves for the weekend.

The main stage is housed in an enormous shipwright's warehouse and we can't imagine a better venue for a man who allegedly used his banjo as a floatation device in a shipwreck off the West African coast. CW Stoneking comes out into some simple under-lighting from the stacks and starts on How Long with little to no ado. His guitar might be cherry-red but we notice even his strap is sailor-white. The percussion is on point; The Love Me Or Die is packed with cowbells, regular bells and maracas et al, and also gives us our first taste of brass for the night. Halfway through the track, Stoneking snaps a string. It takes him about two minutes of fiddling to get restrung but he takes it in stride and does his best to keep on singing. The band never misses a beat, despite laughing at poor ol' Stoney's struggles, and when he gets back on track the crowd howls. He takes the opportunity to introduce the band and the whole thing's so smooth you'd almost believe they rehearsed it. 

There's an early highlight in a slower, funkier version of The Thing I Done driven by trombone and sax and ghostly "Ooooo-oooos" from Maddy and Memphis Kelly, who become a more integral part of the show every time it comes through town. Personal fave Handyman Blues sounds absolutely mint with the sisters' booming BVs and a liberal helping of double bass. Stoneking tells us this next one's off "our latest record that's for sale down there" and starts up I'm The Jungle Man, complete with crow caws and "boombapa boombapa boom"s that are absolutely contagious. He flaunts some impressive gospel chops with a cover of Bobby Bland's Yield Not To Temptation (dedicated "to mah dad, since I stole the cassette off of him when I was 13"), which see crowd members clearing themselves some elbow room to swing in. Stoneking and co are cast in neon pink lighting for set closer The Zombie, a track you can tell they enjoy playing as much as we enjoy hearing, and there's lurching dance moves and B-movie screams aplenty from the Kellys.

Back outside total troopers Cadillac Drifters are still pumping away in Pirate Tavern and now that the sun's down you can see the Melbourne Star lit up out past the fairy lights and over the water. On the side stage, Fraser A Gorman is playing the most relaxed set by far, full of lyrically beautiful tunes with a lot of sky/clouds/heights motifs to match that voice of his. He plays a set full of favourites before introducing a couple of new songs in Shivers and St Joe's Street.

The crowd isn't fucking around for Nathaniel Rateliff and the moment Gorman's set stops the dock shoots en masse for the main stage. The Night Sweats come out first and start with some surprisingly sombre trumpet and vocals as the man himself takes the stage. They may dress like they're headed to a cowboy funeral, head to toe in black denim, but from opener I’ve Been Failing they shake it like they're at a cowboy wake. Mark Shusterman ditches the keys for I Need Never Get Old to dance front of stage, flipping his curls and smacking a tambourine like it kissed his mammy. "Y'all having a good time?" shouts Rateliff and the response is a resounding yes. Despite how powerful his singing voice is, however, Rateliff's a bit of a mumbler between songs and the rest is lost to history and the front row. It doesn't help that the woman next to us is FaceTiming her boyfriend for some ungodly reason. Rateliff starts a "one time, two time" call and response that everyone understands and we put some distance between ourselves and the 21st century lovebirds as it builds into Look It Here. Luke Mossman is right into it, clutching his gold Les Paul close and swinging back and forth at the hip 'til he's near-parallel with the floor like a human metronome. We get a few more standout tracks from their self-titled LP before Rateliff switches to acoustic guitar for the mind-blowing Wasting Time. Each time the tender verse explodes into those huge euphonious "Yeaaaaah"s every hair stands on end. The Night Sweats file off stage ("If you don't mind I might play a song by myself for a little while"). Rateliff commiserates that we "got a shit guy in office too", but says how beautiful it is we're all here together and encourages us to remember that "fear and ignorance breed hate" before playing a touching acoustic version of I’d Be Waiting.

Once the band's back on the scene they make sure everyone's still paying attention with a slinky little blues number called Shake. Shusterman on guiro is genius and Rateliff shows off his own favourite dance steps; he drops his guitar for Out On The Weekend so he has more freedom to shake his hips. He's pretty limber on his feet and we might steal a few of his moves this weekend, too. He takes a moment to give a thank you to everyone for coming and to the bands for playing — Stoneking gets two because, "He's a national treasure, c'mon you fuckers!" — and then asks everyone to clap for the next one. He needn't have bothered; the room explodes in off-beat claps from SOB's introductory hum to the final choral "Woah". In between, drinks are tossed, trumpets solo, boots stomp and hips shake. There's even a small take it down/bring it up moment a la Animal House and it's clear the Missourian has us by the short and curlies. With the main set finished, the outfit head backstage.

They come back out for quick one-song encore, but, really, SOB's still ringing in our ears. When we head out front, Cadillac Drifters are still going. They still sound pretty lively and a fair lick off the crowd head into the tavern to dance to a pitch-perfect cover of Summertime Blues — school night be damned!