On the final day of Bluesfest,you can’t
help but feel a combination of sadness and relief. By the fifth day,
Bluesfest has become a way of life, something you almost couldn’t
imagine being without. But by the fifth day, your body and feet aren’t
in agreement on the topic. You’re lucky to get 6 hours of sleep a
night, and on your feet the rest of that time, enjoying some 56 hours
of live music. If that’s not bang for your buck, I don’t know what is.
Kim Churchill was first up on the main stage for
the final day of festivities and is showing himself to be quite the
talent. At just 18 (!) he’s already a force to be reckoned with on the
Bluesfest stage. So just you wait until the rest of Australia gets a
hold of him! Quite a few people I spoke to rated him as a highlight of
the whole festival – so I’m sure Mr. C will be quite chuffed at that
sort of response!
But it was Carney who followed who had me all
chuffed. That sounds dirtier than it should? In any case, you may
recall in my Saturday coverage I mentioned hearing this band from afar,
and so I’d been looking forward to checking them out ever since then.
Let it be said they were well worth the wait. The Los Angeles quartet
know how to play their guitars like the gods that came before them –
the Voltas and the Zeppelins that help inspire their music. While they
have plenty of their own material, they take time to pay tribute to
those that came before them, churning out an impressive “Bohemian
Rhapsody” cover (just the first part of it), the second we’d heard at
the festival. They followed this with a powerful, epic, growling,
hypnotising cover of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” followed. They did
the Beatles proud on that one, as they commanded the stage. Mark my
words, these guys are going to be huge, and deservedly so.
I briefly caught the Round Mountain Girls next, and their banjo laden cover of “Joker and the Thief” by Wolfmother. Very entertaining! Melbourne’s Dan Sultan followed
Carney on the main stage, donning a beer singlet, looking very much the
pub rocker. The girls swooned, oooh-ed and ahh-ed as they enjoyed the
sounds and the moves of the talented singer/songwriter. He was a
dominating force – making the Mojo stage his own, and giving precedence
to the claim of others that he’s the “Black Elvis”. He’s got the looks,
the sounds and the moves – that’s for sure. But the music is wholly his
own – a brand of pub rock and roll that has just enough of a commercial
edge to take him far.
There are few Australian artists who have gained the sort of dedicated following that Angus and Julia Stone
have mustered – their shows virtually instant sell outs wherever they
go. But this being the first time I had seen the duo, I never quite got
what all the fuss was about. Sure, they make beautiful music, but it’s
not until you experience it live that you experience the breadth of
their talents. It’s the sort of music that The Swell Season had
performed so elegantly on Friday, with a slight measure of Australiana
thrown into the mix. Despite a set focused on tracks off the recently
released, chart topping Down the Way, the crowd was singing
along to every word of every song. Like I said, they have a passionate
following – and boy do the Northern Beaches duo deserve it. Next time I
see them, I’ll make sure I know the lyrics too.
GOGOL BORDELLO deserve everything written about them to be
written in large, caps locked font – with gross exaggerations and sexy
insinuations. Gogol Bordello are, without a doubt, one of the most
energetic, theatrical, entertaining bands you’ll ever see explode onto
the stage. And they’ve got killer catchy, fun, loud, provocative tunes
to back it up. Fronted by the legend that is Eugene Hutz, there is so
much character on the stage, so much staged nonsense, that you can’t
help but stand there and rock out like you were at a heavy metal
concert. There was moshing. There was crowdsurfing. There was mayhem.
At Bluesfest. Crowdsurfing. At Bluesfest.
It’s got to be the first time that it’s ever happened,
but it couldn’t have felt more appropriate. These guys ROCK, ROLL and
everything in between. “Start Wearing Purple” was of course a
highlight, with the stage erupting into a wall of sound, as Eugene
thrashed a bottle of wine around a tin can, with a microphone thrown in
to amplify the unique sound. Don’t say I didn’t warn you: experience
this band, or forever regret missing out on some truly unique
entertainment. They belong on everyone’s “must see” list.
I moved away from the main stage next to experience the sweet sounds of Brazilian songstress Bebel Gilberto.
The daughter of João Gilberto (the “Father of Bossa Nova”) and singer
Miúcha, there is a legacy to the Gilberto name, and she carries it with
grace, style and a voice of beauty. In addition to her own
backcatalouge, Bebel played songs of her parents, including “The Girl
from Ipanema”, which her father made an international sensation in
1964. Bela Fleck’s African Project feat. Oumou Sangare closed
the night out on the same stage, and while I didn’t catch much of the
set, what I did see was truly intoxicating talent on the stage.
It was a strange choice to have The Fray end
the festival on the main stage. It had become a main stay of Bluesfest
to end the show with someone like Johnson or Harper or Franti, but this
year they went outside the box. It attracted a lot – a LOT – of younger
“I love pop music” kids to the show, which was great for the festival,
but made it a strange atmosphere to say the least. I did my best to
listen to the hitmakers, but found myself cringing from the first note.
It was honestly the only down point of the festival. But there were
plenty of other options on the table, so I ended my festival with Robert Gordon and the Gang They Couldn’t Hang and The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker.
For the former, Robert Gordon brought his
Rockabilly, Elvis inspired style to the Jambalaya stage, accompanied by
Chris Spedding, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) and Slim Jim Phantom (Stray
Cats). The set included many notable Elvis covers – but the true thrill
was seeing Glen and Slim Jim perform together. Who would have thunk it?
The Dynamites, meanwhile, were a loud machine, working hard to
keeping the funkalicious style James Brown made famous, alive. The
energy was electrifying, and they were a talented force you wouldn’t
dare ask to slow down. Yet another example of the legends of music
taking centre stage at the 21st annual Bluesfest.
But it was definitely Gogol Bordello’s night, and I
couldn’t help but wish they had closed it out with a bang for me – it
all felt like a bit of an anti-climax (when compared with previous
years). But despite this, I feel I ended my 2010 Bluesfest experience
in style, with the festival delivering an excellently organised,
incredible week. I couldn’t have had a better time. Bring on 2011 –
we’ll be there!
