Day three of Bluesfest.
With the sunshine continuing to beam happily down of the festival and music filling the air, there is no better place to be than Bluesfest.
Some Of Our Day 3 Highlights
Kate Miller-Heidke delighted fans with an early afternoon set. Kate’s stunning looks matched with superbly written songs delivered with pitch perfect vocals made for a great start to the festival day.
Jimmie Vaughan stepped up to the plate and showed us why he’s one of the most respected blues guitarist around. Keeping it clean and clear his guitar spoke volumes and there was nothing you could do but sit back and soak up the sound.
If you wanted to get up and shake it, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 performance at the Mojo stage was the place to be. Kuti along with the band and the dancers took to the stage with their Afrobeat rhythms and it proved impossible not to get on your feet to jump and dance along.
A massive crowd assembled at the Mojo stage to witness John Butler Trio live and they were rewarded with a performance nothing short of amazing. Butler’s guitar work mesmerised throughout the set with clear fan favourites being “Ocean” and “Zebra”.
To say Dave Matthews Band blew the roof of the Mojo stage would be an understatement. Playing for almost three hour takes some doing but the crowd loved every moment. To top things off, Warren Haynes also made an appearance, joining the band on stage and playing a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”… magic!
Day 4 headliners include Erykah Babu, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Govt Mule, Jimmie Vaughan, Ozomatli and many more! It’s a huge day and we recommend you get in early to also check out a few of the early performances.
Here’s a few suggestions:
Kim Churchill, C.W Stoneking, Foy Vance, Kasey Chambers, Tim Rogers… just to name a few.
Byron Bay Bluesfest
Day 3 – April 19, 2014
Visit www.bluesfest.com.au for all festival information and updates.
To say that we were a little concerned about Monster Magnet’s set upon reaching the HiFi Bar just as the doors were opening would be an understatement. Simply put, there was very little sign of life. Granted, it was a dismal evening with some drizzle and cold Autumn winds blowing through, but there was hot night of raucous rock and roll to be enjoyed inside.
To say I was buzzing with excitement as I took my seat in Sydney’s Qantas Credit Union Arena waiting for Thirty Seconds To Mars is an understatement. Looking around the room, it was filling up nicely. The atmosphere was building and as London band the White Lies stepped onto the stage the room erupted ready to party with them. 
It’s a gorgeous Thursday evening in the Queensland capital, the smell of the rain still hanging in the crisp air after an earlier downpour. Following a brisk walk to the Tempo, we are met with a killer blast of noise: that’s Hope Drone, eagerly conforming to their moniker by dousing the venue with bucketfuls of post-black metal (yep – everything is “post” these days) and death growls. It’s not all Cookie Monster-esque bluster, though – the quartet aren’t shy on melody and have their cleans and atmospherics down pat.
With a white sequined dinner jacket, and a ‘fro straight outta Brooklyn circa 1972, it was clear from the first strained note that Charles Bradley was every inch of his impressive mythology. The bio reads like a carefully scripted wrap-sheet: he was raised in a dirt-poor Brooklyn, from which he escaped only to spend decades drifting and working odd jobs, and spending serious time as a homeless grafter. On record, it’s heart-on-the-sleeve honesty of a man who knows no other. On stage it’s merely confirmation, as the performer pours every last ounce of feeling into the overwrought vocals and leaves nothing behind.
In the great lottery of the Sidewave venue scramble, Placebo must surely have pulled the short straw. Not that St Kilda’s Palais Theatre is generally anything to be disappointed with – its grungy dilapidation holds a special place in Melbourne’s rock vernacular. But when it comes to a furious set by one of the world’s best emotive post-punk purveyors, those torn leather seats are just woeful.
In the middle of the Soundwave hype, three bands united to put on an exhilarating show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. From the outcome of the show, it was clear that this combination of bands pulled off an adrenaline induced show.
Gig talkers are just the pits aren’t they? The bane of any true fans, their inanities strike at the most inopportune of moments, ruining a classic heart on the sleeve moment or a strained high-note, in spite of the daggers of ice being shot across the room, or even the indignant ‘shushing’ from those more forthright in their opinions. Things get a little swayed, however, when those interrupting the moments are three fully grown lions displaying their pleasure/displeasure in no uncertain terms.
It almost seems absurd that a chart-topping US rock band like Alter Bridge should be playing a venue as small as Sydney’s HiFi. So, it makes sense that tonight’s show – a Soundwave sideshow – should be completely sold out. Indeed, the line of punters stretches from the front door, around the side and turns back on itself to the front door. The Tremonti (AB’s guitarist) tattoo taking one guy’s entire lower leg tells us that he’s probably been here most of the day waiting.
What a freakin’ line up! Tonight’s Soundwave sideshow has sold out Luna Park’s Big Top and had punters lining up around the venue since 9am. It’s hardly surprising when you have Nu Metal legends Korn and comic super villain Rob Zombie headlining the same bill.
The streets leading into Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds were flooded with excited fans eagerly waiting for the gates to open to this years Soundwave festival. As far as the eye can see were show goers of all age’s shapes and sizes proudly wearing their favourite band moniker or dressed in attention seeking costumes. The gates open, the crowd spills in and the day begins. 
It begins… The first Soundwave Sidewave shows hit Sydney’s venues in earnest, with Maryland, USA nitro-charged rockers Clutch getting into the swing of things early at Sydney’s Metro Theatre. Supported by Melbourne four-piece Don Fernando, it’s the first time the rock royalty have visited our shores since 2010 and as vocalist/preacher Neil Fallon and his beard proclaim, “Let’s make up for lost time!”