By DOMINIC FEAIN
Day Four: Bluesfest wrap
The clouds set in for day four of Bluesfest but that didn’t dampen the festival spirit or the crowd numbers.
While yesterday’s line-up lacked the star-studded impact of the first three days, punters still poured in to enjoy the days high-energy bill packed with long-time Bluefest favourites.
The infectious Cat Empire had the Mojo crowd on their feet dancing arm-in-arm and singing along to past hits before treating us to a taste of their new album while regular guest, sax-man David Ades from Bangalow, pulled off yet another stunning solo transfixing the crowd.
The genre-busting world music legend Manu Chao closed the Crossroads stage with another fine performance of his so called “post-punk reggae Afro-pop” while last year’s buzz-band, The Melbourne Ska Orchestra kept the Jambalaya crowd dancing all the way to the encore.
Organisers reported yet another capacity crowd saying blues fans coped well with the weather as did the festival site’s new drainage system.
“I think people are seasoned to the weather, they had their ponchos and gum boots on and were ready to party,” a spokeswoman said.
“I think when we get those beautiful days like Thursday and most of Friday it’s like a bit of a bonus really. But with Paul Simon closing the festival today we’re expecting another full house.”
Earlier in the afternoon it was a tough choice between one of the buzz bands of this year’s festival, Saskwatch, and perennial swamp blues favorite Tony Joe White.
Saskwatch is a nine-piece Melbourne band that have been blowing the crowds away this year with their high-energy brass set with the delightful Nkechi Anele up front on vocals.
Meanwhile Tony Joe fulfilled the opposite end of the musical spectrum in that timeslot with his steamy swamp blues full of songs about good bourbon and bad women.
Kicking off yesterday was past Bluesfest break-through Kim Churchill who had interrupted his tour in the US with Billy Brag to play this year’s festival – and he received a surprise tribute onstage from festival director Peter Noble.
Noble is all smiles so far given the capacity crowds, but particularly so having finally achieved his long-held dream to host an international Indigenous festival at the site on the October long weekend.
The Boomerang Festival was launched at Bluesfest on Saturday. Check it out at www.boomerangfestival.com.au
Today’s line-up includes a host of great music from the likes of Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt, Xavier Rudd, Wilco and this year’s surprise act, Ben Caplin, but all eyes seem firmly set on the Mojo stage shortly after 8pm when Paul Simon himself will close Bluesfest 2013.
Visit Bluesfest Byron Bay Official Website here!
