Bluesfest 2013 – Day Five

DAY 5
Newton Faulkner
It was very hot and humid when Newton Faulkner took the stage. The extreme temperature and humidity was taking a toll both Newton and his guitars. Luckily Newton had umpteen amounts of charm and was able to keep the crowd occupied while he furiously tried to re-tune his guitars (which had yet to acclimatise from a cold snap in Europe). I have been to see Newton Faulkner previously and his Byron Bay performance, although fantastic, dropped short of his usual standard. And this was due to one main factor – the heat. People, often distracted by his long long dreadlocks, fail to realise that he is also a red head and as such he was suffering. He delivered his songs in his usual amazing manner, yet there was some magic missing and his eyes were glazing over as he stared into the distance with beads of sweat dripping down his head. A highlight of the set was when he got the entire crowd to jump up and down to one of his songs, commenting that although it was Monday and early on in the day that he didn’t see any reason why we all couldn’t rock out! Although this review has been somewhat negative, don’t get me wrong, Newton Faulkner on his worst day is nothing short of incredible. His sense of rhythm, skill on a guitar and his unusual techniques create both incredible music and wonder amongst the audience. First timers to Newton’s set would have been thoroughly impressed – although I knew he was somehow capable of giving an even better performance.

Xavier Rudd
When watching Xavier Rudd we couldn’t help but get the “Rodriguez” vibe – that there were many others surrounding us who had a greater appreciation for his music. Although most of them were pot smoking hippies, they were indeed onto a good thing. Although we were not high (though we may have possibly been due to the incredible amount of second hand pot smoke) his music was still highly energetic and entertaining. The lighting show included very thick lights, the beams of which floated over the crowd and looked just as solid as metal beams. These lights, I imagine, would have been quite something to anyone on drugs. The crowd were particularly pleased when Xavier struck the first chords of “Let Me Be”, a song of which even I was familiar with. The live performance of this song was accurate, eloquent and truly conveyed the vibe in which the recording alludes to. I found this on to be quite enjoyable and would stipulate that if I was more familiar with the rest of his catalogue that I would be equally impressed with his other songs. His show had the expected nods to solidarity and aboriginal relations – the group of aboriginal dancers who accompanied him on stage later on in the set were traditional, yet innovative, and combined with the fast paced music of Rudd made for a new entertaining take on the traditional dances. Of our particular liking was a token white boy who looked like he had just sculled 14 L of red cordial and a bag of pop rocks, as he danced furiously across the stage. What a champion! Rudd’s music and sinful slide guitar fit quite perfectly into the context of a blues festival. A great performance that both fans and non-fans could easily appreciate and groove to (with or without the use of substances).

Paul Simon
When we arrived back at the MOJO tent to catch some of Paul Simon’s set, it surrounded by a foot deep trench of thick mud, in which only those with gumboots could survive. Luckily, by this point we had been rocking gumboots for the last couple of days. We were not big enough fans of Paul Simon to warrant pushing our way into the tent, which was at full capacity. Thus, we were forced to endure the shenanigans of a heavily intoxicated male who was stumbling around in the mud and was an ever present threat of completely knocking someone over. This wasn’t of great concern, but we decided to move on after a few songs. Those who stayed around a later described Simon’s set as ‘simply incredible’ and that he went on to do three encores. A real treat for Simon’s fans. Not being familiar with his body of work, however, we weren’t disappointed to cut our visit short.

The Music Maker Blues Revue
We chanced upon The Music Maker Blues Revue in the CAVANBAR tent after evacuating from the Paul Simon set. We were justly rewarded, as they were a hidden gem! What started off as a mellow affair in blues, soon kicked up a gear – spearheaded by an extremely funky and melodious bass player (which we all know to be a critical cornerstone in great blues rock). From this point on the show did not lose any momentum as the band marched on with up-tempo rock blues. The crowd returned the favour, by turning what was a seated venue into a full-scale party. It was the last night of the blues festival and the patrons were ready to savour the last of the goodness it had to offer. Even though there were major headlining acts playing on other stages, the people in the CAVANBAH tent knew that they were witnessing the very reason you come to music festivals – to get onto some new, highly talented and highly undiscovered bands that rock. (They were also enjoying a bit more floor space than those in the major tents!) There is no other way to describe their music without again repeating the fact that it was just damn good rock blues and felt to be the quintessential example of what Byron Bay Blues Festival was all about.

JD McPherson
Sarah and I only caught a short snippet of this set, but were instantly both impressed and transported back to the 1950s. Their sound was swinging and skilfully executed by all band members. There is no doubt you will be seeing more of JD McPherson around sometime soon. Particularly if there is to be a 1950s revival, you will find JD at the forefront of the attack.

The Beards
The Beards as you all may well know play songs about one subject matter and one only: beards. A formula of which one would think would be tiring after two full albums – yet it is the complete opposite. The CAVANBAH tent was immediately at full capacity at the beginning of the beards set. It was the last of four sets they played throughout the festival and undoubtedly some of the audience were return viewers. Song after rocking song was belted out by the band, and although deadly serious in their philosophy that everyone should have a beard, their songs were humorous and highly entertaining. One example I can clearly remember was the lyric: “If your wife tells you you can’t have the beard any more… Ignore. If she asks again with any more force… Divorce!”. The crowd, either long-time fans or recent return viewers joined in with these lyrics and interjections. As it was the first time I heard most of their songs (I had only heard a handful on YouTube) I found them to be incredibly entertaining. The members of the front of the crowd partook in ravaging all of the band member’s beards with their hands at every opportunity. Both parties enjoyed. The beards also brought out another blues first artist, Ben Caplan, who could only be described as a bearded heavyweight. A departure from his normal brand of music, Ben instantly revelled in the joyous celebration of beards and rocked out with the band. The band, having recently returned from a tour in the USA, were also giving out one dollar bills as tips to anyone with an impressive beard. The show rocked from start to finish and they subsequently commanded a very long line at the signing tent afterwards.

Melbourne Ska Orchestra
By this point we were reaching festival exhaustion. Sarah and I left The Beards set slightly early to catch the start of Melbourne Ska Orchestra. They took the stage and being led by Bomba they were, of course, impressive. Although the orchestra consisted of 20+ band members, it didn’t seem to add any more to the sound that was earlier achieved by Nicky Bomba’s Bustamento. We enjoyed a few of their songs but then decided a final walk around the festival and a much needed sit down on a wooden bench was needed. After five days of standing, our legs were killing. We reflected on the festival and all the great bands and memories on a wooden bench beside a store selling home-made candles – it was a nice conclusion to the festival. We walked back to the tent and hit the hay the last time. From bed we could still hear the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, so it was great to still listen to their songs from the comfort of a bed, lying down.