The name of the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not in Sydney – instead, the festival is set on the banks of the Hawkesbury river in the historic township of Windsor. With the purple jacarandas framing the timeworn architecture of the town, it was a perfect spot for some of the elder statesman of Australian blues to gather and commune with faithful blues fans.
The line-up for the festival was quite possibly the best they have assembled in the five short years of its existence. With players who have been in bands such as The Hippos, The Backsliders, Mental As Anything and others, the pedigree of guitarists and musicians on hand was well documented. Add to that some international acts like the Scottish lass Sandi Thom, Charlie Parr from the USA, and more.
As the small gathering settled into Friday evening, the smell of cooking chicken and pork filled the early evening air. Charlie Parr gave the crowd some sweet country blues to wash the working week away. People settled back and enjoyed a pleasant, somewhat smoky, sunset due, to the nearby bushfires.
Chris Wilson has been prowling the stages of Australia and beyond for over 20 years. With his growling vocals, his expertise on the blues harp and his overall commanding presence, Wilson put on a show that was fully engaging. Whether he was duelling with his guitarist Shannon Bourne on his harp, or playing guitar alongside him, Wilson was captivating.
Wilson had commented on the Coles Supermarket stage backdrop during his set and made a joke about somebody “getting him a mud cake, so he could smear it all over his body”. With such covers as ‘Route 66’ and ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out’, Wilson did not need baked goods to keep the crowd pleased. A mud cake and donuts were soon delivered and Wilson worried not about food allergies or gluten as he hurled the baked goods at his audience.
Once the crumbs of Chris Wilson cleared, slide-guitarist Dave Hole and his band arrived on stage. Word on the street was that Hole would be doing a short acoustic tour this month – therefore, I thought it would be hard for him to follow Wilson and Bourne. Alas, he sure does know how to play to a crowd helped by his band who backed up his dynamic slide playing.
As usual Hole, was a crowd-pleaser. His unorthodox approach to playing the slide takes nothing away from his playing. With his finger curled over the top of the guitar, he was always interesting to watch. His classic down-and-dirty ‘Short Fuse Blues’ and his remarkable cover of Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ made for a brilliant end to a short and sharp evening of blues.
Camping under the stars and wandering the streets of Windsor added another level of enjoyment to the festival. With music coming out of the pubs scattered around town, you were never left wondering what to do next. The Fitzroy Hotel hosted acts like Penny And The Mystics and other younger, not-so-bluesy acts such as The Lazys and Halfway Homebuoy. There was food and drink aplenty to keep you satiated everywhere you went.
Saturday brought some solid sunshine and less haze from the nearby Blue Mountain fires. The audience at the outdoor stages were well programmed by the Australian Cancer Council to find shade where ever they could. This made for a slightly uncomfortable gap between the audience and the performers during early sets by the rocking and good timey Benjalu, the swamp blues of the Backwood Creatures and the somewhat lacklustre Ginhouse Blues Band.
Mal Eastick of the Mal Eastick Trio is a survivor and has been a stalwart of the Sydney music scene for over 30 years. His biting and soulful playing was well complemented by Adam Pringle on acoustic guitar and the soulful singing of Milena Barrett. Eastick’s trio did a remarkable version of Etta James’s ‘Rather Go Blind’. Covers of Freddy King’s ‘Hideaway’ and JJ Cale’s ‘Magnolia’ were also wonderfully played and received.
Glenn A Baker was on hand to MC and introduce some of the historic Australian blues bands over the course of the festival. His loquaciousness and musical knowledge added a touch of humour and edification to the proceedings. With The King Bees, Foreday Riders and The Cyril B Bunter Band on hand, the dinosaurs of the Aussie blues scene were well represented. They proved that age does not weary a boogieing bluesman.
Sydney’s Foreday Riders, who have been around for over 45 years, were reinvigorated with some extra firepower. Ron and Jeff King usually front the group, but only Ron was on hand to play his smooth harmonica. Filling in for Jeff King on guitar was Ray Beadle, and to add ammunition on guitar was the fabulous former member of The Hippos, Les Karski, who is not seen too often around these parts and was a delight to witness.
Karski and Beadle took turns singing and soloing. By the look of the grins on all of their faces, the joyfulness and playful nature of their set was evident. Sprinkle in the impressive keyboard work of Ali Penney and it was a formidable showcase of the blues. Beadle’s singing and incendiary solos on ‘Drinking Straight Tequila’ had people dancing. A small dust cloud from the outdoor dancing group shadowed the stage.
Rock royalty was also represented in the form of Dog Trumpet. Reg Mombassa and his brother Peter O’Doherty, better known for their time in Mental As Anything, have been recording as Dog Trumpet since 1991. With a good selection of songs from their excellent latest release, Medicated Spirits, you could tell that the audience was well aware of how lucky they were to see the band rock it out.
It was a magical moment when ‘Berserk Warriors’ was rolled out from the Mental As Anything songbook. Their take on Cream’s ‘Strange Brew’ was psychedelic blues played and sung to perfection. Mombassa’s slide playing was unique in its sonic quality along with his voice.
Johnny Diesel and Chris Wilson, or “Weisel” as I recall Glenn A Baker saying when introducing them, were on top of their game. With the virtuosity of Diesel on one of his many guitars matched by the skilfulness and beauty of Wilson’s harp playing, it was one set that no one at the festival should have missed.
Short Cool Ones, the album that the two gentlemen released in 1996, was featured. The songs on the release are covers from the blues songbook of Willie Dixon, Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson, to name a few. Despite the small band, it was a powerhouse set. Classics like ‘Spoonful’, ‘Little Red Rooster’, and ‘My Babe’ were supreme.
‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’ showcased Wilson and Diesel in all their glory. The album was never toured after its released 17 years ago, as both musicians got caught up in other projects. The set proved that the duo should revisit this album once again. There is beauty when they share the stage.
No blues festival would be complete without a showcase of Muddy Waters songs, and that is what the Muddy Waters Tribute Band delivered in full. Starring Don Hopkins on keys, Dom Turner , Kevin Bennett, Johnny Cass, and Jeremy Edwards on guitars and vocals. Mr Morganfield’s songs were brought to life. ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘Mannish Boy’, and ‘Good Morning Little School Girl’ were all unfurled. It was another joyful dusty-dance for the folks who left the safety of the shade.
There are always going to be disappointments when attending any festival and this usually comes down to choice. Having to miss certain acts due to logistics is always part of the festival shuffle, but this gives you something to look forward to next time.
Festival organisers did well with providing stalls for shopping, plenty of live music, and excellent choices for food and drink. Many people wondered why there was a raised podium where you purchased alcoholic drinks – but it appeared to serve the purpose of a sobriety test. If you did reach the top, service was done with a smile.
With half a decade under their belt, it is a wonder if the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival will reach 10 years. With only a few hundred people in attendance each day, they need to increase numbers. Whether that is moving the festival closer to Sydney or increasing their marketing budget, something needs to be done to preserve this great local blues festival.
Live music is better and that is a fact. The hard part is actually getting people up off the couch and out to catch the sweat, smiles, and sounds in person. If you were at this festival and had a good time, tell your friends. Word of mouth is key. Let’s keep it alive!
