The weather gods are smiling once more as it’s another stunning day to herald the halfway mark of the 2017 Bluesfest, almost faultless conditions for this annual celebration of all things musical.
Over at the Crossroads tent North Carolinian Nikki Hill opens proceedings with a frenetic burst of hard rock and R&B, the beehive-haired singer dancing around the stage belting out tunes in full control of proceedings while her tight band deliver driving barroom boogie behind her. A raucous cover of New Orleans gets people dancing early, but it’s her own soulful tunes like Her Destination that really let Hill’s talent shine through.
In recent times the Boomerang Festival has become an integral part of the Bluesfest experience, a dedicated program showcasing Indigenous art, performance and culture. It takes over the Juke Joint stage for the first half of the day and it’s there that we spy Emily Wurramara holding court, the Brisbane-via-Northern Territory singer-songwriter in spellbinding form with her infectious brand of socially aware indie pop. She exudes genuine warmth and a massive personality as she delivers a string of tunes such as Coloured Stone’s Black Boy, Lady Blue and her own hit Black Smoke to a large and completely appreciative crowd.
Billy Bragg has the besotted crowd singing along en masse.
Back over at Crossroads legendary UK singer-songwriter Billy Bragg is making his long overdue Bluesfest debut, operating in solo mode with just an electric guitar and that inimitable voice as he used to do so potently when he arrived on the scene in the ‘80s. He opens with a string of old classics in the form of To Have And To Have Not, The Milkman Of Human Kindness and Greetings To The New Brunette, before swapping to acoustic guitar for a folked-up cover of Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, which has been updated to include topical ruminations on the Trump administration and our current tumultuous political climate. He’s still typically verbose between songs – with his finger firmly on the pulse of Australian political events – but it’s classic hits like Sexuality, The World Turned Upside Down and Accident Waiting To Happen that have the besotted crowd singing along en masse. He finishes with a potent run of Levi Stubbs’ Tears, Between The Wars and There Is Power In A Union, exiting briefly before returning for a triumphant encore rendition of A New England to conclude a brilliant performance.
Californian R&B band Vintage Trouble were one of the buzz bands at last year’s festival and have accordingly pulled a big crowd upon their return, super suave frontman Ty Taylor in fine form as he works the crowd into a lather. The music has a strong retro feel but it’s all delivered with a completely modern sheen, the band’s strong and unified musicianship unwavering and allowing Taylor free rein to fill the tent with his unquenchable charisma.
Over at the Delta stage UK indie rockers Turin Brakes are showcasing their sophisticated brand of alt-rock, the band having recently expanded from a duo to a quartet and already exude a natural chemistry in this new dynamic. The songs are dreamy and hypnotic with a pastoral, folk-tinged vibe shining through strongly in places, forming the perfect soundtrack for some mid-afternoon relaxation.
Back over at the Mojo tent UK soulstress Corinne Bailey Rae seems over the moon to be playing her first-ever Australian show, promising to cover the full gamut of her decade-long career to atone for her lengthy absence. Her brand of urbane soul is classy but unpretentious, another singer beaming with a natural charisma that seems to lift the vibe of proceedings with her mere presence, songs like Closer and Is This Love shining in the live environment.
Back at Crossroads again and Californian singer-songwriter Beth Hart (pictured) is showing why she’s become another Bluesfest staple in recent times, a passionate rendition of Baddest Blues finding her investing totally into every nuance and syllable of the song. She emerges from behind her keys for Waterfalls, leaving plenty of space that adds an element of sensuality, letting the songs and emotions breathe as if the cavernous tent was a smoky jazz club and dragging everybody into her emotional orbit. Tunes like the stirring Your Heart Is As Black As Night and beautiful torch song Leave The Light On prove stunning in their vulnerability, Hart baring her soul and touching plenty of others in the process.
We wander past the Delta stage and catch a bit of veteran Roy Ayers’ sophisticated jazz-tinged neo-soul – teasing notes out of the vibraphone as if it’s a natural extension of his being, always with that wicked sparkle in his eye. We then make a beeline to Crossroads to see another legend Buddy Guy in all his glory, pumping out authentic blues with perfect grace. He exudes so much gravitas just by dint of his experience at the musical coalface, songs like Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues and Feels Like Rain dripping with both indomitable spirit and integrity.
Over at the Jambalaya tent, US ensemble Nahko & Medicine For The People have built a jubilant sense of community with their upbeat world music fusion, the crowd being entertained and educated in equal measure as they’re fed song after song of societal messages wrapped in smooth tunes. Frontman Nahko Bear leads the way like the leader of some spiritual gang, whipping up both his band and the delighted throng before them to raise proceedings to the next level and succeeding at every turn.
Tick a session with Chicago rock legends The Doobie Brothers off the bucket list.
We finish back at Mojo to tick a session with Chicago rock legends The Doobie Brothers off the bucket list, the band seeming to have the time of their lives as they soak up the adulation from the adoring throng before them. They’re consummate professionals and punch out classy boogie rock with complete abandon, the mood hitting fever pitch in the tent as they pump out classics like Takin' It To The Streets and Long Train Runnin' and then return from a fake finale to deliver a stirring rendition of AM radio staple Listen To The Music to close yet another inspiring day of Bluesfest action.
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