REVIEW BY: YASMIN MORRIS (Yazmindi), MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH & THERESA WILSON

Rockwiz is always a hoot at Bluesfest! It’s something I always look forward to as I’m a big fan and grew up watching it. It brings something different to the festival, a music quiz show that chooses twelve lucky music lovers to compete against each other and see who was the wittiest music fan in the room. Original RockWiz main host Julia Zemiro is a wonderful breath of fresh air who knows how to entertain a crowd. The added bonus to this particular show was that our dear friend and one of the industries most talented live music photograhers’s Ruby Boland was on stage, kicking butt and winning the day. A dream of Ruby’s for a long time so it was beautiful to see her be able to have such an incredible experience and create a magnificent memory for herself. Later that evening as Ruby and I walked away from The Teskey Brothers set a couple of ladies said “Are you Ruby from Rockwiz???”. Which was hilarious and wonderful to see my friend get recognised. After SBS announced that RocKwiz will not be returning to our TV screens in 2019, officially putting an end to the show, many made the most of the opportunity to see it in person.

Like days before I decided to head to some acts I had not heard of before and I am so grateful I took time to go to see Emily Wurramara and I am so happy that I did. The award winning Indigenous artist not only managed to captive everyone with her mezmerising voice but the stories she told in between songs had me tearing up, and the pure emotion she drew from these stories she put right back into the songs she has written. As I stood back after shooting her set with a friend amongst the crowd. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the staggeringly amazing performer as we all smiled, swayed and danced with each other as Emily captivated everyone there from start to finish.

Ride on time or should I say right on time with The Bamboos who graced the Delta stage two nights in a row. Bandleader Lance Ferguson and his nine-piece outfit from Melbourne impressed with their funky soul movements getting the crowd amped early for what was ultimately the biggest night of Bluesfest. The brass trio really added that extra pizazz and funk needed playing tracks like ‘Hard Up’ to ‘On the Sky’. The Bamboos have consistently exceeded expectations, like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly they refuse to let themselves be pigeonholed. Kylie Auldist sparkled at the forefront of the band in her colourful outfit and hairpiece she managed to captivate all of us as she glided across the stage and her voice carried across the air to the outskirts of the festival grounds.

All the way from New York, American singer-songwriter, pianist, organist, and record producer Cory Henry graced the Delta stage 3 times over the weekend with his captivating show. I couldn’t believe the huge sound this 3 piece created and they were so cool, calm and collected the entire time being fully engrossed in the music. There is no doubt these men have dedicated themselves to their music and the practicing is now paying off, their musicianship is impressive and it makes total sense that they were Grammy Nominated for Progressive R&B Album of the year. Cory got the crowed joyously clapping along and always put the people as priority even though he literally had 6 keyboards on the go! Definitely a festival favorite and one act that had many people excited to see.

Sam Teskey and his band transported me to the 70’s. A lovely contrast seeing his very own show before switching stages to join his brother Josh from The Teskey Brothers, to close out the Mojo tent on the last night. Sam’s band consisted of groovy long haired men dressed in fabulous flared jeans and tops making me feel like I was at woodstock. They all sang amazing harmonies which gave me goosebumps and reminded me of a mix of The Eagles and a bit of Pink Floyd. Sam's songs are a beautiful experience to be engrossed in live and you could tell his tight band who backed him loved every minute of it. We all loved his enthusiastic tambourine player who tapped two tambo’s together as the sound man put extra reverb to make it a dreamy effect. Nice!

After fake rumors spread around Bluesfest that Josh Teskey had covid and couldn’t join his band The Teskey Brothers for their set on the final night, it was a wonderful surprise watching him walk on stage and perform a killer show! These guys were definitely one that many punters travelled far and wide to watch. Josh’s iconic soulful blues voice is one that we will never get sick of. The band performed well loved songs that had everyone singing along too. We could see how grateful they were to be here in Byron after the festival's two year cancellation and after the devastating floods impacted the community, reminding us that music soothes the soul in these hard situations. The show got even better when the band invited the funk and soul lead singer Kylie Auldist from The Bamboos on stage to sing a tune together. These two powerful voices combined absolutely wowed the crowd. We love a Bluesfest collab! This seemed to be a common thread at the festival watching bands jump up, jam and sing a song together, it was great to see and we think it should happen more at festivals.

All in all the 5 day event was well organised, there was ample food available for most people to enjoy, despite the mud pits (which staff compacted every single day), everyone I spoke to both friends and random people I made conversations with had nothing but positive things to say about the whole event. It may have taken me

PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH

Emily Wurramara