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

Ash Grunwald and Josh Teskey are the pure meaning of a stellar blues and roots combo. This 1 hour set was a real treat and the guys even did their own sound check which showed their grass roots humbleness. It was beautiful to see Ash, local Byron Bay musician, share a stage with Melbourne musician Josh who is a blues genius in his own right. The two both bring a different sound to the duo, Ash holding the floor with impressive vocals, insane blues guitar, percussion and drums while Josh’s famous voice melts like honey, playing the harmonica and acoustic guitar. It was a joy watching these two perform their ‘Push the Blues Away’ album live.

Dami Im well known for winning X-Factor, her powerful vocals and pianist talent graced the Juke Joint stage. A heapregnant Dami rocked out on stage in a gold dress paired with knee high electric green boots, she looked fabulous. She got going with one of her popular jazz tracks ‘I hear a song’ while seated playing the keyboard, a great little tune with an upbeat feel. It did seem like Dami Im was feeling those motherly instincts as a soon to be mama herself her next song was a tribute to her own mother called ‘Marching On’ from the 2021 album ‘My Reality’ which played strengths to her beautiful voice. She did an amazing job on her one-hour set.

Aussie trio The Waifs, hit up the Crossroads stage set to play two sets over Sunday and Monday nights. Vikki one of the sister duos was unwell so it was all on Donna to keep the crowd happy, which she did a great job of by fuelling the crowd with laughter in between belting out tracks, and just as the sun was kissing the earth the Waifs gave us all something to sing-along to with hits like ‘London Still’ and ‘Lighthouse’.

One of Australia's best live blues 'n' roots bands and Byron Bay local power house Hussy Hicks were heavily impacted by the recent floods from losing their entire studio. With all the odds against them, they did not fail to put on a truly amazing show and as always remained the most positive shining lights for their music community. I walked away feeling very lucky and inspired to have witnessed the pure raw talent this band has with Leesa Gentz' soul vocals and Julz Parker's revered guitar skills.

Henry Wagons alongside his side man Lachlan Bryan was a fun, memorable and entertaining show to watch. Henry is known for his outrageous stage presence, witty comedic humor involving the audience, deep low voice and banter on stage which never disappoints and the audience is always mesmerized. The energy and talent between these two swanky badass blues boys was exactly what Bluesfest is about. Real music and real entertainment!

Mama Kin Spender serenaded the Juke Joint stage on Sunday as the sun set and the full moon rose. This show was truly special and one that I could watch for hours. With beautiful stories, songwriting and sweet strong vocals and harmonies from the duo’s very own choir (dressed in shiny gold robes) accompanying them with a lively choirmaster. There was always something to look at whether I sang along with the choir's call and response, grooved along to Mama Kins powerful drum beats or watched the talented Dingo Spenders guitar and smooth vocals as they bounced off one another, harmonizing perfectly.

Fat Freddy’s Drop eased the crowd in slowly, everyone warming up their bodies to the track ‘Coffee Black’ from their 2021 album ‘Wairunga’. The seven-piece band hailing from Wellington, NZ did not disappoint with their heavyweight live reputation. They gave us a taste of some older tracks from their albums ‘Wandering Eye’, ‘Blackbird’ and the track ‘Shiverman’ from the 2009 album ‘Dr. Boondigga and the Big W’ which really got the crowd shaking that ‘Shiverman’ loose. By this stage the audience had mostly lost any inhibition that was left leaving Fat Freddy’s to enter some newer tracks such as ‘Special Edition’ from their 2020 album ‘LOCK IN’. The set felt rather experimental at times, as if the audience were a part of a jam session, the group took a fair bit of old school dub mixed psychedelic almost trance in between tracks, keeping everyone on their toes as to what was to come next. All in all, it was a full house, and everyone was dancing, screaming and wailing the lyrics alongside Dallas Tamaira (vocals). Finally what kind of a fan would I be if I didn’t mention the infamous Joe ‘Hopepa’ Lindsay who always brings his theatrics to the stage, inviting us to a front row seat at his Tuba solo. Fat Freddy’s Drop is always a good vibe.

Australian Rock n Roll icon Jimmy Barnes first appeared on the music scene with Cold Chisel in the early 1970’s and after going solo in the mid 1980’s he is proving that he still has what it takes to captivate a crowd at 65 years of age. Playing some new tunes such as ‘Til the Next Time’ and ‘Gateway to Your Heart’ from his 2021 album ‘Flesh and Blood’. Of course, what would be a Barnsey show be if he didn’t take us on a walk down memory lane with his powerhouse ballads of ‘Working Class Man’ and the like, giving the audience an hour and a half to understand just how the man had come to set the record for having the most number one albums in Australian chart history.

John Butler treated us to a solo performance. The singer-songwriter, producer and activist began his set by thanking the indigenous elder’s past, present and future of the Bundjalung Country. Then he opened the night with ‘Better Than’ one of his biggest hit singles with the trio released 2007 follow by ‘Betterman’. John Butler is essentially a part of the Bluesfest family with around 20 years’ experience at the festival and his talent with multiple instruments could be felt through his style of reggae, political folk, blues and acoustic soul.

PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH

Dami Im