The fifth annual Mojo Burning festival proved that it continues to be a local musical force to be reckoned with at the Hamilton Hotel (Brisbane) on Saturday night (14 April).
Positioned as an 'outside-the-box' blues, rock and stoner festival, the gathering has gone from strength to strength since its comparatively humble beginnings at the New Globe Theatre in 2014.
Thirty excellent bands over three stages and ten hours is an embarrassment of riches by any festival standard, and almost instant turnaround times between acts kept the momentum going throughout the day.
The Zed Charles Hendrix Experience in the psych room proved to be an early-evening highlight: the balance of showmanship and homage to the songs was just right, and a perfectly blazed 'Hey Joe' was a solid closer.
Over at the blues stage, Hat Fitz and Cara (click here to read our recent interview with Cara) let loose a barnstorming set of country/ blues numbers, working up a sweat before a baying audience, and climaxing with the stomping 'Power'.
It was clear that Jeff Martin was a big reason for the presence of many at the festival, and not without good reason. The Tea Party singer-guitarist upped the ante with a solo set of style and class, with some humour thrown in for good measure.
'Coming Home', 'The Bazaar', 'Stars In The Sand' and 'Line In The Sand' were mashed up with NIN/ Johnny Cash, The Doors and Martin's heroes Led Zeppelin to make a hard-rockin audience happy.
After the intensity of Martin, the light-hearted Henry Wagons was a fun point of difference. The Melburnian, with trademark leopard-print jacket and headband, jokingly teased the audience between alt-country numbers, before getting among them during final song 'Willie Nelson'.
Then came Wolfmother and bedlam. Stockdale and co. still know how to rock, and HARD, and as the rock stage became a barrage of headbanging, big riffs and bigger hair, keeping track of anything became increasingly difficult.
'New Moon Rising' and 'Dimension' were highlights, as were Stockdale's wardrobe changes (click here to read our recent interview with Wolfmother). Everything else was lost in a haze of noise and exhilaration.
Throughout the evening there was a rail-thin and somewhat bookish-looking guy moving among the crowd, fixing a dark-eyed, intense stare on anyone crossing his path while sipping on a schooner with an almost un-Australian restraint.
Seconds after Wolfmother was finished, he (Rafael Cohen, as it turns out is his name) was onstage, having shed his glasses and all restraint in his role as guitarist for Elephant Hive — an Israeli power duo who rocked as hard as anyone at the festival.
Cohen and drummer Tom Bollig (click here to read Elephant Hive's 5 worst vegan meals they've had on tour) were spotted by chance by the festival director at a show in Tel Aviv, and will have won many new fans on their first Australian jaunt.
That left Money For Rope (with two drummers in their four-piece setup) and Hobo Magic, switched from the psych room to the larger blues stage, to kill off any remaining eardrums and complete a festival the organisers can be proud of.
Consider all mojos well and truly burnt.
