It's day three and Bluesfest is starting to feel like my home away from home.
Arrival and check in has become so familiar and I exchange smiles with now familiar faces in the crowd. The weather is behaving itself mostly, but it's still forecasting gumboot attire throughout the day.I'm picking a programme path that incorporates a number of discoveries today alongside some favourites.
Having made her way from busker to the big stages, I am discovering that Roshani is a hidden gem on the line-up and is my first new discovery.
What a whirlwind performer who plays a range of instruments as a one-person band. An incredible talent with a passion for playing it live.
Roshani - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Ash Grunwald seems to be a very welcome festival essential these days and not just a staple, but a favourite Australian music blues dish.
I stop by Crossroads for a while joining the ample crowd and plethora of Grunwald fans who are sharing in the feast of his bluesy bangers.
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram is one of the festival artists I have been itching to hear and move to. Kingfish knows how to get the most out of an axe. I am more than impressed by this living legend of blues guitar.
Far out I think BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Muddy Waters bequeathed Kingfish their earthly musical prowess and blues essence when they passed.
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Many people can play a guitar but when a person can make their guitar sing and lament – I am a fan for life. As I listen I could be on the banks of the Mississippi in the 1940s.
View the day three photo gallery.
Electrik Lemonade, Bluesfest Busking 2019 competition winners have not let rescheduled Bluesfests get them down. In fact, they have appeared on many stages during this past year of the pandemic.
Today they finally get their promised slot on the Bluesfest programme and anyone watching can tell you they're owning the stage for their set.
No longer green or wet behind the ears, this band is taking the music pony by the reigns and riding into the sunset of success.
Okay, so I promised my friend I would check the Casey Barnes live-gig hype. Barnes is another known artist, but one I've never seen live.
Casey Barnes - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Well there it is! From the get-go Barnes certainly shows us he has the show-shine down perfected to the extent that his fans are under his enigmatic spell.
I now understand and appreciate how Casey and his country-rock bangers, with their anticipated hooks and catchy lyrics, appeal to the mass of fans in the crowd before him.
I'm now ready to experience a state of bliss in the live voice of Clarence Bekker at Jambalaya stage where a bunch of funk and soul sounds emanate from the suave and dynamic Bekker and band.
Bekker is cutting loose onstage in his suave shiny red jacket – oh so steamy. Oh my! Bekker is showing us how to get down as he gyrates and thrusts his hips while executing superb shoulder shimmies.
Punters can't help but dance to the rhythmic grooves and sing-along while digging his powerful vocals dripping with retro and deep soul vibes. I'm in a booty-moving rapture.
After that, I can't help but be a contributor to happy vibe of the crowd and many find it easy to engage in random chats in between the sets. I notice the gummies are out in full force and get a sense of just how big the fashion gumboot industry is. They're everywhere!
Baker Boy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Baker Boy together with his band and stage dancers is bringing some serious good feels and dance vibes back at the Crossroads with their abundant energy – we even get a bit of didge.
I am ecstatic at my choice to continue to get down and funky with Baker Boy.
Missy Higgins is packing a full house at the Mojo tent tonight and rightly so, being one of Australia's superb multi-instrumentalist and vocalists.
I'm aware of Missy and her successes, however this is my first live encounter and my third challenge for the day. I am swept up with her fans enthusiasm as this spirited woman is playing guitar and keys while signing to her crazed flock a bunch of alternative folky favourites including 'Secrets', 'Ten Days' and the empowering 'Edge Of Something'.
Missy Higgins - image © Clea-marie Thorne
I'm infected with the fun around me nearly missing my chance to catch a few of Xavier Rudd's best bangers next door at the Crossroads.
As I am leaving to do just this, Higgins starts to cover The Motels 'Total Control'. Alas, there are again more tears.
After indulging in the earthy and soulful tunes of Rudd, I move back to the Mojo to catch Amy Shark for the first time.
With a stage production that has her name up in white lights she's energetically dancing as she performs her style of pop to a packed audience. There are roars before, after and during her whole set.
Amy Shark - image © Clea-marie Thorne
I also squeeze in a few songs from Kasey Chambers at Crossroads including 'Barricades Brick Walls' and 'Not Pretty Enough' before I head to CW Stoneking playing soul down at the Jambalaya.
Here I encounter an extraordinary character that speaks with a southern drawl, dressed in a vintage suit and plays roots and blues on a what looks to be a very old-style guitar and amps behind him.
Early in the set, he takes a broken string in his stride and gets it fixed while providing some colourful dialogue with the patient crowd. He tells us the guitar is held together with tape, so it might take a while. We don't mind and he is back singing to us deeply and playing hard.
I listen along and hope another string doesn’t break.
Morcheeba - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Another new discovery is Morcheeba. A binding spell has punters glued taking in their dimly lit set at the Mojo tent. However, singer Skye Edwards seems to think it is not dim enough and asks the lighting guy to turn it down a notch, as she is shy.
She is now silhouetted against the backlighting as she dances in her tasselled outfit and obscured further by more stage fog being pumped on stage.
This gives a perfect ambience to perform the rest of their set of electronic songs that's a delightful blend of atmospheric pop, rock and folk-infused tones.
The revered Paul Kelly graces the Crossroads to play to the legions gathered in anticipated of his always magical and heartfelt sets. Tonight is no different.
The accomplished Kelly enters the stage as humble as ever, sharing how appreciative he is to be on stage for us. It always brings a tear to my eye when he bears his emotions with the crowd in this way – let alone those we take in through his lyrics.
Paul Kelly - image © Clea-marie Thorne
As he plays and sings to us, the love of music Kelly produces is felt passing to and from the stage and between punters as we sway or bop along to the well-known set list he and the band are playing for us tonight.
I am happy to have Kelly end my day and lap up his familiar, timeless and glorious bangers inducing the young and old in the crowd to sing-along with great gusto.
I love that I will retire to my bed tonight having these songs replaying inside my head as I drift off to sleep.
Another day done, dusted and thoroughly enjoyed. Bluesfest you are on a major roll!
Stay tuned for more reviews from 2022 Bluesfest.
