Kendall Elise’ Byron Bay Bluesfest Report: Day 1

Acclaimed Kiwi recording artist Kendall Elise and her drumming partner Chris Kemp are spending the holiday weekend in Australia, attending the Byron Bay Bluesfest.

Fortunately for us, she’s sending The 13th Floor daily reports. Here’s what she has to say about Day 1:

Well we have survived day one of Bluesfest 2019 and my aching feet remind me that we have 4 more days to go. But it’s OK, because we haven’t had to spend much time standing around in queues yet; it is well organised – the camping facilities are always clean and the service is quick. Over the next few days when the 3 day ticket holders arrive it may be a different story.

After making a beeline to the merch tent to see what was on offer when the gates opened, we surveyed the festival. It is made up of 5 stages, well spaced out with a large offering of food and drink, as well as market stalls.

We kicked off our festival with the incomparable Irish Mythen on the Jambalaya Stage, who never fails to captivate an audience. Her songs are sung and her stories are told with conviction – The subject matter is heavily political but also off-the-cuff and witty.

Of course I felt a moment of pride when she mentioned the wonderful example our PM is setting on the world stage. The set highlights included ‘Tullamore Blues‘ where the crowd sang along, and an acapella version of ‘The Auld Triangle’.  We have seen her perform numerous times, and each time she brings something fresh to the stage.

We hovered around the foodcourt snacking on sausage while waiting for Arlo Guthrie (The son of the legendary Woody Guthrie) to begin. He played with a full band. I particularly enjoyed the tribute to Leadbelly and also the instrumental inspired by Hawaiian fingerstyle slack-key guitar.

A little through Arlo Guthrie’s set we decided to go over and check out New Zealand act Mama Mihirangi and the Mereikura, and I was so glad we did. Mama Mihi is a master live looper, and seamlessly blends contemporary beats and technology with Maori instruments, language, costumes and dance. Seeing strong, passionate Mana Wahine repping Tā Moko, performing Haka and skilful Tītī Tōrea on an international stage made my eyes well up in another moment of pride.

Kurt Vile and The Violators were my favourite of the night. The meandering pace of the set suited me quite well after such a full-on day. As he stood on stage you would be forgiven for thinking he was nervous, his features barely visible behind curtains of hair, hardly making direct eye contact with the audience.

However after a while I realised that he has a quiet self-assuredness that shines through in the way he peppers his songs with excited ‘whoops’ and impressive guitar playing – On ‘Wakin On a Pretty Day‘ he played a wah solo on a beaten-up acoustic guitar. This is in contrast to his lyrics which have often conjure up feelings of fear and anxiety.

His band showed their prowess, swapping from organ, to guitar and bass. The meandering pace remained steady throughout – He didn’t skip a beat as his guitar tech passed him guitar after guitar, and even a banjo for ‘I’m An Outlaw’. Toward the end of the short 1 hour set was the crowd favourite ‘Pretty Pimpin‘, after which he asked for the house lights to be turned up so he could humbly thank the crowd.

As we stood waiting for Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul to begin, you could feel the anticipation of the crowd. Expectations were high not only because of his impressive C.V. as one of the members of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and his role as “Silvio” from The Sopranos, but also the 14 piece band set-up and and psychedelic banner that decorated the stage.

They blasted on with ‘Sweet Soul Music‘ which set the tone for the rest of their aurally and visually spectacular set. I absolutely adored the stunning backup singers with outfits as loud as their stunning powerful voices. The band treated us to an Etta James song ‘The Blues Is My Business’ and a version of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes’ ‘Love On The Wrong Side Of Town“. We’ll definitely be heading to watch them play again.

Day one certainly didn’t disappoint. I am excited to see what day two will bring!

Kendall Elise