Joe Neptune took to the stage at The Corner Hotel to ply the crowd with their gentle, simple, country sounds. Looking less like country musicians and more like bogans (it’s the wife beaters) the duo (along with a drummer) of Nick Vorrath and Jarrad Brown played a relatively short set.

With songs seemingly sticking to one variance, with no real climaxes, the band looked doomed to follow many others in the department of not being able to tell one song from the next (with songs Picture This and No Time To Grow Up both matching this). Make It Happen started well with Brown singing high vocals over a bass intro, before again meandering into afore mentioned territory, however Here Now Waiting changed thoughts. A wonderfully crafted song with obscure drum beats over an electric drum track, the first “real” use of keys and a more ethereal, ambient sound and along with some fantastic lyrics (“She said ‘I like you boy, but my hands are tied’”) really made the track the stand out of the set.

Following was Jordie Lane. If the boys from Joe Neptune’s songs all seemed to sound the same, Jordie Lane was here to show them how it was done. With his band in tow, Lane set out to provide a set full of highlights and wonderful songcrafting as well as superb crowd banter. From Hard Luck Lady (“written during a stage of watching late night television”) to The Publicans Daughter (“A cautionary tale from one touring buddy to another”) Lane’s set was never sterile or waning. His way with words (“I don’t know what’ll become of this, but I’m glad I waited til morn to steal her kiss”) and his presence on stage made his set a pleasure to watch.

Highlights included his two song acoustic moment accompanied by guitarist Matt Green (with I Could Die Looking At You sounding wonderful) and the more rocky song later in the set of Dig Straight Through (About a man who decided “he’d get a shovel and dig his way to the other side of the world”).

The moment the crowd was really looking forward to however was Charlie Parr. Appearing with a chair, a fretless banjo and a steel bodied guitar, Parr set out to show the audience how old-school folk and blues were meant to be played. Hardly fazed by small microphone malfunctions (a pop producing a wry smile) and blaming tuning problems on the fact his guitar and banjo had just come from freezing weather to hot, Parr proved to be a consummate performer, with many people shaking their heads in amazement at how a man can finger pick so fast, with seemingly no effort on his part.

With songs full of wonderful, often sad storytelling (often the way of the blues), Parr gave a riveting set. Highlights included the early crowd favourite 1922 which saw Parr singing “Bloke told me that he’d bust my jaw I talked to his sister again though, don’t mean I couldn’t win though, there’s blood running down my chin now/Ain’t that the way it is” and Dead Cat on The Line a sad song that had him sorrowfully singing “hung out to die/Doesn’t matter anyway”. Other highlights were _Don’t Send Your Child To War” and the absolutely spectacular one, two double finish of Jubilee and God Moves On The Water where Parr received accompaniment from washboard player Stuff and crowd participation in the form of crazy dancers.

An amazing set from a brilliant musician that makes you appreciate and respect the blues. Parr’s ability to grab your attention, hold it for an entire set as he plays the hell out of a guitar and banjo is something to be revered.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG