Day two of the Blues and Roots Festival started out much the same way as the first, with people drinking coffee on lawns surprisingly clean and undamaged, despite the size of the previous night’s crowd. Dom Mariani began the day on the Harbour stage with something more upbeat than Saturday Morning, possibly to help with the hangovers and get people in the mood again. Over in the Big Top, tiny Kaki King amazed audiences with her electric steel lap guitar and its versatility of sound. Of course everyone has seen Bono knock on his guitar in Desire, but it was truly an experience to witness a steel lap guitar being used as bongos, whilst at the same time being played as its maker intended. With eyes shut, it was easy to imagine that there was an entire band on stage creating such a diverse and interesting sound.
Piers Faccini had the lunchtime set at the Harbour stage, welcoming the gathering crowd with a smooth voice and songs laden with emotion. His set gathered intensity toward the end, leaving the crowd with less of a sit down and relax feeling as the anticipation of getting a place near the front for the better known acts prompted people to move to the lawns.
Those who were willing to take their chances on not being close enough to touch The Waifs, headed over to the big top to see Ben Kweller, and judging by reactions, were well rewarded. Between songs he commented on how much he liked Western Australia, and the feeling among the audiences here. It was a comment repeated by many of the non-local acts, and reiterated by local bands that had been away for a time who were happy to be home. If they were speaking genuinely, Perth should see solo shows by many of the blues and roots acts in the coming months.
The Waifs were welcomed like the prodigal, and it seemed they could do no wrong. Even their cheesy inclusion onstage, of their small children, the reason for The Waifs’ long absence, stimulated cheers of delight and photo-taking flurries. They played the old sing-along favourites, as well as a couple of new songs from the album being produced in Nashville. The sing-alongs were sang along, while the new songs were well received, with the audience listening attentively and tapping their feet in that a-little-bit-country way. It was clear from the lack of breathing space in the pit after the set that fans of The Waifs are also fans of Missy Higgins, who was due to play in an hour. It had been possible for a single person to wiggle her way into almost the front row centre stage during The Waifs’ set, but had anyone wanted to get in after the set, they would have needed some serious dedication and pointy elbows.
Despite cramped conditions, and a long wait ahead, the crowd were content to stand quietly, guarding their position from usurpers, and chat to the strangers around them. Higgins would have been proud had she known just how patient and considerate her fans were, showing a true respect for their fellow Missy fans.
Like the other bands that have new albums, or ones on the way, Missy Higgins played a mix of old favourites and new songs, and once again, the crowd was appreciative and encouraging. At the front of the stage there were about twenty women for every man, and yet the men seemed the most moved by her music, with two of them spotted wiping away tears. Higgins spoke about how much she too loves Western Australia, and that although she has been travelling all over the world, she has spent a lot of time here, ‘getting inspired’. Her concern that having a keyboardist onstage would leave her with nothing to do with her hands was unnecessary, as she danced and sang beautifully and no discomfort would ever have been suspected had she not mentioned it. The Waifs guitarist Josh Cunningham also joined her onstage to help with her set. When she sat at her own keyboard and said “I think you know this one” The roar from the crowd was deafening from the very first note; not only did the audience know Scar, they loved it, and thousands of people mimicking the odd way Missy pronounces her ‘I’ sounds is a very strange thing to behold.
If anyone thought they were going to get some respite in the break between acts, they were disappointed. The crowd became noticeably more anxious and pushy after Higgins had left, and the John Mayer fans tried to make their way forward. The dedicated Mayer fans claimed to have been there all day, and expressed surprise that he was so popular. He came late to the stage, but that just gave people more time to squeeze themselves further forward. Although he didn’t interact much with his audience, Mayer kept the people entertained with guitar rock and coloured lights, not to mention the intriguing way he moves his mouth when concentrating on his riffs. To still be able to sing when his mouth is contorting suggests immense talent. The crowd was almost impossible to move out of, until people realised one person less in front of them meant they would be able to make it that much closer to the god in the tracksuit pants on stage.
The audience, massively hyped by Mayer remained so for Ben Harper, but they needed to make some room to dance, so the crowd eased up, with people finally making a break for the amenities, and food, planning to watch Harper from the back of the crowd, on the two big screens and have room to dance the rest of the night away. Harper was entertaining, and certainly danceable, but Bo Diddley was infectious and loveable and many who thought they were on their way back to the Harbour stage, got distracted by Bo, and stopped to watch instead. Ben Harper himself would have gone to see the self acclaimed father of rock and roll had he not had a prior engagement.
The Sunset Events organisers outdid themselves this year, providing entertainment for many ages and musical tastes, creatively encouraging people to tidy up after themselves, supporting local music by placing it alongside internationally acclaimed superstars, even arranging set times so that people could see some of almost every act. While portaloos are never fun, enough were available that there was no repeat of the southbound debacle, queues were generally short, and spirits were high, with everyone there to have a good time at no one else’s expense.
