Read our take on day two of Bluesfest 2013
Funny things can happen at music festivals and you need to be prepared when things don’t go according to plan. Take yesterday. Arrived at the Bluesfest gates around noon with a plan to see local roots outfit Hat Fitz and Cara. But the tent was already packed so it was time for a coffee and catch Seth Lakeman who was making a return visit to Byron. An enthusiastic set exhibiting his English folk style – “King and Country”, “The Blacksmith’s Prayer” and “The Collier” were impressive. Plenty of dancing too.
We just beat the rain to get to Taj Mahal – his standard blues songs – “Rollin’ and Tumblin'”, “Kitchen Man Blues”, “Blues With A Feeling” and then some of his unique country blues numbers (“Corinna”, “Goin’ Fishing”.
A quick bite to eat, watched the entire Glen Hansard and The Frames performance and then caught a sensational Shuggie Otis. A few reports of his show yesterday were not good, but on this day the band was tight and his guitar prowess and songwriting were clearly on display – “Trying To Get Close To You”, “Sparkle City”, “Out Of My Head”, “Doin’ What’s Right” and of course “Strawberry Letter 23”. Sensational.
The rain had started again, seriously. We hastily made our way to see the last half of Rodriguez. Unfortunately every Bluesfest punter was seeking shelter and it was impossible to get near the tent to see him and The Break. So after a brief pause in a sheltered bar, I determined to get to the front of Tav Falco and The Panter Burns, thereby catching the end of The Snowdroppers frenetic and fun set.
So Tav Falco (see previous post on this site). A psychobilly pioneer, Tav and the band were attired immaculately, the men wore jackets and the drummer a bikini. Quirky covers (Mona Lisa!), powerhouse rockabilly, fascinating lyrics, panache and aplomb a plenty. Fabulous music and a meet and greet with the great Tav after the show. My friend Sandra was astute enough to bring her copy of Tav’s book “Mondo Memphis” for an autograph.
A great day.
Photos by Jim Jacob below.
Read our take on day two of Bluesfest 2013
Read our take on day two of Bluesfest 2013
***
