Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers
Ruby Dee spent her childhood flitting between Northern California and rural West Texas, and the experience has clearly been hard to shake. Dee’s work with the Snakehandlers evokes the isolation and sense of unease often evoked by the open road. The Snakehandlers give a country edge to death boogies and rockabilly joints, with Dee’s vocals resembling Emmylou and Nina Simone.
Hot Rod Show
Seeing a beautiful car drive past and continue into the distance stirs up a feeling similar to unrequited love. This is where GreazeFest really delivers: all day Saturday and Sunday the grounds of Sandown Racecourse will be brimming with beautifully designed, immaculately groomed and lovingly preserved hot rods. Forget about the sharp, unsavoury designs of the ‘80s of ‘90s and bask in the romance of pre-‘70s automotive engineering.
The Hi-Boys
By now The Hi-Boys seem like old hands on the rockabilly circuit. This could be due to their traditionalist songwriting bent and born-to-play stage demeanour, or it could be that they’ve spent the last three years playing at every damn rockabilly festival they can find in Oz and around Europe.
GreazeFest Markets
Each year GreazeFest is populated by hordes of kustom kulture adherents. If you arrive donning casual dress, the GreazeFest markets can facilitate a comprehensive makeover. You’ll find pearl snap shirts, big red bows, creepers, heels and enough pomade to cement your quiff for years to come. Mimsy’s Trailer Trash Tattoo will also be on-site inking kustom kulture themed designs all weekend.
Pat Capocci
The leader of Sydney’s rockabilly underbelly, Pat Capocci delivers no-nonsense songwriting with as much verve as you’re liable to find this side of the 1950s. His shtick is founded in a bygone era, but a throwback it ain’t. As demonstrated on his latest EP, More Thrills Than Ever, Capocci’s tunes have a mojo all their own.
The Rhythm Shakers
Three LPs into their career, Los Angeles foursome The Rhythm Shakers are just getting started. After a lengthy interval following 2008’s Flipsville (2008), their next two LPs – Voodoo (2014) and Panic (2015)–arrived in consecutive years. Led by frontwoman Marlene Perez, the band take cues from ‘50s rock’n’rollers Carl Perkins and Wanda Jackson and ‘60s blues rockers The Yardbirds and The Animals.
John Lewis
When you think of Welsh music, it’s hard to avoid the image of Tom Jones’ tanned, hairy chest. But during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Wales also gave rise to rockabilly champions The Rimshots, led by scene stalwart John Lewis. Lewis has had a prolific solo career; last year he dropped his 16th album, His Other Side, which will get plenty of attention during his GreazeFest performance.
Friday Night at the LuWow
Ahead of the main event at Sandown Racecourse, GreazeFest is staging a bumper Friday night gig at the LuWow. It’ll be all-out rock’n’roll and rockabilly with performances from The Strays, The Flyin’ Saucers and TJ & The Twinspinners. Topping the list are the elder statesmen of Australian roots rock’n’roll, Barnesy’s favourite band the Detonators.
Doubleblack
There’s no question The Living End’s breakout self-titled LP was a gateway drug ushering in a new generation of rockabilly fans. Drummer Trav Dempsey didn’t stick around to see the End turn into an innocuous legacy act, preferring to stay where the action was hard and fast. That’s precisely the case with psychobilly threesome Doubleblack, led by Fireballs and Fez Perez head honcho Matt Black.
The Flattrakkers
It’s unlikely that Newcastle’s debauched neo-rockabilly kingpins The Flattrakkers devised their name as a cricket reference, but the band’s unrelenting energy resembles the way runs flow from a flat strip of turf. They’re an apt prospect to reenergise proceedings on Sunday afternoon.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY