Louis Baker, armed with an acoustic guitar and a singing style reminiscent of Dan Sultan’s dulcet tones, kick-started our weekend in picturesque Queenscliff. His suitably soulful rendition of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On elicited screams of appreciation from the punters.
There was a touch of Living Colour to Morgan Bain’s vocals, and we were enveloped by his band’s gentle funky vibe. However, the first artist of the weekend to display star power was Harts, who oozed an otherworldly quality redolent of Mark Bolan, Prince and Jimi Hendrix. This snake-hipped axe master kicked out the jams whilst harnessing the visceral power of true funk.
The dapper Nicky Bomba, skankin’ ringmaster and mischievous conductor of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, lit up the stage with his theatrical presence and frenetic dance moves. As expected, the consistently entertaining MSO delivered a smile inducing set that was both joyous and celebratory.
Sahara Beck entranced the rapt passengers on the QMF Express with her smoky vocals and a powerhouse rendition of Elvis’s That’s Alright Mama. DJ Vince Peach spun a bunch of Northern Soul floor-fillers, whipping up a storm in the groovy Ozone Lounge. Charming quartet All Our Exes Live in Texas, who were proudly selling souvenir teaspoons adorned with their heads, packed out the palatial Vue Grand. This is hardly surprising when you consider that even during soundcheck they managed to harmonise like angels. Their set was characterised by hilarious between song banter and spine tingling vocal harmonies.
Like US band The Sugarman 3, Cookin’ On 3 Burners served up authentic lounge-lizard funk. Their sizzling set featured guest appearances from the sassy Stella Angelico, who displayed the type of hip-shaking energy that Tina Turner exuded in her glory days, and Tex Perkins, who captured the dark edginess that burns at the heart of Donovan’s Season of the Witch.
Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine, featuring the reliably hilarious singer from TISM, gave us an insight into his disco-punk origins. Liz Stringer provided guest vocals on a very funny “Xmas song”, which you are unlikely to hear chirping through your local tinsel-clad shopping centre.
Hoodoo Gurus got our adrenaline flowing with sing-along classics such as My Girl, Miss Freelove ‘69, Like Wow – Wipeout, What’s My Scene and Bittersweet, as well as arse-kickin’ gems such as Axegrinder and Tojo. The sartorially elegant Ron Sexsmith, who was playing his last full band show for 2015, delivered a classy performance that showcased his admirable songwriting prowess.
The humorous and talented Kate Miller-Heidke, who resembled Lewis Carroll’s Alice, matched her likeable eccentricity with awe inspiring vocal chops. The California Honeydrops brought the festival to an uplifting end with their exhilarating take on classic soul and funk. It was hard not to sing along, so we screamed until our shredded vocal chords evaporated. A wonderful end to a wild weekend.
BY GRAHAM BLACKLEY
Photo by David Norris
Loved: The crowd’s feverish response as Harts played the guitar behind his head.
Hated: Having to farewell Queenscliff on Monday.
Drank: Dogbolter Dark Lager.
