Live Review: Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival Part 2

Whilst the three acts discussed in part one of my live review of the Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival proved the blues was well and truly still alive amongst the youth, the legends on the line-up also showed the original blues and roots pioneers had not lost any of their talent. 

The Doobie Brothers commanded one of the largest crowds of the festival, with people pouring out of the Crossroads tent because it was so full, leading desperate Doobie fans to set up camp outside and watch the show on the giant outdoor television screens provided. As the crowd cheer for the Doobies, Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, John Mcfee and John Cowan march on stage together and line up at the front of the stage, each Doobie Brother with his own ethereal spotlight. There is no need to say or do anything except play some of those classic Doobie hits and so without a word the group commence ‘Jesus Is Just Alright’. The song may be fairly dated, but The Doobie Brothers’ vibrant delivery immediately negates any dubious outlooks. The Doobies then seamlessly transition into similarly upbeat classic ‘Rockin’ Down The Highway’, followed by a quick burst of hits including ‘Take Me In Your Arms’ and ‘Dependin’ On You’, which sets up a high precedent for the band to follow during the rest of their 90 minute show. Pat Simmons and John Cowan work together to provide vocals for songs led by former Doobie brother Michael McDonald and do a commendable job, given the difficulty in replicating McDonald’s unique voice.

The Doobies continue to enthral the audience with ‘Clear As The Driven Snow’, which Pat Simmons introduces as, “psychedelic rock n roll for everybody who took their medication.” The moment is grand as The Doobies’ sing the quiet opening intro together; eyes shining and full of vigour. The up-tempo chorus then sends waves of pulsating energy through the audience as The Doobies’ sing, ‘I keep rollin; I keep rollin’, followed by a killer guitar solo. After the sheer majesty of ‘Clear As the Driven Snow’ the band take a breather and play some songs from their 2010 album ‘World Gone Crazy’, which holds up well against the classics, but cannot quite match the dynamism of their incredible opening. The Doobie Brothers are lively, charismatic and full of energy for the entire show, despite their age, although there is the sense that some of The Doobies’ stage antics were a little over-choreographed, but at no moment does the group’s energy and joy feel inauthentic. The Doobie Brothers' finale is just vibrant as their show-stopping intro, with the brothers playing classics ‘Black Water’ and ‘Long Train Runnin’ back to back, followed by an encore that raises the bar even higher with ‘China Grove’, ‘Road Angel’ and finally, ending on a light-hearted note with ‘Listen To The Music’; rendering it impossible for the audience to leave feeling anything but immense joy.

In comparison to The Doobie Brothers’ heartfelt and full-bodied performance was the similarly lively and long-lasting KC and The Sunshine Band show, but unlike The Doobies, the over-produced and over-choreographed spectacle that was KC and The Sunshine Band did not have the same heart to ground it in the now. Whilst The Doobie Brothers’ classic folk rock style remains timeless, the aesthetics of disco have long been the subject of parody and caricature, which is exactly what the KC and the Sunshine Band show felt like. Between KC’s cheesy dance moves and the gaudy costumes adorned by his entourage of backup dancers, everything about the KC show feels as if it should remain in the 70s, except the actual KC songs, which are still catchy and fun. KC’s choreographed dance moves feel somewhat inappropriate, with the singer lacking much of the original charisma that would have made the show work, even though he does put in a commendable effort at leading the show. KC tirelessly interacts with the audience, demanding everybody ‘get funky’, but one can’t help but notice his struggle to keep up with his athletic female entourage. Even so, the audience go absolutely berserk as KC moves through his arsenal of hits at a lightning fast pace, which I guess proves that good cheesy fun still sells, even if disco is dead.

Elvis Costello is another aging artist known for his spectacular live shows, which involve similarly cheesy gimmicks such as his ‘Spectacular Spinning Songbook’, but thankfully no back up dancers wearing unfashionable spandex tights. For his bluesfest set, however, Costello ditches the gimmicks and simply allows his music to charm the audience. Forty years later, Costello’s eclectic new wave sound sounds fresh and invigorating, and Costello himself is still wonderfully charismatic, if not more charming with age and maturity, having long moved on from his ‘angry young man’ persona. Like The Doobies, as Costello takes the stage, it is immediately evident he is completely comfortable with performing and still loves what he’s doing.

He opens the show with his most well known track ‘Pump It Up’ and after the first chorus, the entire crowd of mostly middle-aged people are dancing. Without much of a pause, Costello follows with hit after hit from ‘Oliver’s Army’ to ‘Less Than Zero’ and finally his first hit single ‘Watching the Detectives’, all of which display the diversity of his sound from Abba-influenced pop, to post-punk and reggae. Costello also proves he has not lost any of his stamina as a top-notch performer, as he cheekily presents a megaphone out of nowhere, which he proceeds to play his guitar with, creating a strangely wonderful sound.  

Costello follows with some of his newer material, which has more of a blues-orientated sound and provides a nice contrast with his older songs. He also throws in some lovely surprises from his hefty back catalogue such as ‘Everyday I Write the Book’ from 1983’s ‘Punch the Clock’, the country-blues tune ‘Brilliant Mistake’ from 1986’s ‘King of America’ and upbeat new wave track ‘Clubland’ from 1981’s ‘Trust’. In-between, Costello plays some more notable hits, such as ‘Alison’ and ‘I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea’. These songs induce an enthusiastic response from the audience, but he doesn’t quite manage to top his energetic start; perhaps it would have been better for Costello to space out his hits more evenly.  For his finale, ‘What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding’, Costello well and truly gives everything he’s got, dragging out the song lyric by lyric, and guitar stroke by guitar stroke for about 10 minutes: it truly feels as if he doesn’t want to leave the stage. When he finally does, the audience eagerly wait for an encore they do not get, an encore that is really quite unnecessary with such a full-bodied and vibrant show.

Whilst The Doobie Brothers and Elvis Costello live up to their status as living legends, The Magic Band surpass all expectations in a criminally underattended set. The band play late at night on Friday in the tiny Cavanbah tent, which I would have assumed would be far too small for a band as well-known and highly regarded as The Magic Band, but indeed, only a small group of people are privy to their electric set. In ways, this makes the set even more enjoyable, as nobody is forced to squeeze next to strangers to gain a glimpse of the group and the band can interact more casually with the audience.

In comparison to the more traditional blues and roots artists showcased at this year’s festival, The Magic Band provided a fantastic contrast with their eclectic fusion of country, blues, rock n roll and progressive rock. Original drummer Drumbo French assumes vocal duties in the absence of Captain Beefheart himself and does a stellar job at commanding that sleazy, zealous, near-manic energy of the icon.  He shares drumming parts with newcomer Craig Bunch, who helps out when French takes centre stage. Original guitarist Denny Walley and new addition Eric Klerk work together to create that classic cacophonous jazz rock n roll sound that defines the magic of The Magic Band, while Rockette Morton’s fuzzy bass sounds provides the necessary backbone that ties the whole raucous package together.

The band, including Klerk and Bunch, find a wonderful equilibrium on stage; the entire performance feels effortless, as if we are privy to an intimate jam. Unlike some of the over-produced performances at the bluesfest, The Magic Band’s set stands out because it feels spontaneous and relaxed, which makes it all the more exciting. After hearing guitar solo after guitar solo throughout the festival, the discordant, jarring guitar sound of The Magic Band sounds wonderfully fresh and is the perfect finale to Friday night’s colourful array of shenanigans. The concern with featuring legendary groups like The Magic Band, KC and the Sunshine Band and The Doobie Brothers as headliners is of course that they will not be able to evoke the original spirit, but such could not be said about The Magic Band. Like it or not, The Magic Band were violently and viciously alive and the music of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band never sounded better.