West Coast Blues and Roots

Date: Saturday, 18th Apr 2009
Venue: Fremantle Esplanade
Reviewer: Shichi
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As a reflection of our economic hard times, it was a slimmed-down version of the West Coast Blues and Roots festival this year. Usually over two days, this year's Blues and Roots was cut short a day and even some of the bands appearing this year were quite economical with their lineup. Seasick Steve, Missy Higgins and Tony Joe White both appeared with small lineups (Seasick Steve just had a drummer, Missy Higgins was mostly backed by herself on piano while Tony Joe White featured a drummer and a keyboardist), and John Butler played his last show with his trio.

Rodney Crowell played into the afternoon sun with an intense set. With percussive rhythm guitar and some interesting guitar work from his accompanist, it was worth the wait. The only shame was technical issues which ate into his playing time - if only he could have played longer. 

Seasick Steve was back for another year with his charming, shambolic and minimalist blues. Playing in the blue tent (aka the Crossroads stage) and swapping between a wooden chair and shuffling around the front of the stage, he was worth watching just for his entertaining stories about his collection of rickety instruments (“We know about you, Sherman!”) and heart-felt songs about his dog. There's lots of bands who dress like hobos and play songs about a hard life, but there's an air of authenticity about Seasick Steve because he has been there, done that. There was nothing complicated about Seasick Steve – just plain, rocking dirty blues riffs.

Paul Kelly appeared on the Harbour Stage and delivered an hour of Australian classics. From To Her Door, to Before Too Long and Deeper Water, it was like listening to a soundtrack of classic Australian rock. The inclusion of Vika Bull promised to be interesting, although she sounded underwhelming when she took centre stage for songs like Be Careful What You Pray For. 

If you are going to play covers, then you might as well do in style - which is what The Easy Beats All-Stars did in the Crossroads stage. They rocked out the tent with funky, reggae-infused versions of classics like Pink Floyd's Money. They were a tight outfit throughout and were a lot of fun to watch. Playing reggae versions of well-known songs could've easily turned into a parody but the All-Stars showed sufficient respect to the songs. 

There are two redeeming features about Missy Higgins – firstly, that she is a female songwriter and secondly, her acknowledgement that she is very Australian by singing with a pronounced Aussie accent. As for her music – she was an inoffensive and somewhat bland inclusion to the festival. Listening to her over-earnest songs was like eating junk food - satisfying but easily forgotten. 

For something more firey, veteran American blues band Blues Traveler kick-started the evening off on the Port stage. It seemed strange at first that a well-established band like Blues Traveler would be on the smallest stage of the festival, until the actual band arrived – and it was hard to even say it was Blues Traveler. It seemed the only member of the Blues Traveler lineup was the imposing frame of John Popper while the others were ring-ins. The band took a while to find momentum, but gelled towards the end with some scintillating guitar and harmonica battles.

Tony Joe White – the master of the swamp sound – then graced the blue tent with his now-trademark dark sunglasses and a fedora hat. Duly performing his much-loved version of Poke Salad Annie other classics like Steamy Window, he was workmanlike without setting the place on fire. All the ingredients were on offer, from his fuzzed-out blues tone to a snarling wah, but Tony Joe White seemed more content to sit back with his guitar lines. Perhaps it was because he only had a drummer and a disinterested keyboardist to work from, but it was a somewhat disappointing set.

Children of rock legends always have a tough time stepping out their parent's shadow. Just ask Jakob Dylan, or Sting's son, good old what's-his-name. Dweevil Zappa, on the other hand, is more than happy to step into his father's shadow by touring with Zappa Plays Zappa. The big crowd at ZPZ highlighted the enduring power and genius of Frank Zappa's music, but at its core (and despite the fantastic musicianship) – ZPZ is a covers band. A great cover band nonetheless, but it was a sad to see a cover band getting to headline a festival that prides itself on highlighting “original music”.

It was the end of an era for the John Butler Trio, with the Blues and Roots marking their last show together. JBT rocked out with a string of crowd favourites such as Pickapart and Better man . Fittingly, John Butler departed from the opposite stage to the other members.

Overall, this year's festival was a mixed bag - from the sublime to the ordinary. Compared to last year, this was a more low-key affair. Hopefully the festival will recover and return to full strength next year.