GREAT fun for those fans who used to get down and dirty and sometimes still do but only behind closed doors, Queenscliff is the easy way to do a music festival.
The Old Bill were everywhere on Friday night.
Maybe they thought the Madder Lake mob were going to be a handful.
They weren't, of course. No one was. This was Queenscliff.
Not even a drink driver, said the local rag on Monday morning as the town rose late to resume its quiet, dignified existence after the modest excesses of the previous 60 hours.
What a good gig if you're a copper, this weekend of enchanting, musical artistry with its well-spoken, middle-aged clientele and their children, all behaving so well.
"Don't mind if I do, sarge.''
The ferris wheel was up nice and early and in time for the opening chords of Friday night. Not many were game for a spin though. It was bitter up top.
Ah well, let's catch a band.
What the! It's Guy Pearce!
"He's an actor, isn't he? What's he doing with a guitar? Hey, he can sing and play too!''
There he was on stage in a flannie, the gorgeous hunk himself doing a guest spot with his old buddies The Unconscious Brothers. Pretty good too. No, really, not bad at all.
The Unconscious ones also had the pleasure of Rebecca Barnard's shamefully under-rated company along with Josh Owen and Geoff Achison.
Talent aplenty. The weekend was already looking good and sounding good.
If you were well-rugged up, you stayed out for Kate Miller-Heidke's excellent set and the bravehearts partied on until Claymore ended the night with a pleasingly typical, stirring, Celtic skirmish.
Saturday's line-up included some of the biggest names in Australian music. And Van Morrison was there, not in person but very much in spirit.
The ABC's Brian Wise presided over a tribute to the legendary, miserable Irish git that was pure joy to behold on a balmy, breezy Saturday afternoon in the Fishnets tent.
Ross Wilson and Josh Owen had a crack with Domino. They lost their way halfway, picked it up again and finished on a high. We loved it.
All-female vocal band Kaya almost stopped the ticker with Moondance. Beautiful.
Geelong's Steve McEwan, James Blundell and Paul Greene, the excellent Little Stevies, the Wilson Pickers, Ella Thompson and the captivating Loren all did Van the Man proud.
And then there were The Bawdies.
``G.L.O.R.I.A!!!!'' It has been delivered millions of times by millions of voices, but few would have meant it as much as The Bawdies.
Skinny, funny, Japanese and red hot, The Bawdies rock.
Part Beatles, part Jam, part The Who, part parody, they were the buzz band of the festival.
Even Van would have smiled.
A couple of blistering, good-natured, shake-your-arse sets over the weekend won them a new gang of Aussie mates.
Lovely suits, fellas.
Madder Lake couldn't have been further removed from The Bawdies on Saturday night, but hey, it was a festival. Variety, right?
The die-hards nodded along and it was most excellent to see them up there doing it, but Sunbury seemed like a long, long time ago.
Taasha Coates from The Audreys was gliding around the same stage an hour or so before and, goodness me, it was nigh on impossible to break away to check out Marshall and the Fro.
"Marshman and the what?''
"You know, they're a three-piece. Marshall and the Fro.''
Nope, but anyway.
There we were then as night began to fall, listening to the dirty slide and driving, rootsy, Delta power trio turn out an enthralling, rockin' set.
Big sound, big surprise. They're from Byron Bay, apparently.
Sunday morning crept up sweetly and soulfully with Shane Howard, Ruby Hunter and Archie Roach reminding us all how lucky we are to have them around.
And finally, who were those guys belting out The Sunnyboys, and Gene Vincent near the roundabout in the main street on Sunday? Wow!
We were too knackered to think to ask them.
Thanks Queenscliff, for making it all so easy.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter