24-26 November 2006.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, and as promised by new Musical Director Sophie Best (ex PBSFM), the Festival would maintain its hard worn reputation as one of the country’s finest gatherings of local and international musicians in a diverse presentation over three days. Given a roll call of about 140 acts, the biggest problem would be who to catch, and who to miss, given that most acts would have the opportunity to appear only once.

Personal highlights on Friday night for this reviewer included a fragile yet confident performance by Holly Throsby who opened the Festival on the main stage, the Unconscious Brothers playing with LA expat Anne McCue at the revamped Pelican Bar, then being joined by Rebecca Barnard and Sarah Carroll. Over in Fishnets (the old Prime Mover stage) French rock band Matmatah revealed their Breton and Anglo-American cultural influences, and an astonishing performance by French film composer Yann Tiersen whose amazing range of rock, ethnic rhythms and avant-garde compositions closed off the night to a packed main tent.

On Saturday we caught up with John Schumann (ex-Redgum) and band, whose powerful closing performance of I Was Only Nineteen still has immediate currency (for Nui Dat insert the name of any Iraqi village). Anne McCue then followed with a solid set taken from her new US album Koala Motel. Other acts on the day included the reformed Models led by a spirited Sean Kelly and Andrew Duffield, Cold Chisel’s Don Walker going country with his band the S.F’s, New Orleans soul queen Betty Harris revved up the audience with a classic set of big band R&B, and a pumped Mick Thomas led the briefly reunited Weddings Parties Anything in an Aussie Pub Rock revival.

I took some time out on the Blues Train with rolling sets from Chris Wilson’s sideman (and effortless guitarist) Shannon Bourne and the indefatigable Detonators’ high octane brand of rockabilly. We also joined the Croxton (Records) Neopolitan Showcase in Fishnets featuring singer-songwriters Dan Warner, Sarah Carroll and the highly ‘fashionable’ Marcell Borrack.

We kicked off Sunday with local up and comers The Audreys, followed by UK sensation Teddy Thompson whose voice and guitar work strongly evokes the songs of his parents - folk veterans Richard and Linda Thompson. Local heroes Tex Perkins & Tim Rogers have formed a powerful combination in TNT, and over on the Pelican Stage the musician’s musician Andy Baylor and band treated the audience to a tasty smorgasbord of the vast range of his roots influences. Ex-Git Susannah Espie and band followed with a heavy dose of Melbourne C&W, and as we left the site, legendary UK sixties R&B band the Spencer Davis Group (minus Stevie Winwood) were pumping out all their obligatory hits.

Another highly successful local festival – make sure you mark the last weekend in November in your 2007 diaries now.

Rob Pemberton