4000 People Can't be Wrong!

Despite Mr Merles missing his train we made up good time once I eventually picked him up from Geelong Station.

It had started raining as we left Geelong and seemed to pick up more and more until we got to Apollo Bay. It was that misty type of rain that really obscures visibility when you are driving, but we still managed to arrive in Apollo Bay just before 4pm.

The setup or collecting passes seemed to be a bit more organised than last year. They actually gave us decent Media Passes with a proper badge with the logo and everything. We were able to go out the back of the stage, and behind the barriers in front of the stage to get our photos, a great improvement.

Now with the obligatories done it was time to sort out our digs. We headed out of town and passed by the Pony Club where the Blues Club had dug in for the weekend.

We arrived at the farm to find there had been a big clean up as it has been put on the market. I sort of missed the sort of junk that had lain around the place, an accumulation of decades of not wasting, being sparing, and just in case!

Once we had unpacked and settled in we made our way back into town. The street was quite but with a sense of anticipation of the opening parade. The added bonus for us was the inclusion of the current manifestation of the Blues Club trailer band from Pako Festa, originally dubbed "Sick People" from the members' initials, but later refined to simply "Trailer Trash".

The parade certainly did get rained on. [Photo Og Bear]

I am not sure if floats got judged, but this was the best entry in my book. [Photo Og Bear]

The drizzle from earlier continued and was now it was literally about to rain on the parade. It turned into a bit of a motley crew and the formalities of opening the festival at the end just seemed to disappear completely. The inclusion of the band on the trailer from the Blues Club seemed to be a bit of a hit with the crowd though.

The Blues Club's mobile blues band Trailer Trash was a real hit with the opening parade. [Photo Og Bear]

After the parade we topped up with some munchies, though we were a bit disappointed that one of our favourite eastern European food stalls from previous years weren't there, but overall it was still interesting, and varied enough to be enjoyable.

The food was about the prices you would have expected from previous years, but we soon discovered that the price of drinks was outrageous with most packaged beers up around the $7 to $8 a stubbie. It made a shout very painful.

This man lives in another dimension. Bob Brozman was a real hi-light at the start of the Festival. [Photo Og Bear]

We were anxious to see Bob Brozman and were not let down. This man is a character in his own right and amazing musician and showman. Anything that was normal that you expected from any other musician was not normal with Brozman. In the end we concluded that he was quite insane, but in a very good way.

Djan Djan brought together musicians off 4 Continents with an unexpected World sound. [Photo Og Bear]

Djan Djan was another twist for most fans of Jeff Lang. Accompanied by Mamadou Diabate (Mali) on the tabla and Bobby Singh (India) on the Kora, this was unlike anything we had come to expect from Jeff. A real sense of World and Eastern sounds blended from his guitar with the other instruments.
Merlin had spotted the Badges and we eventually caught up with them.

The Clip Clop Club says it all. [Photo Mr Merles]

The next bit really impressed us. We had noticed a small stage at the back of the tent next to the bar quietly filling up with a collection of musicians that could have mistakenly taken for some backwoods Otway hillbillies. Right in sync the last beat of Djan Djan ceased they, The Clip Clop Club, struck up and held the crowds attention while the next band setup on the main stage.

Charlie McMahon's pump action Didgeridoo with Tim on the synthesizer. [Photo Og Bear]

I had occasioned to go to the Surf Club where I found a really bizarre act. A guy on the stage with a plastic pump action didgeridoo manipulated by a prosthetic arm. It was the legendary Charlie McMahon accompanied by his apprentice, Tim on the synthesizer. I only stayed for a few minutes but was aghast by their performance.

Again a bit of country, but at least Wagons had an ego. [Photo Og Bear]

Back at the ABC Tent the Wagons were about to start. Here was another guy that you had to wonder about his mental health. Whatever it was, it made him project himself as though he had nothing to lose, but to fall short of being God's gift to his audience. It was a bit country for me, but the showmanship made up for that.

The Large Numbers 12s remembered what fun and entertainment was and made it their job to deliver it. [Photo Og Bear]

Over at the Great Ocean Road Hotel we found some of the members of the Clip Clop Club in another incarnation, the Large Number 12s, named after their favourite pizza. This a bunch of old rockers from the 70s who have never quite left their beloved St Kilda. Mr Merles said he remembered being only 18 and going down with Uncle Bob to the Duke of Windsor in St Kilda to see them.

Sadly we only got the last few minutes of Tijuana Cartel. [Photo Og Bear]

It was getting late and we realised that the Tijuana Cartel was on at the ABC Tent. We rushed back, but only just caught the end of their act. I was very disappointed, and we did not catch up with them again.
So very tired and late, we made our way back to the farm and a comfortable bed.

In the Round showcased all the blues and roots artists appearing at the festival. [Photo Og Bear]

On Saturday morning we would have liked to have slept in but we didn't want to miss In the Round, a short concert featuring all the blues and roots artists in the Festival. It is a piece of fun and gives you a glimpse of the upcoming performers for the rest of the weekend. I only caught the end of it last year, so I want to get most of it this time.

Paul Greene charms the audience at the Great Ocean Road. [Photo Og Bear]

We were disappointed not to see much of Paul Greene a month ago at Goulburn so it was great to see a fine performance by him at The Great Ocean Road.

Despite having seen some really good acts I got a bit mixed up here with who was on and where and missed a few acts that I really would have liked to have seen. The whole weekend was going a bit this way as the days leading up to coming to Apollo Bay had been a bit chaotic with there even being a question mark over whether I would come at all.

The big energy from Blues Shaddy must come from the hard reaping of the wheat in their home country. [Photo Mr Merles]

Blue Shaddy in the Bay Tent was a blues band all the way from the West Australian wheat belt. I am not sure what they do out there and what they put in the fertiliser, but these guys were unique. An amazing harp player, called Belly, who was giving so much energy to his performance that I few times I thought he would collapse into the stage floor. A lot of their songs reflected their love for the country they come from. Definitely another hi light of the Festival.

You are supposed to take the good with the bad, but for Celtic Storm I made an exception. [Photo Og Bear]

Next we entered the ABC Tent to find folk band, Celtic Storm. They were the worst band I had ever heard at a Festival. They started with a tune that means a lot to me personally, Amazing Grace, and they absolutely crucified it, then turned it into a sing-a-long. I almost felt sick, so sick that I had to leave the venue, before I started retching. Once outside I met some friends who also said, who is that? They sound terrible.

It's funny how you get a reaction like that. What is the best and the worst? Soon after I was back in the Apollo Bay Hotel. This I rate as the worst venue. It is full of punters who are simply not that interested in the music. Anything played in there is just an add on. It could be anything, and they would accept it as mere background music. They don't really care. But for the ones who really do want to see the act, it is a very awkward space, very shallow and long, and very crowded, very hard to get around, or get any sense of the band that is playing.

The Surf Club is not far behind it, an awkward layout that tends to jam up. The crowd is a bit not unlike that at the Apollo Bay Hotel. It is a space I found really hard to relax in and enjoy the bands. I tended to seek a bit of respite, like many others, out on the balcony overlooking the surf beach.

On the other hand, our favourite venue at Apollo Bay is the Bowls Club. It has a wonderful intimate atmosphere. You are close to the stage and the acts feel very accessible. Another good reason to go there is the price of the drinks at the bar. About $3.50 for a stubbie, about half that of most other venues!

The closeness and intimacy of the Bowls Club suited Rory Ellis. [Photo Og Bear]

Here we found Rory Ellis accompanied by Tim Hackett. Rory has a deep unique voice that resonates his songs of his own experiences of the high and low points of life. I do enjoy Rory, but it can become a bit monotonous if there hasn't been a good break from his last performance.

Lee Rosser only did a few short gigs, but eventually we caught up with him. [Photo Mr Merles]

Finally I got to see Lee Rosser at the Apollo Bay Hotel. I had missed him two times already.

If you have to put up with country, then better be Suitcase Royale, than another. [Photo Mr Merles]

He was followed by a dynamic young country band called Suitcase Royale. Then it was back to another favourite venue, Great Ocean Road, to see Bullet. People were raving about then, but no, they didn't do anything for me.

A real little surprise earlier in the day was a great little band not on the program, called Death Rattle, that was playing in the front bar of the Apollo Bay Hotel. It comprised a young lass with a couple of guys who really had a good sound and energy. I have a feeling we will hear a lot more of these guys.

That night, looking for a bit of fresh air I came across one of the street performer groups, who we knew simply as Entry No. 27. They were lead by a girl in red twirling an umbrella and were really putting on a show in the BBQ pavilion. The Badges arrived a few minutes later and our attention was held for quite a while longer by this young band.

Edward Badge later in the day. Would you let him into your tent? [Photo Mr Merles]

By now it was getting late and Edward was starting to badger and annoy people so it was no surprise when he was politely refused entry to the ABC Tent by the security guard. After this we had even more trouble trying to get him to behave himself and we never did get in to see Lil' Band O' Gold.

Again, well after midnight and tired, we made our way back to a welcome nights rest at the Farm.

We wanted to be back early to the Festival, but this just didn't happen. One of the camera's memory cards was filling up, and as I hadn't brought a card reader with me, it ended up becoming a painfully slow process deleting unwanted images off the camera, via the laptop, to make room for new shots.

We were still finishing off on the laptop in the car on Mr Merle's lap as we arrived back in the Bay about midday and we had missed out on more acts we wanted to see.

But once I was back at the Festival on Sunday, I felt like I had finally arrived. I had been here since Friday in body, but now I was here in spirit. The acts all seemed to be more to my liking, interesting with a bit of spark and originality to them.

I had had a bad week leading up to the Festival with my dialysis machine playing in the lead up to going away for the weekend. In the end with heaps of extra dialysing I got enough in to get away. Also, the pain killers they had me on had been doing strange things with my brain. I was starting to get sick of all that after three months of pain, being tired and not being able to walk comfortably.

So I was so frazzed I never seem to settle in the mood. All weekend I had no sense of where I was going and I was so unorganised I missed a lot of acts I wanted to see such as the Stillsons, and the Whitetop Mountaineers that I would have liked to have seen.

I tended to graze a bit with the food, really wasn't that hungry at all, not hungry for a bear. On Sunday we discovered the local bakery. Sausage rolls and pies were nice and hot, but not burning you, just right. And, at really reasonable everyday prices compared to some of the other places that were taking advantage of the Festival.

We spent most of the day at our favourite venue, The Bowls Club.

A bit country, but Dan Warner made it quite tolerable. [Photo Mr Merles]

Though a bit country, Dan Warner was a bit of fun and left me wondering about the origins of himself and his music. I really wished I had a chance to catch up with him.

The Big Low really made our day at the Bowls Club. [Photo Og Bear]

A real highlight of Sunday in the Bowls Club was roots band, The Big Low. Two Dutchman and an ex-pat that lives over there. Most of their instruments are homemade and look like a mish mash of leftovers and what was lying around.

With new kid on the block Joe, Sunset Dukes showed everyone at the Bowls Club that they have what it takes.  [Photo Og Bear]

Next to come on were our own Sunset Dukes, a recently formed blues band who has already recorded a very impressive first CD and are making their mark around Geelong and the Coast.

We missed the headline act, Kasey Chambers, but somehow I don't think that really worried me. The Badges caught about three of her songs, but that was enough for them.

The energy was really flying with the Crowd as well as King Marong. [Photo Og Bear]

The next bit we almost missed. You might remember we had to leave early last year to get Mr Merles back to Melbourne for a gig, one of the last bands in the day was King Marong, but I could only see about 10 minutes of them because we had to go. Anyway, they brought them back this year, which is unusual for Apollo Bay. They tend to have different acts every year. Anyway, we were just walking along and we noticed quite a throng in the ABC Tent and suddenly realised we had nearly missed King Marong again!

The whole audience was moving with King Marong, but some from Colac were really on fire. [Photo Og Bear]

We wandered in and everyone was having a ball. They are a very dynamic African Dance band and there was a great crowd who was really going for it.

It was a great finish for the official part of the Festival and really made our day.

The official After Party at the Surf Club was full of yobos so we went to the Great Ocean Road. [Photo Og Bear]

Going to the Great Ocean Road unofficial After Party was definitely a good move. [Photo Og Bear]

The official After Party at the Surf Club was full of drunken yobos, with a yobo band to match. Most of us got out of there as quick as we got in. Fortunately there was an unofficial After Party at the Great Ocean Road with Bastard Children as the band. They seem to read the occasion really well with the music and performance and at the end of the night everyone had a good time.

I made my way back with the Badges for a bit of supper at their digs. It was a good wind down from a bit of a hectic weekend.

Around midnight I finally found Mr Merles and it was good to head back to the farm, knowing that I could sleep well into the morning and get up when I was ready.

We headed home about lunch time on Monday.

It was great to wake up on Monday morning at the farm. [Photo Og Bear]

In all the Festival appeared to be not so brave as previous years and lacked those interesting little acts that you discover in a corner somewhere. It seemed that making sure the festival was financial after last year's poor showing was more important.

We got around many of the venues to check the music out, but the whole festival was just a little bit too country for me.

As I went through the weekend I just didn't seem to quite click. I felt a lot of the acts were quite mediocre and all a bit the same, but the crowd seemed to be enjoying it. Surely 4000 people can't be wrong, so it must be me. I just didn't seem to be able to get in with the mix of it.

To me it all just seemed to be like a big blancmange.

[Og Bear]

These photos & more got to:

https://picasaweb.google.com/OgBear/ApolloBayMusicFestival2010

For slideshow go to:

https://picasaweb.google.com/OgBear/ApolloBayMusicFestival2010#slideshow/