As dark clouds, lightning and rain struck the southern suburbs of Perth, punters still braced the elements to attend the 2009 West Coast Blues and Roots Festival in cosy harbour side Fremantle. With an imminent threat of a good old fashion soaking, as well as another potential thrashing for the Dockers, those who showed up early were justly rewarded. With not a drop of rain falling over the Esplanade Oval all day and a superstar line up of local, national and international acts proving that the annual festival is still popular as ever with a fantastic number of people  arriving early for the day.

Kicking off the day was Little Red who drew a considerable crowd as festival openers on the main Harbour Stage. A solid set, a crowd of fans and rocking tunes was delivered as a perfect start to the day. Next up we had Ben Kweller who most certainly proved as an early favourite with another great crowd and many singing along.

Augie March then attended the stage delivering album and radio favourites, followed by the fantastic Blue King Brown outfit whose set was clearly a highlight of the day, delivering powerful messages of peace for all through the passion of music. Soon we all hurried to the Crossroads Stage to catch Bob Evans returning to WA only 10 minutes away from Bullcreek, the suburb he put on the map with Someone So Much.  A cheery crowd was soon divided as the legendary Paul Kelly took to the main stage to show Fremantle why he deserves his iconic status in Australian Music. Young and old alike were engrossed in many classic hits, proving age to be no barrier for his music.

It was then off to see the American Reggae outfit, the Easy Star All Stars. With some of the best lighting, costumes and energy, the group performed their fantastic Reggae renditions of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and The Beatles hit tracks. It was then another mad dash back to the main stage to catch the beautiful Missy Higgins. Everything about her was perfect to start the evening edition of the festival, with a rock solid performance, fantastic instruments and an electric energy that was felt across the entire grounds.

Back again to the Crossroads stage, a very popular Eric Bibb joined the stage with his soothing voice which resembled the great singers of the American South with songs of love and triumphs over hardship. Seniors and teenagers were together in unison to take in the magical atmosphere from such a clearly talented musician and lyricist.  

From then on, it was clear sailing home with Jason Mraz exploding onto the main stage. The crowd was absolutely fanatical and the pop-rock favourite, with girls loving the stardom while the boys secretly enjoyed themselves while pretending not to know any of his songs. You would not of guest that it was only last year that Mraz played the Blues and Roots Festival with only a side show performance. Riding on the success of his latest album and a string of singles, Jason proved a crowd favourite for the day’s festivities. 

Wrapping up the night on the main stage was home-grown favourites the John Butler Trio. Starting with a dark and sombre mood with little engagement with the crowd, it clearly was not the happiest of moments for the group. The weight of the fact that this would be their last performance together as a band created a vibe very much unlike the standard found at most JBT shows, with energy and passion usually going into their performance. None the less, the crowd still engaged with radio favourites and past hits to bring the night in for a close.

Overall a magnificent day with bad weather only just held back at the gates, more acts than you could poke a stick at and an atmosphere that enabled everyone to have a good time, this year’s West Coast Blues and Roots festival was one to be remembered. Until next year, when we may see smaller acts being promoted onto the big stage as success looms in front of them, Fremantle will carry on nicely as the hub of music culture ready to host the next Blues and Roots for 2010.

By Shane Musarra