:: Apollo Bay Music Festival - April 2007

By: Mark Rasmussen

Anytime you get to drive down the Great Ocean road is always a good drive but more so when the Apollo Bay Music Festival is your destination. After settling into our humble little abode on the outskirts of town, we ventured in and took in the Whiskey Go Go‘s, who kicked it off with our Apollo Bay festival with a rockin’ set. Their blues-fuelled rock was a great way to begin our Apollo festival and set the tone for the remainder of the weekend. Next, it was over to the ridiculously tiny Illuka café, which housed the effervescent Princess One Point Five, who despite the cramped conditions were amazing and kept the crowd happy throughout the entire set, including local onlooker Sid, of The Vasco Era, who seemed duly impressed. The Beautiful Girls wound up our night and despite being their music being somewhat of a yawn fest and predictable, were enjoyable nonetheless.

Day 2:
Today started with the entertaining Diamond the Ultimate Tribute, and despite the early timeslot, he was as every bit as good as the original. Shame the organisers didn‘t have the foresight to see he would've been better utilised later in the day, where people of all ages would have enjoyed the spectacle more and would have danced and sang along to all the Diamond hits. Still, as it was, it didn't stop those who did exactly that, including a 72 year old woman we befriended who couldn't stop smiling. From there we strolled around town on the overcast day taking in the sights before acknowledging the excellent, mostly instrumental act Beaten By Them, in a vastly different setting with music to match. A wonderful moody, instrumental five piece, I enjoyed them very much with an intoxicating mix of classical music meets rock. The lead singer and cellist slotted in perfectly with the soundtrack styled sounds. For the first time in a long time, rain finally fell as a festival but it certainly didn't dampen spirits as Bertie Blackman filled the main tent and kept everyone dry and to some extent content. Though with her ranting and wild songs, she lost plenty to the outside. She promised much but delivered little as her set looked and sounded awkward. The main tent seemed too big for her despite all her attempts to drum up some much needed energy from the audience. And just what was she thinking with her awful cover of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Closer’? Just terrible! Perennial blues and roots powerhouse Dallas Frasca, again stormed yet another festival and in the process blew everyone away who managed to fit inside the overcrowded Apollo Bay Hotel. Dallas along with her trusty cohort, Jeff, whipped the crowd into a frenzy as each song got louder and louder. A definite festival favourite. The Vandas were as smooth as ever and I enjoyed their set but they played to a small crowd as The Audreys drew large numbers into the main tent. I'd already caught them at the Point Nepean festival earlier in the month, so opted instead for lunch before taking in the festival highlight eMDee. This tribal dance act, which contained a front man who played four didgeridoos at the same time, absolutely rocked the smaller tent and the crowd responded in kind. The music got everyone moving and grooving and it was hard to walk away from this without anything but admiration. An absolutely awesome spectacle. From there it was over to the main tent to catch classic Aussie rock icons, The Hoodoo Gurus. Despite nudging their mid-late 40's, they put on a great show and the massive, slightly older crowd responded in kind, including my good self who sang and danced and reminisced with the best of them. In a way, this set was like recapturing my youth all over again. I loved it! It was getting late but we stuck it out to see Dan Sultan, and boy are we glad we did. With an Elvis-like sneer and Dan Brodie attitude, this alt-country rocker has all the hallmarks of something special. With killer tunes and good looks to match, it ensured he was a favourite among the ladies. This won't be the last you'll be hearing from him mark my words!

Day 3:
Sunday gave rise to a dreary day and the dreaded return to normality but before jumping into the car and the slow drive back, there was still time to catch Tripod, who I must say, bored the pants off me with their inane, lame jokes and predictable routine. Instead, I chose to make my way over across to the lifesaving club to catch local blues & roots young gun, Justin Carter. Here is one guy who has a big future in front of him. Coming across as a mix between Xavier Rudd and John Butler, I found his music a great way to finish our festival. Overall, the music was good and despite the rain (which we desperately need anyway), the Apollo Bay music festival was a good way to spend the weekend.

Thanks must go to the organisers, the hospitality from our accommodation and even the local RACV guy, who helped out late at night to make sure we could get back to the big smoke the next day. Yet another festival that makes us Victorians spoilt for choice.

the crowd at Apollo Bay

Princess One Point Five

Dallas Frasca

Beaten By Them

eMDee