Whether it’s scoping Violent Soho blazing up on their way to Groovin The Moo or experiencing Soundwave through the eyes of Korn, who doesn’t enjoy a good behind-the-scenes festival documentary?
We sure do and the latest music doco to catch our attention takes an intimate look at the history of one of Australia’s longest running music festivals, Bluesfest.
Airing as a special season finale on SBS last night, RocKwiz Backstage At Bluesfest is a documentary covering the iconic Byron Bay event’s 25 year history by sending a film crew out to capture the music quiz show’s third annual appearance at last April’s edition, as previously reported. But thanks to SBS On Demand, you can now (re)watch the whole thing from the comfort of your computer screen (or bookmark it later).
Hosted by the ever-charming Henry Wagons (frontman and chief songwriter for Melbourne alt-country heroes Wagons), the hour-long special sees the musician roaming around Byron Bay chatting to its colourful locals about the festival’s history (including a hilarious musical couple by campfire) and interviewing musicians backstage at this year’s edition, its biggest yet, with a 90+ strong lineup drawing 104,526 patrons over five days.
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The doco’s got plenty of live performance footage, with cameos from Adalita, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, Grace Potter, CW Stoneking, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges, and Charlie Musselwhite, as well as a chat with Bluefest promoter Peter Noble (who’s hanging out with Nahko) plugging the multi-award winning festival. “We’re not about fashion, we’re not about trends. We’re just about great music.”
Wagons also snags air time with politicians hanging backstage, including former Minister of the Arts Tony Burke, ex-treasurer (and noted Springsteen fanatic) Wayne Swan, and local council Member For Ballina, Don Page, who discusses the millions of dollars Bluesfest brings to the Byron economy.
The best highlights though are all musical, including Wagons stumbling upon an impromptu superjam in a backstage green room, a causal RocKwiz Orchestra rehearsal Michael Franti, and just how fun it looks to make an episode of RocKwiz. Also, stick around until the end, where the ‘sexy-jacket’-wearing Wagons teams up with Michael Franti and Spearhead in front of a tent packed with punters.
Watch the full Bluesfest doco, and the accompanying special RocKwiz live episode, in full below.
