Stetsons and cowboy boots were out in force (but not compulsory) at Out on the Weekend festival in its third consecutive year.
The day-long festival in windy Williamstown was conceived and curated by promoter, music fan and all-round good guy Brian ‘BT’ Taranto. A well-respected character both locally and overseas, BT takes his relationships with musicians seriously and personally, introducing each act (and their back-story) to the audience during the day.
OOTW serves as an anchor event for lesser-known country and Americana acts to tour Australia, at the same time developing camaraderie between artists with repeat appearances from acts such as Robert Ellis and Joshua Hedley over the years. All this in one of Melbourne’s more unique music venues — Seaworks, Australia’s oldest shipyard with sizeable sheds and home to a Pirate Tavern all year round.
The festival may have featured key international drawcards, but like a visiting show in a small country town, both established and emerging acts shared the stage. Nowhere was this more obvious than during the special live broadcast of 3RRR’s ‘Grand Ole Twang’ with presenter Denise Hylands. The audience was treated to a preview of performances for the day from acts including Joe Pug and The Cactus Blossoms, but also to a taste of some artists to keep an eye out for in future such as Matt Joe Gow and songbird Freya Josephine Hollicks with her sweet yodelling skills.
‘Country’ and ‘Americana’ can be vague descriptors of genre, but BT’s fine curatorship proved there is more to these genres than Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. A more traditional hoe-down was in order for acts like Stetson Family and Bakersfield Glee Club; soulful reflection for the charismatic Joe Pug; sparkles and stadium sounds for acts like Robert Ellis and Tracy McNeil.
Wearing rhinestone-covered nudie suits that they “murdered The Wiggles For,” All Our Exes Live In Texas dazzled with their performance on the outdoor stage. More than just those different-to-your-usual-country-act Sydney girls who covered Tame Impala’s ‘Eventually’ recently, the audience was treated to Exes’ delightful sisterly energy and impeccable folk harmonies. With a debut album set for release early 2017, Australia will be seeing a lot more of these girls in the future.
In his charming laid-back manner, Joshua Hedley performed an acoustic set accompanied by the talented Will Van Horn on the pedal steel. Hedley captivated the audience with his sad country songs in this, his first solo show at OOTW.
Fresh-faced and straight out of the ’50s, it was difficult to not fall in love with The Cactus Blossoms. Their perfectly harmonised crooning and simple lyrics transported the audience to America in a different time — add in the sea breeze and smell of barbecue brisket cooking on the deck, and you were basically there.
It’s been a big few years for Marlon Williams with his relocation from Lyttleton, New Zealand to Melbourne in 2013, followed by extensive touring and critical acclaim for his debut self-titled solo album in 2015. It’s no surprise then that a throng of eager fans gathered in anticipation for his headline set well in advance despite Cash Savage and the Last Drinks’ powerful performance around the corner.
With his otherworldly and perfectly-controlled vocals, Williams alone is talent enough. But adding the soaring instrumentals and smooth harmonies from his band The Yarra Benders added next-level colour and cause for celebration.
Williams performed a tidy mix of songs from his 2015 release including ‘Strange Things’, ‘Hello Miss Lonesome’ and ‘Dark Child’, all filled with the clever storytelling and solid instrumentalism that epitomises his songwriting. The audience was treated to a relatively new tune ‘Come To Me’ — an evocative love song no doubt destined for airplay over the coming months, as well as ‘Arahura,’ his tribute to the river of the same name in New Zealand’s South Island.
No performance of Marlon Williams seems complete without his goosebump-inducing interpretation of Nina Simone’s ‘When I Was A Young Girl’. Near silence enveloped the old shed, the spotlight fixed on Williams and his guitar. In a fitting tribute to Neil Young, Williams invited Robert Ellis to the stage for a cover of ‘Out On The Weekend’. Joshua Hedley also performed on the fiddle in one final showdown to close the night.
OOTW presented a strong case for quality over quantity. With two stages with alternating set times and a crowd of a couple of thousand, both young families and diehard veterans could enjoy the day comfortably and in its entirety. BT well and truly succeeds in his mission to bring new sounds to the local music scene, and it’s likely most fans left on the day having discovered something new – and even more reason to return for next year’s instalment.
Photography by Kane Hibberd
