High on Fumes
The pre-fest party show closed with a short set from Australia's reigning two-man blues outfit (every territory's got at least one), The Fumes, who were as incendiary as their name implied--just be careful not to breathe them in too deeply.
Is there a better named drummer that Joel Battersby? The guy pretty much destroyed his kit as mountain-man-bearded partner Steve Merry made short work of a fine and varied repertoire of bluesy hard rock riffs on his selection of excellent guitars. Merry's offhanded attitidue was appropriately cool. He seemed stoked by the crowd but not particularly awed by it, which is a neat trick given how stoked the crowd itself was. "You have a good festival, now," he said before leaving them panting on the hard concrete. That shit'll go to your head.
photos (c) Yoshitaka
Reported by Philip Brasor (2008.07.25 / 09:30)