Benz World Blog » Dance

Spinifex Gum

Jason Benz — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 13:59:41 +0000

This is Spinifex Gum charming the audience on the Crossroads stage at Bluesfest 2023 in Byron Bay. This teenage indigenous female choir draws on musicians and stories from every corner of Australia. Melbourne-based Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill from The Cat Empire produce the music to tell stories of the Yindjibarndi people from the Pilbara in WA. They are brought to life by the Marliya Choir based in Cairns in far North QLD. The band are fearless in shining a light on issues facing Australia’s First Nations people. The choir singers are individually mic’d which gives them freedom of movement which traditional choir setups do not have. This song, called Sisters, comes from their second album of the same name released in 2019.

Spinifex Gum has one more show on the Mojo stage on Friday. Tickets still available via the Bluesfest Website.

Funk Chunk

Jason Benz — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 23:47:18 +0000

This is the Melbourne Ska Orchestra rockin’ the Delta stage on the third day of Bluesfest 2022. They are my favourite band to photograph due to their spectacular show. The exceptional blend of organised chaos must be seen to be believed. They extend the limit of what up to 25 people can do on a stage simultaneously. They have been busy too, recording 7 studio albums, overturning the assumption that big bands write slowly. Defying the possible is MSO MO. All the new tunes in their set had the instant catchy quality they are known for. Their energy is infectious and inspires wild dancing in the crowd. (image download here)

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra will return one last time for the final Byron Bay Bluesfest in Easter 2025, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: In 2026 Bluesfest will be the last in a line of major festivals closed from increasing headwinds. This began before covid, with the previous state government’s legislative “war on festivals“. The new government risks letting this trend continue through inaction. However, you can change this. If 20,000 signatures are received, the NSW Parliament must debate Bluesfest’s future. #savebluesfest if you live in the state Sign up here. For everyone else, there is an international petition on change.org Sign up here.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

Boomerang Dancer

Jason Benz — Sun, 07 May 2017 22:39:07 +0000

This is one of the dancers from the Boomerang Festival performing with OKA at the 2017 Bluesfest. This year the indigenous ‘festival within a festival’ booked the first 4 hours of the Juke Joint stage for 3 of the 5 days. The result was I woke to the sound of my favourite Queensland band from the campsite. I grabbed my camera and ran to the stage. After getting this photograph I could not help but join the crowd for a dance. Although I skipped the caffeine routine it was the perfect start to a day of music.

This image is available for download here.

Paul Janeway

Jason Benz — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 23:06:26 +0000

This is St Paul and the Broken Bones on the Crossroads stage at Bluesfest 2017. Lead singer Paul Janeway is a force of nature. His passionate performance of authentic southern soul led a band with a massive groove factor.

UPDATE: St Paul will be back at the 30th Bluesfest in 2019. It is guaranteed to be a great show.

UPDATE: The band will return to the festival in 2023, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website. A few days after the Easter festival they have shows in Melbourne and Sydney, tickets from Bluesfest Touring

This image is available for download here.

Boomerang Festival

Jason Benz — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 12:02:40 +0000

This is the Malu Kiai Mura Buai Dance Troupe from Boigu Island in the Torres Strait performing at the Boomerang Festival in New South Wales, Australia. In 2016 this Indigenous art festival took place inside Bluesfest giving everyone the chance to discover cultures with talks, workshops and performances.

Vintage Trouble

Jason Benz — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 13:19:30 +0000

This is Vintage Trouble playing the Crossroads stage on the final day of Bluesfest 2016. They were definitely a highlight of the festival. It is impossible to overstate the amount of energy lead singer Ty Taylor puts into every performance. One review said “imagine James Brown singing lead for Led Zeppelin” I can’t think of a better description of this supercharged tight four piece band.

UPDATE: Vintage Trouble are confirmed to play the 30th Byron Bay Bluesfest in 2019.

UPDATE: Vintage Trouble will be back at the festival in 2023, Tickets from the Bluesfest Website.

This image is available for download here.

Medicine Tribe

Jason Benz — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 10:12:45 +0000

This is Nahko and Medicine For The People playing a moving and high energy set on the Mojo stage of the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia. They are a world music collective which blend Reggae, Dub and Hip Hop with a message of humanitarian and environmental harmony. I got hooked on their tunes a few weeks before the festival thanks to a 2016 Bluesfest playlist which had been assembled on Pandora. The stage performance confirmed this is a special band worth checking out. (image download here)

UPDATE: Nahko will return to the festival in 2025, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.