Bluesfest 2013 Day Three

 The legendary Allen Toussaint gets us started on day three of Bluesfest, the bona-fide legend of New Orleans music has a small but mighty good band behind him as he belts out some of his best tunes from behind the keys. A medley of hits and the iconic New Orleans anthem Big Chief end the set very tidily.

The incredible harmonies of Sweet Honey In The Rock are a perfect fit for Bluesfest, and it's enough to make you kick yourself that you'd never thought of them for the line-up in the past. The women have gorgeous voices individually, but it's as a unit that they sound so utterly powerful. It is a shame then that the a capella vocal group play the Crossroads stage at the same time Grace Potter & The Nocturnals blow the Mojo tent away with their revved up rock'n'roll; the sound bleed is really intrusive on the intimate set and, while there's nothing that can be done about it, you can't help but feel it's a bit of a shame that they are so close to drowned out on a number of occasions.

The first of two Wilco sets is a reason to get excited, to say the least. Jeff Tweedy and his band of merry men run through a diverse range of songs from throughout the 20 odd years the band has been an ongoing concern. New tunes like Art Of Almost, Born Alone and I Might sit nicely alongside old tunes Passenger Side and Box Full Of Letters and mid-era gems like Handshake Drugs, Heavy Metal Drummer, I'm The Man Who Loves You and Shot In The Arm.

At any given time the band can be sweet, explosive, epic, dexterous, brilliant pop-smiths and somehow throughout all this they are utterly unpretentious. Wilco are one in a million. Bring on the Monday night set.

Young British singer Michael Kiwanuka oozes class as he and s band work through a stack of soul pop numbers from his debut LP. His voice is so beautifully rich and his presence onstage is warm and inviting. You get the feeling that two of the more beautiful tunes from said LP, Home Again and I'll Be Along will be well remembered as time goes on; they close the set in lovely fashion this evening.

The ugly, snarling riff of Chase The Dragon kick-starts the Beasts Of Bourbon in their first ever Bluesfest performance a rare treat for the punk rock lovers who've made their way out today. The set list they air is very satisfying; Just Right and Driver Man show are brutal, before Cool Fire brings things down a touch as Kim Salmon works through some jazzy chords, but things get brutal again with Straight, Hard and Long, Ride On, Hard For You, Black Milk and Dropout. Their rendition of The Rolling Stones' Cocksucker Blues probably marks the first time the phrase “Where can I get my arse fucked” has been uttered on a Bluesfest stage and Let's Get Funky is probably the least funky song in Bluesfest history – but that doesn't mean it's not brilliant. Their sound is ugly, dirty, noisy, brutal and probably not what a lot of people expect from a Bluesfest set, but their ferocity is appreciated.

After missing his all-too-brief set as part of the Music Maker Blues Revue last night, a quick dash to catch the two songs of Dr Burt is in order and well worth it in the end. The jangle of his rusty guitar is sparse, but the deep, rich and weathered voice is anything but. He only plays two songs but they are deeply affecting and, honestly, among the best songs of the entire festival – no shit.

The Blind Boys Of Alabama are always a hot drawcard at Bluesfest and tonight is no exception; the tent spills out the sides to see the gospel group smash out old classics like Amazing Grace and newer fare like Free At Last. When they come together in harmony their sound is like nothing else in music, it's almost magical.

Punk rock progenitors Iggy & The Stooges absolutely lay waste tonight; Iggy Pop bursts onstage and flails around during opener Raw Power and doesn't stop for the next hour and a half. The guitar of James Williamson cuts through gloriously as the band dish out classics like Gimme Danger, 1970, Search & Destroy in the first half of the set. A massive stage invasion takes place during Fun House, a whole mess of people clamour onstage and dance around with Iggy; they slip a few tracks from their new LP Ready To Die (“because I am,” yelps Iggy) both Burn and the almost ballad-like Beat That Guy sounding quite promising for the record's release next month.

More classics are rolled out towards the end of the set, Now I Wanna Be Your Dog and No Fun close out the set proper, but no one is willing to accept that as the end and the band come out for I Got A Right!, Cock In My Pocket, Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell and Open Up And Bleed.

What can be said? I mean, truly? A band that elicits a primal response such as this, while maintaining such a feel good vibe is brilliant. Yes, they're pioneers and that mustn't be forgotten, but their relevance in 2013 is immense and must be celebrated.

I'm starting to tire as we approach day four of the festival and it is almost definitely going to absolutely pelt with rain again today; as if that's going to stop me, though. From Luka Bloom to JD McPherson and the absolutely unmissable double bill of Bettye LaVette and Mavis Staples.