Live Review: Out On The Weekend

Upon arrival in Williamstown, we follow the music to Seaworks and then learn the entrance is via Mary Street.

Once wristbanded, nothing could prepare us for this spectacular site. There’s gourmet food trucks aplenty and loads of seating (even if some of the sketchy permanent maritime structures threaten to leave splinters in your arse), plus ocean views. The Steve Irwin Sea Shepherd is docked at the end of the jetty and lots of adult beverages are fast disappearing down gullets. Kids are admitted free today, so there’s WAY too many of those, but equally as many grandparents. Pirate Bar’s on site, but has separate licensing, so you can drink out of a proper glass within the confines of the pub, but can’t take it outside. Heck, there’s even hand cream in the dunnies!

She’s on Stage One, which is positioned at the end of a vast warehouse, but it’s hard to get close enough to actually clap eyes on Lindi Ortega. When we do, the pretty artist calls to mind Mulligrubs. She covers Desperado then follows this up with a song featuring the lyrics, “Just don’t say you love me ‘til the day you die,” and Ortega’s definitely got the chops. After telling us the only JC she worships is Johnny Cash, Ortega then absolutely assassinates (not a compliment) Ring Of Fire. The song’s mariachi trumpet riff is completely neglected and she takes way too much liberty with the vocal melody, which makes singing along impossible – and we can’t deprive nan and pops of that now, can we? Great artist, setlist needs tweaking.

There’s not a generic sign to be seen throughout the entirety of the festival grounds. The Toilet, and even the Emergency Exit, sign is in ye olde Neil Young Harvest-infused style. Stage 2 is in an awkward spot off to the side and visibility’s bad, so it’s not prioritised – especially when there’s fried chicken sandwiches and donuts to be consumed! Seeing a COUPLA coppers queuing up at the All Day Donuts stand is the sight of the day. Then a boring couple lined up behind us in the fried chicken sandwich queue argue after a run-in with an ex dredges up old cheating wounds (boring eavesdropping). Some young bucks taking an eating break try to prove their worldliness based on the movies they’ve seen: The Big Easy and ‘Big Trouble In Little Chinatown’ (sic).

Many in attendance are frothing to see Wagons. Just prior to their set on Stage 1, stories of past gigs attended – and Henry Wagons’ regal status in the wider Melbourne music community as well as his overall value as a human being and stand-up gentleman – are exchanged in the front rows. The frontman labels the music we’ve been listening to all day a “relentless onslaught of twang”, which cracks us up. What Wagons bring can verge on The B-52’s wannabe. One of Henry’s backing vocalists, Kelly Day, is annoying beyond belief and shimmies sexily at all times, which is at odds with what Wagons play. Emma Swift, who played earlier on Stage 2, comes out for a guest spot and puts both backing vocalists to shame. But the band could play Willie Nelson all night long and none would complain. Wagons basically wishes he were Nelson and does his very best impersonation.

Heading into Out On The Weekend, this scribe felt prepared for a BIT of yee-har, but now everything has started to sound like Cotton Fields.
Where to start with Justin Townes Earle? Punters have been bigging him up all day and recommendations to go see him have rolled in thick and fast over the past few years so expectations soar. He starts off slow and solo with a song about his papa (granddad), They Killed John Henry, then surely it’s high time to bring the backing band on and induce a right old-fashionable closing hootenanny. A couple more slow numbers. Limited banter with the drunken crowd laughing at anything and everything. Yawn. Time for a coffee. We even loiter with our brews, waiting for the vibe to lift so we can run in for a dance, but this doesn’t transpire.

And the best bit is that Out On The Weekend finishes early enough to get home, pay the babysitter and enjoy an ep of whatever DVD series you are currently in the midst of before shut-eye. Nevertheless, this proves to be a fantastic, fun-filled, family-friendly day out that will hopefully become a permanent fixture on our annual festival calendars.