Riverboats Music Festival 2022
Eucha – Moama 18-20 February 2022
Review: Nick Corr Photos: Mark Hopper.
Braving the Friday afternoon early peak hour traffic, we managed to clear the city and tackle the Calder Freeway for the not quite three hour trek from Melbourne to Echuca-Moama for the 10th Anniversary of the wonderful Riverboats Music Festival.
Unfortunately, I missed the start of Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys which is a shame, as her recent album Late Night Essentials is an absolute cracker on high-rotation in my house. I did get to hear the tail end of her show, which included ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’, a set closing ‘All My Friends Are Dancers’, and a public service announcement for the ladies at that festival that bass player Nick is single and ready to mingle.
Henry Wagons, stepping in at late notice to substitute for a quarantining Brian Nankervis, is resplendent in silver sequinned jacket. He does Brian proud all weekend, acknowledging he’s borrowed a few tricks from his playbook such as throwing soft frisbees into the crowd; but also giving his own spin on things, like busting out the acoustic guitar for an impromptu run through Bruce Springsteen’s ‘State Trooper’.
Riverina-bred singer songwriter William Crighton puts in a powerful set of blues-based songs drawing from his most recent album ‘Water & Dust’ with Jeff Lang guesting on guitar. For me the set highlight was ‘Jesus Blues’ from his self-titled debut album with it’s “I want my money back” echoing around the natural amphitheatre.
Vika & Linda Bull bring Friday night to a close with a family friendly vibe mixing gospel with crowd pleasing favourites such as The Black Sorrows ‘Hold On To Me’ and a set closing cover of ‘Feelin’ Good’.
Another Riverboats experience not to be missed are the Paddlestreamer sideshows, where artists from the festival play more intimate shows aboard the Pride of the Murray paddlesteamer as it cruises gently up the Murray River and back. Fortunately after missing the bulk of her set on Friday night I was able to stowaway for Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys Saturday morning Paddlesteamer side show. More accurately it could have been called Caitlin Harnett and The Pony Boy – as it was just herself and guitarist Sam Montague for a stripped back set that put the focus more on the lyrics and storytelling. With ‘5am’ from Late Night Essentials particularly effective in this format.
Kutcha Edwards early Saturday afternoon set was perfect for the location as the part songwriter, part activist interspersed songs and stories, as his press kit puts it succinctly: Kutcha uses music to create connections across cultures, generations, and spaces.
As the temperature began to climb, Liz Stringer and her impressively tight band provided a laid-back groove for hot Saturday arvo. Her set drew material mostly from her acclaimed 2021 release First Time Really Feeling, with highlights including ‘Dangerous’ and the ominous ‘Metrologist’.
Custard’s early evening set was one long reminder of how brilliant they are and how many fantastic songs they have produced over the years. Kicking off with ‘Scared of Skill’ from their 1997 album We Have the Technology, as lead singer Dave McCormack joked, “we thought our best strategy was to open with an obscure album track from a record we recorded 26 years ago.” From their most recent album 2020’s Respect All Life Forms they included ‘Couples Fight’, “Funky Again” and their cover of Camper Van Beethoven’s ‘Take The Skinheads Bowling’. Selections from their rich back catalogue included ‘Lucky Star’, ‘Girls Like That’, ‘Anatomically Correct’, ‘Alone’, and ‘Apartment’, before ending on “Pack Yr Suitcases” and a quick run through b-side ‘Caboolture Speed Lab’.
With the temperature now pushing over 30, unfortunately Fulton Street couldn’t compete with a quick dip at nearby Moama beach – however there was a real buzz after returning to the festival with people raving about their soulful grooves.
Hitting the stage a little after 8pm and playing as the sun went down, Baker Boy was backed by a live band, extra vocalist, 2 backing dancers and a ton of samples. It was certainly a high-energy set that appealed to the families and myriad of kids roaming the festival site. The show included a great double shot of ‘Mr La De Dah’ and ‘Cool As Hell’, with the later seeing Baker Boy incorporate dance move challenges from the crowd. Closing with ‘Marryuna’ which made great use of guest vocalist for the “Yolŋu people our music is growing / I’m using my songs the river is flowing” refrain.
Headlining Saturday night Weddings, Parties, Anything reforming for the first time since 2012 kicked off with ‘Sergeant Small’ and as their new t-shirt proclaims ‘The Best Awakens’. Tonight’s show saw early bass-player Pete Lawler returning to the line-up for the first time in over 20 years to sub for a quarantining Stephen ‘Irish’ O’Prey. The set included early classic such as ‘Roaring Days’, ‘Industrial Town’, ‘Under The Clocks’ and a main-set closing ‘Away Away’. ‘Sisters of Mercy’ was dedicated to NSW nurses with dismay that a song about striking medical workers is still relevant 36 years later. Returning for a quick two song encore, including the well loved Triffids cover ‘Wide Open Road’ and a fitting ‘For A Short Time’ to close the evening.
Unfortunately, other commitments had me returning to Melbourne early Sunday, but I did manage to enjoy some of Freya Josephine Hollick’s country croon drifting across the river as we loaded up on coffee and provisions for the drive.
Even a curtailed experience was still fantastic, brilliant location, great setup and a very cruisy single stage which meant no running around between stages and people could find their spot for the day and just relax and enjoy the music. It’s easy to understand why 80% of Riverboats Festival goers are returning patrons, I’ll certainly be back.