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The Blues in Pink
The Thredbo Blues Festival in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia, always features some of my favourite artists, like Leesa Gentz – who we see here belting out an original from Hussy Hicks.
Fresh air, mountain walks, and music – it doesn’t get much better than January in Thredbo!
This year marked the 30th iteration of the Thredbo Blues Festival: three days of quality music in Thredbo Village: Australia’s highest alpine resort (albeit not very high!), known for its skiing in winter and hiking and mountain biking in summer.
Although I haven’t made it to all 30 festivals (by a long shot!), I have attended a few (see: Thredbo Blues), and always really look forward to attending. This year, I was lucky enough to have a couple of friends join me, and we enjoyed the mountain as much as the music. With 23 bands and multiple venues to choose from, we got plenty of exercise negotiating the extensive site.
Photographically, this festival is always a challenge: cramped spaces make for difficult angles and the lighting shoots off in all the wrong directions! One minute I’m in bright sunlight and the next minute I’m in a darkened bar. For me, that is part of the fun: trying to come up with new perspectives on often-difficult subjects.
Let me know what you think!
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Owen Campbell Trio
The festival always kicks off on the Friday afternoon with an open-air performance in the Village Square.
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Owen Campbell
It might still be summer, but the weather can be cold here in the mountains.
I first saw Owen Campbell here – many, many years ago.
Guitarist
Darren Jack
Indoors, the window shades against the sun make it feel like late night …
In the Schuss Bar
… as Darren Jack pounds out his powerhouse guitar and vocals.
Hussy Hicks
We have a dinner-show in the Cascades Restaurant.
Julz Parker
I make sure to catch Hussy Hicks any time I can!
Leesa Gentz
The Bondi Cigars in the Kosciuszko Room
As far as I could tell, it was an all-Australian line up this year, with many of the performers doubling up to help each other out.
James Southwell
Shane Pacey, the usual frontman for the Bondi Cigars, is struggling with a double hip replacement; James Southwell who also performed as a solo act, stepped in.
Leanne Paris
Downstairs in the Keller Bar …
Mal Eastick
… a full band has the crowd on their feet.
Music
The music continued well into the night – but we had to go home to bed for the early start the next day.
Foreday Riders
We were back bright and early Saturday. Brothers Jeff King (guitar) and Ron King (harmonica/vocals) formed this band in 1967. I first saw them at the Basement in Sydney back in the 1980s.
Robert Susz
I also remember the Mighty Reapers from the 1980s. On Saturday morning, they were playing in the Thredbo Village Square.
On the Chairlift
We had a lunch-date in Australia’s highest restaurant; unfortunately, we rode into cloud at the top of the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift and so didn’t get much of a view on the way up the mountain!
Rory Ellis
This is another of my favourite performers, and I was happy to introduce his growling-deep vocals and wonderful story-telling to my friends.
Rocky Trail Down the Ramshead
Although I could have taken the chair back down the mountain, I always opt to walk the four kilometre (2.5 mile) track.
Into the Woods
Fortunately, the weather cleared while we were enjoying our lunch performance.
The Colours of the Snow Gum
I’m quite sure this trail gets steeper and rougher every year!
Ghost Gums
Grass Trigger Plant – Stylidium Graminifolium
Many of the plants here are endemic to Australia.
Blue Flax Lily Grass – Dianella Tasmanica
The Colours of the Bush
The silver snow daisies (Celmisia tomentella) finished early this year; I was lucky to find one late-bloomer.
Brown Caterpillar – Heteronympha Solandri
Genevieve Chadwick
Back in the Schuss Bar, Julz Parker is helping Genevieve Chadwick on guitar.
Bass Player in Blue
We headed back to the Cascades Restaurant for another dinner performance; this time it was the Bondi Cigars, with Alan Britton on bass and Frank Corby on drums.
Roshani
Rhythm, soul, and folk blues performer Roshani opened Sunday with a wonderful rendition of Amazing Grace.
Julz Parker
We took the gondola up to Merritts for some blues in the sunshine with Hussy Hicks.
Hussy Hicks
Minnie Marks swaped out her drum kit for a turn on lead guitar.
Bek Jensen Duo
How many times have I walked up and down those (and other) stairs this weekend?
Frank Sultana Blues Band
These Delta-inspired tunes were a treat!
Drum Solo
Adrian Herbert rounded out Frank Sultana’s set.
Old Standards
In the Lounge Bar, the King brothers take us through the blues classics.
Ron King on Harmonica
Steve Edmonds
Also fronting his own band during the festival, Steve filled in for Shane Pacey in the Foreday lineup.
Nathan Cavaleri
This was one act I had to catch before heading home: I last saw Nathan as a young teen, on stage with the inimitable B B King!
There was a lot more music, but we were flagging.
I headed back down the mountain with a song in my heart.
Until next time –
Keep Dancing!
Pictures: 17-19January2025
