Performing at the Airlie Beach Festival of Music for the fourth time, Andrew Cousins is bringing a new addition with him this year – his young baby!

Uniting a music tour with a family trip, Andy will be accompanied by his wife and child, a proud moment for the man who loves telling stories about growing up, family and love through the lyrics of his music.

Having won the Airlie Beach Festival of Music Song Writing Competition with his song Islands of Love, Andy says he is looking forward to returning to a festival that has always supported him.

Andy now works as a renderer due to an injury that has prevented him from continuing to play music full time.

Travelling up the coast from Port Macquarie, he is looking forward to dropping the tools and picking up the guitar for a Party in Paradise and says he is excited to be part of the 10th annual event.

“Airlie Beach is such a family friendly place,” he said.

“Everyone goes there not to have problems but to have a good time.”

Andy first started playing music as a teenager because he found it to be a relaxing tool that allowed him to unwind.

Music was an outlet in which he could express emotions and transform a stranger to a friend.

Spending many years busking around the country and performing gigs, he has an incredible gift.

You can catch Andy playing at Sorrento’s on Saturday at 3pm.

Moment with a muso:

Favourite artists of all time: Pat Stevens

Least Favourite: New age pop because it has no feeling

Last song you listened to: 2PAC

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Andrew Cousins plays acoustic folk

“Ooh-ooh-hoo, no, Baby, please don't go”: The words lingering on the lips of locals once Australian pop royal, Jeff Duff, finishes his set at The Pub this weekend.

The famed musician, who was compared with “Sinatra, Presley, Jagger, Popeye” by Andy Warhol, will be the curtain closer for the Airlie Beach Hotel’s Live Music Weekender – a chock-full music extravaganza with four bands playing across four days.

‘Duffo’ – “One of the greatest entertainers Australia has produced,” says Molly Meldrum – has returned home with his ‘Spinning Wheel’ tour after decades of success across the globe as a solo artist and a tribute show. He’ll play the songs of two of the greatest bands on the planet in one unforgettable show this weekend at locals’ favourite local.

Rock audiences from all over the world have been blown away by the sheer power of both horn-driven bands for decades, and now ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ and ‘Chicago’ are arriving in the coastal town courtesy of Jeff Duff and his troupe of world-class musicians.

If you know rock, you’ll know Blood, Sweat & Tears, whose songs range from favourites like ‘Spinning Wheel’, to ‘You Made Me So Very Happy’, ‘When I Die’, ‘Hi De Ho’, ‘More and More’ and more, more, more.

And Chicago, with their progressive fusion of rock and blues, have a songbook filled with hits: ‘If You Leave Me Now’, ‘Make Me Smile’, ‘Saturday In The Park’, ‘25 or 6 To 4’, ‘Does Anybody Know What Time It Is’, and ‘Beginnings’.

A legend in his own right, Duffo will take on a vocal challenge that spans the decades and alongside the hottest musicians in Australia as his backing-band.

With 27 albums under his belt, including a recent album with members of legendary British rock band Deep Purple, Duffo will perform from his extensive repertoire, including from the back catalogue of his illustrious career as the front man of ‘Kush’ and his time singing out the best of David Bowie.

It’s set to a truly unforgettable Sunday afternoon, featuring some of the most incredible rock music played by Australia’s finest. And to end the afternoon is a special guest performance by The Official Blues Brothers Revue, endorsed by Judith Belushi and Dan Akroyd. You can’t get any closer to the real deal than that.

Jeff Duff will perform his Spinning Wheel show as part of the Airlie Beach Hotel’s Live Music Weekender on Sunday, November 6 from 2pm - 5.30pm. Completely, and entirely free – make sure you’ve booked your table for this epic show.

WHAT: The Music of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago in Spinning Wheel featuring Jeff Duff

WHEN: 2pm to 5.30pm on Sunday, November 6

WHERE: Airlie Beach Hotel

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“One of the greatest entertainers Australia has produced” is coming to the Airlie Beach Hotel this weekend

Jeff Duff will perform the songs of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago in a free show at The Pub

The renowned performer will bring his own voice to the music of some of the greatest bands of all time, as well as his own repertoire

We are living in a world where almost every piece of popular culture is intellectual property adjacent.

Let me explain: Movies and television, for example, are being filmed, shot, and produced that don’t just wear their influences on their sleeves, but have them broadly tattooed on their foreheads. I’ll give you the most salient example: Netflix’s Stranger Things series, something so close to Stephen King without being Stephen King that you can almost taste it. We are in an era of remakes, adaptations, and reboots. The idea that there is nothing new under the sun is being taken to the nth degree.

But is it such a bad thing that Hollywood is tickling that little bit of your brain that likes to say: “Hey, I know this. I’ve been here before.” That tasty bit of nostalgia that we all eat up - nom, nom, nom. Is it disingenuous or manipulative?

I haven’t made up my mind yet, but in the case of director Tom George’s ‘See How They Run’, influenced extensively by famed mystery author Agatha Christie – the most-celebrated writer of whodunnit novels ever (essentially creating the genre), from Murder on the Orient Express to Death on the Nile – it’s not a bad thing.

George and screenplay writer Mark Chappell have certainly dipped into the Christie soup for their film – centering their story of “murder most foul” around Christie’s own play, The Mousetrap, for good measure - but they’ve also dipped into another, more contemporary broth: Wes Anderson’s (director of the recent The French Dispatch, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and more).

Mark and George have mixed the two visionaries together. Anderson’s auteur style of directing and Christie’s exceptional ability to weave a mystery together with larger-than-life characters and intrigue but making it silly.

Here, we find ourselves in the 1950s London, where plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play are halted after a pivotal member of the crew (Adrien Brody) is murdered. World-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, finding themselves thrown into a cast of characters who could all have committed the crime.

The film doesn’t pose as high art, and you’ll recognise things within it as references and nods (and even real people), and that’s where the fun is – the performers are likeably silly, relentlessly camp, and the comedy lands almost every time.

See How They Run (M) is showing from next week at the Bowen Summergarden cinema.

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Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan in See How They run

Bowen State School commemorated their student’s excellent fundraising efforts over the month of October with a colour run last Friday.

Students raised over $6,600 dollars towards the construction of a cricket pitch at the local school.

The event is part of an Australian fundraising body known as ‘The School Fun Run’, which contributes part of the funds raised to the locally relevant Parent and Citizens (P&C) associations.

The Fun Run allows students to gain rewards by raising more money for their cause, including items from as small as a golden handball all the way to a GoPro HERO9 video camera.

Administration officer at Bowen State School Olivia Gordon said the goal was initially $5,000, which would act as part contribution towards the total cost of the project at $30,000.

“We’re hoping a little bit here and there, as well as some in-kind donations from businesses will let us achieve that goal,” Ms Gordon said.

“The Fun Run is annual and has helped us raise money for chilled water bubblers and marquees with our school emblems in previous years. It’s also something to look forward to for the kids each year.

Ms Gordon said there were variations to choose from in the Fun Run format, but Colour Runs were always the most popular choice for the local school.

“The kids really enjoy it and when we announce it, they’re so excited every time,” she said.

“It’s also a way for us to reinforce our positive behaviour for learning and four key values: being responsible, respectful, safe, and a learner. If you’re doing those things throughout the year, you’ll be rewarded with being able to attend the colour run. It’s also a great way to end a Friday!”

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Students at Bowen State School enjoyed a vibrant end to their Friday lessons with a school-wide colour fun run

Images: Declan Durrant

hosted by Bowen Neighbourhood Centre and Bowen PCYC

Images: Declan Durrant

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After years of pandemic-induced inaction, the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) is about to wrap up an amazing 2022 which was recently recognised at the Mackay Isaac Tourism Awards, winning Best Business & Event Venue.

On a night celebrating the whole community, MECC Acting Manager Jemma Carey said the award comes off the back of months of hard work from the whole team.

“It’s a really exciting time for the team to be recognised by the award,” she said.

“It’s been a huge effort from everyone right through from the cleaning team to everyone working behind stage and delivering all the productions throughout the year and the huge range of events.

While the region experiences staffing shortages, Jemma says she’s been able to rely on the team at the MECC wholeheartedly.

“We’ve been really lucky to have such great staff that have been able to deliver,” she said.

The MECC has delivered a huge calendar of concerts, conferences, exhibitions and balls this year, and Jemma says each event is important to the MECC as the last.

She cites the Planning Institute of Australia and IPWEAQ (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia) Conferences as particular highlights.

The venue also welcomed music superstars Goanna, Amy Shark, Ross Noble, Troy Casser-Daly and Ian Moss to the stage as well as a huge variety of local and touring theatre productions.

The MECC is the go-to venue for local organisations to host functions, with the space regularly hosting the Mayor’s Ball and the RACQ CQ Rescue Charity Ball.

“They’re the ones that come through regularly and we love them to bits,” said Jemma.

“They all have a really great turnout, so it shows that there’s a lot of support for the arts in the community.”

The MECC has a line-up of in-house productions to wrap up a massive year including Jane Eyre and Morning Melodies with Darren Coggan, and they’ll also be helping plenty of people celebrate the year that was, hosting Christmas parties, graduation ceremonies and formal dinners.

Jemma says the team was extremely ecstatic to win the award, especially given the calibre of other venues nominated.

“Given that Harrup Park has been doing some amazing things with the WBBL and AFLW, we knew that we had our work cut out for us,” she said.

“I think it’s a positive thing that there are some really strong venues doing really exciting things in the region.”

Jemma says the Mackay Isaac Tourism Awards was a night to celebrate Mackay as a region and the rapid growth of its events, tourism and arts sectors.

“Recognition amongst your colleagues and peers and then the wider network around Queensland as well is hugely important, particularly in an industry that’s still recovering from the Covid impact,” she said.

“It’s a huge achievement for everybody and it shows what’s happening in Mackay.

“When you look around all of those categories, it shows what comes out of this region and that it’s definitely the place to be.

“Everybody’s working together to bring the best out of the region, from the venues like us, all of the accommodation providers and the dining and tourism operators, we are all really coming together.

“From where we were ten years ago, it’s really exciting.

As humble as she is, Jemma says the award is one to be celebrated by all involved in the MECC.

“A huge congratulations to our team,” she said.

“We couldn’t do it without our people so congratulations to all of our people, staff and volunteers.”

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Friday 28 October

FMS Hydrofoil Pro Tour

Friday, October 28 to Sunday, October 30

Mackay will welcome a fleet of the world's fastest kite-hydrofoil racers set to battle it out for the coral crown. With speeds on the water up to 70 kilometres per hour, kiters will foil around the bay, hovering above the water as they fight with challenging conditions. On the shoreline, sponsor tents, equipment demos, and chill-out areas will provide some entertainment between the thrill of the race!

Lamberts Beach

Mackay Enrolment Drive

Friday, 9:30am to 12:00pm

Find out about Mackay services that can provide you support to: access daycares, playgroups, Kindy & schools; early childhood development and early intervention; training, courses, study, employment & school leaver programs; Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander family programs; CALD support; disability, health & youth support; financial supports & benefits; parenting & family support & counselling; well-being & mental health supports. This free event includes a lucky door prize, free sausage sizzle and giveaways.

CQUniversity Mackay City

World Community Day

Friday, 10:00am

Men and women, old and young, everyone is invited to attend the Australian Church Women annual World Community Day church service featuring guest preacher the Rev. Lyn Burden, former Superintendent, Wesley Mission Queensland, and the Whitsunday Anglican School Choir, grades 3-6, conducted by Ms Susie Fredline. Offering to the Fellowship of the Least Coin, a collection of the smallest coin in a given currency, which even the poorest person can afford. Morning tea to follow prepared by The Care Kitchen. All welcome.

St Paul’s Uniting Church, Macalister Street

Sew Centre Open Day

Induction - Friday, October 28, 2pm to 2.45pm

Open Day - Saturday, October 29, 9am to 1pm

Come along to a Sew Centre Open Day and access the sewing machines, overlockers and dressmaker mannequins for your own projects. You will need to know basic sewing techniques and be able to work without supervision.  A short induction is required to be completed prior to attending an open day. Book online to attend the induction and open day. The Sew Centre is for adults aged 18 and above.

Gordon White Library

Sarina Sugar Shed Halloween Party

Friday, 4:00pm to 8:30pm

Delight the senses while enjoying a spooktacular evening out with the family at the Sarina Sugar Shed for this year’s Halloween party. Free entry, kids’ activities and live entertainment with mysterious morsels and creepy cocktails in the café bar. Ticketed events are also included with Paint & Popcorn sessions with Bottletops & Brushes for all ages and supernatural Cocktail Masterclasses for adults.

Sarina Sugar Shed

Friday SUN.sets

Every Friday Evening From 6pm

Knock off drinks, lakeside dinner, good friends, and LIVE MUSIC.

Wake House Australia

Reclaim The Night Rally

Friday, 5:30pm

Join at 5:30pm for the Reclaim the Night rally in Mackay. Women have the right to walk the streets at night. Be part of the solution, stop the violence.

Bluewater Quay

Mackay West Rotary Christmas Fair 2022

Friday and Saturday, 5:30pm to 9:00pm

Join in for the first fair of the Christmas season and have a fun night out for the whole family! Free entry. Get your photos taken with Santa or watch the D&M Electrical fireworks spectacular each night PLUS ham and meat tray wheel, cent sale, pick of the shelf, bottle & sweets stalls, jumping castles, animal petting farm, cup and saucer ride, dodgem cars, merry go round, face painting and food and drinks. Mackay West Rotary is a community service organisation and all proceeds go to local charities. Join the festivities and support your local community by supporting the Christmas Fair!

Mackay Showgrounds

Saturday 29 October

Harvest Music Development Program – Workshop 2: The Art of Music Promotion & Publicity

Saturday, 10:00am to 2:00pm

The Harvest program provides the opportunity for local emerging and established performers and music industry practitioners to develop, extend on and improve their professional industry skills through a range of free workshops being held at various locations in Mackay until Thursday, November 3. This weekend will be Workshop 2 – The Art of Music Promotion & Publicity and it will unpack the key elements involved and provide the tools needed to reach your audiences. Register online to attend.

Lynette Denny Space, The MECC

Mackay Rainbow Pride Family Fun Day

Saturday, 4:00pm to 8:00pm

Come together for colourful fun to celebrate pride, diversity and community with a parade around Queens Park followed by music, entertainment, games, stalls, food and coffee vendors and local support organisations. The free event is intended to support and increase awareness and visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community in Mackay.

Iconic Shelter, Queens Park

The Wild Sky @ Red Dog Brewery

Saturday, 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Join The Wild Sky for a night of sweet music and tasty local beer.

Red Dog Brewery

Broken Ballerina Ball

Saturday, 7:00pm

Dedicated to raising money and awareness for domestic violence, the Broken Ballerina Charity Ball invites guests to dress up in anything from cocktail outfits to fancy dress with 80s theme. All money raised from the charity ball will go directly to local projects that actively help families living in the area. Tickets include nibbles and a two-course meal, a drink on arrival, guest speakers, a charity auction and a DJ playing hits from the 80s. Email pete@brokenballerina-inc.com.au for tickets.

Mackay Northern Beaches Bowls Club

The MECC Presents Jane Eyre – A Shake & Stir Theatre Co Production

Saturday, 7:30pm

Witness one of the most iconic pieces of English literature retold in a faithful yet fiercely original new stage adaptation from the nationally renowned Shake & Stir Theatre Co (Animal Farm, Dracula). This stunning new production of a spirited orphan in search of love, family and a sense of belonging will set a fire blazing in your soul.

MECC Auditorium

Sunday 30 October

Sunday Live Music – Viva Acoustic

Sunday, 2:00pm to 5:00pm

Music every Sunday from 2pm - 5pm. Head down to the Seabreeze Hotel this Sunday for some fresh tunes, delicious food, and ice-cold brews.

Seabreeze Hotel

Wednesday 2 November

Mackay Farmers’ Market

Every Wednesday, 6:30am to 10:30am

The market is a showcase of our region’s amazing produce direct from the farmer.

Bluewater Quay

Sugar City Rock and Roll Mackay Club Wednesday Night Lessons

Every Wednesday, 7:00pm

Why not come along and learn to rock ‘n’ roll in a friendly and fun atmosphere with the Sugar City Rock ‘n’ Rollers Mackay Club? Previous experience is not required. Everyone learns at their own pace and, even better, the first lesson is free on your way to learning the four step style of rock ‘n’ roll. $5 for members and $8 for non-members after that. The club caters for social activities for club members with regular dances with live bands in attendance and away trips. For further enquiries call 0408 983 911.

58 Macalister St, Mackay

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What do you get when you combine sweet and sassy vocals, trombone, toy piano, guitar and half a drum kit?

Lily and King is what; a self-proclaimed “carni-junkyard”.

Lily and King are making the trek from Melbourne to Airlie Beach next weekend for their third Airlie Beach Festival of Music and their first major festival since the pandemic.

“I’m so looking forward to walking around town in shorts and thongs and a singlet,” laughed Tony King, who plays guitar and half a drum kit with his feet.

Lily and King formed 15 years ago, almost by accident, when Lisa “Lily” Baird asked then workmate Tony to play guitar on some original songs she had written.

A double bass player in a jazz group at the time, Tony agreed and, 15 years later, Lily and King have crafted a unique sound and infectious performance.

“It was a fairly quirky kind of thing, we gradually added instruments to what we were doing,” said Tony.

Starting as a guitar/vocals duo, more and more instruments entered the mix over the years, giving Lily’s trombone and toy piano talents an opportunity to shine.

“It’s basically a little junkyard play by two people,” Tony said.

A Lily and King set is made up of entirely original songs written about unusual themes, drawing on elements of folk, blues and jazz.

“It can go from really quiet ballads to full-on folk punk, in your face stuff for dancing and everything in between,” Tony said.

“As soon as Lily gets on that trombone, pretty much everybody’s listening.

“She’s a very demanding player and it’s a fairly dominating instrument.

“The act varies a fair bit depending on where we are and the environment.

“We rarely work with a setlist, we normally change things to suit.

“We’ve got so many songs now that we’re pretty adaptable.”

Tony says audiences can expect something out of the ordinary from Lily and King.

“It’s as much something for the eye as it is for the ear, just watching how the sounds piece together,” he said.

“We guarantee it’ll be quite unlike anything they’ve seen before.”

Having played on the festival circuit for the last decade, Tony says he can’t wait to get to Airlie Beach and see friends new and old.

He’s excited to check out all of the other bands playing the festival, namely The Animals.

“I remember when I was first learning how to play guitar, the first song I always wanted to learn was House of the Rising Sun and I couldn’t bloody play the thing and decades later I’m on the same bill as the Animals, which is exciting.”

“We love the festival vibe and the fact that you can be in one setting and not have to get in your car or take public transport, you can just walk around from one place to the next and eat, drink and see great music.

“That’s the beautiful thing about a festival.

“I think that infects the performers; we go about things with a different mindset.

“We’re pretty keen on getting there, that’s for sure.”

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Quick Quiz

Favourite band of all time: Led Zeppelin - “That changes from week to week.”

Least favourite song: “I can’t even think of one … I’ve always been careful not to bag anything. There’s things that I really don’t like for one reason or another but that might be someone else’s cup of tea.”

Favourite song to play: “The Mermaid’s Last Chord. It’s a really slow ballad but it ends up being different every single time we play it.”

Last song you listened to: Rue The Day by Ed Kuepper

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Twenty excited children from Gargett, Eungella, Mirani and places in between attended the Crafty Hands Holiday Workshops for Valley Kids held recently at the Gargett CWA hall.  

Aged from nine to 17, these local kids settled eagerly, and in some cases, nervously, into knitting, crochet, sashiko and basket weaving groups led by members of the Valley Spinners and Crafts Group.

Over the two days, the children progressed from knowing nothing, or very little, to mastering the basics of their chosen craft.  

This holiday event was a great opportunity for Valley kids to make new friends and have fun.  

Valley Spinners have staged many events over the years, but these children’s workshops were a first for the club.  

Amongst the members, there is an incredible wealth of creativity and talent in the four workshop crafts as well spinning, loom weaving, lace-making, tatting, felting, embroidery, dyeing and others.  

For many members, crafting is a lifelong love.

Ann Dittmar-McCollim, who first suggested the idea for this event said it was wonderful for the club to share skills with younger ones and to show them how much crafting means.

“It’s not just a skill or creative avenue for us, but also a wonderful way to build and sustain friendships,” she said.

Event co-ordinator, Cheryl Johns was very heartened to see kids return for the second day even more excited than they were the previous week.  

“By the end of day two, everyone had items finished or well-and-truly in progress that they could proudly ‘show and tell’,” Cheryl said.  

“Edges were crocheted, baskets woven and samplers knitted or stitched.

“The children’s enthusiasm, focus and behaviour were a credit to themselves, their families and teachers.”

According to the exit survey, all the children felt they had learnt a lot, many had made new friends and most were keen to pursue crafting further.

“The extremely positive feedback we received from the children, parents and other community members made the many months of planning worthwhile,” said club president Margaret Borg

“I think our members came away feeling that they had learnt one or two things from the children.  

“We have already been chatting about similar events we might run in the future.”

This project was generously supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund – a partnership between the Queensland Government and the Mackay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Qld.

Contributed with thanks by Cheryl Johns

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It’s funny to think that, in the latter days of the superhero genre, where audiences are becoming more and more fatigued after greater than a decade’s worth of Marvel and DC Comics films, a Black Adam movie has finally made it to screen.

For those not in the know, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been attached to a Black Adam-type project since 2005, with the movie stuck in this will-they-wont-they, development hell. Amongst a large contingent of the movie media – press and commentators, mostly – it became a running joke. The film was never going to be made.

When an actor is attached to a role for the better part of a decade and a half, the project is almost always destined to fall apart. Yet, somehow, Black Adam managed to stay together and Johnson has his day in the sun as the DC Comics anti-hero.

It's been a strange ride, considering at the time of casting, Johnson was better known as The Rock – one of the world’s biggest wrestlers – and now he’s quite literally the world’s biggest movie star.

Johnson is Black Adam, a character who’s been bestowed with almighty powers of the gods before being imprisoned for 5,000 years and is brought back into the modern day, finding himself as a violent anti-hero fighting for justice.

Seemingly born to be a superhero with his imposing bulk, Johnson has stepped in front of the greenscreen as Black Adam, decked out in Spandex that reminds us of his WWE wrestling ring days. The character he portrays has had an enduring history at DC, and there’s not too much of that here; instead, Black Adam’s imposing, draconian personality is replaced by the Rock’s movie-star charisma – potentially to the detriment of the fuller DC Universe.

In an age of the anti-hero for comic-book movies, Black Adam is a serviceable showing that has a major draw: The Rock and smashing things.

Black Adam (M) is showing at the Bowen Summergarden Cinema now.

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Dwayne Johnson is Black Adam

We’ve seen a lot of great rock bands come out of WA, what was the scene like as you were coming through and how have you seen it change?

It’s ebbed and flowed in lots of different ways. Perth’s always been one of those places that felt so isolated, we’re really just surrounded by deserts and ocean over here and if you want to go anywhere you’ve got to get on a plane. Perth’s always had that, so this “do-it-yourself” attitude has always come out of the bands and the scene.

We had decided, once we put out our first record, that we were going to be a “Perth band”, which wasn’t really a thing back in those days. Generally, if you got any fame, you’d move out of Perth because it was just too expensive to fly back and forth, but we decided to stay there. By the time it got to about 2004, we had a cool little jam room, and we had the only recording set up in town so all of our friends’ bands were hanging out and, as these bands were doing demos in our back shed, they were getting signed, bands like End of Fashion, Sleepy Jackson, Little Birdy. All of these bands evolved out of that and that was a really awesome solidifying of the Perth scene for the first time since we first came along. The mid-2000s were an exciting time that bands didn’t have to leave Perth. Then, in that time, bands like John Butler came up and fast forward to the 2010s, bands like Tame Impala and San Cisco came up and all started to call Fremantle and Perth home.

How has your approach to writing a song changed over time?

The fundamentals always apply. You go into a room, you try and create a song to the best of your abilities, but it’s really not until you get to the workshopping of that song. You write the vague verse and chorus, but the workshopping is where those things change. In Esky’s, through those periods of ‘A Song Is a City’ and ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’, it was really literally me on an acoustic guitar, writing most of the song, and then we’d turn that into an Eskimo Joe song. The way that it works now and the nature of how people want to be satisfied creatively, we tend to leave a little bit more open before we get into a room together, so we’ll have ideas, but we won’t have fully formed ideas. Now it’s generally myself and Joel (Quartermain) sitting down in a room, starting a song from scratch and that’s how the last couple of Esky songs we put out were written.
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‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ has become almost an anthem, what was it like to see so many people take to the song like that?

It was pretty magical. When we first wrote that song, I had the initial idea and I called up Joel and by the end of that day we had the first demo of that song. You kind of know when you discover a new idea and there was something to that song. It felt really effortless, but it also signalled this new sound that we hadn’t gone down before. We, at that point in time, were feeling pretty ambitious. We ambitiously wanted to make a record that was unashamedly, widescreen Australiana. We went into that with the ambition of making a record that was going to be a huge album. By the time we recorded that song, we knew it was going to do as well as it was going to do.

Has it ever become a song that you get tired of playing or hearing about?

With songs like ‘From the Sea’ and ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’, I think they’re good songs and I enjoy playing them still. I don’t ever get sick of them. The energy that we get back off the crowd every time we play them, everyone will sing the first line of the song back at you, that never gets old, that is an amazing feeling. We appreciate every moment of it.
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How excited are you to come over to Airlie Beach for the Festival of Music?

It’s going to be awesome. There’s a bunch of other bands we’re looking forward to seeing, as well. Its just such a pleasure to go out and play live music again because we’ve not had it for the last couple of years, so to go out there, reconnect with the fanbase and crowds who have desperately wanted to see some proper music again is just so much fun wherever that may be, but Airlie Beach is such a beautiful location that it’s going to be a huge pleasure. It’s also where I started to write the beginnings of the song ‘London Bombs’, so I have a bit of a mental attachment to Airlie Beach.

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Photo credit: Jarrad Seng

The sun shone on the Mackay Community Garden on Sunday as the inaugural Food Forest Fest delivered delightful tunes, delicious food and outstanding vibes.

Attendees were treated to live music from Jax and Dani, live art from Celeste, Cynthia, Brooke, Ruby and Sue Nami, sound healing, niche markets, children’s activities and a serving of delectable dahl for lunch.

The markets showcased the hard work of the volunteers in maintaining a haven of gardening and permaculture and is hoped to be held seasonally.

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One of the lucky few musicians who has been able perform professionally his whole life, Lloyd Spiegel usually visits 15 countries a year spreading his unique and modern take on Blues to audiences around the world.

For the past few years, however, this Melbourne-based artist has been largely stuck at home waiting for pandemic restrictions to ease so that he can continue doing what he loves.

“I’ll never take being able to play live music for granted again!” he said.

“This has been the longest I’ve stayed in Melbourne for the past 20 years and now it’s great to be back connecting with audiences and doing what I love.”

Having just returned from the Netherlands and booked for a gig in Canada in January, Lloyd managed to squeeze Airlie Beach Festival of Music (ABFoM) into his busy calendar this year.

“I’ve been booked [for ABFoM] three times but this is the first time I’ve been able play!” he laughs.

“I’ve gigged in Airlie several times over the years, but this will be the first time I’ve been back in about 15 years.”

Returning with his drummer and trombonist, Lloyd says music is in his blood and he likes to transcend what people would normally expect from a Blues gig.

“My father was the founder of the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society, and I didn’t know there was any other option than to get into music myself!”

“My music is all about subverting the cliches of Blues music and trying to change and modernise it.”

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Quick Quiz

Favourite artist: Tom Waits

Favourite song: Guilty by Randy Newman

Song you love to play: Murder for Breakfast

Last song you listened to: The Quaker City Night Hawks

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Blues artist Lloyd Spiegel has been playing gigs since he was 10

After winning Passport to Airlie in 2019, Lash78 will make their triumphant return to the Airlie Beach Festival of Music this year, bringing an evolved sound but the same enthralling energy.

Hailing from Melbourne, Lash78 combines the vocal talents of sisters Lauren and Sheridan Harvey who, with family members entrenched in the music scene, were destined to perform.

“Growing up, we attended rock concerts together and that was from the time that we could walk, really,” said Sheridan.

In late 2008, Lauren joined the cast of ‘Billy Elliott the Musical’ taking on the role of ‘Debbie’ for the shows Melbourne run.

Meanwhile, Sheridan was developing and showcasing her skills, getting into the busking scene and performing at festivals, conventions and on radio.

At the ages of seven and eight, the sisters joined forces and busked together for the first time at Tamworth Country Music Festival, hence the name Lash78.

“Post-Lauren being on Billy Elliot, we just kept busking because it was such a phenomenal opportunity,” said Sheridan.

“We connected with councils, we were getting council gigs, getting flown to Queensland and Adelaide for a couple of conventions, so the experience and the contacts we got out of that, you couldn’t put a price on that.”

17 years later, Lash78 have an EP to their name and a wealth of experience on the stage, performing with the likes of Lee Kernaghan, The McClymonts, Adam Harvey, Russell Morris and Mahalia Barnes.

Throughout it all, Lauren and Sheridan have remained true to themselves and true to each other.

“We’re really authentically us all the time,” said Sheridan.

“It’s really chaotic sometimes but we’re also able to snap it back together when it comes to crunch time.

“We’re very lucky that we get along most of the time which helps the dynamic,” added Lauren.

“We’ve been raised to have each other’s backs.

“It’s amazing, we’re very close, we’re very present in each other’s lives.”

“But also, we’re able to challenge each other to take that next step musically,” said Sheridan.

“We can probably push each other more than friends can because, at the end of the day, we’ll still have to have a family dinner together,” said Lauren.

The music industry has changed a lot since Lash78 last performed at the Airlie Beach Festival of Music and Lauren and Sheridan say their sound has too; a fusion of every genre they grew up listening to.

“We’ve always had the same vision for our music,” said Sheridan.

“We started in the country market and made our way into pop and that rock pop side came in as well.

“That was an emergence of every single thing that we’d grown up with.”

“For the people who were at the festival in 2019, they can expect a surprise,” added Lauren.

“We’ve gone in a completely different direction to what we did as a duo and we’ve really amped it up and we’re ready to melt some faces.”

Favourite bands of all time: Foo Fighters, Paramore, The Poor, P!nk, The Veronicas, Heart

Least favourite song: Cheerleader by OMI

Favourite song to play: “We’re very original focused but a crowd-pleaser that always goes off is AC/DC - Long Way To The Top,” said Sheridan.

Last song you listened to: Karma by Taylor Swift

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The Airlie Beach Festival of Music is just around the corner, with over a hundred talented musicians from all over the country (some from all over the world!) arriving in the Whitsundays in the coming days.

This Thursday the central ticket office at the Whitsunday Sailing Club mainstage tent will open, offering festival attendees a place to purchase tickets and collect their pre-paid wristbands.

It is open from 10am but if you come down from 6pm that evening you will also be able to watch the Passport to Airlie Grand Final which will feature eight talented musical acts from all across Australia.

These eight finalists have been hand-selected from dedicated competitions, winning their heats to receive a place in the grand finale.

They will all play on the mainstage on Thursday evening and the winner will be in the line-up to play on the mainstage next year.

After the eight acts there will be a special performance by event ambassador, Sarah McLeod from The Superjesus.

Get ready for a party like no other in tropical paradise – with jaw-dropping sea views this is the festival where live music meets the Great Barrier Reef.

The mainstage, located inside the striking big-top tent, is an intimate festival village which hosts craft beer stalls and pop-up bars, food vans and of course a huge stage with high-tech lighting and sound.

Three day passes cost $300 and full-day passes are $140.

Tickets can be purchased online at airliebeachfestivalofmusic.com.au or from the dedicated ticketing office outside the main stage.

WHAT: Airlie Beach Festival of Music

WHERE: Whitsunday Sailing Club

WHEN: 4-6 November

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Get ready for a party in paradise next weekend!