Billed as the “Full Moon Muster”, the Port Fairy Football and Netball Club’s ambitious project to stage an outdoor concert on the eve of Winter in the South West looked like a winner if it didn’t rain. With a clear sky and brilliant full moon, only the single digit temperature reading and the neighbouring Koroit Irish Festival could be blamed for the less than anticipated box office
sales.
Such external factors did not, however, impact on the quality of performance and the traditional “warm up” acts met both the temperature and the small crowd head on. First up was Port Fairy band, Hiway, featuring Mal Hill, Heath Cameron and Chelsea Rees. Their entertaining set of mostly original tunes was enhanced when Oriel Glennon joined them on stage - consummating the union with a duo on Mal’s best known country song - “Australasian cowboy” - before moving into some covers such “I shall be released” as well as some of Oriel’s original songs.
The next act on was a Melbourne based band called “Sons of the outback” - noted as much for their tight punchy original songs as their local links. Bass player, Wayne “Nobby” Stewart is an ex-Port Fairy resident and has played locally in such bands as the Jammers. Guitarist Rodger Delfos is an ex-member of the “Dead Livers” who had a single in the early eighties which described the
Star of the West Hotel in Port Fairy. The focal point of the act was leader singer Glenn Johns, who wrote all the original material, and looked like a 28 year old Dwight Yoakam. His stage antics included standing atop the bass drum and, at a later point, leaping into the air and landing on stage doing the splits (without losing his cowboy hat or guitar).
By the time the headlining act, Aria winner Troy Cassar Daley, took to the stage the temperature had dropped even further. Warrnambool musician Eric Read showed the crowd how to keep warm as he lead portions of the audience in a dance routine while Cassar-Daley rattled through his hits such as “Dream out loud” and “Ramblin’
Man”, before trying out some new songs on a live audience prior to committing them to his next CD. His audience rapport was great and he drew the dispersed crowd into a tight knit group closer to the stage. His ninety minute set and customary encore left no-one dissatisfied, although many headed for more temperate environs immediately after the final announcement by compere Ken Smith, a
presenter of one of the several country music shows on 3WAY-FM.