Faster Louder article 22/03/11 – “Perth Street Culture and Arts Festival”

“… soul acts such as Shameem Taheri-Lee whose sultry vocal style and the sensual musicality of her backing band enthralled audiences and captivated onlookers…”

Northbridge, infamous for the ne’er do wells and folk of dubious moral character that stalk its foreboding streets at night was transformed in to a veritable fête de la musique last Sunday for the Perth Street Culture and Arts Festival. Located on William Street, stretching from the Moon Café by Newcastle Street to the Perth Mosque, the festival was relatively small in size, however whatever it lacked in quantity it easily compensated for in quality.

Stalls offering Asian cuisine, eastern remedies, discount clothes, environmental cause recruitment, art exhibitions, and small curios littered the street. The calls of vendors selling field mushrooms for six dollars a kilo or cheap, gimcrack jewellery filled the air; Chinese dragons performed on the street, twisting and winding themselves in a life-like manner while small children playfully tugged their hindquarters and a stilt walking geisha strolled past presiding over an anomalous caravan of men who had garbed themselves in tropical leaves and bamboo whilst sounding bells. This however, was nothing compared to the musical performances lined up for the day.

Split between two stages and a small street corner, some seventeen bands and dancing troupes were to entertain the crowds. Sneaky Weasel Gang, Natalie Gillespie, San Cisco, Shameem Taheri-Lee, The Groovesmiths, Tara Speckman, and the Chung Wah Dancers are just some of the many performers that were showcased.

From soul acts such as Shameem Taheri-Lee whose sultry vocal style and the sensual musicality of her backing band enthralled audiences and captivated onlookers, to San Cisco an incredibly talented group of young, high school graduates who churned out catchy indie pop songs like seasoned pros. They played songs from their recently released EP Golden Revolver and judging by the crowd reaction, San Cisco won over more than a couple of fans.

As the afternoon progressed, the exhibitions included a small fashion runway and a Falun Dafa (a form of Chinese Buddhism) demonstration. Meanwhile, people congregated towards the main stage as Natalie Gillespie came on, her crazy, untamed hair was matched only by her vivacious and nutty stage presence. She jumped, shook, swung, laughed and swayed all the while singing her kooky little heart out on stage and despite admitted preliminary unease within the band over their newly-joined drummer, the band was able to play a spectacular set, topped by the piece de resistance, an impromptu egg shaker solo.

On the small stage, The Groovesmiths, an incredibly funky quintet, laid down heavy conga-based rhythms and a small but breath-taking free-form jazz outfit played out on the street.

To end the day, Perth favourites the Sneaky Weasal Gang came out to deliver the funky blues-rock songs that they have built their name around. The trio came out looking a little worse for wear and apologising to the crowd “sorry if we appear a little fragile, we are”. Apparently the abuse of the free booze policy at a Denmark wedding had led to a rough night and subsequent morning waking up in a puddle of water. Nonetheless, while the band were unanimated on stage, the songs were of a high calibre. Face-melting guitar solos and a groove that could sink ships ended the festival on a high note. After a few thank yous from the mayor, people began shuffling back down William Street.

The Street Culture and Arts Festival was a great family outing as well as a tremendous opportunity to experience some of Perth’s more spectacular local bands and a chance for amateur gastronomists to step outside their comfort zone and experience Asian cookery. The only negative aspect of the day was the barrage of flyers. Every few metres passers-by were forced to counter the bombardment of flyer distributors with cursory smiles and polite a ‘no, thank you.’ while the more clever and agile pedestrians were able to detour these street hawkers, eventually even the most ingenious escape artists were eventually confronted. That said, it was a small price to pay for an overall sensational day out.