Live Review: West Coast Roots 'N' Blues

A little too sweaty for this time of year, punters were ready to get their groove on at West Coast Blues 'N' Roots. Early on in the day, local Perthian Dave Hole absolutely shredded on his guitar, taking his slide solos from above the neck rather than below.

Young Englishman Jake Bugg attracted a big crowd with twangy vocals that matched his guitar perfectly. Hit song Two Fingers was met with raucous applause from the swelling crowd, though it wouldn't have killed him to look like he was actually enjoying what he was doing. Nobody seemed to care though, and his final track, Lightning Bolt, had everyone dancing along.

Fellow Brits Morcheeba were inspired to cover David Bowie's Let's Dance when they discovered their pilot en route to Perth was of the same name, and the well-known Rome Wasn't Built In A Day went down a treat.

Texas-based Gary Clarke Jr. began his soulful, bluesy, groove-laden set with old standard Catfish Blues , before incorporating his own tunes into the set. Sweet number Please Come Home showcased his stunning, Curtis Mayfield-esque falsetto, and his array of beautiful guitars had every guitarist in the crowd frothing at the mouth.

The Doobie Brothers took to the undercover Big Top stage following Steve Earle & The Dukes, putting on arguably one of the best sets of the day. Featuring two drummers playing synchronised grooves, and at least three people on guitar at any given time, anyone who thought they might be seeing a band that the rock-and-or-roll lifestyle has been unkind to over the years was deeply mistaken. The Brothers laid down song after song, as tight as it has ever been, finishing up with the evident crowd pleaser Listen To The Music. John McFee exercised some serious multi-instrumentalism over the course of the set, playing lap steel, guitar, harmonica and violin, before he was needed over at Elvis Costello's set.

Originally from Sydney, Matt Corby's stunning vibrato echoed throughout the grounds in an intense set that highlighted this guy's versatility. Recent hit Resolution made an appearance early in the set and he was accompanied by almost everyone in the vicinity with this one. Using a loop pedal for Trick Of The Light, he managed to beat-box and hum to support himself expertly, and of course he ended with his breakthrough single, Brother, which unfortunately lacked the first few lines due to technical difficulties.

Recently (as in the day previous) returning from a massive tour around Europe and the US, fellow Sydneysiders Boy & Bear were rapturously welcomed home, playing a killer set filled with hits from both of their albums. Interestingly, placing Tim Hart up the front with his drum kit rather than the conventional back-of-stage location gave the band the advantage of playing a tight set that others would have to refer to the back of the stage to achieve. Ending on old favourite, Feeding Line had the increasingly inebriated crowd having the time of their lives trying to sing along.

Swaggering his way onto the stage, John Mayer just about melted the panties off every woman within a 500m radius with his smooth caramel voice (and every guitarist too, with those mad skills). Playing a good mix of new and old tracks, recent singles Wildfire and Paper Doll had everyone bopping along early, and almost every song contained an epic guitar solo from the man himself. Covering Van Morrison's And It Stoned Me and ending with oldie-but-a-goodie Waiting On The World To Change, Mayer delivered a stunning set that, along with The Doobie Brothers, proved the highlight of the day.

Unfortunately Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros were not in their finest form, with their tracks not transferring to a live performance as well as might be hoped.

Ending the day with America's Dave Matthews Band saw the Park Stage explode with innovative, intricate arrangements that had fans well and truly satisfied by their massive two-hour set. Well on its way to being a long-standing tradition in the City of Fremantle, the 11th Annual West Coast Blues 'N' Roots left every man, woman and the occasional baby screaming for more.