Piece of true-blue Australia

Press, 1 February 1986, Page 16

Piece of true-blue Australia

By

ISOBEL KING

AAP correspondent, NZPA-AAP Tamwortii

Something in Tamworth underlies the slide guitars, the hick crowds, the unshaven faces in brimmed hats, and the dedicated drinkers who stand belly-to-belly along its streets.

It is a piece of true-blue Australia that draws together people from all walks of life, shelving the normal barriers of protocol and creating an atmosphere of rare comradeship, held together by an abundance of beer, music and good will.

For the most part, the Tamworth Country Music Festival is far more than country music, and all the Hicksville connotations that term raises.

A love of country music is not a prerequisite for attending the festival and it is easy to find a programme that sidesteps all country music.

The influence of folk music is equally strong at the festival, with a choice of bluegrass, banjo, flatpicking guitar, a Battle of the Bushbands competition and the more raunchy tones of, bush rock, with its emphasis on elec-

trie fiddles and guitars.

While buskers rub shoulders, on . the main street, with their renditions of “Raw Hide” and classic country tunes, pubs rock to a different beat

Covers of the Steve Miller Band,. Status Quo and Daddy Cool have crowds overflowing the dance floor, roping in weary bystanders, turning total strangers into soulmates.

In this atmosphere there are no loners.

The sobering quality of low-key artists can always be found mere steps away, when the party

atmosphere becomes too much. Articulate and witty story-tellers put their words to music, ‘ with faultless harmonies and tunes that earn wild applause at the end of each song. Inspired by the appreciative audiences, these artists give • of themselves something extra that city pubs never seem to capture.* On the night, a singerguitarist, Eric Bogle performed in a small, low-lit room of the big Tamworth Workmen’s Club, the noise of other bands filtered through the walls from adjoining areas, at times drowning the softer verses. At any other time, it would have been a contentious point with the audience that had paid sAust6 for the performance. But a different code ruled these proceedings. The little Scotsman on stage made it yet another focus of humour, the audience laughed along and ; for two hours the noise was forgotten. ~ J Midnight in Tamworth ? does not mean pub closing i either, as rules are) waived to accommodate.' the mood. ? t?

Bush dances with well-, known bands like Sydney’s Flying Emus .and Melbourne’s Dead Livers start at j 12.30 a.m., and partners are twirled and spun:? for many more hours. ; , For the hard-nosed parthe various camp grounds offer 24-hour entertainment ; > Many a person bragged of a? three-hour average, staring out from, swollen eyes, and postponing the deadly hangover with -another) tinnie. Impromptu! ?’ performances drifted through the popular camp spots, with would-be stars imposing their talents, on numbed ears. Yet (here is no denying there Is an indisputable element of Hicksville at the festival. Tt could not be authentic without the cowboys, the stud boots, the hats and country music. • Therein lies its novelty. ‘ In spite of the mass of alcohol consumed and the influx of 30,000 people to /the town, there were few reports of scuffles or ’ fights. The sceptics and cynics will always find, ammunition at Tamwdrth, but the open-minded : may , be pleasantly surprised. ; ®