Day 44 - 9/03/12

Shitty, windy weather greeted me by the time I got to the Port Fairy Showgrounds which would be home for the next three nights.
I was one of the first ones there and after saying g'day to my neighbours Bill and Monica, it was time for a (glorious) hot shower and then I spent the afternoon in the car reading as the weather wasn't really conducive to doing much else.
I watched in amusement as more and more people arrived throughout the afternoon and began wrestling with the wind while attempting to put their tents up. I was very thankful that I didn't have to buggerise around with tents, only needing to jump in the back of Freda when I want a kip.

Setting up camp at the Port Fairy Showground i.e. Turning the motor off - done.

By about 6pm it was time to brave the wind and head into town (which was about a 15 minute walk) to see what was doing at the Festival.
There were quite a few people there when I arrived but there was a lot of friendly staff who kept the ques moving forward at a good rate.
I started with a stroll around the festival site to work out where all the stages were and where food, drink and toilets were.
There were plenty of food options available and most were reasonably priced (rare for a Festival of this size).
The first thing I noticed was that most people were carrying around fold up chairs and I soon realised this is a sit down kinda festival.
I went to Stage 2 and saw a "Music Deli" concert which featured 30 minute sets from Mamma Kin (John Butler's missus), Harry James Angus (dude from The Cat Empire) and Tin Pan Orange. This was a great way to start the Festival as it gave a little sample of a few groups at the same location and with quick change over times.
Mamma Kin was ok, Harry James Angus was excellent (I have made a mental note to check out his solo album when I get a chance) and Tin Pan Orange were also really good in parts.
I took some short videos of each group but they really don't do any of them justice.



It was then off to the Lighthouse Cafe stage where a band called "The Pigs" were playing.
Basically, they're a hillbilly bluegrass group who do a few originals but also countrified versions of popular songs.
Their original material fell a little short of the mark, apart from their song "Macho Moisturiser" which was hilarious, but some of their covers were pretty entertaining.
Below is a video of them doing Salt N Pepa's "Push It", Beyonce's "All The Single Ladies", and LMFAO's "Shufflin'".



By the time their set finished the weather had improved greatly for the stroll home.
An excellent start to the Port Fairy Folk Festival weekend.