Jess & Philippa at Nannup Music Festival
Gemma Robins
Rayella performing at the 2016 Nannup Music Festival. Photo by Jessica Anderson.
Eleanor from Rayella on stage with The Desert Sevenz, Hill Boys and E Town Boyz. Photo by Jessica Anderson.
Philippa and I had the pleasure of spending a sunny Saturday (5 March 2016) amongst the jarrah and karri trees at the Nannup Music Festival. A mix of food stands, markets, roaming performers and buskers filled the main street and ensured that the wandering between the nine stages was as enjoyable as listening to the music.
The two outstanding performances were from Rayella and Caiti Baker. Both featured strong female vocalists with the ability to belt out powerful songs with passion and soul. Eleanor, the female half of duo Rayella, also joined the The Desert Sevenz, Hill Boys and E Town Boyz for a hip hop song on drunk driving which demonstrated the versatility of Eleanor’s performance skills and her vocals being adapted to different genres.
We caught the end of Ralway Bell’s set at the Nannup Hotel and were delighted with the skills of their drummer, who also happens to be the Nannup Patron and champion of regional WA music, Nigel Bird.
It was clear from all performances we watched how much the musicians love the Nannup Music Festival and the team behind it, particularly Phaedra Watts whom several artists personally thanked and obviously have a deep respect for.
The weekend is best summed up by Ralway Bell’s lead singer who proclaimed ‘It’s the best weekend in WA, better than Christmas.’
Post and images by Jessica Anderson, Regional Arts Development Manager.
Country Arts WA supports the Nannup Music Club through the Core Arts Fund and Scheme Four.
