The long weekend was a huge success with fabulous weather and sensational music that just kept on coming. Friday night we were wowed by the experimental and exciting sounds of Moondogs Gypsy Blues Band, a duo of exceptional rhythm and soul moving blues. No strangers to the Den, Kate and Moondog brought cruisey blues sounds to the laid back crowd with many pitching tents and settling in for a long weekend of good music. Saturday saw the arrival of the fresh faced boys from Dubble D Infinitee that impressed everyone with their strong vocals, dynamic originals and unique take on alternative classics. Their confidence and professionalism proved they are a young and upcoming band to watch.
Saturday night saw a huge line up with the Barefoot Belles kicking things off with their strong girl rock, closely followed by the Hillbilly Goats and friends who packed out the stage with their hillbilly sounds. Our very own ‘Boney Goat’ aka Jack Ryle sported a new set of horns for is bone slapping solos and their fill in drummer and guitarist only seemed to boost the energy of this dynamic band.
Two French backpackers and buskers (kindly given the nicknames of ‘paddy and melon’ by friendly locals) gave an amazing display of their musical prowess by first playing high tempo Irish music for the crowd and later on Sunday’s open mic an artful account of traditional French music. It was an unexpected cultural injection into the Lions Den community, performed to a very appreciative crowd. After the goats on Saturday night came the well loved Roadtrippers who have no difficulty in keeping a crowd dancing. With the Roadtrippers and the Toadrippers at the helm the night was never going to be an early one!
Sunday saw the Hillbilly goats take to the stage again, with time-out for a traditional “Cane Toad Race” that allowed many people to share in the mayhem of this very Far North Queensland tradition. A dairy farmer from Gippsland in Victoria, Natalie White, the only girl in the field, showed all the boys how it was done by winning the race with the help of her toad “Hop a-long Cassatoad”. Nat kindly donated all her winnings of $290 to the Rossville Fire Brigade.....Good On you Nat!
Finally as the sun went down, the Lions Den microphone was thrown open to all those brave souls who had more music to offer. Local talents included young Albert who showed he has definitely got his father Gav’s musical talents, as well as the well loved singing cowboy Steve from north of Cooktown. Also plucking the strings was publican Max, Cairns local Carl and of course the unusual talents of the French boys Paddy and Melon.
All in all it was a wonderful weekend with a fantastic atmosphere made possible by the great crowd, filled with inquisitive and interesting visitors and the ever supportive locals. Thanks everyone for making it a magnificent time for all and we’ll see you back here next year!!!!!!
A big thank you must go to our FABULOUS staff who jumped straight in at the deep end and made this weekend possible. Thanks for your commitment and your positive attitudes, we could not have done it without you. Special thanks also to friend and neighbour Gavin Dear for all your untiring passion, support and dedication to the music... THANKYOU! To our wonderful Kerry and also to the always positive John, Nat and Sally, we definitely could not have managed without you...and that is the truth. Thank you all so much!
Faith & Max
