Union of Soul

Jessie and I traveled home to Ballarat on Saturday afternoon for the Union of Soul gig at the North Gardens. A big event for the ‘rat, Katie had prepared a picnic pack full of goodies, and drinkies!

We claimed our spot on the grass, in the sun, just as Epicure were wrapping up their set. A Ballarat band to open the afternoon of music, the grass was filling with groups of all ages. Clare Bowditch and The Feeder Set were next, as the sun continued to warm us. A little ‘lemonade’ certainly got our little patch of picnic rug into the evening.

The Waifs were next, and as always, were brilliant. They had the crowd standing and dancing and singing along – and I was very impressed with the crowd submitting obscure requests! They played the favourites, like Fisherman’s Daughter, Highway One and Lighthouse, and the requests like Gillian, and ended with London Still.

The John Butler Trio were actually the main headliner, and who much of the crowd come to see. He pulled out the big numbers, like Better Than, and Zebra, but also played a lot of instrumental pieces…which did lose the crowd around us. Ending in Funky Tonight, with another long jam in the middle. The highlight of his set, however, was when Clare Bowditch, The Waifs, and Epicure joined him on the stage for a song marking the Close the Gap on Indigenous Health campaign, with From Little Things Big Things Grow. Was a great night for Ballarat, and Aussie music.