Midweek Blues, a five-piece Bendigo outfit, is starting to build some serious momentum on the local live scene.
Hailing from various corners of Victoria but now all settled in Bendigo, Mick Sheahan, Jayd Ingles, John Northfield, Steve Osborne and Paul Robins have comfortably transitioned from midweek blues jammers to Midweek Blues live act over the past eighteen months or so.
The band cite a range of influences from Megadeth and AC/DC to Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix to Counting Crows and Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton…?) in pulling together the Midweek Blues sound. And that sound varies a bit depending where they play; mellower in the more intimate confines of say Billyroy’s Blues Bar to quite clearly at the heavier end when on stage at MusicMan where the band’s metal, rock and grunge influences more than peep out from behind the speakers.
Their live set, once built around cover versions now features a number of originals. Paul Robins explains, “we’ve written six songs that we perform regularly. Run And Hide was the first we wrote together which emerged out of a jam at rehearsal. Once we realised we had it in us we continued writing with Funny Way, Everybody Wants, Little Man and more traditional blues songs Old Dog and Kissing Blues.”
“We also love to play Who’s Been Talking, and Evil by Howling Wolf, Electric Worry by Clutch, and recently The Ballad of John Henry by Joe Bonamassa,” Robins adds.
Midweek Blues scored a big break at last November’s Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival with their slot at The Exchange and some resultant media coverage that saw Jayd Ingles and Mick Sheahan ascend to Colin Thompsonesque local music celebrity status over Festival weekend.
Robins enthuses about the local music scene, “Bendigo has a great scene since the resurgence of the last few years. There are some key venues extremely supportive of acts that are cutting their teeth in live performance,” he says, adding, “supportive in particular of acts writing their own material.”
Midweek Blues enjoy the camaraderie between the bands and with the audience, “the crowds at these venues are great because they are there for the music. All the other artists have been extremely helpful, supportive and willing to share advice.”
Midweek Blues play regularly in Bendigo. Their next gig is in the courtyard at the Goldmines Hotel on Sunday 28th February with Steph Bitter.
