The Jolly Machine has put on another fantastic weekend. Well worth the journey over from Perth. What an incredible line up.
Friday night we went to the Dandy Inn as a pre warm up to see the Black Hill Ramblers. Shane, a true gentleman, made us feel most welcome and he and the boys put on a top performance that kept all the dancers happy.
We caught up with Graeme from Packy who introduced us around and later Jazza called in. Top night.
Saturday night saw us back at the Dandy Inn to see the Atomic boys give it all. Cliff and the boys really know how to get a dance floor instantly packed. A good crowd turned out and a few more of our Victorian friends came along to show us more of that Melbourne hospitality. Special mention to Rosie, Wayne and Little Maria. Steve and Phyllis who also made the pilgrimage from Perth were there as well. The Dandy Inn has got the potential of becoming a big venue for Rockabilly, with a bit of a paint job on the walls around the dance floor and a small stage would make a huge difference. Cliff and Maryann do a fantastic job setting up for the bands with a black backdrop and some lighting that gives the place some atmosphere.
The night was then topped off with the Retro Rockets from Newcastle, NSW. We saw these boys at Wintersun so we couldn’t wait for the Meltdown to see them again. These guys belt out their own style of full on Rockabilly. Well done Brian, Cam and Dom for getting us ready for what was to come the next day.
Sunday at the Gully
Melbourne Meltdown 2008
This is what we came over for, 8 bands and 10 hours of entertainment. Show and Shine for starters, a great roll up of some very nice machinery. I reckon I photographed every car. The bands fired up at 1pm and with Gerard as MC to keep everyone on top of the action and amused thru the day and night. A better man for the job would have been hard to find. Well done. Plenty of great stalls to get some of the nicest Rockabilly gear from were set up and I’m sure there were plenty of happy shoppers. What can I say about the bands – Unbelievable, Fantastic, Incredible. I’m sure there are better words. All these guys had 50 minutes each to put on their best show and that they did. The dance floor was packed the whole time. I thought it was bigger and better than last year if that is possible, and all this is thanks to Cliff and Maryann Jolly who through working tirelessly to put together this great event.
What more can I say, thanks to all our Victorian friends, old and new, who made us so welcome.
Come on Meltdown 2009.
Re: PERTH to MELTDOWN 2008 FLAT OUT
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