AFTER 17 years at Mojos in North Fremantle the longest running reggae night in WA – Fisherman Style – is moving to a new venue.
The show’s origins can be traced back to a group of local reggae enthusiasts, led by Drummie Wootton and Sheriff Lindo, who wanted to put on a monthly community dance party.
The boys had been doing a lot of fishing at the time and The Congos had just re-released Row Fisherman dub, produced by reggae legend Lee Scratch Perry, so they decided to call the night Fisherman Style.
Some 193 shows later, the night is still going strong with its lively mix of DJs, MCs, dancers and local and international bands.
“Over the years Fishermans has had a few different eras and contributors come and go, with Drummie and Sheriff having long since retired, all be it with the odd cameo,” says promoter Corby Howell.
“Two years ago the mantle was passed to myself and the community of DJs, singers and dancers that come together once a month to celebrate reggae music culture.
“Fisherman style is part of the fabric of the local music scene; you always see a friendly Freo face at Fishermans, so we decided to keep it going as there was such huge community support for the night, even through covid.”
Over the years the night has played host to some big hitters from the reggae scene in the UK including Mad Professor, Worrior queen, Gappy Ranks and General Levy, as well as Jah Mason & Turbulence from Jamaica and Million Stylez from Sweden.
Howell says there’s something for everyone from Bob Marley to obscure dub.
“At Fishies we aim to not only celebrate classic reggae roots and culture but also to introduce and educate people to the underground music both old and new from around the globe,” he says.
“On a regular Fishies we have the best selectors playing alongside some amazing MCs from our local reggae scene.
“We have dancers perform, showing off the newest street dances out of Jamaica, and we occasionally play host to local band too with a reggae dub flavour.”
Howell says after thinking long and hard they decided to move Fisherman Style to the renovated Port Beach Brewery, the old Railway Hotel, on Tydeman Road in North Freo.
“We have had an amazing run at Mojos, but we felt it was time for a change to ensure the long term sustainability and consistency of the night,” he says.
“Despite building the night back up from covid to capacity crowds, we were looking at having to raise the price of the night for patrons and we didn’t want to do that.
“With Fisherman styles reputation attracting more international acts, we felt we needed a larger venue to accommodate the community.
“We are proud to have become the home for a very multi-cultural community, and true to our roots we aim to provide a safe respectful and inclusive space to come together and connect and have some fun once a month.”
The official relaunch of Fisherman Style will be held on July 7 at Port Beach Brewery, with the show continuing on the first Friday of every month.
The relaunch will be hosted by MC Benniton and feature Brother B, Rasta Fyah, Reuben De Mellow, Dj Corby, Smitch and The Fisherman Style dancers.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK