THE tiny municipality of East Fremantle is pulling out some big names for its Bites and Beats concert on Saturday.
The headliner is singer-songwriter Dylan Wright, winner of Australian Idol 2024, who will be playing his trademark blend of soul, country and pop.
He’s jetting in from over East to play the sundowner slot with his trio. It’s bound to be a highlight for fans of the reality TV show, who want to hear his new original material.
In a sort of middle-class au revoir to the Aussie summer, the family-friendly Bites and Beats at East Fremantle Community Park includes live music, food trucks and kids activities. And best of all—it’s free.
• (top to bottom) Macca Dacca, James Wilson, and Dylan Wright are some of the great acts performing at East Freo Bites and Beats.
The council has done a sterling job on the music front and another highlight is James Wilson, who takes to the stage at 5pm.
Like Ed Sheeran on steroids, he sings and plays didgeridoo, guitar, drums and various wind and percussion instruments, many at the same time.
It’s not only a great musical feat, but a testament to his physical fitness.
With more than two decades experience in the Australian music industry, Wilson’s shared the stage with rock performers like James Reyne (Australian Crawl), Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool/Mondo Rock) and Ian Moss (Cold Chisel). This one-man tour de force is a must-see live.
Does the world need another AC/DC tribute band?
It’s up there with does Fremantle need another vape shop, does anyone know Bathers Beach has a shark net, and does Freo mayor Ben Lawver perm his hair?
In this case, the answer is yes, because simply, Macca Dacca are very good.
And they are as local as you can get—seven dads from Melville and East Fremantle.
Diversity car crash? Dad rock?
We don’t care, these fathers know how to rock out and will put a big 4/4 smile on your face. They also belt out hits by The Angels, INXS and other Aussie bogan classics.
There’s more TV royalty on the bill, this time from Europe. Coby Grant made it to the semi-final of The Voice Germany, performing to a TV audience of around four million.
She kicked on from there and has done several European tours and played at major festivals around the world.
Compared to artists like Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette, she received international recognition for her song Winter Bear, written in tribute to a family who experienced the loss of their stillborn son.
Last but not least, is the uber talented Matt Burke, a versatile acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.
Eagle-eyed footy fans might recognise Burke from his performances at Dockers matches in Optus Stadium. He’s also played Perth Glory games.
The young performer has opened for bands like Eskimo Joe and his original material secured airplay on Triple J.
If all that music wasn’t exciting enough, you can also chat with councillors and town staff, meet members of the Town’s Public Art Panel, and there’s a heap of kids activities including giant games, bubbles, face painting, roaming entertainers, train rides with the East Fremantle Lions, and Twilight Bowls.
The free Bites and Beats is on 3pm-8pm at East Fremantle Community Park today (Saturday February 21) from 3pm-8pm.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK