Headliner Kim Churchill on his love affair with the South West ahead of Blues at Bridgetown performance

He may have played in every corner of the globe, dropped new music and headlined festivals this year, but returning to the South West will always be a special treat for this live music favourite. Certainly not a stranger to the South West, Kim Churchill has been performing across the region for more than 14 years and has some exciting things up his sleeve for his next visit. Churchill forms part of the stellar line-up at the Blues at Bridgetown festival this weekend alongside Canadian musical treasure Harry Manx, high-energy Australia duo Pierce Brothers and 14-time Australian Blues Award winner Lloyd Spiegel. “Honestly the South West is like a holiday for me, I just love it so much,” Churchill said. “I’ve got lots of good friends down there and being an East Coast lad it’s such a special treat and privilege to get to come down and explore the area. “I’m really excited to just touch base with the South West and reconnect and get involved with all the things I love to do there.” Churchill said every music festival in the South West was “just so special to me”. “Whether it’s Nannup Music Festival, Fairbridge Festival or Blues at Bridgetown, I just absolutely adore going down there,” he said. Churchill, who hasn’t played at Blues in Bridgetown for eight years, said he was excited to return and share his high-energy, slightly psychedelic setlist with the crowds. “My goal for a set is to make people laugh and cry and dance, if they’ve done all three of those things, I’m a very happy performer,” he said. “Depending on the gig, I’ll probably tell a few stories as well and overshare about my intermost feelings, all of it.” Churchill said he was eager to share his new single Come Back Free, the third song off his upcoming album Dawnsounds which is set to be released on January 13. “It’s a collection of songs that I wrote as the sun rose on a million different mornings,” he said. “Some songs I’ve been working on for like 10 years, and to be fair it’s only in the last few years I’ve started writing during sunrise, but it’s been a really beautiful evolution of my creativity and my artistry. “And at Blues at Bridgetown and in Bunbury at Froth Craft Brewery, I’ll be playing songs that nobody will be able to hear online yet so it will be kind of the first place for some of the new songs before they come out in January.” Churchill can be found at Blues at Bridgetown on Blue Owls Nest stage on Friday at 7pm and Geegeelup stage on Saturday at 7.50pm. Harry Manx will also be gearing up to perform at Blues at Bridgetown this weekend. Manx is one of the most successful international touring musicians ever to grace stages in Australia and will perform a blend of blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. Melbourne blues artist Lloyd Spiegel will also make his return to Blues at Bridgetown this weekend where crowds will be able to enjoy his guitar wizardry, powerful lyrics and knack for humorous storytelling. Staple of the Australian indie-folk-blues-roots scene, Pierce Brothers will also be performing and will add a high-energy performance to the mix. Blues at Bridgetown spokesperson Bob Gordon said they were expecting pre-COVID numbers of between 8000 and 10,000 attendees and a vibrant street party atmosphere for all age groups this year for the 30th anniversary. “Like many other festivals all over the country, the pandemic affected to a large degree what our festival could be,” he said. “Now with the borders open and other restrictions no longer in place, we can deliver the kind of Blues at Bridgetown experience that attendees will remember from the pre-COVID days. “So that means international and national profile acts will return in strength, along with the kind of incredibly talented local line-up the festival is renowned for.” Mr Gordon said the festival had seen a few changes over the past 30 years but remained rooted in community and committed to providing an opportunity to showcase blues and roots music. “The festival has grown in scope and infrastructure since its first edition in 1993, but still holds the same ethos that it did when it was established by Pip Mills and Sheila Howat all those years ago,” he said. “It’s all about community and the many volunteers who contribute to the festival are all-important to this. “Production over the years has evolved with permanent venues being made available for the festival to keep growing and buskers have become an important stepping stone for new performers and regulars to perform to a large audience,” he said. Mr Gordon said the festival would continue to provide a platform for artists in the local community, Australia and internationally to perform for a wide and diverse audience like in the case of Bridgetown local Tracey Barnett. “Tracey Barnett began as a busker on the street at the festival and has since released an EP and two albums, was awarded 2018 Best Regional Act at the West Australian Music Awards and has now been invited to be the opening act for George Thorogood & The Destroyers,” he said. The full line-up for the festival can be found on the Blues at Bridgetown website.