Wood and wire

The next performer I laid eyes on Bluesfest was one I'd never heard of, Matt Andersen from New Brunswick. His hometown of Perth-Andover may not be known far and wide a blues hotbed ... in fact Andersen may be its most noteworthy resident, having triumphed at the Tennessee International Blues Challenge in January. He's been building up a strong reputation as a live performer since well before then, one the big man more than lived up to at his Hard Rock Cafe Stage set.

I promise you he is under there somewhere.



He's a leonine fellow.



The end! You can really only take so many pictures of one guy sitting down, no matter how energetic.



After that I went over to the Subway Stage to see Woodhands, who had the tough job of warming the stage up for Marianas Trench, who keytarist Dan Werb described as "the sexiest band we've ever opened for? They're actually back there naked right now!" In the end they proved their party-starting credentials by geting the crowd to clap along enthusiastically to their electro-dance schtick.



Dan and Paul "Double Duty" Banwatt.



Keytar action!



Well, you get the point.



Then I popped over to the main stage to see Crowded House.

• Show reminder: Its stint at Nine may be over, but the the Rock'N'Roll Pizza Party isn't quite dead yet. While its proprietors contemplate its future, they're putting on another show at the MVP Lounge with Miesha and The Spanks and Needles//Pins; Olenka and the Autumn Lovers and Kite Hill play Raw Sugar Cafe; The Creepshow, Hellbound Hepcats, Gunsmoke and Saucy Jack rock Mavericks; Gardening, Not Architecture, Old Crimes and Jonathan Becker play the Avant Garde Bar; The Sheepdogs, Romi Mayes, Silver Creek and Andre Bluteau will undoubtedly put on a fine show at Zaphod's; the Elmdale House hosts Al Wood and the Woodsmen and Jay Aymar.