13/04/2026
What da! The theme this year has to be “moshpit” which is better than mud pit. It was looking like a mud pit until we moved the Blast on the Grass into the Blast on the hall floor, and a blast it was. Not even the weather could rain on our parade!
Four bands kept us entertained into the night. No one cared about the weather except the fun community minded guys from the Sandy Point Men’s Shed who were outside cooking up a sausage sizzle storm and fed the crowd. Bravo!
Drew, Mapes, Roy, Mark and Katelyn opened the show and warmed the crowd perfectly. Together they blended their individual experiences which converged into a unique mix of styles. Their music is driven by a shared love of melody and groove.
The ticket holders continued to roll into the sold out show as they pulled up a pew, stood in groups or found space on the floor while respectfully leaving enough room for the dancers.
The dancers always emerge.
They stayed on pointe for the “Here Be Giants” another local band recently formed in Fish Creek. Wow!
Danny on bass, Angelo on lead guitar, Josh on Drums, Travis on rhythm guitar and Roopa on vocals. Here they were in all their glory belting out tunes fulfilling the instrumental stoner rock dream. Who doesn’t love a band that mixes it up and introduces you to “not our usual genre” and leaves everything on the stage, which garnered even more fans. Watch their space!
Having been well and truly warmed up, The Three Amigos pounced on stage.
Another local newly formed trio consisting of Nick Carver on Bass, legendary guitarist Archie Leggett and Coe on drums, just up there playing for the pure joy of music! The ever-reliable dancers were joined on the floor with the rest of the crowd as The Three Amigos poured out their psychedelic blues, rock and soul.
The most attentive members of the crowd were the kids who frothed the whole night, dancing, cheering, clapping, tapping away with drum sticks on the floor, playing air guitar and instigating the impressive congo line, their enthusiasm endured right to the end. All of this was contributing to the true definition of a community event. One young lucky enthusiast even ended up on stage playing drums sitting like a true rock star in Coe’s seat.
One day he will be a there in his own right and we saw it right there. Good on ya Coe.
Then, if that wasn’t enough, Jungle Jim Smith saunters on stage, 3 guitars in hand, bells on his feet, sits on his stool and all the slow to get up and dance who were in the crowd joined the ever-reliable dancers and the kids. They barely sat down until after the encore of Whisky and Dust. JJS is a one-Man Blues, Rock and roll musician with an individual slant as he creates Grooves and Rhythms that you can’t stay still too. His signature 2 and 4 string guitars, derived from explosives and cigar boxes, are well and truly up to the workout that JJS delivers. We were up for it too and his performance ended the night on the perfect note.
Many thanks to Creative Vic for the community Grant that helped fund this fantastic event. It was a focus on local talent as all the musicians were from South Gippsland. They showcased some of the best music amid the collective community spirit along with the support of the Mens Shed and the hard work of the committee of Sandy Point Music.
What a blast!
Words and Photography by Donna Killeen
