AT THE BAR WITH BERTIE – VALE ROBERT ‘BERTIE’ DUNSTAN

In his final column - filed August 18 - Bertie discusses the Harvest Rock lineup

Last year’s Harvest Rock was the right festival in the right place at the right time. 

It was announced in mid 2022 and spread over two of Adelaide’s inner-city parks, Rymill Park and the adjacent King Rodney Park. The news was greeted with much excitement – not least because it heralded the return of live music festivals following the pandemic, but also because the festival was exclusive to South Australia. 

Slated to be held in November, it was headlined by Jack White on the first day and perennial favourites, Crowded House, on the next. There would also be appearances from Groove Armada, The Black Crowes, Courtney Barnett, Marlon Williams, You Am I, The Living End, Hot Chip, Allen Stone and Adelaide’s own Electric Fields.

Good as it looked, the festival quickly met with a hurdle. The organisers requested to close Bartels Road to allow punters access to both parks, but were met with a firm ‘No’ from Adelaide City Council. When the organisers in turn threatened to cancel the event, the State Government – aware of the $10 million benefits to the state – stepped in, waving the Major Events Act 2013: the road would be closed and Harvest Rock would go ahead.

The festival was a resounding success. Even unseasonal weather couldn’t dampen the event, in fact punters took some delight in plodding around the place in colourful gumboots and plastic raincoats.

Harvest Rock II will take place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October as an all-ages licensed event. It too has been greeted with great excitement, and once again boasts an eclectic line-up.

Headlining the first day will be Jamiroquai (AKA Jay Kay) who always seems to divide people. People seem to either love him or loathe him. Is it that ridiculous hat he wears? Or the fact some dismiss his ’70s-style soul music as ‘lightweight’? Regardless, his appearance is a coup for the festival and has already sparked much interstate interest. 

Speaking of sparks, the appearance by Sparks is a bolt from the blue. I first encountered the Mael brothers in the mid ’70s and 50 years later, they’re enjoying strong cult interest. Their eccentric style is a crowd-pleaser, with vocalist Russell Mael’s hyper-animated presence contrasting with brother Ron, who remains virtually motionless.

Those who still regard Beck’s 1998 concert at Thebarton Theatre as one of the best ever, will be delighted to see him headlining the second day alongside Paul Kelly, Julia Jacklin, Baker Boy, Built To Spill and Chet Faker. 

Beck, who no longer embraces Scientology, is the son of Canadian composer and conductor David Campbell (not that David Campbell) who is responsible for soundtracks to films such as Brokeback Mountain and Dreamgirls. 

Nile Rodgers & Chic are also on the bill. Adelaide has obviously struck a chord with them – it was 2018 when they were performing at Botanic Park and doing an intimate concert at Jive. Bad//Dreems, who are also self-confessed fans of Adelaide, will likewise be returning to our fair city. And those who may complain about the lack of local acts on the bill should rest assured further announcements are likely. 

Tickets are on sale now, the weather is looking good and Rymill and King Rodney Parks will be doing the honours. And yes, Bartels Road will be closed off… 

See ya there!

Bertie

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Vale Robert ‘Bertie’ Dunstan

On the morning of Monday August 21, news reached The Note office that Bertie Dunstan had passed away, aged 68.

Only three days earlier, Bertie had filed what would be his final column for The Note. He’d written on the return of Harvest Rock. We’re at once proud and saddened to be publishing it here. 

Robert ‘Bertie’ Dunstan was a stalwart of the Adelaide music scene. As a writer and editor, he interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, including South Australia’s rock legends and touring artists who were performing in our city. 

But he also wrote about up-and-coming bands, enabling them to grow their profile. On the Sunday of his passing, Bertie promoted over 20 gigs on his Facebook page. The night before he’d attended Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes at The Gov, decades after they’d travelled together. 

Bertie lived and breathed music from when he was a teenager. At high school he was big on Miles Davis. He was at Meadows to see the Loved Ones and went to Sunbury twice for a Who’s Who of Australian music and saw everyone from Status Quo to Frank Zappa at Apollo Stadium. By the time the Lone Star circuit started bringing The Sports, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons and Dave Warner and the Suburbs to Adelaide in the mid 1970s, Bertie was seeing live music four or five nights a week. 

It was a habit he never broke. 

At some point in the mid-1980’s, aged about 30 and in an act that was part brave and part foolhardy, Bertie left his job at Telstra to become a music journalist. He didn’t actually have a job to go to, but he knew what he wanted to do, and his passion and his badgering soon brought him to Rip It Up magazine.

It was during his 12-year tenure at Rip It Up that he became a cornerstone of the local scene. Much of this was down to Bertie’s devotion to live music and the accessibility of his work – he was a true ‘voice of the people’. He also cemented his reputation for being at a gig every night of the week, effectively supporting artists and venues of all sizes. 

Such was his contribution that The Governor Hindmarsh, one of Adelaide’s most iconic live music venues, named a bar in his honour. The Gov wrote in their tribute on Facebook: “In honour of his generosity and his remarkable contribution, we built the Robert Dunstan Bar, a place for him to drink his pints and watch his beloved bands, and the knowledge that he was there on Saturday night watching Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes gives us some comfort. The Adelaide music scene has lost its champion and we’ve lost our biggest supporter and friend. Vale Rob Dunstan, we will miss you.”

After Rip It Up closed in 2014, Bertie worked at dB magazine for a brief time, though again this was to follow the same fate as Rip It Up. As a result, in 2015, Bertie started his own weekly street press mag, BSide. He put it together on the smell of an oily rag, but the mag filled an important hole and continued as a fortnightly digital magazine through to 2018.

Most recently, as well as writing his monthly column for The Note, Bertie had two regular spots on community radio station, 5 Triple Z at McLaren Vale, where he interviewed artists live on air and played his own eclectic mix of music. In their tribute, the station said: “Robert possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge of music and over the years interviewed the absolute Who’s Who of musicians worldwide. Robert’s work to promote local artists has been pivotal to music in South Australia and he will be greatly missed.” Bertie’s interviews are still posted on the station’s site.

In 2017, his commitment to the industry had been recognised at the South Australian Music Awards, with the Ryan Freeman Live Music Ward, given to a person or group that, “works hard, collaborates with and encourages others, is selfless and makes people feel good”. He was also inducted into the Adelaide Music Collective’s South Australian Hall of Fame, which celebrates the careers of successful music industry personalities.

The impact Bertie had in his home state is reflected in the diversity of people posting tributes. Premier Peter Malinauskas, radio host Peter Goers, music venues, promoters, artists and those who knew him as a mate have all come forward. Rightly, they also pinpoint his unwavering love of music and his drive to support upcoming artists.

“The doyen of the Adelaide music scene. We are forever in your debt for your decades of selfless contribution and service to our community. Take a bow mate,” wrote the Grace Emily Hotel.

“Thank you for really listening,” wrote artist, Abbie Chiquita Cardwell. “I don’t recall any unsolicited advice, only ever gentle almost invisible guidance that felt nurturing… I know you made so many musicians feel just as seen and special.”

According to Music SA: “Truly one of a kind and an extraordinary larger-than-life character, Robert will be greatly missed by many. His dedication to local artists and his love and enthusiasm for music and art will long live on in South Australian’s hearts and memories.”

And in one of the most revealing posts, there was this from Adelaide band, Blackpenny: “I remember once, after a busy week in which I had spammed [Bertie with] various self-promo things, I saw him at The Gov. As a newer arrival in SA, I had never met him and thought, like most music-biz types, he would never have read or listened to a thing I had created or sent… But no, he knew my story, was aware of what I had sent him, and said, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing… don’t get disheartened, never, ever stop.’”

Bertie, thanks for everything. And, yep – we’ll see ya there.

From all your mates at The Note.