The Byron Bay Surf Festival is revving up to be an incredible feast of “Surf Culture Now.
Saturday night (7-8.45pm, Byron Bay Community Centre) will see a night of live music and film from two of surfing’s most popular filmmakers, Andrew Kidman (Aust) and Taylor Steele (USA). First up at 7pm is Taylor Steele’s raw short-film surf-doco on the surfing life of the late Andy Irons. Taylor, good friends with Andy, put together the footage earlier this year and has only shown the film once before in Andy’s hometown on the Island of Kauai. Byron Bay Surf Festival is honoured to be showcasing this film in Australia. In the words of Taylor’s wife Sybil, the film is set to the sound of one loud punk rock song! Taylor Steele’s’ first films along with his latest have all had this similar style…the best raw surfing in the world set against the sound of blaring punk rock.
Andrew Kidman is a surfer and artist who expresses his innate connection to the ocean, surfing and life through many mediums, including music, film and the written word. Works of note include surf films ‘Litmus’ (1996) and ‘Glass Love’ (2005), his book collaboration (photography) with artist Andy Davis ‘Way of the Bird’ (2002), his current film and book release ‘Lost in the Ether‘ (2010) and his current album with his band ‘The Windy Hills’ ‘friend from another star’ (2011). Andrew Kidman has always written and performed his own soundtracks, and his music has come to the fore in recent times, earning his band The Windy Hills (formerly The Brown Birds of Windy Hill) gigs at Splendour In The Grass, Mullumbimby Music Festival and the Perth International Arts Festival; also writing and recording the score to the film Searching For Michael Peterson with legendary guitarist Tim Gaze; and editing and touring the short film sensation Last Hope. The Windy Hills will be playing live, at the Byron Bay Surf Festival, to films by Patrick Trefz’s, Mick Waters and Andrew Kidman.
Saturday night continues with Dick Hoole will do a bit of film commentary followed by The Grains (live music) both at Woody’s Surf Shack.
CLICK HERE for the full event schedule.