In Full Bloom MicroFest set to blossom with debut outdoor afternoon event

National touring artist Bloom is set to bring her tribute show celebrating the iconic sounds of Adele and Amy Winehouse to Lake Monger Recreation Club on Sunday, November 24. The event, titled In Full Bloom MicroFest, will see Bloom joined by her seven-piece band for the outdoor afternoon event, along with a line-up of notable Australian supporting artists, including Australian Idol contestant Chris Murphy and Perth band 46 Brigade—with tickets on sale now. ELLIS WAKELAM caught up with Bloom to find out what she loves about the music of Adele and Amy and what attendees can look forward to at the festival.

You’ve become known for your tribute shows to Adele and Amy Winehouse—two iconic vocalists. What inspired you to focus on their music specifically?

This all started because I wanted to expose myself to a national audience as ‘Bloom’. I picked two artists that I was similar to stylistically, songs that I genuinely love, and I wanted to create a night for the fans where they could enjoy the hits of both of these two artists in the one show. At the time of creation, eight years ago, there weren’t many concept shows. I’ve always maintained that it isn’t a traditional tribute. I’ve never wanted to pretend to be the artists. Instead, I wanted to celebrate the songs as you know and love them.

Have you got a favourite song from each artist? If so, why does each song resonate with you the most?

Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy is such a fun one to sing. If you come to our live shows, we always throw in a surprise at the end of that one that gets everyone singing along, so that is always a highlight for me.

Easy On Me by Adele sounds so simple, but it has such a beautiful melody, lots of colour and shade, and uses lots of different parts of my voice, so I never get bored of singing that one.

How do you strike a balance between staying faithful to Amy Winehouse and Adele’s iconic styles while also putting your own identity as Bloom into the performance?

Stylistically, we have similar earthy vocal tones, so I don’t put on a voice, but I do spend countless hours behind the scenes perfecting their phrasing to really try and stay true to the song.

What can audiences expect from your upcoming performance at the In Full Bloom MicroFest? Will there be any special surprises or unique moments for the show?

Yes, no two shows are the same. We have a special guest sax player, and my east coast band members will be joining me for this one, and they are up there with the best players in the country. What I love about our shows is that it isn’t all about me, you really get to see the personalities of the band members, and we all have a great time performing together. So even though we are singing a bunch of sad songs, everyone has a really great time.

Who else is performing at the event, and what can we look forward to with their sets?

We have Chris Murphy. He’s just released some new music with The Murphy Brothers, so I’m looking forward to hearing those.

46 Brigade are a Perth indie pop/rock band. They have heaps of energy, and they are also releasing a new single next month.

Scarlet’s Way have won Album of the Year and Group of the Year at the WA Country Music Awards. They’ve been travelling the country with their original songs and Katey has a rich, unique vocal that I know you will love!

Maya Surjan, who goes under the artist name Hazel May, is an upcoming singer-songwriter who sings like a bird—we are excited to have all of these artists on the bill for our very first micro-fest!

Apart from the music, what else can audiences expect from the In Full Bloom MicroFest?

We have food trucks and market stalls in a small area that only caters for 500 people. It will have a beautiful sense of community in beautiful surroundings. Three of my favourite things: music, food and markets! It will be a great way to catch up with friends, sit in the sunshine, and spend the afternoon listening to music.