With the Kiama Jazz & Blues Festival on hiatus this year, local live music fans won’t go without. 

Opening the community-led Sounds of Jazz & Blues weekend at Yves Social on Friday 6 March are the Swamp Critters, a four-piece Illawarra blues band with deep roots in the regional music scene.

“It’s the first time for us, so we’re excited to have a spot there at the Jazz and Blues,” said band member Tim Kierse.

Formed in 2018 but ever-changing in its membership, the band now also comprises Mark Wallis, Steve Whitworth and Kate Whitworth.

The seasoned musicians have graced stages across the South Coast to Sydney – from pubs and clubs to private parties, and at regional events including the Goulburn Blues Festival.

“The Swamp Critters have always been focused on a more southern flavour of blues than what we saw on offer at venues at the time,” Kierse said.

The band draws on a wide range of influences – from Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Junior Wells, to contemporary acts such as Smokehouse, Owen Wilson, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Bonnie Raitt – a mix that allows them to tailor performances to Saturday night dance crowds and more relaxed Sunday afternoon audiences.

The current line-up has been together since December, with drummer Steve Whitworth the only original member.

Their sound, described as “grooving the blues,” blends traditional blues structures with a soulful edge.

“Blues is kind of an all-encompassing term. It’s different things for different people,” Kierse said. 

“But sort of our style of it, and some of the songs that we play, there’s definitely a bit of a soul tinge to some of the songs, and some that actually get in a bit of a groove. Not too fast, not too slow, but something to get your head nodding and your feet tapping.”

Primarily a pubs-and-clubs band, the Swamp Critters thrive in intimate environments. 

“It’s not unusual to have people dancing literally within arm’s reach of the band at different venues,” Kierse said.

Like many regional musicians, the band faces the challenge of fewer venues supporting live music.

 “There’s a lot of bands out there and there’s not a lot of venues that actually support live music these days,” Kierse said.

“So it’s a bit of a challenge to actually get regular gigs, especially for a band such as us that are focused more on lesser well-known songs.”

For Friday night at Yves Social, the plan is to start slow and build into a lively two-hour set. “Pretty much we’ll start out slow and finish strong.

Normally what we would do is we would have our set list of songs and more dancey-type numbers for the Friday night crowd, and we’ll see how it goes and how the crowd reacts,” Kierse said.

In a year without the festival, Swamp Critters are showing that Kiama’s live music scene endures – fueled by musicians and venues determined to keep the blues alive.