Among her collection of instruments was a cigar box guitar that she played slide style with a variety of small glass bottles of booze, including a bottle of cheap brandy she picked up while in tour in Germany.

It’s a technique she picked up from American bluesman Watermelon Slim when they toured around country Victoria after appearing at last year’s Narooma Blues Festival.

While in Yackandandah they met up with Shayne Soall who makes two and three string guitars called didley-bows out of cigar boxes and vintage biscuit tins.

Boyes asked him if he consider making a more standard six-string instrument and a short time later he sent her the instrument she calls the “Box and Dice”.

It was this cigar box guitar she played at The Drom with the booze bottles.

“What key of bourbon would you like me to play today,” she said.

Watermelon Slim meanwhile picked up a four string in Yackandandah that he took back home to Clarkesville, Mississipi, which he no doubt is playing with his own booze.

Boyes is not appearing again at this year’s Blues Festival which she is okay with as the sign of a good festival was a diverse and fresh line-up each year, although she was keen to come back to the Narooma blues soon.

She now calls Sale, Victoria home and popped up to the coast last week playing Café Evolve in Bega as well as The Drom before catching up and playing a gig for her cousin Jenny who lives in Braidwood.

Stay tuned to the Narooma News to see what gigs are coming up at The Drom.