Bluesfest

Bluesfest have added six more acts to their 2023 bill and they don’t disappoint

As is tradition, more acts have already been added to the Bluesfest lineup and you can be sure it won’t be the last announcement before the festival kicks off over Easter in 2023. In a big name drop that will surely stir the attention of many a dad-rocker, The Doobie Brothers will be heading to…

Read More

Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello and Lucinda Williams lead Byron Bay Bluesfest 2023 announcement

The first announcement for Byron Bay Bluesfest 2023 has just dropped, and it’s great to see the international acts are back in force. Forty-one acts have been announced in what is the largest initial announcement ever for the festival. Amongst the international acts who have been announced today are Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Beth…

Read More

A Spectacular Journey: Bluesfest finally returns to Byron Bay

The excitement was palpable as we crunched our way through mud and pebbles towards the 33rd annual Byron Bay Bluesfest. After two years of cancellations, the 2022 festival was not just a celebration of music but a true celebration of life and the joy of human connection. I’d had my first Bluesfest experience back in…

Read More

Festival Photo Gallery: Byron Bay Bluesfest (Day Three) – Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm (16.04.22)

  Day three of 2022 Byron Bay Bluesfest was another action-packed extravaganza. Mama Kin Spender enchanted us with the collaboration between Mama Kin and Tommy Spender. With a choir in tow from Mullumbimby, they touched hearts and fed our souls. Mama Kin Spender One of the finds of the festival so far has been Christone…

Read More

Festival Photo Gallery: Byron Bay Bluesfest (Day One) – Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm (14.04.22)

The 33rd edition of the Byron Bay Bluesfest kicked off at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay yesterday and needless to say, the excitement was fever pitch. Once through the gates, there was no time to waste to catch as much of the action from Day 1 as possible. Bob Marley’s music lives on through…

Read More
Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly added as headliners to the rescheduled Bluesfest lineup

In what is great news for Bluesfest, Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly have been added to the lineup for the rescheduled event, in the October long weekend. The festival will take place over four days at Byron Bay, from 1st to 4th October. Midnight Oil will headline the opening night, Friday 1st October. Paul Kelly…

Read More

The Church, Kate Miller-Heidke, The Living End and more join Bluesfest 2021 Lineup

The Bluesfest organisers have just announced the third batch of artists who will be performing at next year’s festival. Legendary psych-rock group The Church will be making their Bluesfest debut, headlining this latest lineup announcement. Adored singer and Eurovision 2019 star Kate Kate Miller-Heidke will hit the stage to showcase her amazing vocal talent. Iconic…

Read More

Dave Matthews Band: Why every Australian needs to see these Bluesfest headliners live

Whenever a Dave Matthews Band tour is announced in Australia – which has only been four times now in the band’s illustrious 29 year career – it’s often met with moments of confusion. A “Wait… Who?” response is vocalised, especially when the tour coincides with a headline spot on a festival like Bluesfest (which they’ll…

Read More

Interview: Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra on her acting debut in Blaze and Bluesfest in Australia

Last week at SXSW we caught up with Hurray for the Riff Raff‘s Alynda Segarra to talk about her acting debut in Ethan Hawke‘s new film Blaze, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year. The film documents the life of songwriter Blaze Foley. While on the red carpet to promote the film, we also chatted about…

Read More

Tash Sultana joins Bluesfest’s Thursday night programming this Easter

Tash Sultana has been here, there, everywhere over the last year in particular and going by this news, the Melbourne muso isn’t slowing down. Sultana can now add Bluesfest headliner to her belt, today being added to the festival’s Main Stage to close it on Thursday, March 29th. She joins a special line up of…

Read More

Leon Bridges plots Australian return with March dates

Today added to the 2018 Bluesfest line up, one of our favourite artists – Leon Bridges – has also announced two select sideshows for this next trip to Australia. We first met Bridges out at the Falls Festival back in 2016, before the Texan Grammy nominee returned for Splendour in the Grass that year, bringing his acclaimed…

Read More

Bluesfest Byron Bay celebrates 28 years in style at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm over Easter Weekend

Bluesfest Byron Bay had such a variety of performances in five tents over five days that it can be difficult to catch it all. With five stages running between 11am and midnight so there is a lot going on. John Goodridge lists a few highlights from his visit. Patti Smith and her band perform Horses Patti Smith…

Read More

Devon Allman (St. Louis) chats about latest album, Ride or Die, and Bluesfest

Devon Allman is in Australia playing for Bluesfest with a couple of sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. John Goodridge caught up with him backstage to chat about music making and recording his latest album Ride or Die”. How have you been enjoying Bluesfest? I say it on the mic and I really do mean it,…

Read More

Andrew Bird (US) on Are You Serious and returning to Australia for Bluesfest

After chatting with Andrew Bird about his latest release, Are You Serious, I was more than a little confused. His lyrics have always told stories across breathtaking folk-coloured soundscapes, and his wit and fresh take on life, music and writing precedes him. Before taking to Australian shores for appearances in Sydney, Melbourne and Bluesfest, Andrew…

Read More

Remi talks creative development and making music primed for an artistic revolution

The next few months are going to prove exciting and fruitful for Remi and Sensible J. The duo are heading to Adelaide for a show – literally – on the river for the Adelaide Festival, before continuing preparations for Bluesfest and then on from that, their UK return for the Brighton Festival with Kate Tempest. A new musical chapter also beckons, with…

Read More

Interview: Inside the mind of Bluesfest director Peter Noble

Bluesfest has been a staple on the Australian music scene for well over twenty years and director Peter Noble has been involved for most of that time. We had a chat with Peter on what motivates him and some of the reasons behind the success of the event. Let me start by asking how does your…

Read More

NAS added to Bluesfest line up alongside Busby Marou and more

A hip hop pioneer, an Australian country music legend and more have been added to the 2017 Bluesfest line up, while the full playing schedule has now also been made available! Joining on for the Easter Weekend festival is Nas, who will be joining up with New Orleans brass band The Soul Rebels for an exclusive Australian…

Read More

Neil Finn added to Bluesfest line up alongside Remi, Playing for Change and more

As the countdown for Bluesfest continues to to wind down, the festival organisers have added a new round of names to the Easter Weekend event. In the wake of the various cancellations Bluesfest have suffered this year, headliner-wise, they’ve been making it up to punters with the addition of the likes of Neil Finn, Remi and more…

Read More

Barry Gibb cancels 2017 Australian tour dates, including Bluesfest headline spot

Bluesfest takes another hit with Barry Gibb becoming the latest artist to cancel his trip to Australia for the festival. Following on after Neil Young‘s cancellation, the iconic Bee Gee has today announced that due to ‘international commitments’, he has had to cancel his entire Australian and New Zealand tour. Rescheduling of the tour isn’t possible at the moment, so…

Read More

Santana and The Doobie Brothers join the 2017 Bluesfest line up!

Bluesfest Byron Bay has dropped another lil artist announcement on us this morning, with the confirmation that the legendary Santana (with full band) and The Doobie Brothers will both be on the festival line up over Easter weekend 2017. More announcements are still to come, but as Bluesfest continues to roll on towards its next, this one is a…

Read More

State of Affairs: National Live Music Awards, Face the Music, Proudly Pokies Free & more

This week in the music industry: the official 2016 board members and venues for the National Live Music Awards were announced,  Face the Music released their second round of speakers and announced their official venue for 2016. The National Live Music Awards This week, the National Live Music Awards announced their official board members for 2016, and confirmed seven venues…

Read More

Festival Review: The 27th Annual Byron Bay Bluesfest – Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm (24-28.03.16)

Five full days of music will wear even the most vehement live music fanatic thin. Byron Bay Bluesfest is always a big ask for those who are up to the task, but the ones who stick it out for the entire Easter Weekend are rewarded with some of the best, most profoundly satisfying live music…

Read More

Tom Jones and Brian Wilson headline as Bluesfest comes to a close for 2016

The fifth and final day of Bluesfest 2016 played heavy on nostalgia, with a double-bill headliner in Brian Wilson and Tom Jones, while some of the festival’s favourite returning acts kept the quality consistent throughout the day in the lead-up to a site-closing blues extravaganza by supergroup The Original Blues Brothers Band, who brought an…

Read More

Easter Sunday at Bluesfest 2016 sees highlights from Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Noel Gallagher, and more

The weather had been bright and sunny until it poured on the third night of Bluesfest 2016, meaning that the fourth day – Easter Sunday – brought the familiar look of mud and gumboots to this full day of live music. Despite that, Tyagarah Tea Farm once again reminds us of the solid choice in…

Read More

Soul reigns supreme on the third day of Bluesfest 2016 with sets from D’Angelo, Allen Stone, and more

“[D’Angelo’s debut album] Brown Sugar changed my life in ways I never thought possible”, said Dallas Green as City and Colour took the Mojo stage through a fan-pleasing set on Good Friday, hyping up the Saturday headline slot from the neo-soul pioneer even more. This resulted in D’Angelo’s scheduled two-hour performance being delivered to a…

Read More

Day Two of Bluesfest 2016 was all about powerful songwriting with City and Colour, The National, and more

The energy was different in the air for Day Two of the 27th annual Bluesfest; compared to the festival’s first night, the crowd was much more relaxed, more in-line with a traditional Bluesfest audience, arguably because those who were only there to see Kendrick Lamar on the Thursday hadn’t returned for more. That or everyone…

Read More

Kamasi Washington, D’Angelo, and Kendrick Lamar help open Bluesfest for 2016

The epic five-day music adventure that is Bluesfest began in a big way this year, welcoming punters both new and old onto the spacious Tyagarah Tea Farm for the festival’s 27th year, boasting one of it’s most diverse programs to date. Compton emcee Kendrick Lamar was the Thursday headliner and all eyes were on him…

Read More

Live Review: D’Angelo and The Vanguard – Sydney Opera House (21.03.16)

My ideal D’Angelo concert would be about four or five hours long; he would perform every single song he has ever recorded, all full versions, he would bring out Erykah Badu for their stunning cover of “Your Precious Love”, The Roots for the OG “Break You Off”, “The ‘Notic” and “Geto Heaven” with Common on…

Read More

Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids (USA) talks songwriting and preparing for festival sets

Since speaking to Cold War Kids before their Falls Festival set in late 2014, they’ve copped their first number one single in “First”, dropped EP Five Quick Cuts and heavily toured the international festival circuit. Now with their return to Australia for Bluesfest and accompanying sideshows nigh, we spoke to lead man Nathan Willett about…

Read More

Win a double pass to the biggest Australian festival of the year: Bluesfest Byron Bay!

Every year, Easter in Australia means one thing for music fans: Bluesfest. The annual Byron Bay festival bringing some of the finest acts from around Australia and the world to the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm just outside of Byron – and this year the lineup is without question their finest in years. From the contemporary…

Read More