NOTHING BLUE ABOUT THIS LINEUP
FESTIVALS may have had Australian act-stacked bills but the resurrected Byron Bay Bluesfest is unrivalled.
It’s so good, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and partner Dr Reza Adib were amongst the crowd on Friday, keen to see The Teskey Brothers as well as Midnight Oil.
Ms Palaszczuk – wearing “$8 leopard print sneakers from Target”, a pair of denim shorts and a festival hat – said: “We’re staying on the Gold Coast and driving down.”
The five-day festival swung into action on Thursday at its purposebuilt home at Tyagarah, in the floodravaged Byron Shire. It followed a two-year Covid-induced hiatus and is an embarrassment of music riches.
Paul Kelly, Hoodoo Gurus, Missy Higgins, Jimmy Barnes, Amy Shark, The Angels, Kasey Chambers, The
Living End, Briggs, John Butler Trio, The Waifs and The Church are in the line up to name a few.
Not enough? How about The Cat Empire, Joe Camilleri, Ross Wilson, Taman Shud, Kevin Borich Express, John Williamson, Mark Seymour, Mick Thomas, Weddings, Parties, Anything, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Emily Wurramara and Henry Wagons?
International stars include Kiwis Crowded House, L.A.B. and Fat Freddy’s Drop, George Benson, The Wailers, Morcheeba, The War & Treaty, Amadou & Mariam, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram and Cory Henry.
The usual rollcall of US blues greats and newcomers are absent but plenty of Aussie blues stars are on deck: Think Backsliders, Ash Grunwald, the brilliant Fiona Boyes, Jeff Lang and Chain.
The Gold Coast is well represented with Shark joined by fellow Gold Coast Music Award winners Hussy Hicks, Casey Barnes and Tijuana Cartel.
“I have always said ‘when Bluesfest returns – it will be with a bang,” Bluesfest director Peter Noble said.
“This Bluesfest is the greatest gathering of Australian artists in the history of Australian music. There’s never been a line-up like this before — and it may never ever be repeated.”
While it escaped the worst of the recent wild northern NSW weather, it won’t take much for the ground underfoot to bog in and around Bluesfest’s mega big top stages.
It’s nothing Noble hasn’t dealt with before. The site’s pathways have been covered in enough gravel to delay an M1 upgrade, with more ready to be spread overnight. It closes on Monday night with favourites Crowded House.