Bluesfest

By any measure, Bluesfest 2025 was a resounding success. Last year, there was an announcement that this could be the final year of the North Byron Bay event. However, the community rallied to support it, with over 110,00 people attending this year over four days. By the last day, it was announced that tickets were…

Saturday’s Bluesfest hosted a glorious sunny day for the sold out crowd. Thanks to the overwhelming support of this year’s event, it was announced that Bluesfest will continue into 2026, with specially discounted pre-early bird tickets available for sale at the festival. The overall mood is one of celebration of community, with a couple of…

One thing that you can’t control is the weather. With recent heavy rains in northern NSW, many were worried that this year would be another muddy Bluesfest. However, the weather has been glorious for the last week, including the Easter long weekend. With gravel being laid to ensure no muddy patches, festival goers this year…

This year could possibly be the final Bluesfest, but based on the overwhelming support for the Byron Bay festival makes it feel that next year’s event is possible. On opening day, three stages were in operation. Sydney band Velvet Trip opened the Crossroads stage with a psych infused indie rock set that had the crowd…

The final countdown is on. The first lineup announcement has dropped for the final ever Byron Bay Bluesfest, and it’s a belter. We were hoping for Crowded House, and they have delivered. Neil Finn is without doubt in the upper echelon of living songwriters. Their past performances at the festival have been absolute highlights, and…

In major news today, Peter Noble OAM, Festival Director of Bluesfest Byron Bay, announced that the 2025 edition of Bluesfest will be its last outing. Easter on the East coast of Australia will never be the same again. Perhaps the writing was on the wall when it was cut down from five days to four…

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…

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…

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…

  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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…