There are few music festivals that can boast Iggy Pop, Arlo Guthrie, Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Ben Harper and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic on a single bill however, Byron Bay Bluesfest is not just any music festival. Eclectic lineups of established and emerging artists have long been the signature of one of Australia’s most enduring music festivals.
The multi-award winning Bluesfest has been luring both domestic and international artists and devotees on the annual pilgrimage to the luxurious Byron Bay locale since its humble beginnings in 1990 at The Arts Factory, affectionately called ‘The Piggery’. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, Bluesfest will host a crowd of 100,000 at the idyllic 120 hectare Tyagarah Tea Farm in Byron Bay Australia, its home since 2010.
Those attending Bluesfest, beginning Thursday 18 April 2019 and held over five days, can take advantage of camping options catering for 6,000 or stay in surrounding townships with regular transport available throughout the festival. Though notorious for musically diverse lineups that defy its restrictive title, the Bluesfest experience includes market stalls ranging from artisan food to bespoke jewellery, children’s entertainment, licensed bars and the perennial favourite musical knowledge quiz show ‘RockWiz’.
Since 1990, Bluesfest has hosted the exceptional talents of Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, Elvis Costello, Grace Jones and Crosby Stills & Nash just to name a very few. In recent years, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige, Jurassic 5, and G.Love & Special Sauce have rocked one of the many Bluesfest stages.
In 2019, Bluesfest welcomes back Mavis Staples, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame inductee and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree, for her 7th appearance. A legendary and decorated performer, Staples’ 2019 Bluesfest performance will be an Australian exclusive. Further, with retirement scheduled for May 2019, Bluesfest will be one of the last opportunities to experience the iconic intergalactic funk of George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.
Staples and Clinton and P-Funk will be joined by Bluesfest veteran, the inimitable Iggy Pop, Norah Jones and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. Harper, who credits some of his international success to the festival saying, “It (Bluesfest) is the most important festival of my life,” will perform exclusively with the Innocent Criminals for Bluesfest’s 30th anniversary celebrations. In addition to Harper, Jack Johnson (fresh off the Asbury Park Sea Hear Now Festival), Ruthie Foster and Samantha Fish are among a slew of artists that can only be seen at Bluesfest in 2019.
Paul Kelly, one of Australia’s most significant singer/songwriters, heads the local contingent (which includes Kasey Chambers, Mojo Juju, Tommy Emmanuel and Archie Roach) joining the international acts for the 5 consecutive, 12 hour, musically charged days that constitute the unique Bluesfest experience.
Known for offering a veritable smorgasbord of international and local acts encompassing a wide array of genres and amalgams, the lineup for Bluesfest’s 30th Anniversary pays homage to that tradition. Details of the complete lineup, which also includes Hozier, David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, Julia Stone, Keb’ Mo’ and Gary Clark Jr can be found at www.bluesfest.com.au along with ticketing, travel and camping and accommodation information.
-Kelly Owen
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