Today Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia’s Number 1 Blues & Roots Music Festival (Easter Weekend March 28 to April 1) brings to all Australian Fans an announcement very much close to their heart!
This latest Bluesfest release focuses on our remarkable Australian, as well as New Zealand Artists, and brings a perfect selection of ‘well known’ and ‘up and coming’ home grown talent to the Bluesfest stages.
This Aussie Announcement will have every Australian feeling proud to be one.
The 2013 Bluesfest Artist Program is already being hailed as one of the best line-ups in Australian Festival History but by the sounds of it, Bluesfest is not done yet. There are more announcements scheduled for the upcoming weeks.
Already headlining the Bluesfest 2013 super bill are Paul Simon, Robert Plant presents Sensational Space Shifters, Santana, Ben Harper, Iggy & The Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Wilco, Rodriguez, Steve Miller Band, Chris Isaak, Madness, Roger Hodgson from Supertramp, and many more.
For Festival line up and the playing schedule go to www.bluesfest.com.au
Here is what Peter Noble, Festival Director, has to say:
“Yes, it’s the Aussies on the forefront with this announcement. No Bluesfest bill is ever complete without its own home grown talent.
Today we are unveiling some of the crème de la crème of Australian music PLUS a couple of very special bands from across the Tasman, the dub Reggae break-through NZ band Fat Freddy’s Drop, and the next big Kiwi thing – the band King Cannons. The King Cannons are not to be avoided at ANY cost – get the vibe and make your way to the front of the stage – just do it, get it…don’t miss them as this band is serious business and you can say you saw them when!
Then there is “The Cat Empire”. We have watched them grow from a small band performing on the smaller Bluesfest stages to closing the entire Festival and gaining world recognition over the years. All along the guys have stayed grounded and great to work with. It will be their 7 th performance at Bluesfest. Wow, that number is getting close to breaking records but the highest score in overall Bluesfest performances is held by Hat Fitz from the beautiful Queensland town of Eumundi.
Bluesfest 2013 marks 20 years straight of Fitzy’s playing Bluesfest – maybe we should give him a gold watch.
Festival favourites Fat Freddy’s Drop, Xavier Rudd and RockWiz Live (with 4 shows), will be doing ‘Welcome Back’ performances, alongside newcomers Karise Eden – truly THE VOICE, The Beards, Saskwatch and Grey Ghost, who I believe is going to blow everyone away. I have presented some amazing Aussie Artists in their early years who became huge, so watch out for this performer Grey Ghost – he HAS got it in spades.
Then there is the Haight Ashbury Stage Show which features a cast of incredible Hippies and great musicians, such as former Canned Heat lead vocalist James T. This show will enthral you over four nights with their authentic ‘journey back in time’ to those days of peace love and bean sprouts – don’t miss this one – it’s a play, it’s a concert, it’s psychedelic, it’s a light show, it’s authentic and it’s a knockout – Direct from Nimbin.
In short: All the Artists in this announcement are special and I am thrilled to be welcoming them to Bluesfest. It makes you proud to be an Aussie.
And we are not calling it quits yet. There are around 4 more announcements yet to come, and we will be rolling some of them out just before Christmas, so yeah, the majority of Bluesfest will be announced by then! It’s never been this early and I love it!
We have been described after our last announcement as ‘easily the best festival line-up in Australia’s history’ by well-respected music journalist, Paul Cashmere – well we are not stopping – this IS the best Bluesfest yet – and tickets are selling fast – make sure you are part of it.”
Important news: Headliners Paul Simon and Robert Plant will NOT perform in Brisbane or QLD. Their Bluesfest performances are exclusive to that region and tickets to the Festival are now reported to be selling fast.
THE 1ST AUSSIE (& KIWI) ARTIST
ANNOUNCEMENT
THE CAT EMPIRE
FAT FREDDY’S DROP – XAVIER RUDD
ROCKWIZ LIVE
THE BREAK FEAT. MEMBERS OF MIDNIGHT OIL, VIOLENT FEMMES, HUNTERS & COLLECTORS
BEASTS OF BOURBON – KARISE EDEN – THE BAMBOOS
THE BEARDS – MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA
THE SNOWDROPPERS – KING CANNONS
GREY GHOST – BUSBY MAROU – SASKWATCH
THE WILSON PICKERS – ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS
HAT FITZ & CARA – MASON RACK BAND –
THE SONGS OF THE HAIGHT ASHBURY STAGE SHOW
LIL FI & THE DIRTY RASCALS – WARDS XPRESS
ARTISTS ALREADY ANNOUNCED
PAUL SIMON
ROBERT PLANT
PRESENTS SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS
SANTANA – BEN HARPER
IGGY & THE STOOGES
STEVE MILLER BAND – STATUS QUO
MADNESS – CHRIS ISAAK – BONNIE RAITT
WILCO – RODRIGUEZ – RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
ROGER HODGSON THE LEGENDARY VOICE OF SUPERTRAMP
JIMMY CLIFF – JOAN ARMATRADING – ROBERT CRAY
JON ANDERSON THE LEGENDARY VOICE OF YES – DROPKICK MURPHYS
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND – GLEN HANSARD WITH THE FRAMES
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA – MAVIS STAPLES
FRANK TURNER AND THE SLEEPING SOULS
ALLEN TOUSSAINT – WANDA JACKSON – GRACE POTTER
FRED WESLEY AND THE NEW JB’S – BETTYE LAVETTE
SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK – PLAYING FOR CHANGE – RUTHIE FOSTER
NEWTON FAULKNER – TONY JOE WHITE – LUKA BLOOM
THE DUKE ROBILLARD BAND – MICHAEL KIWANUKA – WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE
SHAWN COLVIN – SETH LAKEMAN – BEN CAPLAN