Bluesfest has announced a massive 30th anniversary festival line-up, set to take place during next year’s Easter long weekend at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just north of Byron Bay.
Leading the announcement is Bluesfest’s ‘prodigal son’, and one of the most fan requested to return, Jack Johnson, making his return to Bluesfest since 2014, which was coincidentally the festivals 25th anniversary.
Having started his Bluesfest performances way back in 2001, Jack has so far released seven studio albums, with his most recent release, September 2017’s ‘All the Light Above It Too’, reaching 13th on the Billboard charts.
Another highly requested returning musician is Ben Harper, as he returns with his band, the legendary Innocent Criminals, having made his first appearance at Bluesfest 23 years ago in 1996, Ben is set to return exclusively to Bluesfest, with St. Paul & the Broken Bones also set to perform exclusively at the Byron Bay festival.
It will be a sad affair for many funk fans with legendary musician George Clinton performing what will be one of his last performances ever, and certainly his last Bluesfest performance, as the influential funk musician has recently announced his retirement from music will be in May 2019.
Clinton’s bands, the collective Parliament and Funkadelic, have been major influences for today’s modern music, constantly influencing today’s hip-hop, R’n’B, funk, psychedelia and pretty much all other genres of music, meaning this performance is a must see for not only fans of George Clinton, Parliament and Funkadelic, but music fans in general.
Bluesfest’s ‘favourite daughter’ Kasey Chambers also makes her return to Bluesfest, and, fittingly, will celebrate the 20th birthday of her album ‘The Captain’, playing it in its entirety, as the performance also marks 20 years since her first Bluesfest mainstage performance.
According to Peter Noble, Bluesfest director, the Bluesfest team plan on making their 30th anniversary truly memorable.
“Our 30th Anniversary Bluesfest will be a major event in a long line of great festivals,” Mr Noble said.
“We will only turn 30 once.”
Making their return to the festival will be genre fluctuating Snarky Puppy, who last played in 2017, alongside them are Nahko & Medicine for the People, who are unmistakably no strangers to Bluesfest, and will return to Bluesfest bringing with them their musical message of social change.
Former The War on Drugs guitarist, Kurt Vile is set to make his first ever Bluesfest appearance, bringing with him his band The Violators, having forged a strong solo career after The War on Drugs, with his most recent release, ‘Lotta Sea Lice’, being a collaboration with Australia’s own Courtney Barnett.
The 30th Bluesfest is set to take place from April 18th til 22nd, at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just north of Byron Bay.
The entire Bluesfest first announcement line-up is below:
JACK JOHNSON *Exclusive*
BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS *Exclusive*
RAY LAMONTAGNE
GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC
SNARKY PUPPY
KASEY CHAMBERS
ST PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES *Exclusive*
NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE
TOMMY EMMANUEL
COLIN HAY
ARLO GUTHRIE
KEB’ MO’
TEX PERKINS
ALLEN STONE
RICHARD CLAPTON
RUSSELL MORRIS
KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS
VINTAGE TROUBLE
THE BLACK SORROWS
THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS
TREVOR HALL
I’M WITH HER
LARKIN POE
IRISH MYTHEN
ELEPHANT SESSIONS
GREENSKY BLUEGRASS
ROCKWIZ LIVE
For more information please visit bluesfest.com.au
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