With the arrival of Bluesfest Melbourne, at long last Victorian music fans are set to get a taste of the legendary annual Bluesfest Byron Bay in the heart of their own city.
The clock is ticking and it’s less than two months until the cherry-picked lineup hits the weatherproof surroundings of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
On Saturday, April 8th and Sunday, April 9th, Bluesfest Melbourne echoes the breadth of its mother festival, where supporters can celebrate contemporary blues and roots music (and beyond) at its best in an ideal setting.
A no crush, no rush experience is promised. There’s plenty of food and drink options, the venue is spread so there will be an ease in moving between stages and getting great viewing vantage points. You won’t miss a thing as all performances are staggered across the three stages, across the day from 1pm until 11pm.
Everything on offer is real and with an edge. From Buddy Guy, the last of the original Chess masters who is making his farewell trip to Australia, through to the sweet stylings of the 2020 Archie Roach Foundation Award winner Kee’ahn, all points in between are also covered.
Blues offerings come from, among others, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Eric Gales and homegrown artists like Frank Sultana and Rod Paine. Grammy winning Robert Glasper blends jazz and R&B like no one before him. Americana totems Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle head up the country offerings.
Add to that soul (Southern Avenue), ska (the Melbourne Ska Orchestra), bluegrass (Greensky Bluegrass), legacy acts (Russell Morris, Chain) and long-time festival favourites like John Butler, Xavier Rudd and Kasey Chambers, and these are just a handful of the 29 acts on the bill.
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For the majority of the Bluesfest Melbourne artists these are exclusive Melbourne performances. This includes The Doobie Brothers (Saturday) and Paolo Nutini (Sunday) who will conclude proceedings with a separate ticketed events in the Plenary Theatre.
Tickets are selling fast. There are many ticketing options available. Check them out at: bluesfestmelbourne.com.au or ticketmaster.com
