Bluesfest returns to Byron Bay for its 24th year this Easter weekend, with a mammoth lineup that’s been ballooning steadily, with Ben Harper, Charlie Musselwhite and the Grammy Award winning Zac Brown Band being among the latest additions to a lineup that includes Robert Plant, Paul Simon, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, and many, many more.
With such an esteemed lineup and organisation, the Blusefest has already scooped a number of major awards, and now clears the mantle for another, as American live music stats tracker Pollstar, honours director Peter Noble and his prestigious Byron Bay Festival with a nomination for another major gong.
As Noise 11 reports, Pollstar, which previously name checked Peter Noble in the top half of its Top 100 promoters for 2012, has nominated Bluesfest in the International Music Festival of the Year shortlist, with the festival’s passionate boss, Peter Noble, attending the Pollstar award ceremony in Los Angeles.
It’s the second time in the awards’ 24 year history that an Australian event has been nominated in the category, and is up against big name music events such as Spain’s Primavera Sound, Scotland’s annual T In The Park, the Sweden Rock Festival, Belgium’s Tomorrowland and V Festivals. Although Bluesfest didn’t come out on top, it is still in extremely good company. This is only the second time that an Australian festival has made the list.
Winning Pollstar‘s International Festival of the Year award would be the latest for the festival’s string of accolades, the latest of which being taking out the Major Event and Festival honour in the North Coast Tourism Awards last year. It’s the second time in the awards’ 24 year history that an Australian event has been nominated in the category…
Noble will no doubt be enthuses by the Pollstar nod, as it’s his passion for the festival that’s been a major factor in Bluesfest’s continuing success. He says it is about securing the best acts to ensure the best experience for patrons.
In a previous interview with Tone Deaf he said “‘No filler only killer’ is my motto,” adding, “it takes me years to book each Bluesfest, I often work on talent for many years to get them to come and play. It is something I do every day… It is my art, my life – my creation – my reason.”
The 2013 lineup includes huge international acts such as Led Zelleplin’s Robert Plant, guitar legend Santana, rock ‘n’ roll icons Iggy & The Stooges as well as modern classics like Wilco and Dropkick Murphys. Also appearing are a plethora of solid Australian talent such as The Cat Empire, Xavier Rudd, The Beards, and Grey Ghost.
It is abundantly clear why Bluesfest has survived where so many other festivals have failed. Noble is proud of the festival’s continued support from fans, but it is all deserved because “we knock the socks off 99.99% of them – just come once – you will then know why artists and fans all over the world say we are the best music fest there is – it’s not ego when you are telling the truth.”Bluesfest also won the category of Major Event and Festival, in the North Coast Tourism Awards last year. The five day event, starting on March 28 is guaranteed to please, and continue growing.
