2021 BLUESFEST RELEASES AN HISTORICAL FIRST ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT 

·       ALL TICKET TYPES ON SALE NOW: https://www.bluesfest.com.au/tickets/

BON IVER – PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND – JIMMY BARNES
GEORGE BENSON – THE TESKEY BROTHERS
JOHN BUTLER – XAIVER RUDD – THE CAT EMPIRE
KOOL & THE GANG – THE GIPSY KINGS
KASEY CHAMBERS – THE WAIFS – TROY CASSAR-DALEY 
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD
THE WAILERS PERFORM SONGS FROM ‘LEGEND’
LP – MORCHEEBA – THE BLACK SORROWS
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
TORI KELLY – BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE
THEMARCUS KING BAND – CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM
JIMMIE VAUGHAN – JOHN MAYALL
MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA – CHAIN – LARKIN POE
WEDDINGS, PARTIES, ANYTHING – exclusive show
BACKSLIDERS – HARTS PLAYS HENDRIX – ASH GRUNWALD
THE WAR & TREATY – CORY HENRY & THE FUNK APOSTLES
WALTER TROUT – THE BAMBOOS 
MICK THOMAS’ ROVING COMMISSION – DAMI IM
PIERCE BROTHERS – EMILY WURRAMARA– ROSHANI – RAY BEADLE
HENRY WAGONS – HUSSY HICKS – PACEY, KING & DOLEY
DANIEL CHAMPAGNE – NATHAN CAVALERI
LITTLE GEORGIA
BLUESFEST BUSKING COMPETITION & WINNERS
THE AUSTRALIAN AMERICANA MUSIC HONOURS

Byron Bay Bluesfest releases the largest FIRST Artist Announcement made in the history of the festival. This highly anticipated release includes many of the artists intended for this year’s event and features a total of 50 artists including the Bluesfest Busking Competition and the debut appearance of The Australian Americana Music Honours.   

New additions to the top end of the bill are International folk-stars Bon Iver, the god of Aussie rock Jimmy Barnes, festival favourite Michael Franti & Spearhead, and steaming hot off their No.1 debut on the ARIA album chart last May with “Live At The Forum is none other than one of this country’s fastest rising stars The Teskey Brothers.

The Black Sorrows, Melbourne Ska Orchestra and an exclusive performance by Weddings Parties Anything; their first show since 2012, are also new top notch additions to this first announcement.

Last week’s strong start to Early Bird ticket sales clearly demonstrates people are looking forward to leaving the house so they can soak up some much needed food for the soul. The 2021 Bluesfest promises to be a safe and full festival experience running across five stages and including all the trimmings from camping to rainbow tipis, market stalls, the busking competition, great food and the perennial warm good vibes that is Byron Bay Bluesfest.

All ticket types and Add-Ons are on-sale today. 

Commenting on the announcement, Festival Director, Peter Noble OAM said, “When Bluesfest 2020 was ordered by the Government to shut-down 2020 we immediately put our noses to the grindstone within days of the cancellation and got on with 2021. This Artist Announce is a testament to that fortitude. As this country’s most highly awarded music festival, we are working with Government to find the best possible outcomes for Bluesfest 2021. We want to present another great event, one that is safe and with best-practise protocols implemented on every level.  We need it, the music industry needs it and the greater community needs it. Together we will find the most prudent pathway to revive the live music industry, an industry that is aching to get back to work ASAP. 

I am so grateful to all the international artists who want to return and be a part of 2021 Bluesfest, to all the Australian artists and to everyone in our industry supporting us in leading the way back to live music. Above all my thanks go to the resilient Bluesfest team who have been dedicated through what has been the hardest time yet we have experienced in presenting a music festival. Bluesfest 2021 will be much more than the music on stage and the wonderful audience along with all those who present it. It will be an integral part of the return of the live music industry. Many of 2020s line up want to return, so we fulfilled that and included some surprises like Bon Iver, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jimmy Barnes and The Teskey Brothers to name a few. It’s a long way to next Easter and by that time travel restrictions are sure to be different. In the case of no international travel I’ve programmed a damn good line up of locals and a vibrant festival experience so people can come out and play. Last week’s Early Bird ticket sales proved to me that people are keen for next year’s Bluesfest. Yes the future is uncertain for everyone, but humans need enjoyment, a place they can feel comfortable and trust they are in good hands, and Bluesfest is, and has always been that.

Northern NSW benefits greatly from the people who attend Bluesfest. The festival’s contribution to our community financially is huge and we look forward to sharing the results of the Bluesfest Economic Impact Survey in a detailed report soon.”

A SECOND ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT is expected to follow in the Spring.

Prep your snacks, pour your beverage, puff your couch, log in and turn up the volume, it’s time for episode four of The Show!

This week’s special guest is ethereal, irresistible songstress Lucie Thorne. Hailing from Tasmania, Lucie has earned her place as one of Australia’s most striking and hardworking contemporary songsmiths. With twelve releases to her name (Black Across The Field shortlisted for the AMP) and a phenomenal touring schedule here at home, through Europe and America, we are thrilled that Lucie will bring her poetry in motion to the shed for The Show.

Meet Tex at the Virtual Merch Desk! Paying homage to the old school, when artists used to go to the merch desk to meet fans after each show, Tex will be heading to the virtual merch desk (Facebook) to meet fans and answer all your questions. The link will be posted on Tex Perkins official Facebook Page, right before The Show kicks off. And Tex will meet you there when The Show finishes. Pop your questions in the comments section.

The SHOW is a series of filmed musical performances with a bar, casual verbal intercourse, lights, cameras and not one but 2 smoke machines! Filmed in the warm rustic shed on the Perkin’s family property in Northern NSW, The Show is an intimate, rowdy evening of music with a new special guest each week, sometimes a familiar face, others a discovery.

Tickets on sale now from Oztix– The SHOW must go on.
A link to the stream of The SHOW will be emailed to all ticket holders before the show starts. Your link will allow you to watch the show anytime. PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for the SHOW will still be available for 48 hours after the premiere of the SHOW.

You guessed it… the 2020 edition of Listen Out and Listen In cannot go ahead this year. A statement from the Listen Out organisers below:

Well, we waited as long as we possibly could in case it became possible… but as you probably expected, the Listen Out / Listen In Aust & NZ tour can’t go ahead this year.

We had a killer lineup ready to go, a new venue for Melbourne and heaps of changes in the other cities which you would have loved.

Sadly though, it wasn’t to be… 

But we’re already working hard on Listen Out / Listen In 2021 and we cannot wait to see you there!

Til then: Stay true, stay strong, and keep love in your heart. 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=948323005629756

BIGSOUND POWERS FORWARD WITH ESSENTIAL 2020 MUSIC GATHERING
BIGSOUND is pleased to announce that it will proceed in 2020 with a revised program of conference, live music and parties, ensuring that its long-standing role of providing forward thinking, listening, learning, discovering and most importantly industry connection for the music community, is not lost due to COVID-19.

The event will still occur in its spiritual home, the Fortitude Valley live music precinct, while fully respecting social distancing and safety protocols with a condensed program of conferences, workshops, facilitated conversations, live festival showcases, secret shows and official parties across two days and two nights across Wednesday 21 October and Thursday 22 October 2020.

Artist live showcase applications are open today. Due to the event being condensed in size and capacity, there will be no artist application fees this year.

The BIGSOUND’s live showcase program will take place at over 10 of the Valley’s best live music venues, while the conference will welcome key stakeholder groups from across Australia in what will be the first major meeting of industry since COVID-19 closed our doors in mid-March.
“BIGSOUND has been the leader of conversation and discovery in the Australian music industry for over 18 years and this year we will be forging ahead with a recovery-focussed festival,”
says QMusic CEO Angela Samut.

“With the culture of our industry under threat from COVID-19, our industrial culture under scrutiny as we face head-on the structural inequities for women, LGBTQI+ and First Nations people, and our culture as a nation under the spotlight as global trends put even more pressure on local artists and local stories, never has it been more essential for BIGSOUND to proceed and succeed.”
The 2020 event welcomes Janne Scott taking on the role of Creative Director. Ms Scott is the previous head of the BIGSOUND Visual Arts Program and retains her role as the Splendour In The Grass Senior Creative Manager.

Alethea Beetson returns as First Nations Producer and Programmer, having programmed the acclaimed BIGSOUND First Nations programs in 2018 and 2019. Ms Beetson is working across the entire BIGSOUND program and event.

Dominic Miller and Ruby-Jean McCabe join as Festival Co-Programmers, bringing with them years of industry experience across various roles including managers, agents, festival programmers and venue bookers and are the perfect duo to take on BIGSOUND Festival this year.

With the impacts of COVID-19 and no international buyers able to travel to Brisbane, Maggie Collins will not be returning in 2020. We also acknowledge the work of conference programmer Tom Larkin and BIGTECH programmer David Grice, and Festival Programmers Tim Shiel and Melody Forghani for their huge contributions to BIGSOUND.

BIGTECH will also be on hiatus this year, but wheels are already in motion for its return in 2021.

Crowd Shot at ‘The Valley Drive In’ at BIGSOUND 2019
BIGSOUND Festival is back, albeit in a COVID-safe way. All necessary safety, restrictions, and concerns will be implemented across all spaces during the event.

Queensland is leading the East Coast for venue re-openings and we are confident that we will be the best place to see live music this October, and are excited to provide the opportunity for the Australia’s best and brightest upcoming new artists to continue to come together and showcase their talents across the Fortitude Valley Live Music Precinct.

Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said today’s confirmation of BIGSOUND 2020 sent a positive message that Queensland’s music industry was getting back to business.
“The Palaszczuk Government has provided dedicated support to the music industry as part of our plan for economic recovery and creating jobs in the arts sector,” Minister Enoch said.

“Beyond our ongoing long-term investment in QMusic, the Queensland Government has implemented more than $42.5 million worth of relief measures to the arts through COVID-19. This includes a recently announced $22.5 million Arts and Cultural Recovery Package offering funding specifically for the live music industry to assist venues to reopen and employ musicians.

“The reactivation of Queensland’s live music industry is highly anticipated and I am confident that BIGSOUND will play a central role in Queensland’s plan for recovery.”
Kirsty Rivers, Head of Music for the Australia Council for the Arts, said:
“Our musicians are Australia’s storytellers along with our artists, writers, actors and designers. Music strengthens our economy but just as importantly, it deepens our connections with our First Nations and other nations and cultures. 

The Australia Council is proud to once again partner in 2020 with BIGSOUND to accelerate and re-ignite the careers of Australia’s best and brightest industry and artists.”
BIGSOUND acknowledges that at this time, Victorian artists are not able to travel to Queensland and although this is expected to change, due to the fluid nature of the situation and the majority of travel possibilities difficult to predict, we encourage all artists to apply and if they cannot attend there will be contingencies in place to create opportunities for participation remotely.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said events like BIGSOUND would play an important role in the state’s economic recovery. “Major events like this pump millions of dollars into the local economy and support local jobs,” Ms Jones said.
“Because Queenslanders have done such a great job fighting COVID-19, we can now start welcoming tourists back to our state. This festival will deliver a great boost for local businesses at a time when everyone is doing it tough. It’s great news for the industry.

“It has been an incredibly difficult year, but thanks to the efforts of the Queensland people, we have moved forward to our stage three easing of restrictions and will soon be reopening our borders to most Australians. With restrictions easing and the recent development of a COVID Safe Events framework, we’re starting to rebuild and recover.”

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Pre-sale registration for delegate pass sales open 9.00am Wednesday 29 July. Join the BIGSOUND mailing list to access this pre-sale opportunity.

Early-bird delegate pass sales open 9.00am Monday 3 August.

Artist applications open now at www.bigsound.org.au

Due to social distancing requirements, numbers this year are limited, so be quick to ensure you are part of what will be a well-deserved and long-awaited celebration of our vibrant and talented music community, as well as a historical moment of reflection, re-grouping, and re-setting for the industry.

BIGSOUND thanks the support of its partners: Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Australia Council for the Arts, Tourism and Events Queensland and media partner Triple J and ticketing partner OzTix.

BIGSOUND is presented by QMusic.

DANCE GAVIN DANCE RELEASE ANIMATED VIDEO FOR SINGLE ‘ONE IN A MILLION’
Band To Stream Special Pro-Shot, Multi-Camera AFTERBURNER ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
Saturday 18th July at 11AM AEST | Buy Tickets Here
Album Out Now On Rise Records

Following the enormous success of the physical release of their latest, chart topping album, Afterburner, Sacramento five-piece, Dance Gavin Dance have released the brand new music video for One In A Million. The animated video is directed by Rob Shaw (Portlandia, At The Drive In) and takes viewers on a weird and wonderful psychedelic adventure.

The band also recently announced that they will be celebrating the July 10th physical release of their chart topping new album, Afterburner with a very special, full production, multi-camera broadcast of their Album Release Show. The streamed show, in association with Sound Rink Live, will give fans all around the world the very first opportunity to see Dance Gavin Dance play new songs from Afterburner during the full live set. This special event will take place on Friday July 17th at 6pm PST/9pm EST. Tickets are available now from DanceGavinDance.Live.

Dance Gavin Dance were faced with a difficult choice back in April when the release date for their 9th studio album was set. They could either push back the release date altogether in order to allow for the COVID-19 induced manufacturing shutdown and release the album both digitally and physically or, give fans the album they had been waiting patiently to hear and go ahead with a digital only release on the agreed date, forfeiting the sizeable physical pre-order sales contribution to their week 1 chart positions. The band chose their fans over a chart position and released the digital-only version of the album on April 24th.

In a hugely impressive turn of events, Dance Gavin Dance once again proved their undeniable popularity as Afterburner (Rise Records) soared straight to the top of the charts hitting #1 across the Current Album, Alternative, Digital, Rock and Heavy Rock charts and #14 on the Billboard Top 200. The long-awaited physical release of ‘Afterburner’ finally dropped last Friday (July 10th) and comes an exclusive double disc CD with instrumental versions of all songs from the album available only from Target and exclusive vinyl variants from both Urban Outfitters and FYE. A full variety of merch bundles are available here

Dance Gavin Dance’s ninth studio album, Afterburner, which has already clocked up 47.5 million streams since release, was produced by the group’s frequent collaborator, Kris Crummett, (Issues, Sleeping With Sirens, Mayday Parade) and Drew Fulk a.k.a. WZRD BLD (Lil Wayne, Motionless in White, Bad Wolves). The album is a landmark mission statement that encompasses DGD energy past, present, and future. It is a killer and dynamic demonstration of what the quintet does best, and is equal parts aggressive, melodic, and unrestrained, and has been met with high critical acclaim.

Dance Gavin Dance’s ninth full-length studio album, Afterburner, is available now at https://riserecords.lnk.to/afterburner.

Perth, Australia – After a trailblazing 2019 that saw the success of singles One Time and Saturday (feat. Mali Jo$e), along with live shows at Groovin the Moo and alongside Kevin Parker, Triple One and more, this year has only seen Afro-RnB vocalist Adrian Dzvuke climb the ranks further with the WAM Song of the Year-nominated Bad Like Ri Ri and Spotify-approved Tell Me Why both making waves. The trend continues this month, as the 24-year-old returns with his latest offering, Darling.

Darling sees Dzvuke right in his element, his distinct vocals set amongst afro percussion and subtle beat breaks making for an infectious night time bop that lures you in. It builds upon an Afro-inspired sound that the Zimbabwe-born Dzvuke has solidified in the past 18 months; one that pays homage to his cultural heritage while integrating contemporary sonics from the worlds of RnB, Hip Hop and Pop.

Darling arrives as the third single of 2020 for Dzvuke, following Tell Me Why and Bad Like Ri Ri, which have both received the Spotify Editorial treatment on playlists New Music Friday and Urban Flavour, as well as garnering the eye of tastemakers triple J. The release of Darling is scheduled to be accompanied by a string of shows across WA as the state’s live music restrictions are lifted.

“Dzvuke is charismatic to the core and his Afrobeat tunes are silky and stylish.” – The Music

After gaining momentum with his recently released funk-based and groove-filled single ‘Love’ on May 8, Perth-based hip-hop artist Sowdy strikes again whilst the iron is still hot with his latest album ‘Shine!’.The 15-track anthology will be  available on July 17th, after its recent Exclusive Album Premiere on the AU review, calling it “one of the finest Australian hip hop releases so far this year.”
Backed with Sowdy’s strong foundation in drumming and electrifying vocals—‘Shine!’ was methodically crafted over the last two years from his home studio, with all tracks produced, written, mixed, mastered, and performed by Sowdy himself.
The album is a self-reflective journey, exploring the concepts of life, love, trauma, and hope, through an autobiographical lens. It is a modern, youthful take on the music that Sowdy grew up on, and a nostalgia trip through his musical upbringing. Whilst the project primarily falls into the category of hip-hop, it is sprinkled with strong influences of R&B, soul, jazz, and funk. ‘Shine!’ also features Sowdy’s collaborations with other promising Aussie artists such as Drea, Princess Khanya, 506, Cokoblack, Seup, and co-production with Luchii on ‘Can’t Stop Me’.
“I was told to hone in on my craft and really focus on how I present my music to the audience. Since then, I’ve been
working on ‘Shine!’ and with it, I feel I’ve found my sound and my purpose. I just want people to enjoy life and find an escape with my music.” – Sowdy

This rising star’s “infectious energy”, as praised by triple J presenter Gemma Pike, has been given regular spins by TripleJ Unearthed, while his “relaxed summer anthems” were given nods by publications such as Pilerats, Vice, and AU Dollars.

Sowdy’s last album ‘Leonidas’ was released in 2018, and since then, he has dropped six different singles, including ‘Big Time’ and ‘Sunshine’. Throughout his run in the music scene, trails of his influences—such as Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West—can be traced in his tracks. Yet, this versatile artist combines the old and the new eras of soulful jazz and youthful bounce, to create a sound of his own.
Until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Sowdy has to put his Australian tour on hold. But a series of collaborations with other artists are in store for him for the rest of the year, so make sure to follow his social media accounts for more updates!