Country Music will take over Berry on the South Coast of NSW on Saturday 9 May 2020 for the 2nd annual Big Country Festival featuring a line-up of Australia’s top country artists.
Following a sold-out inaugural year, Berry will once again light up with performances from some of Australia’s biggest and best country music stars on stage at the Berry Showground for the biggest country entertainment event the region has seen. Situated in the Shoalhaven Coast wine region on the spectacular NSW South Coast, Berry is a two hour drive or train trip from Sydney surrounded by award-winning restaurants, wineries and gorgeous beaches.
Big Country is thrilled to announce Adam Brand, Steve Forde, The McClymonts, Adam Harvey, Shannon Noll, The Wolfe Brothers, Brad Cox, Amber Lawrence, Casey Barnes, Melanie Dyer, Missy Lancaster, Darlinghurst and local Benn Gunn are set to tear up the stage on 9 May.
General Public tickets to Big Country go on sale from Moshtix at Midday on Thursday, 13 February 2020. Limited, reduced price Early Bird tickets are available from Midday on Wednesday, 12 February and can be accessed by registering at big-country.com.au.
Adam Brand is one of Australia’s most popular and successful recording artists. A stellar career spanning twenty years has seen him nominated for multiple ARIA Awards, win 12 Golden Guitars, sell over 600,000 CDs & DVDs, as well as earn 3 platinum & 5 gold albums. A fan favourite, Adam has won a record 7 x CMC Oz Artist of the Year Awards.
Adam has many TV and radio hosting credits next to his name as well including The Great Outdoors, Dancing With The Stars, Farmer Wants A Wife, The Masked Singer and GOLD FM.
A supreme live entertainer, Adam will be releasing his new studio album, Speed of Life, in March 2020.
Aside from being a farmer and former bareback bronco rider, Steve Forde’s impressive career achievements include multiple #1 ARIA Australian Country Artists albums, over 10 #1 Music Videos, three Golden Guitar awards, an APRA Award nomination and the opportunity to tour with country’s biggest acts including Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Kernaghan, Gary Allan and Joe Nichols.
Steve is anything but traditional; he’s constantly breaking new ground, writes his own ticket and doesn’t conform to any moulds. His ethos is ‘Hard Work‚ Long Days‚ Hard Work‚ Hard Play‘ and we look forward to seeing him light up the stage at Big Country 2020.
Since the release of their debut EP in 2006, The McClymonts – sisters Brooke, Sam & Mollie McClymont – have established themselves as Australia’s number one country group with over a quarter of a million album sales, two gold album sales accreditations, twenty-two chart-topping singles and a reputation for being one of the most exciting touring acts in country music. They are thirteen-time Golden Guitar Award winners including the 2018 ‘Album of the Year’ for their best-selling album Endless. They have also won two ARIA Awards, an APRA Award, three Country Music Channel Awards and were awarded Global Artist of the Year by the U.S Country Music Association in 2011.
Their 2017 album Endless saw the girls hit #1 on the ARIA Country Album chart for the fourth time in a row and undertake the highly successful ‘Endless’ national tour. Endless has so far delivered three #1 singles, House, Don’t Wish It All Away and Like We Used To and was nominated for an ARIA Award for Country Album of the Year
The McClymonts are currently working on their sixth studio album and will be undertaking their biggest tour in three years when they hit the road from May to November, 2020.
Adam Harvey has long been one of Australian country music’s premier artists. With eight Golden Guitars on the mantelpiece – including Male Vocalist of the Year Golden Guitars in 2002 (for The Shake of a Hand), 2004 (for Call It Love), and 2005 (for That’s What You Call A Friend), and Album of the Year wins in 2002, 2008 + 2012 (for Workin’ Overtime, I’m Doin’ Alright and Falling Into Place respectively), Adam ranks among Australian country music’s most decorated artists. Add to that more than half a million album sales, back-to-back No.1 albums on the ARIA Country Albums Chart, three ARIA nominations, and a succession of Gold and Platinum certified albums, and it’s easy to see that Adam’s trophy room sparkles from every angle.
In recognition of his immense reach, Adam Harvey was awarded the CMA’s Global Country Artist Award in 2007, and is the recipient of a Centenary Medal in recognition of his charity outreach – including Ambassadorships with the Fred Hollows Foundation and the McGrath Foundation.
In one of countless peaks in his unstoppable ascendency, Adam made history in 2009, debuting 6th studio outing Both Sides Now in the Top 20 of the ARIA General Albums Chart, and taking out the No.1 spot on the ARIA Country Albums Chart. It’s just one in an unbroken string of No.1 ARIA Country Albums releases including his latest release, The Nashville Tapes, in 2018.
Shannon Noll’s everyman appeal lies in his honesty, he strikes a chord with legions of music fans, tapping into a pure emotion that’s both his own and instantly relatable.
Shannon’s rise to fame as the first runner-up of the initial Australian Idol series in 2003 changed his life from farm hand in Condobolin forever. Since taking to the stage and commencing his successful recording career, Australia’s favourite son, “Nollsie” has gone on to receive acclaim with certified triple-platinum sales, number #1 hits, five top 10 albums, has 17 platinum and three gold accreditations, and boasts a reputation as the only Australian male artist in national chart history to have ever achieved ten consecutive top ten singles.
After kicking off 2019 in the most extraordinary ‘dreams do come true’ way with a sweeping win at the Golden Guitars, The Wolfe Brothers have not stopped – touring the width and breadth of Australia with mate Lee Kernaghan on his Backroad Nation tour, heading overseas to join Canadian superstar Gord Bamford on a whirlwind run of dates, including the acclaimed Calgary Stampede rodeo, and consistently playing to packed houses with their own headline shows.
The Wolfe Brothers’ latest release is Country Heart, which features the single, No Sad Song. Country Heart earned the group an ARIA nomination for Best Country Album in 2018 and debuted on the ARIA Charts at #9. The first single Ain’t Seen It Yet was also nominated as a finalist in the APRA Awards for Country Song Of The Year in 2019. All four of The Wolfe Brothers’ albums have entered the ARIA chart in the Top 20 all genre ARIA chart. The last two albums, Nothin’ But Trouble and This Crazy Life, and Country Heart, have all debuted on the ARIA Country Chart at #2.
Brad Cox earned wide scale recognition in 2018 with his self-titled debut album that yielded the singles, Too Drunk to Drive and Lakehouse. Cox also won the 39th Toyota Star Maker award that year and became the name on country music-lovers lips around the country.
Looking back, if 2018 was the year of the long march for the young man from Jindabyne, then 2019 was the year of the great leap forward. Signed to Sony Music, Brad Cox has two Golden Guitar nominations behind him with streaming numbers are now nudging up around the four million mark.
Cox’s new single, Give Me Tonight, is the first taste of a new album coming out this year and ups the ante on an already stellar career. Produced by Matt Fell, who recorded Cox’s debut LP, Give Me Tonight was co-written by Brad and good friend, and frequent collaborator, Joe Mungovan.
Multi-Golden Guitar winner, Australian singer-songwriter, Amber Lawrence had a cracking 2019 with the release of her 6th studio album, Spark!, celebrating her wedding and introduction to motherhood. Spark! and it’s 10 songs perfectly represent this new chapter in Amber’s life, with a fun and energetic vibe interwoven with heartfelt ballads.
It’s not like Amber has been resting on her laurels or taking time off in the lead up to Spark!’s release. In the last 3 years Amber has released two children’s albums (The Kids Gone Country and Aussie Aussie Christmas), released a collaboration with Travis Collins (Our Backyard) – which saw them win 3 Golden Guitar Awards in 2018, performed her original work, 100 Year Handshake, in New York for none other than President of the United States, Donald Trump and other dignitaries, co-hosted the 2019 Golden Guitar Awards, hosted radio show iHeart Country Australia (receiving a nomination for Top 10 New Radio Talent to watch), met and married the love of her life (they met on Tinder none the less), and gave birth to baby boy, Ike, in August last year.
Based on the Gold Coast, Casey Barnes had a solid start to 2018 when his current album, The Good Life debuted at #1 on the iTunes Country Album Chart and peaked at #2 on the ARIA County Album Chart. Radio has embraced a number of cuts from the album including, The Way We Ride, Be Mine and his current single, Better Days. The lead single, Ain’t Coming Home enjoyed consecutive weeks at #1 on the Country Tracks Top 40 chart.
The Good Life has helped Casey to grow his audience to over 134,000 listeners per month across streaming services alone. His recordings have generated 4.37 million streams with over 40,000 fans joining in online to tell the likeable artist that they are ready for whatever he’s got next in store for them.
Growing up on a farm in Mount Russell outside Inverell in NSW, Melanie Dyer burst onto the scene with startling vibrancy. Her debut EP laid a solid foundation and produced chart-topping singles Lifetime, Busy Doing Nothing and All You Need to Know About Me.
In 2017, Melanie released her debut album, Fresh, with the title track an established #1 hit that occupied the top spot on the Australian Country Airplay chart for five consecutive weeks while the accompanying video went #1 on Australia’s Country Music Channel. The follow up single, Save My Cents, also shot to the top of both radio and CMC charts.
Now Sydney based, Melanie Dyer is currently relishing breakout success with her pop- embellished #1 country bop, Memphis T-Shirt. The song was swiftly added to both contemporary and country radio playlists around Australia and is also included on Spotify’s biggest international playlists.
Music is at its most powerful when it hits a nerve, something singer-songwriter Missy Lancaster knows intimately. For in her twenty-three years, music has granted levity to moments of both pure joy and impossible darkness, guiding the girl from the country town of Picton, NSW, through life’s highs and lows with a level of tenderness and comfort akin to the truest friendship. “Music has the ability to make you feel any kind of emotion,” says Lancaster. “Anytime I feel anxious, happy or sad, music is the thing that I go to”
Darlinghurst is a band of individuals who bring their experience in music together to create a contemporary Country Music sound that has a unique fingerprint and whatever and wherever they perform, Darlinghurst are creating a buzz and garnering a positive reaction.
The band’s first single, Sorry Won’t Get You Back, went #1 on The Music Network Country Music airplay charts for an incredible five weeks, a feat only four other Australian artists [Morgan Evans, Amber Lawrence, The Buckleys and Lee Kernaghan] scored in 2019.
Australian Country Music only has one Benn Gunn. The knockabout bloke with a sound, attitude and personality that connects with rural and regional Australia in ways that many try to emulate. There are no frills, it is just Benn, his music and a good time for all who hear him play.
Benn has a swag of nominations and awards under his belt for Best New Talent in the 2011 Australian Independent Country Music Awards, Best New OZ Artist and Artist of the Year in the CMC Music Awards 2012, “Best New Artist” in the National Category of the Victorian Country Music Awards and just recently the 2014 MO Award for “Slim Dusty Country Act of the Year” and he’ll be opening the stage at Big Country 2020.
From forensic police crime scene investigator to singer-songwriter, Kevin Sullivan, graduated at the 2018 CMAA Senior Academy of Country Music Course with flying colours. His debut album, Belonging, debuted at No. 2 on the Charts and it’s first single, Outback Australia, was nominated as Single of the Year and Kevin as Independent Male Vocalist of the Year at the Mildura Country Music Awards. Kevin will be performing a special acoustic campground concert for early arrivers on Friday, 8 May.
As well as world class performances, Big Country is a great day out for the whole family with great local food options as well as a stack of fun for the little ones with Little Country Kid’s mini-festival featuring a petting zoo, mechanical bull, face painting, jumping castles and more.
For the big kids, there’s the return of some of Australia’s best bull riders vying for a prize pool of A$5,000 and the Big Country Buckle. For anyone bringing their dancing feet, a second stage will lay host to the Hoedown Showdown, a barnyard line dance to all the greatest country music hits, hand selected by ICMA award winner DJ Ronnie Tee.
Big Country is proud to support Blaze Aid, a volunteer-based organisation that helps families and individuals rebuild in rural Australia after natural disasters like fires and floods. After raising over $3,400 for Buy A Bale in 2019, the Festival has set a fundraising target of $10,000 for 2020.
Just as important as the entertainment is the food on offer at the festival. Choose from a mouth-watering selection of quality vendors, including Chur Burger, South Coast Paella, Rolling Schnitzel, Jacko’s Pizza, Donut Puff Balls and more.
The Shoalhaven offers an impressive array of accommodation to choose from, and with an official Big Country campground available, there are options for everyone. The Big Country Campground has plenty of room for trailers, RVs, caravans and the most extravagant camping set-ups. Head to www.big-country.com.au/camping for all the details.
The event organiser, Jack Stewart, said that Pink Salt Productions are excited to be returning with an even bigger festival in 2020. He added “it was incredible to see a sell-out response to Big Country’s inaugural year. The event is set to provide a much-needed boost to the local tourism economy after what has been a tough Summer. We’ve been hard at work putting together an offering to top 2019 and between our captivating artists, bull riders, line dancers, campground, kid’s entertainment and food and market stalls, we can’t wait to see what you think.”
Big Country is proudly supported by Shoalhaven Tourism.
Fans are reminded to only buy tickets from the official ticket agents listed below so as to avoid “reselling” sites such as Viagogo who typically advertise heavily online and often mislead consumers into paying much higher prices than necessary.
For further information and to access limited, reduced price Early Bird tickets, go to www.big-country.com.au and register for the Big Country Festival Newsletter.
General Public tickets to Big Country Festival go on sale from Moshtix at 9.00am on Thursday, 13 February.
Big Country
Berry Showground
Alexandra Street, Berry NSW
Saturday, 9 May 2020
Adam Brand, Steve Forde
The McClymonts, Adam Harvey
Shannon Noll, The Wolfe Brothers
Brad Cox, Amber Lawrence, Casey Barnes
Melanie Dyer, Missy Lancaster, Darlinghurst
and locals Kevin Sullivan and Benn Gunn
#BigCountry2020
Facebook: @BigCountryFestival
Instagram: @BigCountryFestival
