Today, the 27th Annual Bluesfest held over Easter (Thu 24 March–Mon 28 March 2016) at its own event site just outside of Byron Bay, releases the long awaited playing schedule containing performance stages and times for the five major stages of Bluesfest–Mojo, Crossroads, Jambalaya, Delta and the Juke Joint.
Featuring a lineup that Tonedeaf—one of Australia’s leading music blogs, recently described as “the finest lineup of 2016 so far” it has become clear that Bluesfest is the only place to be this Easter, and festival goers can now prepare their festival itinerary down to the minute.
The big news coming out of the playing schedule announcement is that most festival headliners are doing full 90 minute sets and not scaled back festival performances. This includes D’Angelo, The National, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Tom Jones, Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds, Jackson Browne, City and Colour, The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, Melissa Etheridge, The Cat Empire and Jason Isbell to name a few.
A number of artists are even performing a solid 120 minute set at Bluesfest including D’Angelo at his second performance on Saturday 26th March, Tedeschi Trucks Band on Thursday 24th March, Joe Bonamassa on Saturday 26th March and UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue on Sunday 27th March.
Further substantiating that Bluesfest is the only place to be at Easter, there are a mighty amount of artists performing exclusively at Bluesfest in 2016 including The National; UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue; Joe Bonamassa; Graham Nash; The Original Blues Brothers Band; Janiva Magness; Con Brio; Kaleo; The Word; Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real and Fantastic Negrito.
Bluesfest Festival Director Peter Noble (OAM) shares his excitement about Bluesfest 2016:
“This is what every festival attendee hangs out for – the playing schedule, we call it the form guide. It contains all the times and set lengths of the shows.
At Bluesfest, artists are given the opportunity to play full performances wherever possible and you will see full two hour shows with D’Angelo (Saturday), Joe Bonamassa (Saturday), UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro & Mickey Virtue (Sunday) and Tedeschi Trucks Band (Thursday).
When the Wailers present Bob Marley’s classic album Legend on Sunday, the audience will get to see the full 100 minute performance.
Artists such as Brian Wilson, Jason Isbell, The Word, The National, City and Colour, The Cat Empire, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Melisssa Etheridge, Jackson Browne and more will be presenting their full 90 minute concert performances. There are no cut down performances at Bluesfest.
And to top it off there are so many artists performing exclusively at Bluesfest this year including The National; UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue; Joe Bonamassa; Graham Nash; The Original Blues Brothers Band; Janiva Magness; Con Brio; Kaleo; The Word; Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real and Fantastic Negrito.
This one of our best Bluesfest artist bills ever and it’s not only us who think that; Australian media are saying it too.”
Bluesfest kicks off in fine form on Thursday 24th March and lovers of R&B, Neo-Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop won’t be leaving the Mojo stage with back to back performances by Hiatus Kaiyote, Kamasi Washington and D’Angelo, with festival headliner Kendrick Lamar closing the stage on Thursday night.
Good Friday features legends including The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band closing the Crossroads stage and earlier in the night two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Graham Nash. Those who prefer contemporary will be found at the Mojo stage on Friday 25th March to see artists such as Elle King, Lord Huron, City and Colour and The National, who are performing exclusively at Bluesfest.
Lovers of the Blues will be staying close to the Juke Joint stage over the five days of Bluesfest to see performances from the likes of Lucky Peterson, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges, Chain and Blind Boy Paxton.
Saturday 26th March has turned into a huge day at Bluesfest with the announcement of a second show for D’Angelo who will be closing the Mojo stage on Saturday night, and the recent additions of Eagles of Death Metal and The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band featuring Rick Vito.
Sunday 27th March features an eclectic mix of genres across the stages including contemporary (Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Decemberists, Modest Mouse, The Cat Empire), legends (UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro & Mickey Virtue; Jackson Browne; Graham Nash), Blue-Eyed Soul (Allen Stone, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats) plus so much more.
The final day of the festival features some huge names with Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds on the Mojo stage followed by the iconic Sir Tom Jones both not to be missed performances. The Crossroads stage is the place to be for a heavy dose of Blues on Monday 28th March including Taj Mahal and Joe Bonamassa (performing exclusively at Bluesfest).
Not to be missed at Bluesfest 2016 is Reggae stalwarts The Wailers performing a different classic Bob Marley and The Wailers album over four nights at Bluesfest on the Jambalaya stage. Thursday 24th March will be Exodus, Friday 25th March will be Uprising, Saturday 26th March will be Survival, and Sunday 27th March will be a 100 minute performance of Legend.
The talent is overflowing at Bluesfest in 2016 and with the festival now little more than six weeks away it’s time to print out those playing schedules and work out the perfect festival plan.
ARTISTS ANNOUNCED FOR BLUESFEST 2016
CONTEMPORARY
KENDRICK LAMAR
THE NATIONAL • D’ANGELO
NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS • CITY AND COLOUR
THE DECEMBERISTS • THE CAT EMPIRE
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL • COLD WAR KIDS
HIATUS KAIYOTE • ALLEN STONE • MODEST MOUSE
ELLE KING • GRACE POTTER • JEFF MARTIN (THE TEA PARTY)
NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE
VINTAGE TROUBLE • BLACKBERRY SMOKE • HOUNDMOUTH
LUKAS NELSON AND PROMISE OF THE REAL • LORD HURON
KALEO • DUSTIN THOMAS • HARTS • SAHARA BECK
LEGENDS
BRIAN WILSON performs ‘PET SOUNDS’ • TOM JONES
THE MICK FLEETWOOD BLUES BAND feat. RICK VITO
UB40 feat. ALI CAMPBELL, ASTRO & MICKEY VIRTUE
DON MCLEAN • JACKSON BROWNE • MELISSA ETHERIDGE
GRAHAM NASH • TAJ MAHAL • STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES
RICHARD CLAPTON • RUSSELL MORRIS • CHAIN
THE WAILERS • THE RESIDENTS
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA • ARCHIE ROACH
BLUES and ROOTS
JOE BONAMASSA • TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
THE ORIGINAL BLUES BROTHERS BAND
JASON ISBELL • RHIANNON GIDDENS
THE WORD • THE SELECTER
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
ST PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES • SHAKEY GRAVES
KAMASI WASHINGTON • LUCKY PETERSON • TWEEDY
PLAYING FOR CHANGE BAND • BACKSLIDERS •
TEX PERKINS & THE APE • JANIVA MAGNESS • SONGHOY BLUES
EUGENE ‘HIDEAWAY’ BRIDGES • IRISH MYTHEN • DIGGING ROOTS
FANTASTIC NEGRITO • ASH GRUNWALD • BLIND BOY PAXTON
CON BRIO • MIKE LOVE • THE BROS. LANDRETH
KIM CHURCHILL • SHOOGLENIFTY • MOJO JUJU
FRAZEY FORD • MARSHALL OKELL • EMMA DONOVAN & THE PUTBACKS
RAW EARTH • PIERCE BROTHERS • THE MASTERSONS
WARDS XPRESS • HUSSY HICKS • STEVE SMYTH
EAST JOURNEY
BOOMERANG
DANCE – MUSIC – HEALING
TALKS & IDEAS
All 5, 3 and 1 day festival and camping tickets are selling fast and are on sale through www.bluesfest.com.au or phone the office on 02 6685 8310.
Tickets are also available through Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au and Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com.au.
