The fifth lineup announcement for this year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest has finally arrived, and it’s topped with a massive festival exclusive: the hotly awaited return of Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals.
It comes some five years after the band last played in Australia, when they performed exclusively at Bluesfest 2019. They’re joined on this year’s bill by the supergroup Infectious Grooves, described as “a seismic collision of funk and metal” featuring Suicidal Tendencies’ Mike Muir and Dean Pleasants
alongside Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver) and JayWeinberg (Slipknot).
Elsewhere in the latest announcement, we see the long-overdue return of Katie Melua – marking her first shows Down Under in nearly two decades – as well as The Waifs, Brad Cox, Yirrmal, Dirty Honey, Jerome Williams, Ben Swissa, eMDee, Perry Street Park and Da Manager.
In a press statement, festival director Peter Noble reiterated that Bluesfest 2024 is “gonna be hot”, as the iconic event celebrates its 35th birthday. “Not only is Bluesfest the most highly awarded festival in Australia,” he boasted, “but it is also the only Australian festival to be nominated nine times in the ‘Best International Music Festival’ category, Pollstar Awards (USA).
Bluesfest is Australia’s most awarded music festival and has been recognised as one of the Top Ten Festivals Of The Decade worldwide by industry bible in 2021.
“For those of you who don’t already know, Bluesfest is not just a blues music festival. Yes, it has blues at its heart, but a little like the Woodford Folk Festival, it stretches the genre into anything that fits.
“Over the years, not only have the greatest blues artists in the world played, such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Bonamassa, Taj Mahal, and so many others, but it is also the festival that first presented the Dave Matthews Band
, Kendrick Lamar, as well as Bob Dylan on a festival stage, James Brown, Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop and so many more, including the first Australian festival appearance of both Jack Johnson and Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals. There is simply no other festival quite like Bluesfest.”
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Also playing Bluesfest 2024 are the likes of PJ Morton and Allman Betts Family Revival (as announced ), Portugal. The Man, Ziggy Alberts and Snarky Puppy (as announced in ), Dan Sultan, Tim Finn and Ian Moss (as announced in ), plus Jack Johnson
, Tom Jones and The Teskey Brothers (as announced in ).
Bluesfest 2024 will be held over five days at its usual home of the Byron Events Farm in Tyagarah, kicking off on Thursday March 28 and wrapping up on Monday April 1. Tickets are on sale now – find them .
Also last month, Bluesfest announced a new $4,000 ticketing option, dubbed , which aims to give punters an enhanced VIP experience with access to an exclusive backstage bar with top-shelf liquor options, access to side-of-stage viewing platforms, viewing areas at the front of the stage, preferred parking spaces, artist a la carte dining, concierge service, and a welcome cocktail.
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Infectious Grooves
Katie Melua
The Waifs
Brad Cox
Yirrmal
Dirty Honey
Jerome Williams
Ben Swissa
eMDee
Perry Street Park
Da Manager
PJ Morton
Allman Betts Family Revival
Portugal. The Man
Ziggy Alberts
Snarky Puppy
Blind Boys Of Alabama
Meshell Ndegeocello
Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers
The Turner Brown Band
Pierce Brothers
Velvet Trip
ROSHANI
Sweet Talk
Tedeschi Trucks Band
The Cruel Sea
Taj Mahal
Tim Finn
Ian Moss
Rickie Lee Jones
Dan Sultan
The Whitlams Black Stump Band
COTERIE
Playing For Change Band
Lisa Hunt’s Forever Soul
Jackie Venson
WILSN
Caravãna Sun
Women Of Soul Collective
Jack Johnson
Tom Jones
The Teskey Brothers
Matt Corby
L.A.B
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos
Tommy Emmanuel
The Dead South
The Paper Kites
Drive-By Truckers
Newton Faulkner
Steve Poltz
19-Twenty
Taj Farrant
Erja Lyytinen
Harry Manx
Here Come The Mummies
Clayton Doley’s Bayou Billabong
Little Quirks
Hussy Hicks
Blues Arcadia
RocKwiz Live
Thursday March 28 – Monday April 1st, 2024
Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah NSW
Tickets:
