Bluesfest director Peter Noble announces ‘holy grail’ band’s return to Byron Bay event

Bluesfest Byron Bay director Peter Noble says one addition to their rescheduled 2021 event was “a dream come true” and something he’d been hoping to make happen for many years.

An Australian music heavyweight will make a long-awaited return to Bluesfest Byron Bay this year.

Bluesfest director Peter Noble announced Midnight Oil has joined the line-up for the 2021 festival, rescheduled to the October long weekend.

The group will headline on Friday, October 1.

Mr Noble said Paul Kelly would jointly headline Saturday, October 2 with Tash Sultana.

Jimmy Barnes will also be a headliner at the rescheduled festival.

“I am thrilled to announce that Midnight Oil have agreed to join our all-Aussie line-up and headline our opening night … and that Paul Kelly will co-headline October 2 alongside Tash Sultana,” Mr Noble said.

Lead singer for Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett, onstage at the Newtown Theatre. Midnight Oil put a special secret concert as part of their warm up to their forthcoming National tour. (AAP PHOTO/Dean Lewins).

“This is so special for me to announce – a moment I have been waiting years to happen.

“Midnight Oil headlined Bluesfest in 2002, just before their extended hiatus.

“It has always been my ambition to once again present the holy grail of Australian artists at Bluesfest and have approached them every year, redoubling my efforts since their reformation in 2017.

“And now, to have Midnight Oil headline our opening night and launch their new album – it’s a dream come true.”

Bluesfest’s new October dates were announced following the 11th-hour decision by NSW Health that the festival could not go ahead at Easter.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Paul Kelly will perform at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2021 in October. Photo courtesy of Cybele Malinowski.

A COVID-19 cluster involving Queensland residents who travelled to Byron Bay for a hens party in the lead up to the festival led to that decision.

There was one case of community transmission to a Northern Rivers resident during that time. “Who would have thought after the cancellation of Bluesfest last Easter by a Public Health Order, less than 24 hours before our gates were due to open, due to one local case of transmission, that sent shockwaves through our industry, and traumatised everyone who had been working on presenting Bluesfest at Easter, that six weeks later we would be announcing our rescheduled festival, and a week later, today our artists,” Mr Noble said.

“This October, Bluesfest will be the first major festival to return, since COVID-19 struck, with a multi-day, multistage, camping event and almost all the artists due to play at Easter will return to play.

“There is so much to look forward to in October.”

Australian singer songwriter Tash Sultana. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Noble said the headliners would perform “their full shows of between 90 and 120 minutes”.

“We have shown a determination to overcome everything we had to face to reschedule, knowing that as an integral part of the Australian music industry, so many were counting on us,” he said.

“As we rise from the ashes of Bluesfest, Easter 2021, please come join us as we celebrate our indomitable determination to present live music in Australia safely, at a major event level.

“We are back – we cannot be kept down – please join us.

“We look forward to change coming for major events. It is clear that without a major music events insurance scheme, many many events will choose not to launch. This is the time that major events need investment from government; more than we have ever received.

Jimmy Barnes on stage at the Cairns Red Hot Summer tour, 2021. He will perform at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2021. Picture: Peter Carruthers

“Our most recent completed event’s (2019) Economic Impact Report shows that we create 858 full-time equivalent jobs in our region and 1333 in our state of New South Wales, but on top of this, the money that we generate regionally ($163 million) and through our state ($277 million) underlines the true value of major music events.”

Bluesfest was recently named a finalist in the Pollstar Awards nominations for Music Festival of the Decade alongside Glastonbury Festival, Coachella, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, Lollapalooza USA & Brazil, Austin City Limits and others.

“What an honour it is to be the only Australian festival, event or venue to be nominated for this award, celebrating the most artistically and commercially successful festival of the last decade providing the most rewarding experience for fans and artists,” Mr Noble said.

>> Season tickets are on sale here from 9am Thursday, May 20.

Three and one-day tickets are set to be on sale soon along with camping and VIP passes.

The existing line-up includes:

• MIDNIGHT OIL

• PAUL KELLY

• TASH SULTANA

• JIMMY BARNES

• OCEAN ALLEY

• ZIGGY ALBERTS

• JOHN BUTLER

• XAVIER RUDD

• THE CAT EMPIRE

• PETE MURRAY

• MARK SEYMOUR & THE UNDERTOW

• KATE CEBERANO

• KASEY CHAMBERS

• THE WAIFS

• THE CHURCH

• JON STEVENS

• IAN MOSS

• THE LIVING END

• THE ANGELS

• ROSS WILSON and THE PEACENIKS

• RUSSELL MORRIS

• TROY CASSAR-DALEY

• BRIGGS

• TEX PERKINS THE MAN IN BLACK

• HIATUS KAIYOTE

• KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

• WEDDINGS PARTIES ANYTHING

• THE BLACK SORROWS

• THE BAMBOOS

• CHAIN

• BACKSLIDERS

• ASH GRUNWALD

• MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA

• VIKA & LINDA

• JEFF LANG

• NATHAN CAVALERI

• MICK THOMAS’ ROVING COMMISSION

• KIM CHURCHILL

• HENRY WAGONS

• JK-47

• GARRETT KATO

• MAMA KIN

• SPENDER

• DAMI IM

• PIERCE BROTHERS

• EMILY WURRAMARA

• THE BUCKLEYS

• FIONA BOYES & THE FORTUNE TELLERS

• RAY BEADLE

• PACEY, KING & DOLEY

• ALL OUR EXES LIVE IN TEXAS

• HUSSY HICKS

• ROSHANI

• DECLAN KELLY

• DANIEL CHAMPAGNE

• LITTLE GEORGIA

• LAMBROS.

• ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS

• THE REGIME

• ELECTRIC LEMONADE

• PALM VALLEY

• BYRON BUSKING COMPETITION