Living End, Hoodoo Gurus and The Screaming Jets to headline Surfers Paradise Live

Three bands with huge followings have been announced as headliners of this year’s Surfers Paradise Live free music festival.

PUNK rockers The Living End will blast the Glitter Strip beachfront alongside the Hoodoo Gurus and The Screaming Jets as headliners of this year’s Surfers Paradise Live free music festival.

The three popular bands will hit the stage alongside top acts Thirsty Merc, Jebediah and Chocolate Starfish, the Bulletin can reveal.

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Musician Casey Barnes is one of the many artists in this years line up at the Surfers Paradise Live music festival. Picture: Jerad Williams

Other Australian performers playing 40 stages during the free May 2-5 event — to be officially unveiled today by organiser Surfers Paradise Alliance — are Boom Crash Opera, Reece Mastin, Bachelor Girl and Daryl Braithwaite, best known for a cover of rock anthem The Horses.

Hailing from the Gold Coast, hometown hero Casey Barnes will also perform for crowds which typically number in the tens of thousands.

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Casting an eye across the road from Surfers Paradise beach, the county rocker recalled performing “dingy little four-hour gigs in pubs” on the Coast 15 years ago.

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Darrell Braithwaite produces a wonderful, stirring performance for the crowd at Hay Mate in Tamworth. Picture: Luke Drew

Barnes jets off to Nashville, Tennessee, to record his next album in coming days, but he will be back in time for the festival, bolstered by a preview of his latest work.

“Nothing beats playing in your home town,” he said.

“It’s just the best feeling and this festival keeps getting bigger and better.”

Surfers Paradise Live launches with the Gold Coast Music Awards.

It rolls out the red carpet on the first night for more than 400 musicians, industry professionals and fans to honour the city’s top talent.

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Surfers Paradise Alliance CEO Mike Winlaw said the family-friendly live music celebration would be a safe and accessible way to soak in “great performances from some of Australia’s best-known and much-loved artists for free”.

Assistant Tourism Industry Development Minister Meaghan Scanlon said it was a “huge driver of visitation”.

Two weeks ago, it was revealed Nightquarter bosses — prior to closing down at their Helensvale site — had warned the Gold Coast City Council its free live music program was proving “catastrophic” for commercial operators.

Nightquarter numbers during the free Blues on Broadbeach festival were down 500-plus a night.