Big Red Bash festival 2021 set to break records, despite the odds
Thousands descend on Birdsville to catch artists including Paul Kelly and Ian Moss at the Big Red Bash. Getting a pandemic party off the ground hasn’t been without drama.
In an ordinary year, it’s hard to go past the Big Red Bash music festival in western Queensland as one of the country’s most unique travel destinations.
During a pandemic, however – with half the population recently in lockdown due to recent coronavirus outbreaks – its attraction continues to climb.
“I think people have had a gutful of all of that,” festival organiser Greg Donovan told The Australian on Tuesday morning. “It’s so depressing and it’s so demoralising, being locked up and wearing masks, and you can’t go anywhere. This is about freedom, out here: there’s lots of wide open spaces, fresh air and sunshine.”
With headline artists including Paul Kelly and Ian Moss, getting the 2021 edition off the ground has not been without drama: travel restrictions have kept eight acts including Kate Ceberano out of Queensland, but the likes of Busby Marou and Sarah McLeod were tapped to come off the bench as late substitutes.
“A lot of people travelled early because they just wanted to get here: on our early roll-in day, they were lined up at the gates at 2am,” said Donovan. “Before the gates opened, we already had a 4km queue.”
Situated near Birdsville in the state’s far west, in the shadow of the Simpson Desert sand dune known as Big Red, Donovan and his team have once again created the pop-up city known as ‘Bashville’.
“We’ll have record numbers this year – they’ll be bigger than they were in 2019,” said Donovan, referring to the most recent festival headlined by Midnight Oil. “Based on scanned-in tickets and where we sit right at this moment, it’s going to be 10,000-plus.”
Three days of live music began on Tuesday afternoon, with singer-songwriter Sarah McLeod – frontwoman of rock band The Superjesus – drafted in to play a solo set at short notice, having never heard of either Birdsville or the Big Red Bash.
“I love how life just picks you up and whisks you into unexpected things like that,” McLeod told The Australian. “The wind picks me up and throws me in all sorts of directions. I just figured the best way to handle it is to say ‘yes’ to everything, and worry about how you’re going to do it later.”
For Queensland acoustic pop duo Busby Marou, it was a case of deja vu, as their Tuesday afternoon set marked the third time they’ve played at the Bash.
“You have to have that kind of attitude: you lose a gig, you gain a gig,” said songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Marou. “Punters want to see gigs. Unfortunately, they might have to see us five or six times – especially in Queensland.”
While the event organiser describes proceeding with this year’s festival as the most challenging thing he has ever done, Donovan also can’t hide his joy at how things have turned out, despite the odds.
“We packed plenty of gear when we came up here to Birdsville, and the one thing we didn’t pack was a white flag,” he said with a laugh.
“You walk around here and you don’t see anybody not smiling,” he said. “I reckon this is probably the happiest place in the whole of Australia right now – maybe even the whole world.”
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