Ian Moss to perform alongside Aussie greats at first regional festival

Ian Moss will join Australian music legends Paul Kelly and Tim Finn at the inaugural Mundi Mundi Bash.

Australian rock legend and Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss will headline the first Mundi Mundi Bash. Picture: Andrew Gosling

It’s official: Mossy is back. Australian rock legend and Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss will headline the opening night of the biggest event to be staged in outback NSW, the inaugural Mundi Mundi Bash.

The man Jimmy Barnes once described as “a boy from the bush who didn’t wear shoes but played fantastic” will appear before a 10,000-person crowd against the backdrop of the Barrier Ranges in August.

“The site is amazing and to be out there and headlining the very first night of the very first Bash with my band will be a highlight of 2021,” he said.

Moss fans were devastated when his tour of Australia was canned because of venue closures caused by COVID-19 last year.

Moss had been lined up to perform at Byron Bay’s Bluesfest last month before that event was cancelled at 24 hours’ notice due to a coronavirus outbreak.

The past year, Moss said, was “tough. Really tough … Our live music worlds were turned upside down, and to have to call your band and crew to say shows and festivals are not happening and essentially their income was gone was terrible.

“Things are starting to come back, but we are still and will continue to deal with the effects of COVID-19 for quite a while. But you have to stay positive.”

Moss will perform a selection of his solo hits at the three-day Bash, such as Tucker’s Daughter, Telephone Booth and Bow River.

Rumour has it he will also sing a variety of Cold Chisel classics.

He will play alongside an all-star line-up that will include Paul Kelly, John Williamson and Tim Finn — and festival tickets have been purchased at record speed, with more than 90 per cent gone already.

The two million square metre festival is located on the same site as for the post-apocalyptic set of Mad Max 2, and was the location for key scenes in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Organiser Greg Donovan said the Mundi Mundi Bash was a place for festival-goers to “bring your grog, and bring your dog.”

“There’s a lot of events and festivals you go to that have a bunch of restrictions on what you can and can’t do,” he said.

“Being in the outback in the middle of nowhere, with no existing facilities, we are able to build a mini musical city out of nothing that doesn’t have any rules. With that comes a freedom you don’t get elsewhere.”

The festival will kick off on Aug­ust 19.