The first-ever Bluesfest Melbourne and Bluesfest Perth events, happening in 2023, represents a new chapter for Australia's premier blues and roots festival.
After the harrowing difficulties Australian live music has endured in recent years, Bluesfest director Peter Noble OAM is focussed on what lies ahead rather than dwelling on the past."We've had a few interesting years so now it's time to move into the future," he says. "Like the guru said: If you live in the past, guess what? It doesn't exist anymore. If you live in the future, it hasn't happened, so live in the now and make it work."
Against a metropolitan backdrop, Bluesfest Melbourne will present 30-plus acts over 2 days as a weather-proof indoor music festival on the banks of the Yarra River next April.
Along with the urban setting, it's a brand-new format for Bluesfest, which has traditionally been more of a camping festival.
"If you look at Bluesfest Byron, that's a destination event,” Peter explains. "You've got Byron Bay just down the road, Brunswick Heads and all the beautiful regions; that's where you come and have a holiday, or you have a holiday and stay for the five days. Melbourne is a bit different."
Over the two days, Bluesfest Melbourne will play host to a diverse line-up of legends and emerging stars featuring the likes of Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Buddy Guy, Xavier Rudd, Kaleo, Robert Glasper, Greensky Bluegrass, The Doobie Brothers, Henry Wagons, Kasey Chambers and more.
"Melbourne is known for being Australia's capital of live music," Peter says, "and they didn't get there by just saying they are, they got there by doing a lot of work. So, it's great to be part of that. Melburnians have a fierce pride about things: they love their sport, and they love their entertainment. So, when the opportunity occurred, I jumped at it."
Meanwhile Bluesfest Perth will take over the picturesque Nikola Estate in Swan Valley on 1 April with a line-up of international stars.
Four-time Grammy Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Doobie Brothers will be joined by fellow American rockers Counting Crows and socially-conscious roots-funk rocker Michael Franti & Spearhead.
Mississippi blues-soul guitarist Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram will also bring his band joining Australian roots, blues-rock singer-songwriter John Butler and multiple ARIA Award-winning R&B-pop artist Jessica Mauboy.
"I am so excited to be bringing Australia's leading music festival Bluesfest Byron Bay to Perth," Peter says, who has joined forces with Perth-based music promoter Brad Mellen.
"We'll be bringing a sensational line-up of artists to the banks of the Swan River in the beautiful Swan Valley. I see Perth Bluesfest becoming an absolute must see and do on the annual events calendar."
Peter has built a proud reputation for Bluesfest as a nexus of the old encompassing a broad definition of blues, and Bluesfest Melbourne-Perth will remain true to that spirit.
"Bluesfest isn't a blues festival," he says. "Blues basically is there, it's the ground that we put the seed in and that it grew from, so blues is always part of Bluesfest.
"But we have other things too, the things we've learnt over 30 years of presenting that we can integrate into that. So, the Melbourne and Perth events have quite a bit of blues on it, but it also has those other things we do as well.
"It's amazing to be able to get these artists back here now and do the kind of Bluesfest that we used to do," Peter adds.
"I'm very proud of the last Bluesfest, the majority of it was Australian artists and I think people will remember that as one of our great events. The sense of joy in that festival was just brilliant but now it's time to get into what we do and get back into living the way we once used to live, and hopefully we won't have any interruptions. Let's all get back to having a great time with music."
Bluesfest Melbourne takes place at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre 8-9 April 2023. Bluesfest Perth takes place at Nikola Estate (Swan Valley) 1 April, 2023.
Bluesfest Melbourne 2023 Line-up
Ash GrunwaldBacksliders
Buddy Guy
Chain
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram
C.W. Stoneking & His Primitive Horn Orchestra
The Doobie Brothers*
Eric Gales
Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Fools
Geoff Achison & The Souldiggers
Greensky Bluegrass
Henry Wagons
Kaleo
Kasey Chambers
Keb' Mo'
Lucinda Williams
Melbourne Ska Orchestra
Paolo Nutini*
Robert Glasper
Shaun Kirk
The Soul Rebels with Talib Kweli & GZA
Southern Avenue
Steve Earle
Xavier Rudd
*The Doobie Brothers and Paolo Nutini will perform in the reserved seat Plenary Theatre (their only Melbourne shows)
Bluesfest Perth 2023 Line-up
The Doobie BrothersCounting Crows
John Butler
Jessica Mauboy
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram
Plus more to be announced
